Happy New Year !
As we wind down the last few days of 2018 there is a temptation to wax nostalgic about events of the past year as well as voice our predictions for the next.
Instead, I’ll simply offer my hopes that you’ve enjoyed a healthy and happy 2018, and I wish you and your loved ones more of the same in the coming year.
I end this final blog of 2018 with a list of the charities that have benefited from all of the sports-related fundraisers covered in sportingAcause this year. I think you will agree that many deserving causes benefited from the efforts of many giving hearts.
Happy New Year!
Police Activities League (Torrington)
NWCT YMCA
Regional Food Bank of NENY
Youth Mission Outreach (Poughkeepsie)
Brain Injury Association of MA
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (MA, NY CT)
Angels of Light (Hudson valley)
Morris Elementary School PTO (MA)
Barkhamsted Elementary School
Arts Education at Olana Partnership
Bantam Lake Protective Association
Great Barrington Rotary Club
Berkshire Community College Nursing Program
Berkshire South Teen Outreach Nutrition Program
Alzheimer’s Association (MA, NY CT)
Litchfield Community Center
Bethlehem Fuel Bank
Berkshire County ARC
Camp Jewell YMCA
Burlington Community Fund
New Marlborough Cultural Council
Camphill Village
Action For Alex
Nick Biancucci Memorial Basketball Courts
Water or People
Cornwall Consolidated School
Berkshire County Kids Place
Connecticut Resource Conservation and Development
Lee High School Scholarship Fund
Dover Plains High School Scholarship Fund
United Way of Dutchess-Orange Counties
Upton Lake Christian School
Falls Village Volunteer Fire Dept.
St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital
People’s Pantry (Great Barrington)
Indian Mountain School
Housatonic Youth Service Bureau
Michael J. Fox Foundation
Northern Dutchess Hospital Foundation
Ferncliff Forest Preserve
Free To Run
Make a Friend Be a Friend
Gilbert School Athletics
Junior Women’s Club of Litchfield Hills
Glenholme School
Goshen CT charities
Gould Farm
Porchlight VNA
Panichi Family Center for Communications and Learning
Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association
American Legion Post 178
Millerton Fire/Rescue Squad
EXTRAS (Salisbury)
Salisbury Central School 8th Grade
Right to Dream
Amenia Fire/Rescue Squad
Wassaic Fire Dept
High Watch Recovery Center Scholarship Fund
Litchfield Area Veterans
Running for Rescues
Volunteers in Medicine, Berkshires
Upper Housatonic Heritage Area
Relay for Life- American Cancer Society (MA, NY, CT)
Harwinton Handicap-Accessible Trail Fund
Eagle Santa Toy Fund
Litchfield Parks and Recreation
Berkshire United Way
Kent Food Bank
Julia’s Wings
Special Olympics, MA
Lee, MA High School Cross Country Program
Lenox, MA High School Cross Country Booster Club
Lenox Dale Fire Co.
Litchfield Youth Athletics
Scholarships for Litchfield, Wamogo and Forman Schools
Hartford Marathon Foundation
CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (Trail Maintenance)
Making Strides, Litchfield County
Brain Injury Association, NY
Dana Faber Cancer Institute
Miles For Hope Breast Cancer Foundation
Camp Moe Scholarships
Millbrook Early Childhood Education Center
MTM Scholarship Fund
Norfolk Land Trust
Norfolk Volunteer Fire Dept.
Norfolk Rails to Trails
Great Mountain Forest
NWCT CROP
Matt Herring Foundation
Peach Hill Park
Berkshire Medical Center Programs
Brodie Park
Morriss Recreation Dept.
