Day 22: "Who I was is in who you are."

January 31: Thirteen days left!

Less than two weeks. Holy cow. This may have been the most rewarding day of it all so far.

The day has been a bit of a roller coaster (nothing too low...but it went from "I think fundraising is slowing down a bit," to, "Oh my gosh, woo woo WOO!") More on that in a second, but there has been one constant:

I have been thinking about my Dad all day long. And those are the best days.

Life is crazy and, while 24 hours never goes by that I don't think of him, he's not on my mind as frequently as he was the weeks after he died. That's why running at night is one of my favorite things to do. "Running," because I have time to let my mind relax and go where it wants to. "At night," because the world looks so much bigger than during the day, and it's nice to think that his energy is somwhere in the big openess I am looking out into.

Today has also been a great one because, at about 4pm, I stopped by my mailbox at work and their were nine new donations! Combined with what you've donated online, we're now up to $2300 -- exactly -- from 79 different contributors!! (Because I'm not at the office and know that I'll forgot someone if I try to thank everyone off the top of my head, I'm going to save that for tomorrow -- though a general thanks is coming right up.)

When I'm saying "thanks" the obvious thank yous are for your belief in the students I'm fundraising for, your belief in my judgement as someone who can pick a worthy cause, and your belief in my ability to run a marathon (good luck with that last one :-) ).

There is also a less obvious (though always present) reason I want to thank you. The reason is on my dad's tombstone. On it, there is a line I paraphrased from a quote we found which reads, "Who I was is in who you are."

Here is the full quote, by Frederick Buechner:

“When you remember me, it means that you have carried something of who I am with you, that I have left some mark of who I am on who you are. It means that you can summon me back to your mind even though countless years and miles may stand between us. It means that if we meet again, you will know me. It means that even after I die, you can still see my face and hear my voice and speak to me in your heart.

For as long as you remember me, I am never entirely lost. When I'm feeling most ghost-like, it is your remembering me that helps remind me that I actually exist. When I'm feeling sad, it's my consolation. When I'm feeling happy, it's part of why I feel that way."

Every single time I do something related to this marathon/donation -- whether it's writing a blog entry, going on a run, or receiving a new contribution -- I get to remember him.

Thank you.

Day 18: "Individually, we are one drop. Together we are an ocean."

January 27: Seventeen days left!

Hey y'all! This one's going to be super short. Did a five mile run this morning, the pushups/situps and -- of course -- 16 miles of bike riding (work commute).

The new total is now up to $1898 from 66 donors! Closing in on that new $2000 goal! Thanks SO much to Mandana Namdar, Jami Haines, Kelly Stillufsen, Molly Ruben-Long and Pamela Cox for their contributions today to our joint donation!!

I was talking to a friend today who has been following the training/fundraising and said, at first, she was surprised by how many people have contributed. Next, she said she started trying to figure out why. Her best guess was that the biggest motivator has been the idea that -- when someone can only give $10 -- that person might not give it to a cause they care about because a) It feels unsubstantial, or b) It takes some time to make the donation. She said that in the case of this joint donation, it's easy to feel like they're $10 is being contributed as a piece of something more substantial.

I don't know if that's the case or not, but whatever the reason, I'm happy it's happening!

Her description did remind me of the quote I used in my title line, by Ryunosuke Satoro: "Individually, we are one drop. Together we are an ocean." :-)

Day 17: "Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart."

January 26: Eighteen days left!

It's late at night and I am tiiiiirrrrreeeedd! I got up early and did a five-miler. Tomorrow I'll take a day off and then Friday morning I'm going to run 15 miles before work! I have found a pretty fun route for the long run that will take me to the lake and back, so at least I have that to look forward to!

It is so exciting how many people have contributed to the joint donation we will make on behalf of -- what would be -- my Dad's 60th birthday. When I decided to do this -- only seventeen days ago -- my hope was to raise 200 or 300 bucks. We are now at $1753! Each of our acts, while individually modest, is going to combine to provide Akili Academy -- in only its second year, already one of the highest performing schools in New Orleans -- with one of its biggest individual donations of the year! I know we can make it to $2000 and, after we get there, who knows where we'll end up!

