I’ve been working for free for all my life it seems.
Mucking out an elderly neighbor’s horse stalls as a kid, cutting reams of construction paper and felt for my children’s school, planning auctions for non-profits and much more.
So far, the most volunteer fun I’ve had was at the Gresham Lilac Run in Oregon.
Little Runners at the Gresham Lilac Run
As a Race Volunteer, my gig was to cheer on and guide the littlest runners during their 1k romp between makeshift start and stop stations. As parents ran alongside the course with the tiniest tots, and amid the bluster of 8-yr-old serious-faced athletes, there were about 100 runners under my cheering watch. The littles needed a lot of encouragement, which I gladly gave. The more serious young runners made sure to get high-fives from me before heading down the stretch to the finish line, vying for their PRs.
The joy on those kids’ faces when a finisher medal was placed over each of their heads, was incredible to witness.
Suddenly, these youngsters became winners and achievers. Maybe to some this was the biggest accomplishment of their short lives. Runners were made this day and I had the honor of being a part of it.
After the running was done, and as a race volunteer, I could partake of the food and drink choices. Included were beer (too early for this girl), coffee, juice and cooked-to-order pancakes with gourmet sausages on the side.
Volunteer and Author, Kathy Toynbee, with Race Director, Sasha Konell, of the Gresham Lilac Run
It was great to be thought of as a helper in the running community.
Volunteer and Author, Kathy Toynbee, with Race Director, Sasha Konell, of the Gresham Lilac RunThe badge I wore identified me as a helper, and I was back patted, hugged and thanked by runners of all ages, including those who had just run the 5K, 10K or half-marathon events, earlier. It didn’t hurt that I had lived in this town for over 40-years and knew a good portion of the race participants. That connection made my volunteering for a community event more meaningful.
A Race Director’s passion.
One of the key factors, besides the free pancakes, in getting me to sign up to help with this running event, was the Race Director’s passion for the cause her event was supporting. Her promotion of Family of Friends Mentoring, was front and center of all the work she put in, and she made sure her volunteers knew what they were supporting, too. She wanted us to help her event make a difference in people’s lives. I’m down for that any day of the week.
By clearly showcasing value to the community through volunteerism, and by allowing us race volunteers to join festivities with the runners who participated, this new race director created a strong base of people who will be ready to help make her running event successful again year after year.
Who knows? Maybe I’ll cheer on those young runners and watch them grow into serious competitors over the years.
Maybe one day, I’ll be handing one of them an overall winner’s award, as the race volunteer who does that very special job. For now, I can’t wait for next year!