Stepping Up for Kids
Posted on January 31, 2012 4 Comments
My step team, "Team High and Tight" ...
This weekend, I participated in Step Up for Kids to support Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago. I climbed 80 flights of stairs, more than 1,600 steps, in about 24 minutes. Children’s is a charity I’ve supported for years, and this event was a new and different way for me to contribute to an important cause while getting in a great cardio workout.
Sounds perfect for me, right?
The crazy thing is, unless a friend wouldn’t have invited me — twice — to participate, I probably would have just gone along donating my check for the year and missing out on a fabulous opportunity to be part of a fun, healthy, and kind of exciting community event … and meeting some great new girls in the process.
When my friend first asked me to participate, it was the dead of winter, I was sick, and I was freezing. I was just kind of sitting on my couch being miserable and feeling sorry for myself. I didn’t want to say no, but I figured that if I just kind of ignored her we’d both forget about it. Truth is, I was kind of intimidated … I had never done a stair climb before and was worried I wouldn’t make it (note to self: QUIT DOUBTING YOURSELF!!!!).
But when she asked again, I thought, “why not?” I had just signed up for a “Winter Warrior Challenge” on Facebook and I thought this event could keep me motivated to move my body every day despite the cold. Stair climbing seemed like it could be doable since it’s indoor. And yes, it was tougher than I thought at first, but of course, ended up being just fine and kind of enjoyable, actually.
I climbed this for charity. Phew!
The event ended up costing me $100 for the donation/entry fee, $17 for our team shirt, and $14 for post-event beers. And I have to say, my team was totally fabulous and great company up the stairwell … even though this was my first time meeting many of them!
But the best part? We raised $1,541 for Children’s Memorial!
It’s so much bigger than my annual $100 donation and just goes to show you what you can accomplish by 1) getting a group of positive ladies together, and 2) how much good you can do just by saying yes to an activity, even if you aren’t totally sure about it.
So the next time someone asks you to be part of a team for charity, think about saying yes. You never know what you can accomplish until you try.
Category: Money
Tags: Fitness , giving
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4 Responses to “Stepping Up for Kids”
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January 31st, 2012 @ 8:11 am
Good job on raising so much!
January 31st, 2012 @ 9:31 am
Thanks Michelle!
January 31st, 2012 @ 10:29 am
What a great event for a good cause! Way to go girl!
February 1st, 2012 @ 12:08 pm
I did my first stair climb this year (for Cystic Fibrosis) and thought it was a blast! Only we climbed 58 stories, not 80…
Congratulations! It’s more fun being a part of the fundraising effort, I recently discovered as well!