Get Moving! Forward is a Pace …

Two of the 5ks I am running this summer are quickly approaching. While my training runs have been a bit sporadic, my mental game is on, consistent and positive. I consider any preparation (biking, walking the dog, chasing children, etc.) to be a step forward.

My first run is the Mathes 5k/1 Mile Fun Walk, which happens Saturday, June 16 at Stony Creek Metro Park (West Branch Picnic Area “C”). Sue Mathes, one of my amazingly strong and smart girlfriends, organized the event, which is in its 2nd year, to raise awareness and support for the American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA). Her husband, Thom, was diagnosed with three brain tumors in January 2011.

To read more about the Mathes’ story, make a donation to Team Mathes or register to run, click here.

To keep me motivated to continue training as well as signing up races, a longtime college friend and Western Herald alum  — Lisa Brady — shared a couple of quotes with me this morning. The first she read on a sign during one of her races last year. It said …

 Forward is a pace

Lisa signed up to run a 5k with me at the 2012 Heart of Detroit Run/Walk on June 24 at Comerica Park. She will join me as well as my cousins Joe Duris (another runner who inspires me) and Jennifer Lott (a strong, positive, forward moving young lady), my Aunt Kate (I was named after her), and a longtime high school friend, Kelly Pelt (we were tennis partners). All of us are running as Kate’s A-Team; and we are one of 10 teams running to raise awareness and support for Kids on the Go (KOTG), a non-profit pediatrics program I advocate for.

KOTG, an affiliate of St. John Providence Health, provides physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy to Detroit-area children with special needs during the summer months at no cost to the families. Both of my children receive services through this pediatric program.

Through participation in the 2012 Heart of Detroit Run/Walk, KOTG and I, are looking to raise $5,000. To support our efforts

1. Donate via check. This is the preferred way to donate because KOTG receives 100-percent of your donation, which is tax deductible. The company organizing the race collects a processing fee for all donations made online.

To donate by check, make it payable to Kids on the Go and mail it to:

Kids on the Go

C/O Kristy Schena

21229 River Road

Grosse Pointe Woods, MI  48236

2. Link to the following fundraising page for KOTG and Make a Donation Now.

In closing, I need to share the second quote Lisa sent me this morning, which I love …

DFL > DNF > DNS

The translation …

Dead F-ing Last is greater than Did Not Finish, which is greater than Did Not Start

Related previous posts …

College Life Replays: Print Journalism Lesson #1 — Go For It

Fit Trail Interval Training

Running For a Purpose

5 in 30

 

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Volunteerism: You Are Needed, the Rewards Are Many

I admit to plagiarism. My post title, You Are Needed, the Rewards Are Many, is a rip-off from a quote given to me in an interview last week. The author of the said quote is a retired teacher and volunteer for Kids on the Go (KOTG), a non-profit I advocate for. While she was speaking about why one should become a volunteer for KOTG, the quote prompted me to think about the overwhelming number of non-profits, families, and individuals who really do need help from us to …

live, learn, eat, drink clean water, walk, talk, read, listen, work, play, hear music, dance, sing, create art, compete, sleep, grieve for loved ones, leave the house, shop, exercise, drive, vote, protest, shower, travel, make discoveries, preserve cultures, advance medicine, mediate conflicts, protect animals, save trees, conserve energy, etc.

Since the giving season began, yesterday at 10 pm EST, I figured the timing of this post couldn’t be better. It’s that time when we’re called upon to give of ourselves; make life better for others; especially those less fortunate. But, why reserve these thoughts for the weeks between now and December 25? Why not have these prompts for volunteerism every day?

Volunteerism comes in many forms. Some contribute dollars, others lend celebrity, and still more give time and talent. What one individual or group contributes doesn’t have to compete with the actions and/or dollars of another. All that matters is that you feel like you’re making a difference; a positive difference.