I want to take a second to thank everyone that has donated so far. Thank you SO SO much to Dave Emond, Denise and Tom Serio, Danny Serio, Huy Tu, Ben Dransfield, Drea Groner, Wayne Everbeck, Joey Adams, Brian Forte, Chris Wooster, Sandy Sanchez, Emily Lancaster, Andy Toth, Adam Hickey, Stephen Curtis, Tammy Wright, Ariana Bernstein, Christina Cipriano, Annmarie Vilkins, Marisa Pizza, Ashley Goldsmith, Meka Buchman, Ashley Gordon, Catherine Lyons, Gretchen Wieland, Kevin Pflug, Colleen Corcoran, Liz Sluder, Tracy Shandor, Lauren Neupert, Maria Grupinski, Holly Mandell, Mark Metrinko, Kathleen Warner, Kevin Albrecht, Ian M. Hartshorn, Jeff and Amy Price, Sarah Baldwin, Nina and Steve Coniker, Jennifer Coleman, Jenna Haines, Audrey Haines, Debbie and Sandy Steiger, Rachele Armstrong, Ali Quirk, Robert Stefani, Timothy Bryant, Mariposa Stormer, Nora Gerstein, Chrissy Kiernan, Karen Hart, Jerry and Lilbby Haines, Lori and Chris Haskell, Jean Haines Homan, David Brown, Kathy and Billy Nazzaro, Amanda Kizer, Benny Canda, Amanda Catalani, Kate Schuman, Bridget Hatfield and Tyler Ogilvie!

Holy shit! That's 62 donations (if you count spouses as a combined one donation) and we still have 18 days to go!

Not only am I hoping we get to $2000 in the next few days, but I also hope we get to 100 contributors by race day!

Whether it's $4 or $150, it's such an incredible thing to see how many people care. Sixty-two people who care enough about kids most of you have never met, or my Dad -- a man a lot of you haven't met either. That makes me feel really great about the kind of people I surround myself. I don't believe that luck has TOO much to do with too many things...so I won't say I'm lucky to know you, but I do know that I am so happy to know you -- whether you're family, one of my best friends, a friend of a friend, or something in between.

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Considering what she went through, it's incredible to think that it was Anne Frank who wrote the following words:

"I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can't build my hopes on a foundation of confusion, misery and death... I think... peace and tranquillity will return again.

Anne Frank hid for 25 months -- hunted like an animal -- and could still utter those words: "I still believe that people are really good at heart." And, yet, so many disagree with her...

They obviously don't know the same people I do. :-)

Day 16: "After the final no there comes a yes, and on that yes the fate of the world depends."

January 25: Nineteen days left!

The above countdown feels a little more angst-inducing now that it's in the teens. :-)

I'm going to have to keep this one short again. I've been blogging in the mornings before work as I'm having a tough time finding time to blog at night. I'll try to flip-flop it tonight!

The first thing I owe is a thank you list of recent contributors to the donation! We're over $1300 now so it looks like we're going to up the goal to $1750 pretty soon. Maybe we can hit $2000 -- that would be pretty unbelievable. I'll have that list in tonight's entry!

I ran a great five miles tonight. My left ankle felt a little weak at first, but after a mile and a half or so it felt fine. I have a feeling what bothered the ankle is that I was doing the run right after a flag football game -- which tends to be a lot of starting, stopping and changing direction (all tough on the ankles).

For those of you that have become Mariah Carey Dreamlover (our team name -- don't ask) fans, we won our third game in a row. That's three wins...and three shut outs! This one was a 38-0 win. Go Dreamlovers!

The quote I used in today's heading -- "After the final no there comes a yes, and on that yes the fate of the world depends," is one of my favorites. I think Wallace Stevens was trying to demonstrate the importance of persistence. I think that's what this fundraising effort has required.

Sometimes I worry that I'm taking up all of this on people's facebook walls. I'm sure it gets annoying! But -- there are a few things in life that worth being annoying for. :-)



I was recently courting a girl and, when she finally agreed to go on a date with me she said, "You have the persistence of a mosquito!" Maybe that should have been the title of this blog. :-)

Day 15: "Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve."

January 24: Twenty days left!

I will keep this one super short. First -- I sent a follow-up facebook note out today about the marathon fundraiser and the response was amazing! I will have time to acknowledge those who contributed to our donations, as well as give you a total of where we're at (over $1200!!) tomorrow!

As for a workout -- it has been pouring for hours and hours and hours. I don't mind running in the rain, but I wasn't even able to bike home to get my running clothes (didn't want to get my work clothes soaked). Fortunately, my buddy Kevin Albrecht picked me up from the office so I didn't have to sleep here tonight, and let me crash on his couch. I did do the pushups/situps and, of course, the bike ride to work. I'll make up for the run tomorrow (on top of the flag football game).

