For Beth Jackson, three months of grueling marathon training offered eye-opening insight into the daunting challenge a child with learning differences faces every single day in the classroom—and how fundamentally critical support is to helping that student achieve success.

Beth, a recent graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan, ran the New York City Marathon for the first time last November. Beth quickly realized the natural fundraising opportunity her participation in the race presented, and with help from her younger sister Amy, selected All Kinds of Minds as the organization to benefit from her “sweat equity.”

Once Beth navigated the city’s lottery system and secured her place as a runner in April, she launched her training campaign. After conquering a two-mile run, she took on four, then increased her distance in small increments until she could complete 20-mile runs. Not a “natural athlete,” Beth felt wiped out at every stage. She started dreading her training runs. The effort took a toll on her body, pushing her to the point of exhaustion. She often felt like quitting.

At those times, Beth knew that the right support made all the difference. She reported that if her friends and family hadn’t continued to encourage her during her training process, she would have never felt capable of running the marathon.

And for Beth, this demanding quest for success resulted in a powerful epiphany: children across the nation who struggle in school are running their own gauntlet — often without the support of educators that know how to manage their learning differences to help them reach their potential.

Beth remembered the frustration her sister Amy experienced by not being able to learn at the same rate as her peers. Because Amy’s teachers lacked the specific skills and knowledge to work with her learning differences, multiple interventions had to be put in place during out of school hours — from after-school work sessions, to Saturday tutoring to summer school. Amy hated it, and the entire family was discouraged that her teachers couldn’t fully understand and address her unique challenges in her classroom.

When Beth notified her family and friends of her plan to obtain sponsors for her marathon run in support of All Kinds of Minds, she was “overwhelmed” by the rapid and nearly unanimous participation in her initiative. As a result of Beth’s creative campaign, All Kinds of Minds received gifts in support of our Schools Attuned Program totaling $1,250—all a testament to Beth’s tenacity, perseverance, and belief in herself.

And we’re proud of Beth, too—for showing us that these qualities, combined with a framework that understands, nurtures, and celebrates different learners, can help struggling students break through patterns of defeat to reclaim optimism and confidence in their ability to succeed.