Meet Henry. With a winning smile and a generous heart, he came up with a unique idea to raise money for youth experiencing homelessness.

A few days before his 35th birthday, Henry was joking with a coworker about running up 3,500 steps to commemorate the occasion. The idea settled in his mind and as it grew he realized he could turn a friendly challenge into something more.

With only five days to go before his birthday, Henry contacted family and friends to let them know of his plan to run up at least 3,500 stairs. He shared the story of YouthLink and our mission to open doors of opportunity for youth experiencing homelessness and asked his loved ones to make a donation to his cause.

He worked with his employers at the University of St. Thomas’s School of Law to secure the use of their staircase and encouraged coworkers to cheer him on and learn more about the issue of youth homelessness.

On the big day, Henry ran up a whopping 3,597 stairs in just over 30 minutes and raised over $300 for YouthLink – enough to provide three youth with a complete set of GED tests. Henry was amazed by the support he received in just five days of planning and is already thinking about how to involve more people in a similar event next year.

For his birthday, Henry chose to give rather than to receive. He turned his special day into an opportunity for three homeless youth to complete their GED certification and gave them the gift of education. Thanks to his support, three local youth have a brighter outlook on their futures and are moving towards empowerment and self-reliance – one step at a time.