The Little Guild of St Francis
Juvenile Diabetes research Foundation
United Nations Association Adopt-A- Future
Great Barrington Land Conservancy
Culinary Institute of America Scholarship Fund
Northwestern Regional School District 7
Sandy Beach Restoration Fund
Bethlehem Food Pantry
CJ First Candle
Sharon Daycare Center
Sharon Recreation Center
MediShare
Sparrow’s Nest
St Mary’s School
Pine Plains recreation
Moments House
Autism Connections
Torrington Trails Network
Cancer Care Fund of Litchfield Hills
United Way of Dutchess County
Boy Scout Troop 114, Valatie, NY
Ichabod Crane Central School BackPack Program
Family Services Domestic Violence (Poughkeepsie)
Camp Wa Wa Segowea Scholarships
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, Berkshire and Litchfield Counties
Prime Time House
Torrington Area Parkinson’s Support Group
National MS Society, MA, NY and CT
Construct
ALS Association
Parks and Recreation Wamogo Scholarship Fund
Sandisfield Library and Community Center
Massachusetts Audubon
Berkshire Humane
Adopt- A – Family
Amenia Fire Co.
Amenia Lion’s Club Scholarship Fund
Ancrum Fire Co.
Susan B. Anthony Project
FISH of NWCT
Community Kitchen of Torrington
McCall Foundation
Open Door of Winsted
Canaan VFW Scholarship Fund
Taconic Scholarship Fund
Charlie Ormsby Children’s Golf Clinic
Coarc
Columbia-Greene Community Foundation
Sheffield Kiwanis Club
Fairview Hospital Med-Surg Unit
College Possible
Boy’s and Girl’s Club, Berkshires
Millbrook Community Pre-School
EPIC Youth Empowerment Program
Grace Latino Outreach Program
Food For Life Pantry
Church Alliance Senior Housing
Harwinton Youth Sports Association
Hearts of the Father Outreach
Immaculate Conception Church of St. Martin of Tours Parish
Isaiah Lamb Fund
Canaan Exchange Club Scholarship Fund
Kara Zinke Emergency Fund
Kent Volunteer Fire Dept.
Knights of Columbus Scholarship Fund
Food Pantries of Woodbury, Watertown and Salisbury
Litchfield Sports Booster Club
Canaan Fire Co.
Maplebrook School Scholarship Fund
Oliver Wolcott Technical High School Scholarship Fund
Help Hope Live Northeast Transplant Fund
Possum Queen Foundation
Salisbury Central School
Salisbury Winter Sports Association
Salisbury Youth Hockey
Sharon Fire Dept.
Region One Athletic Fund
Stockbridge and Lenox Libraries
Torrington Area Families for Autism
St. Anthony of Padau and Our Lady of Grace Churches Scholarship Fund
Litchfield Sports Booster Club
Great Barrington Rotary Club Scholarship Fund
Monument Mountain High School Spartan Football Team
Roeliff Jensen Community Library
Thomas J. Berlinghoff Memorial Fund
Torrington Lion’s Club Scholarship Fund
All Hands Volunteers
Pearson School Playground
Sabin Institute
Torrington Youth Service Bureau
Hurricane Relief, Virgin Islands
Tanzanian Children’s Fund
Mekele School for the Blind
Northwest United Way
Jane Lloyd Fund
Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Service
American Cancer Society
Bantam Lake Projects
Helping Hands FILAM Fund
Norfolk Curling Club
Sunday in the County Food Drive
CT Children’s Medical Center
Habitat For Humanity, Dutchess County
NWCT Rod and Gun Club
St. Peter/St. Francis School
Accelerate Brain Cancer Research
CT Brain Cancer Alliance
Musella Foundation for Brain Tumor Research
Special Olympics, CT
Housatonic Valley Regional High School Basketball Programs
Kenneth Krom Scholarship Fund
Mt. Everett High School Booster Club
Sharon Parks and recreation
Litchfield High School Senior Class
New Hartford Land Trust
Sharon Fire Dept.
John Rice Scholarship Fund
Keri Perotti Scholarship Fund
Hudson River Housing
Donate Life
Happy New Year !
As we wind down the last few days of 2018 there is a temptation to wax nostalgic about events of the past year as well as voice our predictions for the next.
