About Us

More Than Just a Starting Line

Miles 4 Mentors is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in Willmar, Minnesota, in 2017 with a simple belief: every child should have the opportunity to get moving, build confidence, and discover just how much they are capable of. Through running, physical activity, and positive encouragement, we help kids experience the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of an active lifestyle while developing healthy habits that can last a lifetime.

From our Fun Run events to financial assistance for sports, activities, shoes, and equipment, Miles 4 Mentors works to remove barriers and create more opportunities for children throughout West Central Minnesota. Along the way, we hope to build stronger kids, stronger families, and a stronger community—one step, one opportunity, and one mile at a time.

Our Mission

Our mission is to help the children of West Central Minnesota develop a lifelong love of running and understand the importance of staying physically fit for their bodies, minds, and souls. We strive to make playing sports and participating in activities financially accessible for all.

Our Vision

Our vision is a community where every child has the opportunity to be active, feel included, and experience the lifelong benefits of sports and physical fitness, regardless of financial circumstances. We want kids to have access to the shoes, equipment, fees, and support to participate, grow, and succeed. Through our events, we hope to encourage healthier lives, meaningful connections, and a true sense of belonging.

Be a Champion!

Everything Miles 4 Mentors does is made possible by people who believe in giving kids the chance to participate, grow, and thrive. Our donors, volunteers, community partners, and supporters help us provide opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach for local children and families.

Sports and physical activity can teach so much more than how to run faster. They build confidence, perseverance, teamwork, responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment. By supporting Miles 4 Mentors, you’re helping local kids gain experiences and lessons that can stay with them for years to come.

About Our Team

Miles 4 Mentors is fortunate to have an amazing group of individuals who share our vision and work hard to fulfill our mission. We appreciate them, our donors, volunteers, and especially the kids.

Paul
Cool

President

Renee
Cool

Secretary

Samantha
Van Heuveln

Treasurer

James
Miller

Board Member

Dickson
Centellas

Board Member

Melissa Hoffman Bodin

Board Member

Pam
Vruwink

Board Member

Kristen
Williamson

Board Member

Lorrie
Luna

Board Member

Maribel
Lemus Martinez

Board Member

About Us

The Miles 4 Mentors Story

Miles 4 Mentors has always been a team effort. Our board members, donors, volunteers, community partners, and the families we serve all play an important part in what we are able to accomplish. But like every organization, our story began with an idea, and for Miles 4 Mentors, that idea began with our founder and president, Paul Cool.

Paul is a retired Willmar firefighter and EMT, an avid runner, two-time Ironman, and Marketing Partner with Lakeland Broadcasting. For years, he had hoped to create a nonprofit that brought together two things he cared deeply about: helping children and families in his community and sharing the benefits of running and physical fitness. That vision eventually became Miles 4 Mentors.

Helping Children Grow Healthy

Paul knew firsthand the joy of running and the physical, mental, and emotional benefits that come with an active lifestyle. He envisioned creating opportunities for local kids to experience those benefits early and, hopefully, develop a love of movement and fitness that would stay with them throughout their lives.

One of those ideas became the Miles 4 Mentors Fun Run Series, giving kids the excitement and camaraderie of a real race, complete with race numbers, shirts, medals, cheering supporters, and the pride of crossing the finish line. Sometimes, all it takes is one positive experience to help a child discover that being active can be fun.

But Paul also recognized another challenge facing families in the community: the cost of youth sports and activities. Registration fees, shoes, equipment, lessons, and other expenses can quickly make participation difficult or even impossible. He believed that a family’s financial circumstances should never be the reason a child has to sit on the sidelines.

Today, helping remove those barriers remains an important part of the Miles 4 Mentors mission. We are proud to provide shoes, participation fees, scholarships, and other activity-related assistance so more local children have the chance to get involved.

In Memory of Autumn

Miles 4 Mentors officially began in 2017 during an unimaginably difficult time for the Cool family. Paul and his wife, Renee, lost their daughter Autumn in a tragic car accident. Autumn had grown up as an athlete herself, participating in dance from the age of three through high school. Knowing she would have wanted them to continue, Paul and Renee moved forward with Miles 4 Mentors in her honor. Her memory remains an important part of the organization and the work we continue to do for children and families throughout the community.

Making an Impact

For Paul, the true measure of Miles 4 Mentors has always been the difference it can make in the life of a child. One of his favorite memories came when a local family with five children received assistance that allowed the kids to participate in swimming lessons. Later, when they spotted Paul at the post office and realized he was the “Miles 4 Mentors guy,” their excitement and gratitude made quite an impression. It was a simple moment, but one that captured exactly why this work matters. A pair of shoes, a registration fee, swimming lessons, or a morning at a Fun Run may seem like a small thing—but for a child who might otherwise miss out, that opportunity can mean so much more. And every one of those opportunities is possible because someone in our community chooses to help.

A Bright Future

As Miles 4 Mentors looks toward the future, we want more families throughout West Central Minnesota to know that financial circumstances do not have to keep their children from participating in sports and activities. If a child wants the opportunity to get involved, we want families to know there is somewhere they can turn for help.

We also hope our story inspires more people to become part of what comes next—as participants, volunteers, donors, partners, or simply people willing to help spread the word. Every family we serve becomes part of the Miles 4 Mentors story, and we would love to hear yours. If Miles 4 Mentors has made a difference for you or someone you care about, tell us about it. Your story may be the one that inspires someone else to get involved.