Hi everyone –
Just wanted to follow up with an update of Hometown Happenings Run Like a Mother 5K. First and foremost, THANK YOU all! Wow! What a turnout! When my friend Janet first suggested this, I asked, “Do you think anyone will come?” Well, you answered this question in a really BIG way!
I am so proud of the many highlights we had at this event. Olympic hopeful Anna Weber came up from Indianapolis to join us, ran a really fast race and then went back on the course to run with and encourage kids to finish their race. She also gave a talk about her experience at the US Olympic time trials which I felt was very inspiring. Among all the moms we had join us, we had some mom dogs from the Humane Society Calumet Area come as well. You were also test your softball skills, do pull ups with the US Marines and get your photo with Rascal from the Gary Railcats! This was one of the first time we have made alcohol available at an event and I think/hope it turned out to be a big hit!
For me, this event was special as we were able to highlight some of the organizations that help Moms and future Moms in our area! Tracie Sodo-Moldenhauer, the founder of Mommy’s Haven, was able to tell us about their plans for a maternity home to be built this year in Lowell, IN. And Jill Kim, the Director of Girls on the Run, shared with us the benefits of their program in helping to build the self-esteem in young women in the area. I have already posted our check presentation to Mommy’s Haven on our Hometown Happenings facebook page. Please keep checking back in the coming weeks to see which other groups you and I were able to help with this event.
The event is not perfect but we are working towards that! I know there were a few issues with the timing. Next year, we will bring out computerized chip timing which should minimize any mistakes made. As this was a first year, event, I opted for the “old school” method of timing as it’s far less expensive and my biggest concern was not having any money left over to help any of our women’s charities. So, thank you for your patience and understanding for this year.
I also worried that it may have been too rushed in the beginning with a 7 am sign in and an 8 am start. We can either start sign in at 6:30 am or hold additional packet pickup times during the week leading up to the event.
All of this is to say that we still make mistakes but we do try to minimize them and we will strive to do this event better next year. If you have some thoughts or ideas you would like to share, please do so by emailing me at Tim@Yourhometownevents.com Many improvements have come from your suggestions. If you would, though, please be gentle as I feel like each of these events are like a “child” to me! Haha.
Also, if you had a fun time, please encourage your friends to join us next year. It would mean a lot to me
if you would consider joining us again at an upcoming event:
Thank you, again!
Tim Fealy
HometownHappenings.net