Wade Mitzel, a clinical supervisor with FM Ambulance in Fargo, will be running across North Dakota between October 25 and November 10, 2007.  He wants to raise awareness for Operation Christmas Child, a charity that provides Christmas presents to impoverished children around the world.  Last year the program delivered 7 1/2 million shoeboxes filled with gifts to around 100 countries, Mitzel said.

“Some people have a purpose to run, and some people run for a purpose,” he said.  “This is my purpose, and I chose to run.”

Mitzel first learned about Operation Christmas Child four years ago when his church prepared shoe boxes filled with gifts for children worldwide.  Mitzel’s family filled five shoeboxes with gifts from the local dollar store and notes from his children.  Six months later, they received a letter back from one of the recipients, thanking them for the gifts.

 ”It kind of changed his life,” Mitzel said.  “We’ve done this ever since.”

The run across North Dakota is the only new part of Mitzel’s participation in the program.  A self-proclaimed health and fitness nut, Mitzel said he’s been preparing for this run for about a year and a half now.  Besides the physical training, he approached Operation Christmas Child about what they hoped would happen because of his run.  Mitzel said they would be happy if even one person who wasn’t aware of the program before his run would donate a shoebox full of gifts.

Mitzel is using vacation time to complete the run and will be staying with families across the state in order to help keep costs down.  Local sponsors listed on his web site will provide running gear, a support vehicle and a little money for food and for the support vehicle’s fuel. 

Mitzel will be running along the shoulder of I-94 between Beach and Fargo.  He plans to run from town to town, about 20-30 miles a day for 17 days, for a total of 375 miles. 

One of the reasons Mitzel is running in October and November is because collection for the shoeboxes begins on November 12, two days after he’s scheduled to arrive in Fargo.   Drop-off locations for shoeboxes and directions on how to prepare them are listed on his web site, www.runacrossnd.com.  There is also a link to his blog page that gives some personal insights on his purpose and training.

Mitzel isn’t sure whether he’ll run across the state again or not, but he does plan to continue raising awareness for this program and other ways to help people.

“No matter what, the race is never done,” he said.  “You can always help other people.  If we all just chip in and do something we’re passionate about, we can make a difference.”