Instead, I’ll simply offer my hopes that you’ve enjoyed a healthy and happy 2018, and I wish you and your loved ones more of the same in the coming year.
I end this final blog of 2018 with a list of the charities that have benefited from all of the sports-related fundraisers covered in sportingAcause this year. I think you will agree that many deserving causes benefited from the efforts of many giving hearts.
Happy New Year!
Police Activities League (Torrington)
NWCT YMCA
Regional Food Bank of NENY
Youth Mission Outreach (Poughkeepsie)
Brain Injury Association of MA
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (MA, NY CT)
Angels of Light (Hudson valley)
Morris Elementary School PTO (MA)
Barkhamsted Elementary School
Arts Education at Olana Partnership
Bantam Lake Protective Association
Great Barrington Rotary Club
Berkshire Community College Nursing Program
Berkshire South Teen Outreach Nutrition Program
Alzheimer’s Association (MA, NY CT)
Litchfield Community Center
Bethlehem Fuel Bank
Berkshire County ARC
Camp Jewell YMCA
Burlington Community Fund
New Marlborough Cultural Council
Camphill Village
Action For Alex
Nick Biancucci Memorial Basketball Courts
Water or People
Cornwall Consolidated School
Berkshire County Kids Place
Connecticut Resource Conservation and Development
Lee High School Scholarship Fund
Dover Plains High School Scholarship Fund
United Way of Dutchess-Orange Counties
Upton Lake Christian School
Falls Village Volunteer Fire Dept.
St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital
People’s Pantry (Great Barrington)
Indian Mountain School
Housatonic Youth Service Bureau
Michael J. Fox Foundation
Northern Dutchess Hospital Foundation
Ferncliff Forest Preserve
Free To Run
Make a Friend Be a Friend
Gilbert School Athletics
Junior Women’s Club of Litchfield Hills
Glenholme School
Goshen CT charities
Gould Farm
Porchlight VNA
Panichi Family Center for Communications and Learning
Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association
American Legion Post 178
Millerton Fire/Rescue Squad
EXTRAS (Salisbury)
Salisbury Central School 8th Grade
Right to Dream
Amenia Fire/Rescue Squad
Wassaic Fire Dept
High Watch Recovery Center Scholarship Fund
Litchfield Area Veterans
Running for Rescues
Volunteers in Medicine, Berkshires
Upper Housatonic Heritage Area
Relay for Life- American Cancer Society (MA, NY, CT)
Harwinton Handicap-Accessible Trail Fund
Eagle Santa Toy Fund
Litchfield Parks and Recreation
Berkshire United Way
Kent Food Bank
Julia’s Wings
Special Olympics, MA
Lee, MA High School Cross Country Program
Lenox, MA High School Cross Country Booster Club
Lenox Dale Fire Co.
Litchfield Youth Athletics
Scholarships for Litchfield, Wamogo and Forman Schools
Hartford Marathon Foundation
CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (Trail Maintenance)
Making Strides, Litchfield County
Brain Injury Association, NY
Dana Faber Cancer Institute
Miles For Hope Breast Cancer Foundation
Camp Moe Scholarships
Millbrook Early Childhood Education Center
MTM Scholarship Fund
Norfolk Land Trust
Norfolk Volunteer Fire Dept.
Norfolk Rails to Trails
Great Mountain Forest
NWCT CROP
Matt Herring Foundation
Peach Hill Park
Berkshire Medical Center Programs
Brodie Park
Morriss Recreation Dept.
