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By\u00a0Henry Howard<\/a><\/p>\n MAR 22, 2022<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This year\u2019s\u00a0American Legion 100 Miles for Hope challenge<\/a>\u00a0has recruited two of the nation\u2019s largest law enforcement agencies to participate.<\/p>\n Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, a member of American Legion Star Post 309, encouraged his deputies to participate during a staff-wide briefing on March 16.\u00a0Sign up here to join the challenge<\/a>, which is underway now.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d have to take from now until Sept. 5 because my running days are behind me,\u201d he said, holding up the tech shirt that all participants receive as part of their registration. \u201cOh, do I miss running. But it\u2019s for a good cause, The American Legion Veterans & Children Foundation (V&CF). It\u2019s a great positive event.\u201d<\/p>\n Registration fees and donations from 100 Miles for Hope go to the V&CF, which funds programs that support disabled veterans and military families facing financial hardships.<\/p>\n Even if you are not affiliated with the Los Angeles County Sheriff\u2019s or New York City Police departments, you can still support them by contributing to their teams. To find and donate to their teams (or others),\u00a0please visit this page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Villanueva and Post 309 Adjutant Ernie Bille challenged the NYPD and members of NYPD Post 460 to participate in a friendly competition.<\/p>\n \u201cOur post is in and we\u2019re excited about starting,\u201d said Bille, who is actively recruiting members from the sheriff\u2019s department, where he is a lieutenant. \u201cWe\u2019re challenging New York City and Los Angeles police departments, and all police agencies to get out and support our veterans. And what\u2019s great about the 100 Miles for Hope is that it also serves as a way that we can improve our own health and fitness by exercising on a regular basis.\u201d<\/p>\n Wilem Wong, a member of American Legion Post 1291 in New York City and an Army veteran, accepted the challenge. Wong, who retired from NYPD as a sergeant a year ago, is rallying NYPD officers from NYPD Post 460, fellow New York City Legionnaires and others.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a great cause and this is all about rallying people together, like a rally point in the military,\u201d Wong said. \u201cOur enduring\u00a0mission is to support our fellow veterans the best we can. And a way to show support is for us to drive donations to the Veterans & Children Foundation.\u201d<\/p>\n To learn more, visit legion.org\/100miles.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ltkimlau.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/37554.jpeg\")
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