Why I’m Participating for United Way

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I’m running the 5k Riverbank Run to show my commitment and support of the United Way’s Volunteer Center. The United Way does amazing work in the community and the Volunteer Center provides opportunities for everyone in that community to get involved. The Volunteer Center also supports nonprofit organizations in a way not many other programs like theirs does. The Volunteer Center staff are committed to helping all organizations take their volunteer efforts to the most ultimate level.

I’m also running for my family. My husband and I made a strong commitment after our son Eli was born to live a healthy, active lifestyle. Our lifestyle now includes an all real, non-processed food diet. My husband has already taken the active part to the next level with running himself and now it’s my turn to step it up. I’m hoping the race can provide me the opportunity to jump start a running and more active lifestyle for myself. We hope to teach our son to respect his body, what types of food go into and living an otherwise healthy and active lifestyle.

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Running Masacre Resinates.

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The tragedy in Boston yesterday has everyone who hears and who was involved startled. Left speechless. How were these runners to know that running for a good cause would be a risk for their lives? How were they to know that they would be a target that day?

Questions. Does this effect every public race from now on? Will this event now sway peoples decision in whether or not to participate? Will YOU still run in this years River Bank Run?

In an article from USA Today, Cindy Rhodes says, “I’m looking forward to getting back to the routine again.”

Meanwhile, former Okanagan-Coquihalla MP Stockwell Day was supposed to be at the race, but cancelled due to an injury.

He tweeted to followers: “Bostonians and runners need our prayers. So Heartbreaking. Thank u 2 many asking about me. Was supposed 2 B in it, but cancelled out this year.”

He also encouraged runners to not be discouraged by the attack, tweeting: “All Boston runners! Let’s train hard to qualify for Boston in ’14 in memory of victims, (and) defy coward killers who want us to live in fear.”

Same goes for Michigan runners and to all who come out to run in the 5/3 River Bank Run. Don’t be discouraged. Run for a cause!

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United Way Achieves Partner Status with Partners for a Racism Free Community

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We are proud to announce that we have achieved Full Partner Status with the Partners for a Racism Free Community (PRFC). Joining seven other Full Partner Kent County organizations, we have shown evidence of fulfilling the basic requirements of all six categories of PRFC standards. These standards cover topics areas such as leadership engagement, internal policies, external collaborators, and client practices.

Achieving part one of our Organizational Assessment and Credentialing is a significant milestone and natural progression for Heart of West Michgian United Way on our organizational journey toward a racism free community and workplace. This is a by no means a destination, but a natural step along our journey  to deepen our understanding of ,and to demonstrate, racism free practice in organizational and community life.

PRFC Partners are organizations that have gone through a process of self-evaluation and assessment based on six target areas called standards and have successfully met the criterion to be considered actively working to create a racism-free organization. PRFC envisions a community of compassion and justice, promoting racial harmony, where everyone feels welcomed and wanted and has the opportunity to participate. United Way’s next phase of their journey will be achieving Credentialed Partner status.

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Why I’m Participating for United Way

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“Running … or should I say – walking – in the Fifth Third River Bank Run is a great opportunity to visibly show my support of United Way, fitness and one of our significant corporate partners, Fifth Third Bank.  The event symbolizes to me the energy, cohesiveness and endurance that it takes to create positive change in a community.  Creating a positive change in people’s lives is what United Way is about – we work to help our youth graduate from high school, provide critical services so that families and individuals have the mean to meet their basic needs and have adequate resources for good health.

United Way needs creative energy (volunteer time, people’s money or voice) working together in a cohesive manner with great endurance since the community needs are complicated.

I am looking forward to running – walking – in this event and I hope many others will join me in supporting the River Bank Run and United Way!”

Maureen Noe, President/CEO at Heart of West Michigan United Way

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Fight hunger where you’re at.

