This browser does not support the Video element.
Dash for Cash: MN teen's fundraising road trip
A Minnesota teen raised money for the American Cancer Society by DoorDashing across the country.
ALEXANDRIA, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Minnesota teenager turned a big adventure into a working holiday and a fundraiser all in one.
Dash for Cash
Tricky road trip:
The mad dash from Alexandria to Panama City Beach, Florida, that Myles Frueh made this summer didn’t resemble most Florida road trips by teenagers.
"What I can afford for shelter, food, gas — that has to be made through DoorDash," he told viewers of his podcast, The Unspecified Show.
The 19-year-old community college student wanted to visit Florida for the first time and decided to see if he could bankroll it along the way with his DoorDash job.
"Is that possible?" he told us about his thought process. "It was just this wild thought that just flew right into your head and you kind of caught it. You're like, wait, could this work!"
Sometimes it seemed like it might not.
Starving artist
Making it work:
Every day, he mapped out a journey and made DoorDash deliveries along the way.
But on Day one, on his way to Madison, Wisconsin, he struggled to make money in St. Cloud and ended up at Motel 6.
Most days he made enough to get a decent AirBnB, but he says he should’ve planned for shorter driving days to leave more time to work for his dinner.
"Because of the time constraints, there are some days where, I mean, all I had was a Pop Tart — like just a Pop Tart from a Dollar Tree."
By the seventh day, he reached his goal — the white sand beaches of Panama City.
He drove a total of about 2,500 miles in travel and DoorDashing and did it unscathed, but on the way home, he had a little fender bender.
The 'why' of it
Double success:
The damage didn’t undo his success — on making the trip and turning his miles into something even more meaningful.
Myles raised $1,226 for the American Cancer Society over the seven days of his dash to celebrate his mother’s breast cancer survival.
But it got even better when a FOX 9 reporter talked to DoorDash before our interview.
"Dashing helps millions of people reach their goals, and Myles’ story is one extraordinarily inspiring example," a spokesperson told us. "We’re honored to have played a part in his journey and will be matching his donation to the American Cancer Society to support how he’s making a difference."
The very talkative teen struggled to speak when he heard the news.
Winning journeys
Ten years and beyond:
As an 8-year-old, Myles stood at his mother’s side when Mavis Frueh rang the bell in April 2015.
His summer trip was an emotional reminder of the cancer’s impact.
"I think of it every day because, obvious reasons, but you know, you never really think of 'how much do my sons and my husband think about this on a daily basis?'" Mavis said.
Myles was thinking about it a lot on his way to the beach.
"Mom, congratulations on being 10 years cancer free," he said in his video from Panama City. "I love you."
And now he’s thinking up new ways to entertain and help, so he says we’ll see a bigger and better Dash for Cash next summer.