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About Us
Run For Your Life Colorado is a 501(c)(3)
non-profit organization.
To be
the leading resource for children who wish to be active and experience
the lifelong benefits of running, providing shoes to those in need and
after school running programs for all.
Our vision
We
envision a community
where all children
are able to participate in a healthy lifestyle, regardless of
socioeconomic status or physical ability.
Our
values
Trust
- We have children and understand their needs, their goals, their care.
Integrity
- We believe every child deserves every opportunity and all the help we
can give.
Respect -
We respect all children and their parents and guardians and understand
that not all advantages are afforded to everyone. Our goal is to
broaden those advantages.
Leadership
- For us, leadership means going further without personal gain.
Our focus is to benefit children... ALL children.
Partner
Organizations
This year we have served children in
need sent to us from ; Aztlan
Community Center, Boys and Girls Club of Larimer County, Poudre
School District, SAVA Center, Thompson Valley School District, Vida
Sana of Larimer County, as well as private requests from community
members in Fort Collins and Loveland.
Shoot for the moon.
Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.
-Les Brown
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Board of Directors
 Spencer Dries
is the Acting Executive Director of the organization. He is an avid outdoorsman and his interests include rock climbing,
hiking photography and cycling. He has been involved in many non
profit organizations and is a yearly participant in the MS 150 2 day
bicycling event where he rides to raise money and awareness of multiple
sclerosis. Spencer is a volunteer
coach for the After School Running Program at Lopez Elementary and
volunteers at numerous running events.
Bryan Reichert, MD
is a family physician practicing at Miramont
Family Medicine in Wellington. He is a member of the Larimer County
Medical Society, Colorado Medical Society, American Academy of Family
Physicians and Colorado Academy of Family Physicians, and the American
Board of Family Physicians. Bryan works hard to
explain the importance of being active with his patients’ and models this
behavior at home with his family as well.
Bryan has volunteered
at several running events since joining the board, and his primary role
within the organization is to provide support and guidance in all efforts
with moving forward.
Kristen Leigh Benè
is on faculty at the Fort Collins Family
Medicine Residency Program, where she has worked for eight years. She
holds a Masters in Educational Psychology from Penn State and is pursuing her doctorate in Educational
Leadership from CSU. Growing up in Pennsylvania, her late father inspired her to start
running at the age of 13. She has been running recreationally for 20
years, but participating in running events only since moving to Colorado. In the past two years, she's run five
half-marathons, a new favorite distance. She is admittedly not fast, but
loves running and is excited to be involved with an organization that
provides children with the resources they need to love it too. Kristen is
the primary grant writer with RFYLC and volunteers and running events
sponsored by the organization.
 Leslie
Ayres-Reichert
has worked
with Fort Collins Family Medicine Residency Program with Poudre Valley
Health System for the past 14 years as a medical social worker. She
has written and was approved for several small grants throughout the 14
years to increase clinic resources available to the patient
population. She has a passion for the outdoors and makes it a top
priority to stay active. Her belief is that introducing a healthy
lifestyle at a young age will lead to a lifelong dedication to staying
healthy throughout the years. Her primary roles are to assist with
grant writing and fundraising efforts.
 Ken
Banwart
graduated with a bachelor’s
degree in business and a minor in economics from Colorado State University. Since
that time he has worked as a real estate agent for Coldwell Banker in Fort Collins. Ken
is president of the HOA board in his community and volunteers at his
child’s elementary school. He is an
avid runner and has participated in several organized running events. He recently qualified for the 2010
Boston Marathon. Ken’s primary role
within the organization is to assist with outreach and fundraising
efforts. He is a volunteer coach
with the After School Running Program with Lopez Elementary and
participates in running events sponsored by the organization.
Tasha Ballard PhD earned a BS in Exercise and Sport
Science/Sports Medicine,
MS in Health and Exercise Science, PhD in Nutrition, Postdoctoral
fellowship in Human Nutrition, and an RN.
Tahsa worked in Germany as an Athletic Trainer
for 7 years focusing on academic research in areas that include cardiovascular,
neurovascular, adult and pediatric bone and endocrine health as well as sports
training, supplementation, body composition, and performance. More recently Tasha has worked in conjunction
with CanDo (Coalition for Activity and Nutrition to Defeat Obesity) as a
Lifestyle Medicine Coordinator at Family Medicine Center, a branch of Poudre
Valley Health System. In this role she
works with patients in areas of lifestyle change, facilitating goal setting for
chronic conditions and weight management.
Her work also includes training Family Medicine Residents in areas of
Lifestyle Medicine including physical activity, nutrition, and stress management. Her hobbies include coaching swimming to
athletes that have included the full school age spectrum varying from beginners
to Nationally ranked athletes. In her
free time she enjoys swimming, biking, running, hiking, and yoga. Tasha’s expertise around health and wellness
is extremely beneficial to RFYLC. She
will provide education and training to staff and volunteers around how to
promote healthy habits in our recipients and assist with all efforts in moving
forward. Graduated
CSU BA Psychology 2005
 Paul
Higgins
Founder of Run For Your Life Colorado. Paul has been employed as a nurse for the past
10 years with Poudre Valley Health System. He has worked in a variety of
settings including a family practice clinic where he worked with the undeserved
population and he is currently working as a nurse liaison for outpatient
surgeries at Poudre Valley Hospital. Paul is actively working towards obtaining his
BSN and will graduate in 2011. He has recently discovered a love for
running and participated in the Colorado ½ marathon in 2009 and ran this year in the Surf City ½ marathon in Hunnington Beach, California. Paul is involved with all operations of Run
For Your Life Colorado organization. This includes making phone calls,
assisting with outreach efforts, tracking and filling shoe requests,
fundraising efforts and updating the website.
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