Operation Jack

Fighting autism, one mile at a time.

Six Days Until My Favorite Race: The Operation Jack Marathon!

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Life has been killing me lately. I won’t even bother getting into all the details, but this has been — by far — the most difficult year of my life and I’m aging in dog years right now. I haven’t blogged in two weeks and I don’t suspect I’ll blog for another week. So I want to talk a little about the 3rd Annual Operation Jack Marathon, which is very near and dear to me and will take place next Wednesday, December 26.

Real quick, if you’ve never been here and don’t know what Operation Jack is or who Jack is, you really, really need to click here. He’s my 9-year-old son who’s severely autistic and drives me to try to change the world, one person at a time.

The Operation Jack Marathon is the primary event benefitting the Operation Jack Autism Foundation. That’s my foundation I created in honor of my son and I use it primarily as a way to raise money for Train 4 Autism. The first thing I did to raise money was running 61 marathons back in 2010.

Everything that year brought in about $90,000. At this point, I don’t do a ton because this year has been so difficult on me, but I raised somewhere around $4-5K to fight cancer through the San Francisco Marathon last year and I put on a small race in October 2011 to raise money to benefit the families of mortally wounded soldiers.

So far, the gross through my foundation and the Operation Jack Marathon is approaching $170K. I love doing this. But while I was able to devote every spare second I had to the cause two years ago, life has really prevented that this year. It’s been the exact opposite. I’m hoping to get back into the swing of doing good things again next year.

Anyways, technically, I’m writing this blog for anybody who wants to read it. But really, I’m writing this for a select group of people (in alphabetical order by last name so as not to play favorites): Tim Bomba, Ben Fesagaiga, Matt Popilek, Molly Rearick, Jake Rome, Chris Rosien and Steve Walters. Tim, Molly, Jake and Chris have done a ton of work for the main race down in LA. Matt came out of nowhere to put on a race to benefit the cause in Kansas City. Steve is putting on a race to benefit Operation Jack in Portland, Oregon for the fourth time and has always been a huge supporter.

To all seven of you: Thank you. Thank you so much. I’m grasping for words to explain what it means to me to see everything come together. I feel so blessed to have an ability that gives me an opportunity to fight autism. I hate autism but I love fighting it and you all help me do that and I really appreciate that. A lot.

To my LA Five, you guys are awesome. We’re on the same blue team and I’m proud to be a member of that team. Ben, I’ll be forever grateful that you created Train 4 Autism and gave me a vehicle to try to change the world. All five of you, I know I’ve been difficult to deal with this year (not that I wasn’t difficult in years past!) and I’m thankful that you have moved forward with an amazing event despite me. I created Operation Jack in part as my way of coping with Jack’s autism and channeling all the bad that Jack goes through into something good. Your hard work has let me keep that flame burning and as I’m sure you’ve noticed, OJ is pretty much my fourth child. So thank you. Can’t wait to see you guys on Wednesday.

Everybody else, depending on where you are, there are ways for you to participate and support a great cause and get the coolest medal ever.

Southern California: Operation Jack Marathon, get yourself out there! I’ll see you there!

Oregon: Operation Jack KC Half In The Snow, get yourself out there! Next year, I’m gonna make it out there. This year, I took too long to buy airline tickets.

Kansas City: Operation Jack KC Half In The Snow, get yourself out there! I’ll see you there!

Maine: Maine Satellite Run, get yourself out there! I won’t see you there. But they have a ton of free giveaways!

Everywhere Else: Satellite Run! Shirt, medal and you’re helping a great cause!

Ok, that’s it. Have a great weekend and a Merry Christmas and I hope you end up with one of our super-cool medals![subscribe2]

Three Things Thursday: Jack and Jolly

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Three Things Thursday. These weeks fly by. Can’t believe tomorrow will already be Friday.

Real quick, just in case you’ve never been here before, I’m a father of three and a marathon runner. My middle child, 9-year-old Jack, is severely autistic. So, I started a foundation in his name to try to raise money to fight autism. I ran 61 full marathons in 2010 to kick things off (I named everything Operation Jack) and with the help of Train 4 Autism, a great charity I’m proud to raise money for, I put on an annual race called the Operation Jack Marathon. Between Operation Jack and the race, we’ve generated more than $160K since 2009. Now you know.

1. Jack update

Quick update on Jack’s school situation, since I haven’t posted about it in a month. If you want the full backstory, click here. In a nutshell, we pulled him out of the school he’s in because the playground is unfenced and only 86 feet from a parking lot. Since he elopes, which means he darts and runs away out of the blue, it’s absolutely not a safe school for him. We’re trying to get him back into the local school, but we’re not able to because … well … we’re not truly sure why. We have suspicions. But the decision makers won’t answer my questions.

I have so many things I want to say and talk about. But we have a lawyer for Jack and for now, I’ll be patient and let her do her thing. It’s incredibly frustrating that he’s been in school for about six hours since May, and it’s pretty maddening that we’ve had to hire a lawyer to try to get him in school. I hate what this has done to him and what it’s done to my wife.

I really want to come out swinging (figuratively, with words, in case there’s any doubt), but now is not the time. But there will come a time when I have more to spill. For now, it’s district vs. parents and the special-needs kid is losing big-time.

2. Operation Jack Marathon Update

We’ve crossed $25,000 raised and knowing how things work out every year with last-minute registrations as the race draws near, I imagine we’re going to have a lot more coming in. I am so excited to be able to raise money and I’m really looking forward to the event. It’s going to be our biggest one yet and I’m running an early start (like, 2:30 a.m.) so I can volunteer from the start of registration until the final runner crosses the finish line.