The Little Guild of St Francis
Juvenile Diabetes research Foundation
United Nations Association Adopt-A- Future
Great Barrington Land Conservancy
Culinary Institute of America Scholarship Fund
Northwestern Regional School District 7
Sandy Beach Restoration Fund
Bethlehem Food Pantry
CJ First Candle
Sharon Daycare Center
Sharon Recreation Center
MediShare
Sparrow’s Nest
St Mary’s School
Pine Plains recreation
Moments House
Autism Connections
Torrington Trails Network
Cancer Care Fund of Litchfield Hills
United Way of Dutchess County
Boy Scout Troop 114, Valatie, NY
Ichabod Crane Central School BackPack Program
Family Services Domestic Violence (Poughkeepsie)
Camp Wa Wa Segowea Scholarships
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, Berkshire and Litchfield Counties
Prime Time House
Torrington Area Parkinson’s Support Group
National MS Society, MA, NY and CT
Construct
ALS Association
Parks and Recreation Wamogo Scholarship Fund
Sandisfield Library and Community Center
Massachusetts Audubon
Berkshire Humane
Adopt- A – Family
Amenia Fire Co.
Amenia Lion’s Club Scholarship Fund
Ancrum Fire Co.
Susan B. Anthony Project
FISH of NWCT
Community Kitchen of Torrington
McCall Foundation
Open Door of Winsted
Canaan VFW Scholarship Fund
Taconic Scholarship Fund
Charlie Ormsby Children’s Golf Clinic
Coarc
Columbia-Greene Community Foundation
Sheffield Kiwanis Club
Fairview Hospital Med-Surg Unit
College Possible
Boy’s and Girl’s Club, Berkshires
Millbrook Community Pre-School
EPIC Youth Empowerment Program
Grace Latino Outreach Program
Food For Life Pantry
Church Alliance Senior Housing
Harwinton Youth Sports Association
Hearts of the Father Outreach
Immaculate Conception Church of St. Martin of Tours Parish
Isaiah Lamb Fund
Canaan Exchange Club Scholarship Fund
Kara Zinke Emergency Fund
Kent Volunteer Fire Dept.
Knights of Columbus Scholarship Fund
Food Pantries of Woodbury, Watertown and Salisbury
Litchfield Sports Booster Club
Canaan Fire Co.
Maplebrook School Scholarship Fund
Oliver Wolcott Technical High School Scholarship Fund
Help Hope Live Northeast Transplant Fund
Possum Queen Foundation
Salisbury Central School
Salisbury Winter Sports Association
Salisbury Youth Hockey
Sharon Fire Dept.
Region One Athletic Fund
Stockbridge and Lenox Libraries
Torrington Area Families for Autism
St. Anthony of Padau and Our Lady of Grace Churches Scholarship Fund
Litchfield Sports Booster Club
Great Barrington Rotary Club Scholarship Fund
Monument Mountain High School Spartan Football Team
Roeliff Jensen Community Library
Thomas J. Berlinghoff Memorial Fund
Torrington Lion’s Club Scholarship Fund
All Hands Volunteers
Pearson School Playground
Sabin Institute
Torrington Youth Service Bureau
Hurricane Relief, Virgin Islands
Tanzanian Children’s Fund
Mekele School for the Blind
Northwest United Way
Jane Lloyd Fund
Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Service
American Cancer Society
Bantam Lake Projects
Helping Hands FILAM Fund
Norfolk Curling Club
Sunday in the County Food Drive
CT Children’s Medical Center
Habitat For Humanity, Dutchess County
NWCT Rod and Gun Club
St. Peter/St. Francis School
Accelerate Brain Cancer Research
CT Brain Cancer Alliance
Musella Foundation for Brain Tumor Research
Special Olympics, CT
Housatonic Valley Regional High School Basketball Programs
Kenneth Krom Scholarship Fund
Mt. Everett High School Booster Club
Sharon Parks and recreation
Litchfield High School Senior Class
New Hartford Land Trust
Sharon Fire Dept.
John Rice Scholarship Fund
Keri Perotti Scholarship Fund
Hudson River Housing
Donate Life
Giving Tuesday and beyond
Giving Tuesday, 2018 is now in the books, and it promises to be the most successful one yet.
The idea was born in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Fund, to create a counter measure to the ultra consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. And it has worked. In 2017 thousands of businesses and non-profits as well as millions of people joined forces to donate $274 million to worthy causes in one day! This is the giving time of year after all, and we responded.
