‘One step at a time’: Miami Joy Project’s Superhero 5K raises over $30K for kids with special needs

The Miami Joy Project hosted its first Superhero Miles 5K at Tropical Park. Hundreds of people across all fitness levels on Sunday collected superhero capes, masks and gloves at themed checkpoints during the race, crossing the finish line to raise funds for children with severe illnesses. We realize that a lot of kids in this population, they don t have the resources to do the special things in life sometimes. It could be as simple as a birthday party, said Kelly Vedrani, founder of the Miami Joy Project. We saw that in the community, and we decided that we could get our larger community together to come out and create these celebrations for our kids. It was inspired by my brother, Miles, who has epilepsy and developmental disabilities, and we re here running this for a good cause, said Max Vedrani, co-founder of the Miami Joy Project. The nonprofit funds birthday and holiday celebrations. Sunday s event raised more than $30,000.