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When Jay Miralles felt his life falling apart, he walked.
After leaving the Air Force in 1998 following a decade of active duty, he struggled to find the sense of purpose that defined his military service. A painful divorce and mental stress left him homeless for nearly a year.
His father’s advice came back to him: When emotions run high, walk.
So he did. Sometimes, two hours a day.
Mile by mile, Miralles pieced his life back together. By 2019, he launched a career with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate in Elkhorn, Neb., finding purpose helping buyers and sellers. When COVID-19 hit in 2020, he returned to walking—this time with others. To celebrate his 50th birthday, six friends walked 50 miles in 22 hours from Lincoln to Omaha, Neb., raising money for veteran organizations. Their goal was $2,500; they raised $25,000.
The next year, 39 people joined, raising $134,000. The 50-mile trek grew into the 50 Mile March Foundation, co-founded by Miralles and inaugural walkers Jaime Seeman and Matt Bills. The nonprofit raises awareness of veteran homelessness and mental health, connects veterans with resources, and raises funds for veteran-serving organizations. Above all, it ensures no veteran walks alone.
A March That Became a Movement
This August, the seventh annual 50 Mile March brought 100-plus volunteers and 170 participants—ranging in age from 10 to 76 across 18 states. Every participant commits to raising $2,500. This year’s event raised more than $825,000.
Ten percent of the walker proceeds fund community grants, contributing more than $600,000 to veteran nonprofits over the years so far. The remaining goes toward the Community of Hope, a future campus dedicated to vets.
"The longest journey was the first step. It took me almost 20 years to take that first step. … But when people delay action, it delays joy."
—Jay Miralles
Miralles keeps one letter close, a reminder of why every mile matters. It came from a veteran contemplating suicide before discovering the 50 Mile March. “I may never fully understand why I’m still here, but I know I was nudged in this direction,” the veteran wrote, describing how the march gave him renewed purpose and moved him from despair toward healing surrounded by others. “I still have a long way to go,” he wrote, “but I’m now thankful for every sunrise.”
A Walk That Honors Sacrifice
Before taking the first step of the 50-mile march, every participant lies on the concrete steps of the Nebraska State Capitol for 22 minutes. The moment honors veterans lost to suicide, a number once estimated at 22 per day. The concrete also symbolizes the homelessness thousands of veterans face.
Then, they rise, walking together over the next 22 hours, day and night. Somewhere along those miles, participants discover another reason they’re there.
“Around mile mark 30 it starts becoming a mental game in putting one foot in front of the other while the rest of the world is sleeping,” says Jodi Jefferson, a veteran, foundation board member and four-time participant. “That’s when you have to dig deep and ask ‘what’s your why?’ For everyone, that answer is different.”
For Jefferson, that “why” is personal. She lost a close friend in 2019 to suicide while they were both on active duty. After 21 years in the Air Force, her own transition to civilian life was difficult. “You have to figure out life after the transition,” she says. Yet, the camaraderie and connection she gains from the 50 Mile March keeps her coming back each year.
Building a Community of Hope
As more veterans found connection through the 50 Mile March, Miralles realized support was needed beyond the finish line. He sketched a vision for the Community of Hope, a future campus where veterans would find transitional housing, mental health and addiction recovery services, employment assistance, physical health resources and spaces to reconnect.
Drawing on his real estate experience, Miralles is turning that vision into reality. In December 2024, the foundation purchased 7 acres in Bellevue, Neb., five years ahead of schedule. Two of the property’s three existing homes are rented to cover the foundation’s mortgage, while the third serves as an early hub for meetings and veteran programming. The long-term plan includes a 25,000-square-foot community center that will serve about 200 vets yearly and 22 transitional tiny homes.
"Around mile mark 30 it starts becoming a mental game in putting one foot in front of the other. … That’s when you have to dig deep and ask‚ what’s your why?"
—Jodi Jefferson
Miralles’ dedication has inspired a community, including real estate co-worker Sarina McNeel, a three-year participant in the march. “His door and his heart are always open, his ear and his shoulder are always available to anyone in need,” she says. “He pays attention and he is intentional about making sure that people feel seen, heard, supported and know without a doubt they matter.”
Miralles has embraced that role as a connector. In 2024, his organization helped launch the Omaha Area Veterans Alliance, bringing together 90 organizations to coordinate services for veterans.
“We’ve got people looking behind us, beside use, and in front of us saying, ‘We can help,’” Miralles says. He calls those volunteers, donors and partners “force multipliers,” a military term for people who amplify a mission’s impact.
Years ago, Miralles started walking because he didn’t know what else to do. Today, hundreds walk beside him.
“The longest journey was the first step,” Miralles says. “It took me almost 20 years to take that first step. … When I look in the eyes of someone who is broken, that’s who I used to be. But one day they’ll be sitting on my side of the table, helping someone else broken. That’s what keeps me going. When you transform people, they transform other people.”
Jay Miralles of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, The Good Life Group, in Elkhorn, Neb., has facilitated support for more than 500 veterans through fundraising, community partnerships and connections to mental health and homelessness services.
