Our Local Fight: Our First HELPING FEET Event

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."

- Helen Keller

Hot.

It was going to be one of those days you wish you could spend either tightly sealed inside an air-conditioned house, or floating on some cool body of water somewhere. Instead, thousands of participants chose to brave the extreme heat and walk in support of their mothers, grandmothers, aunties, sisters, and friends...Our Local Fight against breast cancer, The Foundation for Community and Family Health's annual walk, was a huge success!!

Our 100 Mile Club kids showed up in droves to lend their Helping Feet to a great cause. Over 100 kids came out and walked or ran either 2.2 or 4.4 miles on one of the hottest days of the year. Not one complaint. Not one.

My mom and I arrived at Dos Lagos just before 6:00 in the morning to set up our booth. After a few minutes of confusion and a good cry, we settled in. This is always an emotional day for everyone, and I usually spend the whole walk on the verge of tears. That, on top of the fact that I was running on 4 hours of sleep made for quick-to-arrive emotions all day.

Our booth was situated right at the finish line, which was perfect...we were able to get mile credit slips to most of our kids. I am sure there were still quite a few who didn't ever find us, so we'll field frantic phone calls this week. If there is one thing I know for sure, it is that kids are SERIOUS about their miles. They should be. They. Want. Credit. Thankfully, we had plenty of volunteers:

• BJ Walker, thank you for being there all day! You even helped clean up!
• Alice Fujita, you took the best pictures ever, and passed out billions of credit slips. Thank you!
• Ellie & Mark VanDoornum, thanks for walking and representing. We needed you out there.
• Michaela Hamilton, you rallied your school. You guys had the MOST walkers ever! You win!!
• Tom Munoz, thank you for jumping right in.
• Mom, THANK YOU for helping me set AND clean up...you are Superwoman.
• All Head Coaches, thank you for coming out and encouraging your students to give back. That's what it's all about.

Do you see the grey Accept the Challenge tee? :)

We had 100 Mile Club Kids from so many schools!! The following schools and groups were represented at Our Local Fight...GREAT job to these schools and coaches:

CFIS

Prado View

Adams

El Cerrito

Orange*

McKinley*

Garretson*

Riverside Christian

Raney

Temescal Valley

Eisenhower*

Todd

Peppermint Ridge

Rosa Parks

Sierra Vista

Barton

Norco High

Vicentia

Corona Ranch

Washington

California School for the Deaf, Riverside

* exemplary participation!!

Then just like that, Our Local Fight was done for another year...great job to all of our kids and families! Together, our kids raised over $1,400 for The Foundation.

We are doing something great for our children. If we can guide this young generation to seek health and learn to give back to their communities, we have done something monumental.

Thank you for helping guide our children toward health, wellness, and community spirit.

In every community there is work to be done. In every nation there are wounds to heal. In every heart there is the power to do it.
~Marianne Williamson