Gahanna 5K run provides new shoes for students

GAHANNA, Ohio (WCMH) -- Around 100 people gathered Sunday morning in Gahanna for the sixth annual Kyle Miller First Day 5K.

In 2016, Miller was diagnosed with bone cancer. He died in December of 2018 at the age of 40. Now to keep his memory alive, each year his friends and family put on a 5K to both remember him and raise money to provide Gahanna students with new shoes.

“Kyle always wanted to have a new pair of shoes for back to school and all of his buddies would get together on the first day of school. They’d take a picture and show their new shoes. We figured a good way to honor Kyle was to give new shoes to kids to start their school year in Gahanna,” said his father, Eric, who started the run in 2019.

The money raised from the event will provide students in need with gift cards to a shoe store for the next school year. He says last year they raised more than $17,000.