ALLENDALE, Mich. — Deputy Matt Garbarino with the Kent County Sheriff's Office loves to run. He also loves supporting families of fallen service members and first responders. So, to raise awareness, he decided to run 40 miles — from Grand Haven to Cascade Township — for his cause.
“I’m running for Folds of Honor," Deputy Garbarino told FOX 17.
Folds of Honor is a nonprofit that provides scholarships for children of service members and first responders who are killed in the line of duty.
He ran along Lake Michigan Drive Friday with an American flag on his shoulder — knowing that his endurance will be worth it.
“I've done charity runs in the past to raise awareness and money...They're doing a gala [Saturday] to raise money for the Michigan Folds of Honor chapter. So, I said, how about I tie endurance running into doing something to raise awareness for this," he explained.
Running 40 miles in one day is hard, but he says he likes the challenge.
“I’m 55 years old. So, I actually have arthritis in both knees, which is kind of, that's why I'm wearing these sleeves on my knees right here. But, you know, one part of it is you got to move, you got to get the body moving. And I also believe in challenging myself,” he added.
While running, Garbarino says he thinks about his son who soon will be a naval officer.
“I think about him and every family who have to do the same thing. God forbid they don’t come home. For me, my son who is in Navy ROTC, he'll be commissioning as an officer. He's looking to be in aviation. You start now realizing the commitment, the sacrifice and the risk,” he said.
"I look up to him. He's my rock, you know, watching him wake up at four or five in the morning every single day, putting in the miles during the training, icing the legs, and nutrition, hydration, it's a lot of work. He's, he's put in the time to get here and do it," his son, Matt Garbarino Jr., added.
Garbarino hopes to inspire others through his run.
"I look at that flag and I think, you know, in the divisive world we seem to live in, can we all agree that that's a unifying thing? And so, I look up at that flag that's waving over my head — it makes me feel proud," he said. "If you have an idea of something that you want to do to make a difference, take a small step to do anything, just get out of your comfort zone. We can all make an impact. You don't have to run 40 miles because the end result will be you are going to make an impact if it means something to you too.”
The Folds of Honor gala is Saturday night at Notos restaurant in Cascade Township. For more information go to Michigan Folds of Honor's website.