In honor of it being one week after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (and me not using a quote of his last week), I wanted to throw this one out there today.

"Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love."

Some of us have a lot and some of us have less. Of the 6.7 billion people on this planet, all but one of us has more than someone else we're sharing the earth with. There are so many ways to give to those who have less -- whether it's $5, $10, $20 or $200. Here's one way:

You can donate online here: http://www.active.com/donate/daythirtyfive (This is a great way to give and, ultimately, not a bad deal, but so that you don't feel like I'm witholding information from you -- the website charges 6.5% per donation plus $1 per transaction for every donation made. It's still a great way to give!)

But, if you don't want to donate online, you can also send me a check (made out to "Matthew Haines" or "Akili Academy of New Orleans") to the following address:

Attn: Matt Haines
LPTP
200 Broadway Street, Suite #108
New Orleans, LA 70118

Thanks so much and I'll talk to you tomorrow after my run (if the rain ever stops!). :-)

Day 14: “If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one.”

Day 23: Twenty-one days left!

I have not been a strong blogger these last handful of days. I'm sorry and I won't let it happen again!

Do you forgive me?

Thank you.

Last time we spoke, my workout consisted of a flag football blowout that catupulted the Mariah Carey Dreamlovers to a 2-0 start! Since then I've had one day off, two five-mile runs and, today, a 15+ mile bike ride across the Mississippi River, through the West Bank and to a Chinese New Year celebration (which was a lot of fun, by the way).

The big 15-miler will be on Wednesday morning.

As far as our collective donation goes, you guys are amazing. Thanks to Dave Emond, Denise and Danny Serio, Huy Tu, Ben Dransfield, Drea Groner, Wayne Everbeck, Joey Adams, Brian Forte, Chris Wooster, Sandy Sanchez, Emily Lancaster, Andy Toth, Adam Hickey, Stephen Curtis, Tammy Wright, Ariana Bernstein, Christina Cipriano, Annmarie Vilkins, Marisa Pizza, Ashley Goldsmith, Meka Buchman and Ashley Gordon. I currently have more than $850 in hand, with another $300 on its way in the next day or so! Because of this I am upping our goal to $1500. If things go well for another day or so, I'm going to suggest we go for a $1750 donation!!

If you remember, we were originally talking about $200 or $300. I can't tell you how excited I am about the gift we're going to be able to make for the students of Akili in my Dad's name.

Of course I'm thankful for the $50 donations and the $100 donations! But the $5 and $10 ones are big too! I know so many of my friends are paying off student loans or volunteering in AmeriCorps and, so -- when you show your support for something I care about -- it means a lot. I thought this Mother Theresa quote was particularly fitting: "If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one."

This hasn't been exciting becuase one person decided to donate $1000 (Though, if you're out there, you will make this quite exciting :-) ). This has been exciting because, in the sum of our parts, we are creating a gift that can make a difference in the lives of children we will likely never have the pleasure to meet, but who will help shape the world in which we exist.

Day 9: "It's not what you get out of life that counts. It's what you give."

January 18: Twenty-seven days left!

I wanted to keep Day 8 up at the front a little longer, because I anticipated some new folks checking out the blog and I liked that entry. Because of this, I've fallen a little bit behind with my writing. I plan on being caught up by tomorrow morning and, in the meantime, I'll keep these short!

First and foremost -- thanks so much to everyone that has donated! We're on our way to the $1000 goal and it looks like I'll have to up to a more ambitious goal for the third time! I know most of you didn't make that donation FOR me, but, on behalf of whoever you did make it for -- thank you, thank you, thank you!!

As far as workout goes, I'm a little sore after the 10-miler, but still happy with yesterday's results! Today I didn't run, but I did bike 45 minutes to work, I did the pushups/situps, and I played a game of flag football (tiring!). I'm proud to report that the Mariah Carey Dreamlovers (the team name is a story for another day) won our second game, 44-0. That's two shut-outs and that brings our record to a staggering 2-0. :-)

I was sad to find out that Sargent Shriver, the man who was the driving force behind the founded of the Peace Corps at 95 years old. I've always been inspired reading about Mr. Shriver, and I think this excerpt from a speech he gave at Yale University in 1994 does a great job of summarizing what we're trying to do here:

"All of history's great changes--nonviolent changes--came from below, not from above. It comes from us... It's not what you get out of life that counts. It's what you give and what is given to you from the heart . . . And I have one small word of advice because it is going to be tough: Break your mirrors!!! Yes indeed -- shatter the glass. In our society that is so self-absorbed, begin to look less at yourself and more at each other. Learn more about the face of your neighbor and less about your own."

