Before the donations rolled in by the hundreds of thousands, Myles Hudson had UA Miracle counting by 10s.
After becoming UA Miracle’s president last year, Myles took the organization to new heights. In February, he led a record-breaking campaign that helped the program raise $394,178 in support of pediatric care at the Children’s of Alabama hospital in Birmingham. That sum exceeded the previous year’s mark by $170,000 while eclipsing the program’s fundraising high by $50,000. It also pushed UA Miracle’s fundraising totals past the $3 million mark since its inception in 2011.
Myles spurred the program’s recent momentum by emphasizing increased transparency and accountability during his first year in leadership. That shift started with a routine challenge before every meeting.
“He’d be like, ‘Get out your phones, everybody raise $10 right now. We’re all going to raise $10,’” said Haley Carpenter, assistant director at the Center for Service and Leadership. “It was like that every meeting, even the quick ones. By doing that every single time, it got them in the right mindset of what we’re here for, and it also added up.”
Myles, who vaulted into the president role after serving as UA Miracle’s director of logistics during his junior year, implemented the practice to help younger members become more comfortable with fundraising. Often, he’d add gift card incentives to create a fun, competitive atmosphere while establishing confidence throughout the program.
“I know fundraising can be intimidating,” Myles said. “To ask someone for money is an intimidating task. Part of my whole goal in the fall semester was to get people comfortable with fundraising. That way, when BAMAthon rolls around, they’re ready.”
This past year was Myles’ third with UA Miracle. The biology major was originally persuaded to join the program by a friend, but he quickly developed a passion for its cause and the effect it has on the community.
UA Miracle is the largest student-led philanthropic organization at UA. The fundraising program raises awareness and provides financial and emotional assistance to the children and families undergoing treatment at Children’s of Alabama.
Myles’ passion for UA Miracle has several roots. The Hattiesburg, Mississippi native was born prematurely and grew up experiencing the needs of children in similar situations. He’s also the son of an OB-GYN, who focuses specifically on specialty cases with children who have birth defects and disabilities in utero. Myles said those factors, along with the opportunity to work with a family-centered care model at Children’s of Alabama, made UA Miracle a natural fit for him.
Upon stepping into a leadership role this year, his goal was to strengthen UA Miracle’s culture by assembling an executive board with equally passionate members.
“I found that because they were so committed and because they had such a passion for children and the mission and cause that we support, that took them further than any other prior experience could,” Myles said. “At the end of the day, they’re going to pull out every stop and do everything they can to create as big an impact as possible.”
UA Miracle is supported by the Center for Service and Leadership. The program is part of the Miracle Network Dance Marathon movement, involving college and high school students at over 400 campuses across the nation. In addition to its own fundraising, UA Miracle pairs with three local high schools — American Christian Academy, Northridge and Tuscaloosa County — to raise money through events.
Myles’ leadership played a key role in the growth of all three high school programs this year. Under his guidance, Northridge Miracle nearly doubled its fundraising total from last year, raising roughly $114,000. In addition, ACA Miracle raised a little more than $13,000 in its first year with UA Miracle, while TC Miracle raised roughly $10,000.
“Seeing those individuals and their drive, motivation and energy, it’s incredible,” Myles said. “It’s incredibly gratifying, especially when you see them come to UA and sign up for UA Miracle. That’s really where I know it hits. That’s where it hits home for me.”
Heading into the school year, UA Miracle set its fundraising goal at $250,000. At that time, Myles said the thought of reaching the $280,000-mark seemed like a stretch.
However, optimism began to grow, entering a pivotal month of February, when all three partnering high schools held events preceding UA Miracle’s signature BAMAthon fundraiser. Following a successful couple of weeks, Myles began to realize something special was brewing.
“I remember looking at Ella Baggett, our VP of programming, who oversees the minis, and thinking, ‘Oh my God,’” Myles recalled. “We had already passed our goal. We were about to hit 300 [thousand]. At that moment, we just kind of looked at each other, shocked and mind-blown with where we were at.”
Myles didn’t let the momentum slip from there. Entering UA Miracle’s annual BAMAthon event on Feb. 28, he rallied his team, challenging them to top the program’s previous yearly fundraising record of $341,000.
Myles purposely left out the fact that UA Miracle had already eclipsed the $300,000-mark heading into the day. That set up a dramatic reveal at the conclusion of the event when he initially held up a No. 2 card at the beginning of the final earning before replacing it with a No. 3 card to display the final total of $394,178.67.
“In my wildest dream, I didn’t think they would get to $394,000,” Haley said. “I never would have imagined that. I was thinking maybe somewhere in the 320s. I wasn’t necessarily surprised, but I was thrilled. The fact that he was able to raise that much is outstanding.”
Following Myles’ graduation earlier this month, Haley has already notified the upcoming UA Miracle staff that reaching last year’s landmark earnings might be difficult. However, Myles believes his efforts were just the beginning for the program moving forward.
“In terms of the fundraising total, I absolutely think it can be broken. And I hope that they do,” Myles said. “It will be difficult, but I’ve already been watching the new leadership team, the new executive board and the new president, Liz Morgan White. I have so much hope, and I see so much potential in them. They’re already incredible. If anyone can break that total, it’s going to be them.”
After graduating with a biology degree, Myles will be attending the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. While his time at the Capstone has come to a close, he hopes to continue building off his experiences with UA Miracle moving forward.
“I genuinely don’t know where I would be without UA Miracle,” Myles said. “I’ve been involved all over the board across campus, and nothing has brought out as much of a passion for me. … It’s just made me who I am, and it’s pushed me in so many different ways than I would have ever imagined. There are so many skills and lessons from UA Miracle that I would have never learned anywhere else.”