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Here are some simple ways to get involved in the fight against hunger:

  1. Get to know your local food pantry.Find the one closest to your house and contact them to take a pantry tour, volunteer, donate and build a relationship with them.
  2. Watch a documentary on hunger. We recommend A Place at the Table which was released in 2013. This film shows us how hunger poses serious economic, social and cultural implications for our nation.
  3. Grow something.  Grow and donate produce from your garden this summer. Fresh fruit and vegetables are one of the hardest things to keep in stock at pantries.
  4. Read a book on domestic hunger and poverty issues. We recommend these to start: All You Can Eat: How Hungry is America?  by Joel Berg or Make Poverty Personal by Ash Barker.
  5. Teach your kids about hunger.  Take your kids to the store and ask them to pick out items to donate to your local pantry. Watch Sesame Street’s special episode on hunger entitled Growing Hope Against Hunger. Read French Toast for Maleek, an illustrated children’s book on hunger published by our friends at UCOM.
  6. Learn more about hunger. Spend some time perusing our website for more information about hunger on a local and national level. We would also recommend Bread for the World, FRAC and Half in Ten.

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March Madness

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It’s was a wild month of March with Team CLC! And, we’re ready for more fun in April.

  • We hit the ground running on March 9th by joining  Grand Rapids Running Club for their annual  benefit  run at Robinette’s.  On April 6th at 8:00am, we’ll be joining them again for the GRRC Prediction Fun Run at John Ball Zoo. This is a run with a twist – runners predict their finish time for the 2 mile or 4 mile course and the winner is the one who finishes closest to their predicted time (no timing devices allowed on course). Bring $4 and a smiling face to sign up! If you need to put in additional miles to round out your training, stick around – the GRRC Mentor Group is going back out for up to 11 miles in total and everyone is welcome!
  • Derby Station, Senator David Hildenbrand and Representative Peter MacGregor hosted a Guest Bartender Night on March 13th to benefit  Team CLC. Everyone had a blast and over $1,600 was raised for the “Champion A Child” scholarship fund at CLC. A huge thank you to everyone who helped pull it off!

Senator Hildenbrand and Representative MacGregor

CLC students Johnny and Sarah with CLC Road Warrior Adam

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • The Team got into ‘Good Form’ at Gazelle Sports on March 14th by participating in their Good Form Running Clinic. If you’ve never done this free clinic – you should. The technique can do wonders for your running performance and keep you injury-free. Even Dakota, a CLC student got in on the action, putting all of us to shame by completing a few laps around the store with his walker.  Way to go, Dakota!

CLC's Dakota lapped us all at the Good Form Running Clinic

  • In the midst of all of this fun, our Team CLC gear arrived and we are ready to reward all of our runners and walkers! From head to toe – we’ve got it all.

This running gear can be yours when you join Team CLC!

 

  • Running 101 on March 20thwas a hit with our new and experienced runners alike. Mike Wojciakowski (“Coach Woj”), Aquinas College Cross Country Coach and Assistant Track Coach, talked us through his tips on proper gear, form, race day, nutrition, training calendar and more.

    Coah Woj shares his top tips with Team CLC

Coach suggested a host of easy strengthening routines to add to our workouts – you can check out these videos too!

Myrtle http://youtube.com/watch?v=2GLrKr54yA0
Pedestal http://youtube.com/watch?v=xS8jhZq1pJo
Advanced Pedestal http://flotrack.org/videos/play/24613
Core 2.0 http://flotrack.org/speaker/2181-reiff-ralph/video

  • Getting out and about once again, we all met up on March 27th at Buffalo Wild Wings in downtown Grand Rapids for a social fundraiser hosted by the Fifth Third River Bank Run committee. Another $350 was raised for the “Champion A Child” scholarship fund. It was great to connect with the CLC Road Warriors, Adam and Jennifer, local media, friends and supporters.

 

 

 

 

  • It’s not too late to join the fun! You can still join Team CLC  –  even if you are already registered for the race. Just email quick note to info@conductivelearningcenter.org and let us know you’d like to help. We’ll get you connected.
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Running advice.