LOOK at them:


LOOK at her:


By Wednesday of next week, I believe we will have raised $1,000 that can help these kids overcome the odds and change the course of their lives. Donate here: http://www.active.com/donate/daythirtyfive

Or send a check (made out to "Matthew Haines" or "Akili Academy of New Orleans") to the following address:

Attn: Matt Haines
LPTP
200 Broadway Street, Suite #108
New Orleans, LA 70118

Thanks for helping!

Day 8: "I'm your only son!"

January 17: Twenty-eight days left!

First and foremost -- I need to buy some of that nipple cream. If anyone knows where I can pick it up (other than Walmart and the like) then please leave a comment or send me an email.

If you're just joining us on our quest, the reason I need nipple cream is because I ran my 10-miler today! I wasn't sure how it would go -- since this was twice as long as any run I'd done since March 2007 -- so I started off the first mile a little tentative. After that, I realized I was feeling good and decided to pick it up.

Overall, my pace was somewhere around 7 minute and 50 second per mile. Not as fast as my Virginia Beach marathon 7 minute and 11 second split, but not bad for my eighth day of training. :-)

During the run, I obviously had some time to think about what I wanted to write today. I was running straight from work, so I had three things in my hand: 1) my house key; 2) my cell phone; and 3) The "mourning pin" that used to be attached to a ribbon from my Dad's funeral. I carry the third item around everywhere, and -- although I'm not in the least bit superstitious -- it feels good to have with me.

As most of you know by now, I decided to run this marathon so I could make a donation ($1000) to the students of Akili Academy of New Orleans (an elementary charter school) on behalf of my Dad for -- what would have been -- his 60th Birthday. During the run, I decided I wanted this entry to be about him.

I can't think of a better way to explain to you how I feel about him than to post the eulogy I presented at his funeral. It doesn't have to be a sad reading. I can't help but celebrate how fortunate I was to have someone like him play such an influential part of my life for 27 years.

Before we get to that, though, thanks so much to Maria Grupinski, Holly Mandell, Mark Metrinko and Kathleen Warner for their donations today!

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(Please excuse the unconventional punctuation: it was used as a way to pace the way I delivered the eulogy)

Unprepared Remarks:
Before I begin I want to take a few more moments than I had originally planned to thank you all for coming. First – thank you so much to my neighbors. I’ve had the good fortune of living in a lot of different places, but none of them has had even a fraction of the community that you have created for yourselves and for your children. I am so lucky to have grown up where I did, and my family has been so fortunate to have your love… during this last week in particular. I feel especially lucky to know that my Mom will be the best of hands when I have to go back home.

To Kathy and Billy – I am so happy that, if it couldn’t be me or my family, that it was you two with my Dad during what might have been his last conscious moments on this planet. I am so thankful that you were there to comfort him, and I will never be able to tell you that enough.

To my Dad’s family – my extended family. My Dad smiled the most when he was around you. And I always loved going with him to visit you, because when we went to see you, I got to see my Dad as happy as a little kid.

There was a moment during the "1st Annual Jack Haines Memorial Clam and Coors Light Festival" :-) when I walked into the kitchen and could see my two grandmas (which is cool in and of itself) laughing with each other. Then I looked through the window into the backyard and saw several of you laughing. And I looked into the living room and my mom was there laughing with a few more of you. I thought it was such a great moment and so I kind of snuck around to see what everyone was talking about.

Each of you were telling a Jack Haines story and having a really great time of it. I know he would have loved nothing more than to be a part of the festivities…and, if it turns out he was watching, then I know it would have really warmed his heart to see.

Finally – thank you to everyone from Home Depot, and all of the other individuals here that I have not had the pleasure of meeting earlier. This is MY Dad. I love him and I think the world of him. But he was a quiet man. And when we talked, my conversations with him tended to be about our relationship.

But meeting you all in the hospital has introduced me to a part of my Dad that I never got a chance to know. And hearing about how loved and respected my Dad was by so many people – people I never knew existed – for so many of the same reasons that I loved and respected him…that is an incredible and proud and special thing for a son to realize. Thank you so much for allowing me that realization.


