To me, it’s fitting that one of the symbols of the fight against autism is a puzzle piece. This morning, I realized that I have no idea what kind of impact Operation Jack will have or what the bigger picture of what I’ve done will look like at the end of the year. But it’s like putting together a puzzle. I’m assembling it one bit at a time, and yesterday, I snapped another nice piece in.
Chapters Aren’t Only In Books!
So this is where I take a moment to thank Alicia Verburg and hope she inspires at least one of you! Alicia is a fellow marathoner and the parent of cute son who has autism. Late last week, she posted comments on one of my blogs, which included the following:
So happy for you guys and totally inspired by your journey. I want to get involved with Train 4 Autism but not sure where to start. What can I do?
Well the answer to that question was simple — I asked her to start a chapter! Well, maybe I begged her.
The biggest thing to do to really help would be to join Train 4 Autism and start a chapter. My biggest goal with Operation Jack is to help T4A grow, so bringing people in all over the country is the biggest thing I’m trying to accomplish. It’s not a huge responsibility and we have people who will help you out. Believe me, it’s a LOT easier than you might think.
And, just like both times I asked Tiffany to marry me, she said yes! So I think this is the fourth new chapter that has spawned as a result of Operation Jack. And that, at the core of it all, is why I’m running 60 marathons this year — because people like Alicia, who otherwise might not have ever heard of Train 4 Autism, are now chapter presidents!
I have no idea who reads this blog, but I know it’s a lot more of you than I hear from, because I keep an eye on the traffic numbers. Some of you are runners and some of you are affected by autism. I get a fair amount of feedback and quite a few of you have told me that you’re inspired by what I’m doing. I know that for every one of you who speaks up and tells me something, there are 10 more of you thinking the same thing but remaining silent.
If you’re one of the silent types out there, and you think what I’m doing is kind of cool and you want to join in somehow, PLEASE consider starting a chapter! It’s super, super simple, I swear! We have people who will help you out and there’s not a ton to do. Maybe man a table at a local autism walk. Or try to build a team for a local 5K. You don’t have to run 60 marathons. You don’t have to raise any certain amount. We know that any help we get is help we didn’t have, so we’d love to have you and we promise we won’t complain!
Alicia filled out the New Chapter Form. If you fill it out, you’ll give me a huge psychological boost for this weekend!
Help Me Clean My Garage!
I have a whole bunch of Operation Jack t-shirts, tech shirts and sweatshirts in the garage. I really like the sweatshirts. I guess I like the t-shirts and tech shirts, too, but I really like the sweatshirts. Anyways, I need to get rid of them! Well, I guess that’s a weak way to solicit donations, but take a look at the levels on the Sponsors page and see if you’re interested.
I’d love to have you walking around wearing Operation Jack gear! That reminds me — if I owe you clothing and you haven’t gotten it, send me an e-mail and I’ll make sure it’s in the shipment we send out this week. Tiff and I aren’t flawless at our routine of sending stuff out, but we’re getting better.
Cleveland Anybody?
I’m really trying to make a big push for a good turnout in Cleveland on May 16. We’re about three months out, so it’s starting to get close to that time where you need to start thinking about it if you’re going to run it. They have a 5K on May 15, plus a 1/2 marathon and a marathon on May 16. I have discount codes if you go to my Cleveland page. PLEASE make sure you use the code when you register.
If you’re going to be there and you can bring anybody out, even for the 5K, that would be a big help for what we’re trying to accomplish there! I have 60 races this year, and this is one I’m really trying to make a big push for. So be there! Or tell somebody you know to be there! Or be there and tell somebody you know to be there!
Thank You Jen Morgan!
OK, so in each Wednesday blog, I’m thanking somebody who’s helped Operation Jack. And I guess I kind of already thanked Alicia today, but I’m really trying to use her as an example to get you guys inspired to start a chapter!
So instead of settling with my thanks to Alicia, today I’ll throw out a big gracias to Jen Morgan. Jen likes to be called Morgan, but I like to call her Captain — it’s a rum thing. Anyways, she is really, really enthusiastic about what I’m trying to do. She did a great job fundraising, she’s been very supportive for a good six months or so, and she’s worked pretty hard to spread the word.
I finally get to meet her in person on Friday in Tampa! She’s running Gasparilla with me this weekend and she’ll be wearing her own custom-made Operation Jack shirt. She’s really fired up and makes me feel like a rock star. I’ve told her plenty of times that she’s going to be severely disappointed when we meet, but that’s her problem! I know it’s going to be a treat for me to meet her and I’ve been looking to Tampa for a while because I know she’s going to be there. For somebody I’ve never met, I couldn’t ask for anything more than all she’s done over the past several months.
So Captain, Jen, Redhead Running, Morgan, or whatever you want to be called … thank you!
That’s All For Today!
I write my blogs the night before, and it’s Tuesday night as I write this and I’m getting kind of hungry for some ice cream. This streak of eating ice cream isn’t going to jump to 24 days on its own — I need to get over to my couch and have myself some peanut butter fudge swirl! Have a great Wednesday, everybody! I’ll be back tomorrow with a weekend forecast!