How Share the Spirit was formed ...

In 2002, close to 2000 people walked from Boulder to Denver, participating in the Avon Breast Cancer 3-day-walk, raising awareness and money for breast cancer. Tonya Voepel and Karen Voepel were among those who completed the 60-mile challenge in the name of friends and loved ones, raising over $5000. With the motivation and spirit we received from completing the event, and the support of family and friends, we decided to start a foundation to help share the burden of others in need. We named the foundation “Share the Spirit.”

So, in the spring of 2003, Share the Spirit was founded and our first project was to provide shoes to children in need. We coordinated with schools and social service agencies in Colorado and Illinois, to see that the STS funds raised made it to those who needed a helping hand. In addition, donations were also used to buy hiking boots and schedule outdoor camps for kids who have never had the opportunity to experience a summer camp.

In honor of those who endure their own personal struggles, we vowed to coordinate the efforts of STS with a personal challenge of our own. In the course of its conception, we have challenged ourselves physically by hiking the Grand Canyon in 2003, walking the Colorado Trail in 2004 and in 2005 we backpacked in the high country of the Sangre de Cristo mountains last summer.

After Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, STS donated to local organizations in the Springfield area to assist with the housing and transportation needs of those who relocated to the Springfield community.

Today, we continue to hold shoe drives to buy new shoes for deserving students at the start of the school year. And in December of 2005, STS coordinated with U.S. Army soldiers stationed in Iraq to distribute shoes to a local school in that region.

As you can see, your contributions have touched many across the country, as well as across the world. We appreciate your support and will continue to keep you informed of other opportunities to help “Share the Spirit.”