Providing sneakers for runners

christopher.monahan@comcast.net wrote:

Dear Sirs:

My name is Chris Monahan. Last fall I started a cross-country program at Fitzsimons HS in North Philadelphia. I'm now reaching out to the Philadelphia running community for ideas and suggestions on how to better our program.

Fitzsimons is an all-boys high school located at 26th and Cumberland. It is in the heart of one of the more crime-ridden and impoverished neighborhoods in the city. Our program is designed to: keep our kids off the streets, keep our kids engaged in the academic and social aspects of high school, and to provide our kids with a potential athletic avenue toward college.

In our initial season, we lettered 9 varsity athletes. This year we are hoping to build on that. One of our biggest challenges in our situation is providing the runners with adequate sneakers. Last year, many ran in high top basketball sneakers. I'm hoping your organization can provide some ideas on how we can obtain sneakers for our runners.

If you have any thoughts or advice on the matter, I would love to hear. Take care, and enjoy the summer.

Chris Monahan
Fitzsimons HS
215-317-7733
christopher.monahan@comcast.net