Several years ago, Jerry and I waited in the stadium stands as our daughter Kelly, then 16, prepared to run the 100 meter dash in the state Special Olympics games at UT-Arlington. Kelly was running against two other girls, one much taller and leaner and at first sight a shoo-in to win the race.

The starting gun fired and the three girls began their sprint, the tall girl quickly taking the lead. We were not surprised: running has never been Kelly's forte. Her running form consists of a lopsided gallop not amenable to building speed. But as the trio approached the stands, Kelly caught site of her us and our band of Comet supporters, and heard us as we shouted encouragement. Something clicked. She glanced upward for just a second, and then simply went into overdrive.

Neither we nor Kelly's teachers or coaches had ever seen her put forth such effort. With her face screwed up into a look of sheer determination, she pumped her chubby legs faster and faster. We went wild in the stands as she approached and then took the lead just as they approached the finish line. She'd won first place. We were delirious with pride over her achievement.

A few days later, Jerry and I sat in a restaurant talking about Kelly's win. "Maybe we should start a 10K run to benefit the Ranch," he said. I thought about the 60 or 70 runners we'd get if we began a new event and said, "We don't need a handful of people running ten kilometers, we need 10,000 people giving us money!"

A look of concentration furrowed Jerry's brow, as this idea took root. Suddenly he cried, "That's it! 10K and a quarter a day!" He'd already done the calculation. He said, "That would provide for the residence program! That would do it!"

And so the 10K was born. Even a few residents participate in it at their own special level - $3.25 a month. ($7.50 a month isn't a lot for most of us, but it's a pretty big percentage of what they earn.)

10,000 people giving just 25 cents a day would protect the Residential Program from having to depend exclusively on parents' co-pay for funding. If Dad retires, or another family member suffers a severe and costly illness, or a trust fund is exhausted, there will be help available. There aren't many other things a quarter can buy to equal that.

Just click here and join the 10K!