Today is the Day to be Thankful

Friends,

105 days ago, Alex and I launched Thankful for 2013.  While the weather on December 19th was representative of  the winter of 2013, we have persevered.  Thankful for 2013 is in its last few days.

Since December 19th, we have ran/biked over 1,900 miles and have performed nearly 110 hours of community service.  It is crazy to think where we have been since peddaling out of Cumberland, MD; Charlottesville, Atlanta, Portland, Miami, and Costa Rica.  In all these places, we ran at least one mile.  In addition, Thankful has reached out to many more places.  From Europe to South America to Asia, the Thankful blog and message has reached every continent. 

Now in the last four days, we ask two things from you.

1. Please log on to Facebook or Twitter and write what you are thankful for.  A simple " I am thankful for (fill in the blank)" is all we ask.  It's simple and powerful. 

2. Please consider donating to Madison House through Thankful for 2013.  Madison House is UVa's student volunteer center for the Charlottesville community.  Each year over 3,000 volunteers go out into the community and create over $2 million in economic benefits.  In addition, Madison House is a non-profit and relies on donations.  Please support Thankful for 2013 and Madison House by go to www.madisonhouse.org/thankful and click on "Donate to Thankful for 2013."  Your donation goes a long way and makes the Charlottesville community a better place.

In the last few days of our campaign, find something you are thankful for.  Find a little bit of peace and run with it. 

Be thankful for 2013.  Be thankful for life.

If You Give, You Begin to Live

Chris and I have written a lot about the experiences we’ve had running and biking for this campaign, and while our experiences with service have come up from time to time in the blog, they have, rather unjustly, taken a back seat. This blog post is an attempt to do something about that.

 

After participating in Alternative Spring Break (ASB), a student run program that organizes over 30 weeklong service-oriented trips, taking place throughout the country and abroad, Chris and I have surpassed our goal of a combined 100 hours of community service for the semester. Chris travelled to Costa Rica, and I ventured to Portland, Oregon. We each completed roughly 20 hours of service on the trips (mostly environmentally focused), which, coupled with the 30 some-odd hours we’ve each accumulated in Cville, puts us comfortably above our quota- and we’re still going.

 

This does not include all of the hours that friends and family have spent volunteering beside us in the name of the Thankful for 2013 campaign. They deserve a special shout out here- Thank you all so much, and keep the help coming!

 

Why do we serve? And does it really make an impact?

 

I’m going to share a personal story that, at least for me, helps explain why service is such an indispensable part of life, regardless of how it’s done or one’s circumstances. Most people who know me are aware that I spent some months living in Nepal before coming to UVA. It is an experience continues to shape and define me as a person. Very rarely, however, do I share specific stories of what happened during that time. Before the Nepal, I had never travelled alone, and had never left the North American continent, so traveling unaccompanied halfway around the world and living with a group of people who spoke only rudimentary English was incomparable to anything I had, and have still yet, experienced.

 

I felt welcome and safe for the majority of the trip, but there were a handful instances, possibly amplified by my slightly sheltered 18-year-old imagination, in which I was not sure that I would make it home alive.

 

One of these events occurred during a white water rafting trip led by a team of ambitious guides who clearly overestimated the skill-level of our group, and took us down a series of rapids that led our boat to flood with water, nearly capsizing mid-rapid, before thankfully being whisked back into the center of the river by everyone in the boat desperately pushing their oars against a large rock. One woman fell out of the boat and nearly drowned. Thankfully she was wound up alright.

 

Another instance was a cab ride I took, hoping to get to an orphanage in the small Nepalese town of Tinpiplé. I asked the cab driver if he knew how to get there, and he responded with an ambiguous “Ok.” After driving in circles on the back streets of Kathmandu for 20 minutes, and knowing full well that I had hundreds of dollars worth of money/goods in my pack, I began to suspect I was being kidnapped and would soon be left for dead in one of the abandoned buildings we kept driving past. Thankfully, he was not kidnapping me; he was lost and too embarrassed to say anything about it. I had him take me back to the hotel from which he had picked me up, and found another cab.

 

Finally, I was renting a room in a small hotel in Thamel, Kathmandu’s tourist district, one night, and, due to political unrest, which was rampant in the country at the time, a riot took place on the street outside my window. I had no idea what view the Maoist’s (the rebel group) held of foreigners, and sat awake in my bed till dawn thinking of every conceivable method of escape in the event of a raid. Again, thankfully, tourists’ presence in the country was an afterthought in the riots and my hotel was left alone.

 

Needless to say, I came home alive.

 

What do these events have to do with service? In each of these instances, as most people would, I began thinking about my family; I thought about how the news would reach them and how they would cope if the worst were to happen. Another thought followed, unintended and immediate, in response; I thought about the garden I planted before I left the country. I had become really passionate about growing food that winter, and built two large wooden frames with compartments for different plants. I mulched and planted before I left. My mom, dad, and brother took turns watering and caring for the plants while I was gone, sending me updates with each new stage of growth.

