In recent years my family has turned into a bunch of fitness nuts. My sister ran a marathon two years ago (and has run a number of half-marathons and other K-type things since). My dad runs like 3 miles every day and has run more half-marathons than I can count. My other sister has always been a fitness nut – she actually did competitive body building in her early 20’s and now her 18 year old son is following in her footsteps. I am the lazy sheep of the family. I could not imagine running 13 miles unless I was being chased by a crazed murderer. (and then, let’s face it, I’d be better off finding somewhere to hide than actually running). And that is not about to change anytime soon.
However, I do like a good walk. In the woods, around the neighborhood, through the mall… take your pick. This weekend I plan to take a nice long walk (5K to be precise) with K~ around The Mall – the one in D.C. And while I’d do such a thing just for the fun of it, this time we’re walking with thousands of other people in the Help The Homeless Walkathon.
Now before you start thinking anything wonderful about me, full disclosure here: We signed up for this to help K~ fulfill her required 5 hours of “community service” for her 8th grade Civics class. But regardless of our initial motivation, I think it will be a really good experience for K~ and I. Neither of us is that excited about getting into DC by 8:00am on a Saturday morning, but I am looking forward to having a nice long walk with my daughter. And it’s an extra added bonus that we’re raising a little bit of money for a very good cause at the same time. (We’ve designated the funds we raise to go to Gospel Rescue Ministries an organization that’s been helping the homeless and those in need in DC for more than 100 years.) I considered posting a link to our fundraising page right here on my blog… but there’s that pesky issue of anonymity. So, if you really want to support us, please, send me an email.
This process of picking a community service project for K~ has made me realize (not for the first time) that I really would like to find more ways for our whole family to get involved in volunteering. So hopefully this walk is just a start. Help me out with ideas – Do you and/or your family volunteer? How did you get started? Do you have plans to give back in a special way this year?
Hope you have nice weather and a nice time together! Maybe you’ll get inspired and become a regular. It could happen!
I’ve got my Simple Wishes thing, and we always give groceries to the food bank every year. The kids are trying to get me to do one of those shoebox donations too, but I’ve just been too busy. I need to prioritize better, it is definitely good for them!
We have always volunteered through our church. I taught ESL, Ash worked at the VA hospital. Then, there’s all the little things.. The most rewarding volunteer work was at our local Boys and Girls Club when we lived in Virginia. (Yes, we’ve lived everywhere). Those kids really loved the one on one attention from an adult, and I felt like I was actually making a difference in their lives.
Good luck on the walk. Sounds like fun! No really, it does!!