We also have various satellite events depending on where you are. Here’s details:

– Los Angeles (main race)
– Portland, Oregon
– Kansas City
– Portland, Maine
– Everywhere else!

This is the 4-inch medal you’ll get (on a ball chain) if you participate in the any of the Operation Jack Marathon/Satellite events (medal will be different in Portland, Oregon though).

3. Jolly is at it again

If you don’t know what Elf on a Shelf is, or if you don’t know what my wife Tiffany has been doing with ours, click here and check out my post from Monday. It’s all pictures and it’s pretty funny.

Here’s a couple more from this week that she did. It’s pretty awesome to hear Ava laugh when she discovers what Jolly has been up to.

Ahh, a bath in marshmallows. That’s on my bucket list.
The funniest thing about this is Tiff thought I would get mad about her wasting toothpaste.

 

That’s all for today/this week/etc. Have a great weekend! We’re getting snow … what’s the weather like in your neck of the woods?

Elf On A Shelf: Autism Edition

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OK, we have this “Elf On A Shelf” thing for my daughter Ava. I had never heard of it before this year, but apparently every mom in America had. I guess it’s a fun pre-Santa thing for kids and you move it around when they’re not looking and tell your kids that the Elf on a Shelf is telling Santa if they’re being naughty or nice?

So my wife Tiffany is creative with where and how she sets up Jolly (the name Ava picked for her Elf on a Shelf). Here were some of the ways Tiff him up:

(But first, my quick little reminder I always throw in … if you’ve never been here and/or you don’t know what Operation Jack is, click here … hint: My foundation and the Operation Jack Marathon have raised ~$160K in the past three years.)

Jolly doing snow flour angels.

 

Jolly made a toilet-paper ride to go down the stairs.
Jolly working out, bench-pressing marshmallows.
Jolly has a drinking problem.

But Tiff decided yesterday that Jolly could do autism things, too. It’s not that we’re making fun of what Jack does, but heck, for what Tiff goes through 24/7/365 taking care of Jack, she’s earned the right to bring a little levity to the disaster autism has created within the walls of our home. If any of you are autism parents, these are all very familiar to you:

Jolly stimming on a train.
Jolly stimming on alphabet blocks.
Jolly’s on a GFCF diet, of course.
Jolly is recording a random video on an iPhone that he’s going to watch over and over and over and over again.
Mmmmm … supplements …

That’s all … hope you’re not offended. If you are, you have to realize that these silly pictures sum up our existence and it’s therapeutic laughter for us to take these. If you’re in the same boat as us, I hope these brought a smile to your face to know that you’re not alone.

Have a great Monday, y’all. Go check out the Operation Jack Marathon!

Three Things Thursday: Best Christmas Card EVER!

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Three things Thursday … time to count to three and go to work.

1. Well, it’s late November, which means we’re in full swing for the Operation Jack Marathon. If you’re planning on running the race in California on December 26, CLICK HERE to register! I’m not the one handling registration this year, so you can’t sweet-talk me and tell me how nice my hair is to get me to let you in like the past couple of years. So do it. Now. 🙂

This is the art of the medal for the race. It’s in the shape of a dog tag, it’s 4″ (most race medals are 2 1/2″) and it has a ball chain. It’s AWESOME! And you WANT ONE!

Also, check out our Satellite Runs in Oregon, Maine and Kansas City.

OREGON: A friend of mine, Steve Walters, is putting on a race in the Portland, Oregon area on December 22. It’s the third year he’s done this — it’s a low-key, timed race. Six hours, most laps wins, but most folks are just going out there to get however many miles in that they want to. I’ve run one of these races for him, plus I put on one modeling his lead and they’re a really nice time. People going out, running, supporting the cause. If you’re in Oregon, CLICK HERE to see what Steve is doing!

KANSAS CITY: We’re going to have a half-marathon on December 29 in Lenexa. We’ll have the same shirts and medals as the race back in California and I’m 99% sure I’m going to be out there helping out. There’s a shortcut link to the event at operationjack.org/kc

MAINE: We have a good group of autism fighters out in the Portland, Maine area having an event with prizes. CLICK HERE for their event. Those of you in Maine who read this probably already know them (or are them), but just in case, check it out! They’re also going to have the same shirts and medals as the folks in California.

EVERYBODY ELSE: You can still participate in your own satellite run. Here’s a page with information. You’ll get the same medal as everybody else in the other races and you’ll be supporting a great cause. So check it out!

2. Best Christmas card ever, us in 2010:

Tiff is the only one acting in this picture.

3. My mother-in-law (Jack’s Grandma) likes to sell Avon and is doing a fundraiser for Operation Jack. She’s having an online event and she’s donating all of the proceeds to the Operation Jack Autism Foundation. She loves him more than words can express and has spent so much time helping us out with him over the years and is really excited about raising money in his name. So, if you ever buy things from Avon, or if you’re willing to browse around for a couple of minutes and see if there’s something small you might like (heck, it’s a fundraiser where you actually get something back for your donation!), click to operationjack.org/avon.

That’s all for today … have a great weekend! Go K-State! Beat Texas!

Wordless Wednesday: Fun With Shaving

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Just a few words and the pictures will talk for themselves. I don’t like to shave, so I don’t do it very often. But I like to create various mustaches when I shave if I start off with a beard. I had a beard going for a little while and finally shaved it last Thursday.

Started with a beard.
I really like this look. Tiff didn’t. Lasted for 15 minutes.
I thought this was pretty sweet, too. Kept it for a couple of hours.
I followed Tiff’s orders.
Beard 2.0, on the way. It’s making a comeback!

What look is the best? Was I not made to have a mustache?

Have a great Wednesday!