 

A garden’s a weird thing to think about when you’re convinced you’re facing death. Upon reflection, however (and here’s where the service aspect comes back in), it’s quite an uplifting choice. The garden itself was not the object of importance. It symbolized a larger concept- things that I had passionately poured myself into during the then 18 years of my life, be they the finger paintings I made in kindergarten, the curveball I taught my little brother to throw, or a poem I wrote for 11^th grade English class. These things became, in a very real sense, an extension of myself, and would still be around whether I was there to witness them or not.

 

Try dissociating this from communion or cannibalism, but I had a very real feeling that, when my family would eat food from the garden, this garden, which I had poured so much passion into creating, they would symbolically be eating me. This might sound strange, and it’s important to remember this is a metaphor, but this thought gave me a strong sense of comfort during these times. Planting a literal garden is one way to create this experience; volunteering, teaching, making art, and building friendships are just a few less tangible examples among many. Knowing that, even if I were to not make it back, at least I’d done something, however small or insignificant, that would continue to influence and help others, gave me, not only a strong sense of comfort, but a lasting optimism that not all of the work I do is in vain, and that some of the good I put out in the world will be experienced and built upon by others, in the same way I’ve had the good luck to experience and build upon the many wonderful things that have come my way.

 

In a sense, this is what the whole Thankful for 2013 campaign is about: planting a garden and helping the seeds grow. As with every garden, the seeds planted have a story behind them; they come from other plants in other gardens, which in turn come from other gardens (be they wild or domesticated), and so on and so forth. With Thankful, these seeds come most directly through the memory of Casey Schulman, who, among others, has inspired Chris and myself to do these crazy things. The seeds also come from Madison House, which has created such a positive and lasting impact on the UVA and Charlottesville communities. We hope that some of the seeds that result from Thankful for 2013 find their way into the soil of other gardens and continue the chain of service, inspiration, and gratitude of which this campaign is just a small part.

What's One More Mile

Last week I was in the beautiful countryside of Costa Rica.  Soaking up the sun along pristine beaches with 10 other UVa students on a service trip is how I spent my spring break.  However, I did a fair share of running.  From the beach to the local roads to the airstrip(?!!) that our community partner would call their driveway. 

Last Thursday, I did a grueling workout on the 1/4-mile long airstrip.  Before my last set of four 1/4 mile sprints, I thought to myself "What's one more mile?"  At this point, I had already completed over 750 miles in less than three months.  I have biked and run over picturesque landscapes.  I am in the best shape I may have ever been.  And at this point, I questioned going the next mile.  But over the course of running those four 1/4s on the 1:12, I thought of what it meant to go one more mile.  Below you will find the poem I wrote entitle "What's One More Mile."

What's one more mile?
Another 5,280 feet. Another 4 laps on the track. 
It's the distance between my house and the stadium.
It's a small portion of a marathon. 
To be simple it's one more mile.

But it's more than that.
It's one more sprint that you thought didn't have.
It's another few minutes of realizing your best.
It's going down the street to see an old friend.
It's helping out in a kitchen to inspire the rest.

It's beating out your rival on the field of dreams.
It's another opportunity to make the crowd scream.
It's jumping over the boundaries of old.
It's walking 3 miles to get milk in the cold.

It's one more stride back home.
It's one less pace around the world.
It's running down the Lawn at 2am.
It's one more chance to dream on.

It's another chance to change the world.
It's another chance to write the future.
It's a moment to be thankful for.
It's the moment when opportunity opens the door.
It's one more mile to be thankful.

It's so much more than one mile. 

Written by Chris Zapple

The O'Hill Run: Trail Running in UVA's Backyard

Although the recent transition to daylight savings time makes it a bit easier, it’s not often that I’m awake to see the sunrise. This morning, however, as the weather has taken a brief turn for the better, I decided a pre-dawn run would be a perfect way to start the day. It wasn’t a long run or uniquely difficult, but it was one of the most impactful I’ve had to date. I ran through grounds in the dark, passing a few runners on the way, and thinking, as I passed each of them, how crazy they were to be up at this hour. I felt like a visitor here, as if walking into one of those beautiful old churches that tourists love to go into to take pictures, except I had walked in mid-service. I was not a regular, but I was strangely welcome. Feeling adventurous, and not wanting to metaphorically slide into the back row, I decided to climb the bell tower. 
I reached the base of O-hill near Slaughter Gym and began the ascent still surrounded by darkness. With my Ipod playing and the road lined only with trees and a scattering of buildings I didn’t know, I stopped paying attention to my surroundings and started to do more feeling than seeing. My feet strode with a rhythmic gentleness, perfectly in beat with The Rolling Stones, “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction,” which was playing on my Ipod at the time; my hair, much in need of a cut, bounced along in accompaniment. I reached the top with some time to spare. It was getting light, but the sun was still down, so I jogged down to a trail that encircles the top for a quick loop.