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Recently, we asked some of our seasoned runners to offer some advice to other runners on our team to encourage those who are just starting out and offer a friendly reminder to those who need a kick-start to training.  Here are just a few…

Get the right shoes for your feet.  Places like Gazelle will watch your stride and help you get the right kind for your stride. ~Jesica

Don’t be afraid to walk! I’ve run a marathon and several half marathons and have stopped to walk a few times in each race.  Taking a break to walk is perfectly acceptable, and I would highly encourage runners to walk through the aid stations (while staying out of the way of other runners :) ) ~Phil

Create a good running soundtrack to keep you motivated. Or use a fitness app like “FIT Radio” to keep a good beat going all run long! ~Mallary

If possible, join a running group or start a running group, even if it’s only two or three people. You can learn a lot from one another and encourage one another. ~Jacob

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It’s Time to Rock and Roll!

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ROCK MSMultiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system.  Its debilitating effects can rock the foundation of one’s world.  But now it is OUR turn to ROCK MS!

On Sunday, April 28th from 5pm to 10pm, Team N3kk1d, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and Stella’s Lounge in Grand Rapids will bring to you an event like no other.  ROCK MS features the popular video game Rock Band on stage with YOU as the star!  Ready to show your chops on vocals, drums, or a plastic guitar?  Form a “band” and prepare to rumble in this outrageous “Battle of the Bands” for prizes and bragging rights.  Bring your friends, family, and “groupies” and take advantage of “Secret Back Room” drink specials, Stella’s award-winning food, a $1 raffle, and free ROCK BAND swag from  Harmonix. Everybody wins at this event and 100% of all proceeds go to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Admission is free to the public; for band registration and more information visit teamn3kk1d.com/events. ROCK MS 2013 is brought to you in part by Godwin Plumbing.

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April Fools!

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This is no April Fools joke: the Fifth Third River Bank Run is just over 1 month away!

We want to take a moment and thank all of the runners who are choosing to raise funds for any of the Charity Partners this year. As a non-profit, we truly appreciate and rely on the support of our wonderful community. We could not do our work without you!

So THANK YOU for your support and keep up the great work!

 

 

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“There is no finish line until we find a cure”

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Written by our awesome Road Warrior Adele:

Over the past several months, I have had by far one of the greatest opportunities in my life happen. I have had the chance to train with the Fifth Third River Bank Road Warriors, but even more important, I have had the chance to work with The American Cancer Society. I have expressed in previous blogs just how important raising awareness about cancer is, but I want to dive deeper into why someone should donate to The American Cancer Society, and where some of the money goes. I could talk for hours about all of the great things that ACS does for Western Michigan, but for now, I will explore CPS-3.

CPS-3, also known as Cancer Prevention Study-3, is the third grassroots study to be done over the last fifty years on cancer. The first studies directly correlated cancer to tobacco use, as well as nutrition as it relates to obesity. The American Cancer Society has spearheaded these studies, which although have not found a cure for cancer; have discovered ways to prevent cancer.

According to The American Cancer website, nearly 13.7 million people in America have survived cancer, and there are even more than that have prevented cancer. CPS-3 is looking to enroll over 300,000 adults in this new study to continue the efforts on how to prevent cancer, and the hope that one day we will find a cure. The research is quite non-evasive and will progress over a few years’ worth of surveys. In order to be eligible for the study, there are a few requirements that a person must meet. These include the following:
· Be between 30-65 years old
· Have no personal history of cancer (this does include basal or squamous skin cancer)
· Be willing to make a long-term commitment to the study which simply involves completing periodic follow-up questionnaires.
If you have always wanted to be a larger part of the fight against cancer, your time is now. You can make a difference in the fight against cancer. Up until now, I have talked a lot about how running for cancer, or donating to The American Cancer Society will make a difference, but CPS-3 is just another way to help. If you have questions about CPS-3 or how you can get involved with The American Cancer Society, check www.cancer.org/research, email CPS-3@cancer.org or call 1-888-604-5888 for more information.
So what will you do to make the finish line a reality for cancer?

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