More about why I run

Yes, I hate running.  I've said it before and I'll say it again.  I'm getting to the point where it's not an agonizing grind and occasionally I even look forward to it, but at the core of it all it's something I can do, and I feel compelled to do something.  I don't have the patience or temperament to be an advocate.  I can't afford to give much more than time (I work non-profit, for cryin' out loud!).  But I don't have to sit by and do nothing.  I can run, so I will.

 

But there's more.  I'm not running for myself.  I'm running for the fine folks who are out there every day making a difference.  I'm running for the folks who run a never ending marathon fighting child abuse.  It's not a sprint.  It's a life long process of breaking a perpetual cycle of abuse handed down from generation to generation like the worst heirloom imaginable.

I'm running for the kids who didn't ask to be abused, don't know that it's not "normal", and don't know where to go to get away.  I'm running for those who can't and for those who say "enough, it ends here".

Here are the words of one of our volunteers, Mike Grove.  Thank you, Mike.

 

What's the Difference?

 

From time to time, volunteer Child Advocates are asked to respond to the question: "How has making a difference in the lives of children made a difference in your own life?"  Before answering that question in writing for others to read, I first attempted to answer it honestly in my own heart.  The answer didn't come easily.

 

I have been a Child Advocate on behalf of eight children over the last three years.  Each one of them is very special to me.  I am different now, from the way I was before becoming a volunteer Child Advocate.  I realize, like never before, the truth of a couple of old adages:  "Success is a journey and not a destination," and "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."  The difference I have made in some of my children's lives equates only to an early step in their journey of success.  Things like faith, hope, trust, enthusiasm, security, peace of mind, and realization of their potential will be restored to these children little-by-little, over a long period of time.  I am different, now, because I've witnessed the courage that each of these children has.  Every minute of the several hundred hours I've spent working as a Child Advocate is memorable to me.  When a little boy gave me a picture that he drew for me, and when a little girl told me, "You're sweet.  I love you," I knew then that I had made at least a brief positive difference for them.  They probably didn't know then that they made a life-long positive difference for me.

 

With respect to child abuse, I've learned that to really make a difference, we each need to count on one another.  The multitude of abused kids who need us, need all of us.  One person can make a difference, but honestly, only a little difference.  To break the cycle of child abuse, it will take all of us.  Each of us can do something.  So far, I've made only a little difference in eight children's lives.  Those eight children have made a great difference in mine.