A 60-year-old Hartland man is going to a great length to help raise money for a pregnancy help center that lost its inventory and suffered structural damage due to August flooding.
A great length — 104 miles to be exact. Mike Stolpa is running it Nov. 8 with the hope of raising $10,400.
Supporting Life’s Connection has been their “family charity” for Mike and his wife, Janine, members of St. Charles, Hartland, and their three children, Collin, Maggie and Becky. With three locations, Life’s Connection is a pro-life pregnancy help center that also offers support for those needing baby items or family counseling, and for those who have suffered miscarriage or stillbirth.
“Their mission really silences the ‘If you’re truly ‘pro-life,’ then you should help with the baby after it’s born’ comments,” he said. “I knew I couldn’t help them fix the building, but I can run — so I thought, why not add a ‘cause’ to my fun run? It really extends the pro-life aspect to caring for the families and babies for life.”
Stolpa was planning to do a 50-mile run strictly for fun on the Glacial Drumlin State Trail from Cottage Grove to Waukesha when he heard about Life’s Connection’s need at its Waukesha site, which experienced flooding in an Aug. 9-10 downpour that also flooded other parts of the Milwaukee metro area.
According to Krys Crawley, the center’s founder and executive director, the flood caused extensive damage, destroying more than $180,000 worth of baby supplies and office equipment.
“Additionally, we needed more than $100,000 in structural repairs and remodeling, and these repairs needed to be completed before reopening our doors,” she said.
Stolpa jokes that when people ask why he is running 104 miles, he says that no one would pick him up at the 52-mile turnaround, so he has to run back to get his truck.
“Actually, the distance picked me. I wanted to do a 50-mile run, just for the fun of it. I saw the Glacial Drumlin trail was 52 miles, so I thought that would be a good run,” he explained. “Once I heard about the flooding and decided to turn this into a fundraiser, I thought it would be a good idea to make it more of a ‘make it count’ run, so I decided to make it an out-and-back.”
Stolpa’s run is a beautiful example of putting faith into action, Crawley said.
“Mike is turning his compassion into motion to help mothers, fathers and babies in need,” she said. “His goal of raising $10,400 reflects not just the distance he’s running but also his heart for our mission of providing life-affirming care, hope and healing to families in crisis.”
So far, Life’s Connection has received more than $2,500 in pledges as a result of Stolpa’s effort, and Crawley said they are praying that his story inspires many others to join him in making a difference.
“Each dollar raised will go directly toward restoring and restocking our Waukesha center so we can continue to offer baby supplies, pregnancy testing, ultrasound services, parenting education and loss support programs for families throughout our community,” she said.
Though Stolpa has jogged most of his life, the thought of running five miles seemed daunting and “absurd.”
“Then a friend challenged me to do a 50-mile run with her, and well, I was hooked,” he explained. He has done two other runs of about 50 miles.
“I estimate this run anywhere from just under 24 hours to maybe 30 hours. I’ve never done this before, so I’m not sure. I don’t plan on sleeping, but we’ll see. If my math is right, I’ll have over 206,000 steps for the run.”
Stolpa already has a crew put together that will meet him at various trailheads to make sure he has all the food, hydration and gear he needs.
Two of Stolpa’s children, Collin and Maggie, will be part of the crew, meeting him at each of the rest stops to ensure he has what he needs and to make sure he doesn’t forget to eat and drink along the way.
“My crew will have lots of things ready for me to pick from, such as Pop-Tarts, Uncrustables, pizza, Pringles, pickles, M&M’s, Fig Newtons, applesauce, beef broth, Ramen noodles, Snickers, Mountain Dew, Coke, homemade rice/spam/egg bakes,” he said. “I will even bring along straight-up pickle juice.”
Such a lengthy run requires a positive mindset and often a mantra to keep going when the body wants to give up. For Stolpa, his mantra is “MOYL LOM” or “More Of You Lord, Less Of Me,” which takes the focus off himself. Stolpa is also collecting prayer intentions from family and friends, offering a mile for their needs.
“I also have several friends who will be helping to crew me and may jump in to keep me company between rest stops. Some of the guys from my prayer group are planning to find me on the trail near the end and walk a half mile or more for encouragement,” he said.
To follow Mike Stolpa’s preparations for the run or make an online donation to Life’s Connection for his effort, visit facebook.com/104MilesForLC. You can also support his effort by mailing a check to Life’s Connection, Memo: 104 Mile Mike, 801 N. Rochester St., Mukwonago, WI 53149.
