Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Why Running and Volunteering Go Hand-in-Hand-WOW Link-up

I am again participating in the WOW (Workout Wednesday) link-up hosted by the awesome ladies at Femme Fitale Fit Club, The Frugal Exerciser, Work Hard Eat Hard and Mean Green Clean Eating Teen. This link-up is designed for link-minded bloggers who are focused on wellness to link up and share stories and ideas. Please check out the great blogs in the links above!

Why Running and Volunteering Go Hand-in-Hand

As runners, we are routinely putting ourselves out in the community in a way that isn't that typical these days. We hit the streets routinely, traversing our neighborhoods and our cities on foot while many people are whizzing by in their cars, never really taking it all in.

We also participate in races that often wind through downtown, historic districts, large parks and other areas that host cities like to showcase. Through our running we can see the best and the worst our communities have to offer.

We get to see our parks at their best with freshly mowed lawns, blooming flowers, bubbling fountains and clean paths. We have races that take us past beautiful museums, bustling waterfronts, sprawling universities and all the other wonderful sights there are to be seen in any given area. When I see these things in their glory, it makes me appreciate them even more and makes me want to keep them that way. I want to be a supporter of these parks and museums and schools, because I both use them as a resident of our City and I feel pride when they are showcased for others to see. I know they make my city a better place to live.

The flipside of this is that we also see some things that other people in the community don't see because they're not on the ground daily like we are. That dog that is always on a chain, the local school with broken windows or broken play equipment, the kids who have nowhere to go after school, the stop sign near the park where you run that people blow through on a regular basis. We see all those things.

So what does this mean? To me it means that runners are uniquely positioned to identify the best things about their community that they want to ensure remain and the things that could be made better with change.

Runners are doers. They are the people who have a focused goal and just get up and get on with it, despite what is going on in their life. Runners are needed in their community to bring this focus to the issues that need it most because runners always find a way.

I'm sure you've often seen the hashtag #ifeverybodyran. This would be an amazing thing to achieve, to have everyone out there working toward a common goal. I also think that #whatifeveryrunnervolunteered would be a an equally amazing thing. To give credit I think that MANY runners already do volunteer in their community, but if you haven't because you don't know what to do, consider the following:

Volunteer as a coach with Girls on the Run or start a site at your local school
Start a running buddies program at a local animal rescue or shelter (our largest rescue Stray Rescue of St. Louis does this where volunteers run with shelter dogs in conjunction for training for races!)
Volunteer at a race
Sign up to help clean up at your local park
Conduct neighborhood safety meetings
Ask your local school if they need volunteers for after-school activities (especially focusing on health and fitness)

The options are endless! Thanks for reading

How do you volunteer?

10 comments:

  1. Love this post and your suggestions for volunteering! Thanks for joining the #wowlinkup :)

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    1. Thanks for reading and thanks for hosting the #wowlinkup!

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  2. Right now I do lots of extra work at my school to volunteer.

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    1. Abby, that's awesome, I truly feel our communities' success starts with the schools...thank you for your commitment to education!

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  3. I agree-runners are a special breed and have a unique ability to help around the community. Love these tips for getting more involved #wowlinkup

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    1. Thanks for reading and I'm glad you agree!

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  4. Once a week, I pick up trash on my block. I live near a large boulevard in Chicago and a lot of trash blows on my block. It can take from 30 minutes to 1 hour to get the whole block. I figure, I'm burning calories when I do this.

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    1. Way to get your neighborhood clean and burn some cals! We are always picking up trash along our block as well, we too live off of a major thoroughfare and down a hill, so it seems like it somehow always makes its way down!

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  5. I totally LOVE LOVE LOVE this post. I am all about community service, volunteering and being active. Running is a great way to do that. There is a certain "mindset" with runners. They are focused, determined, goal-oriented and DOERS. I've also heard a lot about Girls on The Run and hope to participate in an event one day. It is a great program! Thanks for stopping by #wowlinkup. Don't become a stranger!

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  6. Thank you for reading! I am doing our local Girls on the Run 5k this weekend and am really looking forward to it. I am on the school board for a school in my city and I recently applied to have our school approved for a Girls on the Run chapter...keeping my fingers crossed!!

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