Trail running is completely different from road running; you have to constantly watch the ground to avoid rocks, roots, or anything else that can trip you up or sprain your ankle. After a while, it becomes entrancing- I lost track of the sun for a minute or two, and as I turned a corner, I realized, not even halfway through the loop, that it had crept up on me and was beginning to break the horizon. At this point my song is Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds’ live rendition of “Minarets,” (Live at Luther College) which has the refrain “What you see, what you see is human.” And, as the sun came up, I felt just that, profoundly human. After hours upon hours of running, volunteering, and thinking about the Thankful campaign, I finally felt a genuine, uninterrupted sense of thankfulness. I was thankful for nothing in particular- life maybe, but that doesn’t quite do it justice. It wasn’t selfish in nature. I wasn’t glad that I had the opportunity to experience these things. I was simply glad that they were there, regardless of my presence. I can’t do the moment justice other than telling you to run up O-hill on a warmish spring morning and catch the sunrise while listening to some Dave Matthews, but if I had to define what this campaign means to me in one moment, that would be it.

Chris and I still have many miles ahead of us, and but the journey has been, and continues to be, immensely rewarding. It hadn’t occurred to me until now, but the Madison House logo is a picture of a sun. After today’s run, I hope to keep a little bit of that sense of thankfulness with me not just in captivating sunrise moments, but as I go about daily life. It won’t be as overwhelming as this morning. I know that because it’s already faded quite a bit, but the knowledge that that sort of thankfulness exists and can be felt is enough to keep me going for a while, and I hope to cultivate this gratitude as we continue with the campaign and beyond. Progress.

Written by Alex Shannon

The 380 Mile March

The calendar hit March today, signifying that we are closer to the start of spring and the Charlottesville Marathon.  It also means that I have 380 miles to go before Thankful for 2013 comes to a close.

Over the next 37 days, I look to pull the most out of myself.  If I were to run/bike everyday between now and April 6th, I would have to do at least 10 miles of activity.  At this point in the game, this is not that hard.  I have been training hard for the past 2+ months and now it is game time. 

Thankful for 2013 is not a sprint.  It is not a short burst of energy of service or activity. It is long run game which takes determination and spirit everyday. 

And now, as we enter the final portion of Thankful for 2013, I ask for you to make a donation to help our cause.  Your donation to Madison House helps thousands of volunteers perform tasks for thousands of Charlottesville community members. 

Please Donate Here to Help Madison House:
https://www.kintera.org/AutoGen/Simple/Donor.asp?ievent=1062610&en=dwLPL6PPIcLYKgOSIbIULiM9JnKSLdMYLkIYJ8O0JwJfF

Be Thankful for 2013.  Be Thankful for Life.

Written by  Chris Zapple

Thankful for 2013 Reaches Chicago

Together, in just over two months, Chris and Alex have run/ biked/ swam roughly the equivalent distance from Charlottesville to Chicago...and back! And while they haven't actually traveled to Chicago, their message has.

Through their campaign, Chris and Alex have reminded us to be thankful for this great gift of life - more specifically, to live each day to the fullest, to always seek opportunities to push ourselves toward our greatest potential, and to inspire and help others however we can. As Thomas Jefferson once said, "Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you." And that's exactly what Chris and Alex are doing with this campaign - taking action and leading by example.

I was so inspired by the Thankful for 2013 campaign that in mid-January I decided to embark on a journey of my own in Chicago. To date, I've biked over 250 miles and hope to pay it forward the same way Chris and Alex have in Charlottesville. When Chris first asked me to write a guest post, like Alex I was a bit apprehensive about sharing my experience publicly. But then I realized that if Chris hadn't shared his journey with me, I may not have been inspired to embark on one of my own. I thank Chris for providing this encouragement.

I want to conclude this post by congratulating Chris and Alex on their incredible progress to date, and to thank them for inspiring me and others to live life to the fullest while at the same time helping those in need. I think Abraham Lincoln put it best when he said, "and in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."

Thankful for 2013. Thankful for life. And thankful for the far-reaching impact of this great campaign.

 

Written by Rob Lane

First Podcast Interview with WINA 1070

Today, Alex, Dave, and I visited WINA 1070am for an early morning radio interview.  The podcast is online alturl.com/jtqei  .  Big thanks to Wendy from WINA for reaching out to us! In addition, the Thankful crew volunteered downtown at the Haven this morning.  We cooked and served breakfast alongside fellow UVA students and community members.  What a great way to start the day!!

Be Thankful for 2013. Be Thankful for Life.

Written by Chris Zapple


Please Support Thankful for 2013 by donating to Madison House

Madison House serves as the student volunteer center at the University of Virginia. Madison House coordinate volunteers, develop leaders, build community partnerships and promote lifelong volunteer service. Madison House organizes service programs to address the needs of the community as well as the educational and personal growth objectives of students.

Here is a step-by-step process for how to donate:

To Give Directly Online
1. Follow this link to the 'Support Madison House' Page
2. Fill out the required information
3. In the 'Gift Preferences' section, please write "Thankful for 2013" in the Additional Comments or Instructions tab
4. Enter your donation amount.
5. Press Donate

To Make a Gift by Check, Please Send to:

Madison House - U.Va. Fund
P.O. Box 400314
Charlottesville, VA 22907-0314
- Please make sure to write "Thankful for 2013" in the memo line