During the month of December, each mile Mary Hrenko runs will help to put a smile on another person’s face this holiday season.

The Woodland math teacher and avid runner will be running every day to raise money for a multitude of charities. Hrenko had been training for a half marathon and eventually a marathon in May.

Hrenko pounded the pavement on the neighborhood streets of Berlin, Connecticut on December 1st, as part of her daily run. That was when she realized that most of the people she buys gifts for during the holiday season already have everything they need. After running eight miles Sunday, she had an idea.

“Whenever I do an 8 mile run I have an epiphany,” said Hrenko. “I’m going to donate five dollars for every mile I run this month.”

Her thought is original, but there is an organization similar to Hrenko’s idea called Charity Runs. A person runs, logs his/her miles and the organization donates money; however. Hrenko decided to put her own twist on it. By doing this independently, she was able to choose the charities the money would go to and donate the money herself.

“Instead of buying a lot of gifts this year, I decided to donate money to different charities for people in need instead of people who don’t need it,” said Hrenko.

And Hrenko isn’t the only one who can contribute to this cause. If a person matches the number of miles she runs on a certain day, Hrenko will add a dollar to the amount of money she donates to a “Reason 2 Smile,” a special charity of choice, on December 25th, Christmas Day.

Hrenko ran eight miles on Sunday, December 1st and donated $40 to the Smilow Cancer Center. She also ran with Lisa Olivere and Deborah Flaherty, co-workers and friends of Hrenko, on Tuesday, December 3rd which increased her mileage and her donation.

There are many different charities that will receive Hrenko’s generosity this holiday season. For each day in December she has chosen a different charity to donate the money.  She shares how much money she donates each day on her a twitter page, @MerryRuns, and her Facebook page MerryRuns. Friends of Hrenko were able to share some of their favorite charities. Some of the charities she will donate to correspond with Woodland Worldwide’s mission. These charities include Girls Helping Girls, Somaly Mam Foundation, and The Girl Effect.

Each day Hrenko runs another life may be affected as her charity selections may resonate with individuals close to those clauses.  For instance, on December 14th, Hrenko will run for the Sandy Hook Promise in honor of the one year anniversary of the Newton shooting where the memory of last December can still be felt. And on the 17th she runs for The Wounded Warrior project, whose mission strives to “provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members.”   The Wounded Warrior Project holds special meaning for Principal Kurt Ogren who told of a friend who received a purple heart after being shot five times while on a mission in Afghanistan.

These organizations and those listed above will receive a donation this Christmas from the Merry Runs epiphany.  Every day for the whole month of December, a different charity/organization will be given a donation. This is Hrenko’s way to spread holiday cheer this season.

“This will make me accountable for running every day, even in bad weather, and help people at the same time,” said Hrenko.

To find more about the charities that receive Hrenko’s donations and the amount of money donated each day, visit @MerryRuns on Twitter or Facebook MerryRuns for more information.If anyone wants to run with Hrenko, they are welcome.