Company controller runs for those who can’t
Most people shy away from the mere thought of six consecutive days of running, let alone finishing a marathon each day. But for Grinnell Mutual Controller Michelle Papendick, this challenge is about more than personal endurance: It’s about raising awareness and funds to fight multiple sclerosis (MS).
For Papendick, MS isn’t an abstract cause. “My grandfather was diagnosed before I was even born,” she says. “By the time I was born, he was already in a wheelchair, living in a care facility.” As she grew older, she discovered that her grandfather wasn’t the only one in the family with MS. Several of his siblings had it as well. “The doctors say it’s not hereditary, but in my family, three out of five siblings ended up with MS. It’s obviously close to home for me.”
She remembers seeing the toll the disease took. “My grandfather lost his ability to walk, talk, and feed himself in his 40s,” she says. “He spent so many years in a nursing home, and it was just heartbreaking. I knew I wanted to do something — anything — to help people living with MS.”
Discovering MS Run the US
Papendick, in her quest to help, found out about MS Run the US, a nonprofit founded by Ashley Schneider, whose mother also battled the disease.
Each year, a team of 21 runners covers roughly 3,2600 miles, passing a baton from California to New York. And every runner commits to raising a minimum of $10,000 in the months leading up to their leg of the relay. 
For Papendick, getting a spot on the team wasn’t a simple matter of signing up. “I applied late, right at the end of their selection process. I didn’t hear anything and assumed I hadn’t been chosen,” she says. “Then out of the blue, Ashley reached out and said someone had dropped out due to injury. She interviewed me, and I got in!”
Papendick will tackle about 148 miles total, starting in Lincoln, Neb., and finishing in Iowa. “It’s definitely the most extreme run I’ve ever done,” she says.
A Shared Cause
As for fundraising, Papendick is already close to hitting that $10,000 minimum thanks in part to a matching contribution from the Grinnell Mutual Group (GMG) Foundation. “I’m so grateful,” she says. “I really believe in smaller organizations where you can see exactly where the money goes. MS Run the US supports research and helps people directly, paying for wheelchair ramps, adaptive driving training, and other needs that improve daily life.”
Papendick admits she’s both excited and anxious. “I’m nervous about the mileage, but even if I’m sore and tired, it’s only six days of my life,” she says. “People with MS don’t have the luxury of ‘toughing it out’ for a short time. It’s a lifelong battle.
“I’m not running just for me. I’m running for my grandfather, for my family, for everyone who deals with MS every day. If I can help raise money and awareness even just a little, I’ll have made a difference.”