I recently volunteered at the Run Inspired 10k Event at Winterthur to benefit Operation Warm. Prior to hearing about this race I hadn’t heard of Operation Warm so I did some research. I found out that Operation Warm was founded back in 2002 and their mission is to provide brand new coats to children living in poverty. To date, Operation Warm has manufactured and distributed new coats to more than 2 million children in the U.S. This alone was enough to make me want to get involved. Initially I was going to register for the race, but I felt like I would be more valuable as a volunteer. I’m so glad that I made that decision because I don’t think that my experience would’ve been as inspiring if I just ran the course. So many things touched my heart that day! It started with hearing the story of the founders grandson Nikolas who ran his first marathon in 2012 to raise money for Operation Warm. Then just 2 years later he became the youngest person to complete a marathon on each of the seven continents! That’s a major accomplishment for someone so young. And he wasn’t just doing it for the kudos. His main concern was raising funds and he did just that. He raised over $42,000! When they told us his story at the race I was shocked! His story goes to show you that you can do whatever you put your mind to regardless of your age. They told us that Nikolas is known for saying “You don’t have to be big to make a difference.” That is absolutely true!!!!
I signed up to be a medal distributor at the finish line purposely. I could’ve handed out water, snacks, t-shirts, or things of that nature, but I didn’t feel like those other jobs would be good for me. I felt like I was there to encourage, inspire and be inspired. The medal distribution team was awesome! I met some really nice people and was even able to give one some words of encouragement. When our first runner made it to the finish line in just under 32 minutes we were amazed! As the rest of the almost 1,500 people began to cross the finish line I understood why this job was particularly special to me. I met, spoke with, congratulated, and encouraged so many people that I didn’t know. In the midst of them completing this beautiful monster of a course (from what I hear) people were actually thanking me for being there. They could’ve gotten their medal and moved on, but they took the time to talk to us and thank us for volunteering. I was completely taken aback when I saw just how many kids had actually entered the race. The youngest child that I gave a medal to was 10. I was so proud of him! There was another guy that was struggling on the hills of the course, but made it to the finish line. One of the course instructors recognized him and had us take our cheering to the next level to congratulate him on a job well done. There were so many emotional moments during the time that I volunteered. I was very proud to be apart of such an amazing event. I would absolutely do it again without thinking twice!
After volunteering I felt like I could do more so I will also be making a donation to Operation Warm to support their mission.
~Mrs. Accountabilitee
Mrs. Accountabilitee 