Running for Charity

Welcome to the November 2012 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Family Service Projects

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have written about what service means in their families.

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I completed half of my undergraduate degree at Marquette University, and it was a great experience. One of the things that made MU so remarkable to me was its emphasis on public service. While volunteering was never required, it was always encouraged, and most students felt compelled to serve. While I was involved in a number of service projects at Marquette, my favorite was always Midnight Run, a program to help feed the working poor in Milwaukee. Midnight Run did more than just prepare and distribute food – we spent a lunch hour every weekday talking to people, hearing about their days, their lives and their families. We were all enriched by the experience.

After graduation, after more school, after marriage and after becoming a mom, my obligations broad while my time grew narrow and finding time to give back became next to impossible. While I did take advantage of a few opportunities to volunteer together with my son, obviously most volunteer opportunities aren’t suitable for an active two year old. So we got creative.

It’s no secret that I love to run. And, fortunately, Jack loves long trips in the jogging stroller. We are fortunate to live in a beautiful area where sidewalks are plentiful and flat and the only thing that ever impedes a good run is bad weather. But how did we parlay this shared love of getting outdoors into a service endeavor?

Enter Charity Miles. This fantastic iPhone app allows the user to dedicate his or her miles on any given run to a particular charity. The app tracks the user’s mileage, and a donation is made based upon that mileage. Those donations come not from the user but from an existing donor base: Charity Miles is set up with an initial funding of $1,000,000.00 and hopes to grow over the course of its first year. A number of major national charities are involved, including Every Mother Counts, Autism Speaks, Habitat for Humanity, and my personal choice, Feeding America, among others. At the end of a run (or walk, or bike ride) the user is rewarded with a statement tracking the mileage, the time, and the impact of that exertion, such as the number of meals that will be provided with the funds raised by the run. And the donations are generous: as the picture shoes, my 3.75 mile run provided nearly 10 meals. That impact statement adds a lot more meaning to my running.

At nearly three years old, Jack is old enough to enjoy and understand a few aspects of all of this. I explain to him that we are running for a purpose, and when we are done with our run I show him the impact screen and we talk about the mileage and how it translates into food for families. He doesn’t comprehend the details yet, but he does understand that we are running for something besides us, for something more than our own selves. If at age three he can grasp that concept, the idea that work – even hard work – done in service for others can have great meaning, then he’s well on his way to being the kind of person that I hope to raise.

Do you love this idea? Don’t let the “running” part of this frighten you – walkers and bikers are welcome too. The app is available for the iPhone and Android phones, and it is a free download. Run the app while you are walking through the grocery store, playing with your littles at the park, or even as you go about your day. Every step makes an impact, and every mile helps.

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Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

(This list will be live and updated by afternoon November 13 with all the carnival links.)

Acts of Service: The Great Neighborhood Clean Up — Sarah at Firmly Planted shares how her daughter’s irritation with litter led to eekly cleanups.
Running for Charity — Find out how Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction uses her love of running and a great new app to help feed the hungry.
50 Family Friendly Community Service Project Ideas — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares a list of 50 family-friendly community service project ideas that are easy to incorporate to your daily, weekly, monthly, or seasonal rhythmn.
Volunteering with a Child — Volunteer work does not need to be put on hold while we raise our children. Jenn of Monkey Butt Junction discusses some creative options for volunteering with a child at Natural Parents Network.
Family Service Project: Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina — Erika at Cinco de Mommy volunteers with her children at the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, where 29% of the recipients are children.
Family Service Learning: Advent Calendar — Lyndsay at ourfeminist{play}school offers her family’s approach to some holiday-related community service by sharing their community focused Advent Calendar. She includes so tips and suggestions for making your own in time for this year’s holidays.
How to make street crossing flags as a family service project — Lauren at Hobo Mama offers a tutorial for an easy and relatively kid-friendly project that will engage young pedestrians.
Pieces of the Puzzle — Because of an experience Laura from Pug in the Kitchen had as a child, she’s excited to show her children how they can reach out to others and be a blessing.
Appalachian Bear Rescue — Erica at ChildOrganics shares how saving pennies, acorns and hickory nuts go a long way in helping rescue orphaned and injured black bears.
Volunteering to Burnout and Back — Jorje of Momma Jorje has volunteered to the point of burnout and back again… but how to involve little ones in giving back?
How to Help Your Kids Develop Compassion through Service Projects — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares service projects her family has done along with links to lots of resources for service projects you can do with your children.
Involving Young Children in Service — Leanna at All Done Monkey, the mother of a toddler, reflects on how to make service a joyful experience for young children.
A Letter to My Mama — Dionna at Code Name: Mama has dedicated her life to service, just like her own mama. Today Dionna is thanking her mother for so richly blessing her.
5 Ways to Serve Others When You Have Small Children — It can be tough to volunteer with young children. Jennifer at Our Muddy Boots shares how her family looks for opportunities to serve in every day life.
When Giving It Away Is Too Hard for Mommy — Jade at Looking Through Jade Glass But Dimly lets her children choose the charity for the family but struggles when her children’s generosity extends to giving away treasured keepsakes.
Community Service Through Everyday Compassion — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children calls us to Community Service Through Everyday Compassion; sometimes it is the small things we can do everyday that make the greater impacts.
School Bags and Glad Rags — Alt Family are trying to spread a little love this Christmas time by involving the kids in a bit of charity giving.
Children in (Volunteering) Service — Luschka at Diary of a First Child reminisces on her own experiences of volunteering as a child, reflects on what she thinks volunteering teaches children and how she hopes voluntary service will impact on her own children.