But what about the rest of the season, and year for that matter? Need persists throughout the year, not just around the holidays. Well, as impressive as the $274 mil is for that one- day effort, we Americans combined to give over $400 billion (yes, billion) over the past year to our favorite causes. And, after we had donated as much as our budgets allowed, we each volunteered four to six hours a week to those causes.
Yes, Americans are the most philanthropic citizens on earth. I think it safe to say that we would all give more if we could. Well here are a couple things you can do this holiday season to help worthy causes while doing what you’d be doing anyway:
Buying holiday cards to send to friends and family? Consider UNICEF cards. All of the profits from your purchase will help fund UNICEF programs for children in need around the world.
You’ll need stamps for those cards, right? Consider buying Breast Cancer, Vanishing Species or the recently- released Alzheimer’s stamps instead of the usual Christmas-themed ones. They will cost you 15 cents more per stamp ($3 more per sheet of 20) to support research and work for those non-profits. But don’t think those extra pennies won’t make a difference. The Breast cancer stamps have raised $88.9 million for research so far!
Another idea- a kind of “pure play” gift for the friend who has everything. Make a donation to a charity that is dear to your friend’s heart in his/her name. It may well be the most touching gift they receive this year.
And here is just one more idea for holiday shopping that perhaps tops them all. Do as much of your holiday shopping as possible in-town, locally. These business owners in turn , support local charities, including the sports-related fundraisers found in sportingAcause.
NASCAR Dave has left the building
NASCAR Dave has left the building.
The final broadcast of NASCAR Dave MacMillan’s Hometown Sunday Morning Show on WHDD Radio this past week ended a career that spanned 25 years.
But what he managed to accomplish over that distance is the real story here.
If you follow the arc of Dave’s life, you’ll find a blueprint of what the average working man can achieve in his lifetime.
Starting 25 years ago with a 15 minute radio show to talk about NASCAR racing, Dave, along with his wife Chris and a couple radio cohorts, scraped together two Thanksgiving dinners for local families in need. Dave understood hunger- he’d experienced it himself as a young man.
” When you go to sleep hungry, you wake up hungry,” Dave said, ‘I never forgot that”.
Over time the show grew to three hours at Robinhood Radio and the Sunday in the Country Food Drive grew as well- this year 500 turkey dinners will find their way into deserving Tri-State homes this Thanksgiving. To date, the organization has raised over $300,000 and still counting.
But Dave’s service to community didn’t end with the Food Drive. He used his show to promote uncountable fundraisers throughout his listening area- firemen’s breakfasts, Veteran’s causes, Walks for Alzheimer’s , sports-related fundraisers and much more. No charity was too small for Dave to shed light upon. He made each cause important. During his last broadcast Sunday, as well- wishers were calling in a steady stream, Dave reminded listeners that there was still time to catch the local pancake breakfast.
By week’s end, Dave and Chris will be at their new home in Florida. The Sunday morning show will continue under a different format, and Dave has left the Sunday in the Country Food Drive in capable hands. In these parts, life will certainly continue without Dave and Chris, just not quite as well.
Besides leaving an unmatchable legacy of community service, Dave leaves behind some lessons and inspiration for those who have been paying attention: Always remember where you came from. Understand the importance of giving back. Always acknowledge those who have helped you along the way. And, maybe most significantly, see how much one “average” man can accomplish in a lifetime.
Sharing Gratitude
Where does the time go!
With just over two weeks until the holiday, here are three Thanksgiving Day morning running options for you, one in each state.
The Ferncliff Forest 5K Turkey Trot in Rhinebeck, NY, helps pay for the upkeep and programs at Ferncliff Forest- race time is 8 am.
The Goshen Turkey Trot in Goshen, CT is a 10K race which benefits a variety of community charities- race time is 9 am. Donuts and cider afterwards but save room for later.
