Marathon and Charity
Well, I've been back from Las Vegas for a few days now after running the LV Marathon. It was great to see some old friends (the previously dubbed "idiot friends") who ran with (read in front of) me. The marathon itself was a pretty well run event and we stayed at the Mandalay Bay which was right at the start/finish line. So overall I would recommend this as a worthwhile marathon to do. I had forgotten how far 42.2 km really is. I had been dealing with a bit of a calf injury/tightness for the two weeks leading up to the run and didn't deal with it properly before hand. I really should have been seeing a massage therapist to get the damn thing fixed but alas.... Anyway, my calf cramped in the first 2km and from there on in it was just survival. i finished, albeit slowly. There is no possible way I could have stood the ribbing from my friends (one came 218th out of 15000)afterwards if I hadn't finished. It's a very humbling experience as a former higher level athlete to be arriving at the finish line with a whole lot of very brave people ...some running for the first time...some just running because it keeps their life in focus. I ran with one guy for a while whose daughter had died from AIDS at the age of 12 and had made him promise to run a marathon for her. Wow. How can you stop because of a silly calf cramp when this is happening around you. There was another guy with an artificial leg who had lost it to cancer and another guy who was running for some charity who was literally double my size and had a t-shirt on that said "Worlds strongest man"....I believed it.
I more than likely won't enter a marathon again, but, the previously mentioned friends have decided that there should be some sort of biannual event to get us together athletically so there will be more interesting adventures I'm sure.
So now on the charity front...this time of year many people look for ways to give to charity as a way to spread around some of the wealth that they have received in the past year. The local Food Bank is a great option as are many others. I'm going to throw my suggestion into the mix. The ArtsCan Circle (www.artscancircle.ca). Their mission statement reads as follows:
"The ArtsCan Circle is an independent, volunteer-run group working to link creative artists with Native youth at risk in Canada. Our hope is to encourage self-esteem amongst Native youth in isolated communities through a cooperative exploration of the arts."
In their about us section:
"The ArtsCan Circle was inspired by the work of Mike Stevens, a multi-talented harmonica player who has been traveling to communities in Labrador, at his own expense, to share his music with youth. On these visits, Mike has distributed hundreds of harmonicas to help his young listeners discover music for themselves.
Our aim is to support small groups of musicians and artists who will accompany Mike to work with kids in remote Northern communities. Through music and other creative arts, we hope to facilitate a positive outlet in communities suffering severe problems related to poverty, lack of work, family dysfunction, and solvent abuse.
Of course, we are not offering a solution to the deep malaise that affects these areas, but we hope to encourage a positive creative environment by bringing creative resources to troubled young people on an ongoing basis."
The reason that I like this charity is that they make no claims that they can change the world, only that they can give native kids in isolated territories some tools to keep themselves busy and out of trouble. One of the reasons for substance abuse and high suicide rate in isolated native communities is the lack of anything for kids to do...extreme boredom.The traditional daily tasks have been replaced by ...well... nothing. Mark Stevens saw that void and is attempting to do his part one small step and community at a time.
If you have any musical instrument,music books, or cash lying around doing nothing, please consider donating to the ArtsCan Circle. You can be sure that it will make a difference.
I more than likely won't enter a marathon again, but, the previously mentioned friends have decided that there should be some sort of biannual event to get us together athletically so there will be more interesting adventures I'm sure.
So now on the charity front...this time of year many people look for ways to give to charity as a way to spread around some of the wealth that they have received in the past year. The local Food Bank is a great option as are many others. I'm going to throw my suggestion into the mix. The ArtsCan Circle (www.artscancircle.ca). Their mission statement reads as follows:
"The ArtsCan Circle is an independent, volunteer-run group working to link creative artists with Native youth at risk in Canada. Our hope is to encourage self-esteem amongst Native youth in isolated communities through a cooperative exploration of the arts."
In their about us section:
"The ArtsCan Circle was inspired by the work of Mike Stevens, a multi-talented harmonica player who has been traveling to communities in Labrador, at his own expense, to share his music with youth. On these visits, Mike has distributed hundreds of harmonicas to help his young listeners discover music for themselves.
Our aim is to support small groups of musicians and artists who will accompany Mike to work with kids in remote Northern communities. Through music and other creative arts, we hope to facilitate a positive outlet in communities suffering severe problems related to poverty, lack of work, family dysfunction, and solvent abuse.
Of course, we are not offering a solution to the deep malaise that affects these areas, but we hope to encourage a positive creative environment by bringing creative resources to troubled young people on an ongoing basis."
The reason that I like this charity is that they make no claims that they can change the world, only that they can give native kids in isolated territories some tools to keep themselves busy and out of trouble. One of the reasons for substance abuse and high suicide rate in isolated native communities is the lack of anything for kids to do...extreme boredom.The traditional daily tasks have been replaced by ...well... nothing. Mark Stevens saw that void and is attempting to do his part one small step and community at a time.
If you have any musical instrument,music books, or cash lying around doing nothing, please consider donating to the ArtsCan Circle. You can be sure that it will make a difference.
posted by Colin Darling | 12:52 PM
|
0 comments
