The Impact of a Community

Every Thanksgiving morning, our community comes together to support local families in need.

A group of people gathered outdoors around tents and booths on a sunny day with leafless trees in the background and a vehicle parked nearby.
Two women in matching white t-shirts with a graphic image are smiling and standing close together, with their arms around each other, outdoors on a rainy day with leafless trees and other people in the background.

Real support. Real families. Real community impact.

Numbers tell part of the story. The rest of it happens on a cold Thanksgiving morning when hundreds of neighbors show up for a family who needs to know they are not alone.

Since our first run, the Gratitude Run community has raised more than $200,000 in support of local Hero Families facing medical challenges, financial hardship, and unimaginable loss.

But the true impact goes beyond dollars raised.

  • It’s families feeling supported.

  • It’s burdens feeling lighter.

  • It’s a community choosing, year after year, to show up for its own.

More than a Morning

Group of people walking outdoors in a park during fall.
A group of three people, two kids and an adult, smiling at an outdoor event. They are dressed warmly in jackets, hats, and sunglasses, standing on a paved area with parked cars and other people in the background.

Impact by the Numbers

Real Impact, Right Here at Home

$200,000+ Raised
Supporting local families through difficult seasons.

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4 Hero Families Supported
Each with a story, a struggle, and a community behind them.

Open book with a heart shape in the center.

95%+ Direct to Families
Every dollar stays local and goes directly toward helping Hero Families.

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The support created through the Gratitude Run looks different for every family.

Sometimes it means helping cover medical expenses that insurance won’t touch. Sometimes it means easing financial pressure during months away from work. Sometimes it means creating stability for children during a season that feels anything but stable.

It looks like:

  • groceries on the table

  • bills getting paid

  • treatment becoming possible

  • families feeling carried instead of isolated

Most importantly, it reminds people that their community sees them - and is willing to stand beside them when life gets hard.

Impact in Action

The Families Behind the Mission

Every Hero Family has a different story. Different circumstances. Different challenges.

What connects them is this: each one was surrounded by a community that chose to show up.

Featured Families

  • The Smith Family

  • The Serena Family

  • The Applebaum Family

  • The Morford Family

Each story represents more than hardship. They represent resilience, community, and the power of people coming together when it matters most.

Hero Families

Read the Hero Family Stories
Two men smiling outdoors with clear blue sky, bare trees, and parked cars in the background.

A Reflection of This Community

The Gratitude Run has become more than an event. It’s a reflection of who this community is.

Local businesses sponsor and field teams. Students volunteer their Thanksgiving morning. Police officers, firefighters, coaches, teachers, families, and neighbors all show up together for the same reason: to support people in their community who need it most.

Every year, this event grows because the people in it refuse to let it shrink.

Community Impact

Help Us Continue the Impact

Every registration, donation, sponsorship, and volunteer makes this possible.

Together, we can continue showing up for families in our community - one Thanksgiving morning at a time.

Register
Donate
Nominate a Family