And the Thankful 5K , organized by the Berkshire Running Center runs in downtown Pittsfield, MA. Proceeds from this race benefit Autism Connections- race time is 8 am. All three events will kick off early enough to get you home in plenty of time to restore those depleted calories. Get all the details for these and other events here at sportingAcause.com.
William Arthur Ward said that “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a gift and not sharing it.” I hope that this Thanksgiving, and throughout the year, you take the time to share your gratitude with those who deserve it.
Happy Thanksgiving
Willie
Runners, Swimmers and Shooters
Are you a runner or a swimmer?
This weekend you will have chances to do both, and raise money for worthy causes while you’re at it.
On Saturday, three 5K’s- the Run Like a Deer in Barkhamsted, the Monster Dash in Litchfield and the Cannonball Run in Falls Village (this race starts when the cannon fires!) will raise funds for a Region 7 senior class, the NWCT YMCA and the Falls Village Volunteer Fire Dept., respectively.
And on Sunday, over 230 swimmers from nine schools are expected to converge on The Hotchkiss School pool to do laps and raise funds for the Connecticut Special Olympics swim team. Last year the event raised $13,500! This will be the 24th year that Hotchkiss teacher and swim coach Keith Moon has organized the event, and they have raised $170,000 in that time.
Oh, and if you are a shooter, the Northwest CT Rod and Gun Club in Canaan will be the place to be Sunday. The Club is in week three of their six week long run of Turkey Shoots – targets, not turkeys. The Club’s programs benefit.
So there is still plenty to do as autumn sloshes to a close, and as the seasons shift, so too do the events. Stay tuned for curling and bowling and plunges, oh my!
Housy Soccer Women Rock
Fun and important events coming this weekend.
Saturday, October 27th at the Housatonic Valley Regional High school soccer field. The Housy alumni women will square off in a soccer match to help one of their own. Proceeds from the event will benefit Terry Roy and her daughter Nicole who suffered a catastrophic house fire last week in Lakeville, CT. The house at last report may be salvageable, but they lost all of their belongings including three dogs. Terry and Nicole both played soccer during their Housy years. $10 entry fee for alumni to play, admission to watch is free. There will be food for sale and a raffle. Come and support the very best of causes-10:00 – 11:00 am.
NOTICE: The Housy Alumni soccer game has been postponed because of the incoming storm. Stay tuned for the new date.
Also over the weekend, there will be four Halloween-themed running events.
Saturday- The Fairview Hospital 14th Annual Monster Dash 5K in Great Barrington , MA.
The Vassar College Halloween 5K Fun Run, held completely on Vassar’s campus and perfect for the little ones in Poughkeepsie, NY.
Sunday- The Burlington 9th Annual 5K Run/Walk with Harvest Fest afterward in Burlington, CT.
And the 42nd Annual Kent Pumpkin Run 5 Miler with mile and 1/2 mile kids runs. This is a big one that caps out at 1,000 entries, in Kent, CT.
All for runs strongly encourage costumes!
To round out this weekend of diverse activities will be the Tour de Forest bicycle ride in Norfolk, and both a rifle match and turkey shoot at the Northwest CT Rod and Gun Club in Canaan, CT.
Beautiful Places
Have you noticed how quickly time has passed by this year? Seasons seem only to last a month or so, then gone- especially autumn. Already October is half over, and leaf-viewing opportunities are fading. We’ll have to hustle if we want to capture the glory of the Tri-State’s most precious time of year.
And we have some recommendations for where to see it all. These are the beautiful places often mentioned in sportingAcause- the venues where so many walks and runs take place throughout the year. They are the parks and trails where folks can safely run and walk often without venturing onto a highway and maybe take in their surroundings as they pass by.
The White Memorial Conservation Center is one, with 40 miles of trails within 4,000 acres of woodlands, fields, rivers and wetlands in Litchfield, CT. Learn more at whitememorialcc.org.
Another is the Walkway Over the Hudson, a converted rail road trestle which spans high above the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie, NY. Dozens of walks and 5K’s are held here every year. In fact a Walk To End Alzheimer’s and a Walk To Defeat ALS will be held there this Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Take part in one and view the river vistas at the same time. Visit walkway.org for details.
The Harlem Valley Rail Trail and the tongue-twisting Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, in Millerton, NY and Cheshire, MA respectively, offer miles of paved pathways with gorgeous views. Visit hvrt.org and mass.gov/locations/ashuwillticook-rail-trail for more info.
And here are some more candidates for great autumn viewing:
Ferncliff Forest, Rhinebeck, NY, ferncliffforest.org
Barbour Woods, Norfolk, CT
Peach Hill Park, Poughkeepsie, NY peach-hill-park.org
Pittsfield State Forest, Pittsfield, MA mass.gov/locations/pittsfield-state-forest
Brodie Park, New Hartford, CT, town.new-hartford.ct.us/recreation-department/pages/brodie-park
Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Lenox, MA , massaudubon.org
The Color of Loss
Most of the people wore strands of brightly colored beads around their necks. There were white ones and red and gold and orange and silver and green and blue and teal. Each color held specific meaning.
All of these people, nearly 500 of them, had gathered to celebrate the lives of loved ones lost to suicide, and the beads represented the nature of the their loss. White designated the loss of a child, red meant the loss of a spouse, gold a parent , orange a sibling and so on. The beads color-coded their pain.
The turnout last Saturday at Monument Mountain High School was for Out of The Darkness Walk to Prevent Suicide, one of 400 such events held around the country by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) to support survivors of suicide and work to end it.
The Walk was billed as a celebration of the lives of those who are gone by those who remain. One of the speakers addressed the seeming conflict of joy amid such pain.
“How can we feel such profound gratitude and such profound sadness at the same time?” she asked. Everyone there seemed to know. There were tears, as people stood at the microphone and explained their color “I am wearing orange because I lost my brother- my best friend”.
“I wear silver today because I lost military- a couple of them”.
“I’m wearing white because I lost my twin sons” -both of them.
Bertha, one of the event organizers, wore nearly every color- father, child and other loved ones- all lost . And she wore green to represent her own struggles with suicide.
Yes there were tears but also smiles and hugs and laughter and camaraderie. And that of course was the answer to the question- that amid that profound sadness, they could feel gratitude because they all had the support of each other- they all understood.
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.
Our Heroes
Tiger Woods won the Tour Championship Sunday. From his first Masters win in 1997and for years thereafter, Tiger enjoyed unprecedented hero worship. As his win list grew so did his legions of devoted followers. Yes, Tiger was our hero. And then he wasn’t.
The arc of his five year journey back to golf relevance is well documented. Personal scandal and health issues including four major back operations removed him from the game and from our favor. And his struggle to regain his game has been at times difficult to watch. But through perseverance, talent, herculean effort and a laser focus, Tiger has returned. And as the film clips and headlines reveal, he is our hero again.
So how then can we mere mortal golfers, us hackers, possibly find kinship with our hero?
After all, we share none of the attributes that make Tiger great.
Most of us will enter charity golf tournaments without victory even in our sights. We set the bar low- “just don’t let us be last”. We choose our foursome mates to share in the fun of playing an unwinnable game, and as we flail on the tees and toil in the bunkers, we’ll laugh at the occasional “whiff” and rejoice together in the rare birdie. Hopefully we’ll practice gratitude for the gift of standing on hallowed sod to pursue the game we both love and hate.
But mostly we enter these tournaments for the causes. In the course of a season our fees will help send high schoolers to college, help ease the pain of disease and support the hunt for their cures, help feed, house, employ, protect and otherwise improve the lives of the disadvantaged. Our presence in these tournaments will support the arts and animal welfare, preserve our precious places, build trails and fund our volunteer emergency services.
In their aggregate, these tournaments, and the weekend warriors who play in them, raise the quality of life for all of us.
So, who’s the hero now?