Prepared Remarks:
So thank you all for coming…not just today, but since the day my dad arrived at the hospital. For a son to lose his father…or a friend to lose his best friend…or a child to lose a mentor…or a young man to lose his hero, has to be among the worst moments life can throw at a person. I was so fortunate to see all these things in my father…but with that fortune has come the inevitable misfortunate of losing all these pillars of support at once.

But because of you all…I don’t think I’m going to remember this among the worst weeks of my life. I think I’m going to remember this as the week I saw how my father touched the lives of so many…how so many leaned on my father for support…and how my dad – a quiet man, with a history of bizarre, yet apparently stylish facial hair – was loved by people I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting earlier.

Father…best friend…mentor…hero. I think every boy wants to believe that their father is a hero – and I was no different. My earliest memory was of my dad taking me to work and me watching all of these workers through his upstairs office window while he was the manager of our local Rickels: Home Center. My dad, the boss. It was easy for his young son to think of him as a hero.

When I think of my early memories of my dad (really of all my memories of my dad), I immediately think of how, regardless of the situation, he knew exactly what he needed to do or to say to make me feel great. Nobody could give a hug like my dad and, if I ever crush anyone when I hug them – it’s ‘cause I learned it from him. He used to say while in mid hug – “You are my FAVORITE son.” That was always my cue to respond, “Dadddd, I’m you’re ONLY son!”

This wasn’t just when I was a little kid though! There was this one time in college we were talking on the phone when he gave the cue…”You’re my FAVORITE son you know?” he said. Me, being the too-cool-for-school kid we all tried to be at one point or another said, “Love you too dad.” On the other side of the phone there was silence for a few moments…then “eh hem…You’re my FAVORITE son, Matt.” I gave in, “Dad – I’m you’re only son.” But it always felt good…and I never missed the cue again. :-)

My dad was my hero as a kid…but as I started to grow up, the heroics of upstairs offices were replaced by stories of professional football players, musicians and presidents. My dad was always a loving dad to me – but he wasn’t throwing SuperBowl-winning touchdowns to Jerry Rice with 12 seconds left to play. He was great, but was he really a hero? I wasn’t sure.

My dad always had a talent of making me feel special…but on a trip home within the last year, special was an understatement. He was asking me a lot of questions about myself and my thoughts on leadership. As I’m sure most of you know, this is not so normal for him…so I eventually asked why. He told me that he had to give a presentation to his coworkers at Home Depot about his hero…and that his hero was me. I don’t think there is anything that anyone on this planet could say to me that would make me more proud than he made me feel at that moment.

But I never threw a SuperBowl-winning touchdown to Jerry Rice with 12 seconds left to play…I wasn’t a transformative artist…or a world leader. What makes a hero? And more specifically…is my father a hero? This is what I’ve spent much of the last five days thinking about.

But we’ll come back to this talk of heroism in a few minutes. There’s something else I’ve spent time thinking about during the last several days. My dad wasn’t one to say, “Now son…here is lesson number 1” and then to teach me something valuable.” I do, however, think there are two big lessons I can learn by emulating his actions.

First – the attitude that failure is just a part of life, but that giving up doesn’t have to be. As I bragged earlier, my Dad used to be the store manager of a local Rickels. This is actually where my parents met. Not only was he store manager…but he was store manager when he was 25 years old! Unfortunately, through no fault of his own, Rickels as a corporation went under, my dad’s store closed, and he was out of a job. As far as his work life goes, the next several years were really rough on my dad. After a stint selling tools, my dad was stuck selling potato chips, then vacuum cleaners, and then pretzels. He wasn’t satisfied with the work, and the hours were awful.

The economy was bad and work was tough to come by. I imagine he was frustrated and left to wonder how things went from so good to so bad. But he had a family to take care of and, he did the best he could to make sure that, despite his distaste for the work he was doing, he kept working to make sure we had what we needed. But not only did he keep working…he kept looking for something that would be more satisfying for him.

And when, nearly 20 years ago, he got a job at Home Depot, he finally found work again that felt dignified, that felt secure, that he loved to do…and that he knew he could be good at! Over the next almost 20 years, he received promotions, raises and great reviews. But 30 years earlier he was a store manager at Rickles and he was not done trying to rise as far as he could.

Recently an assistant store manager position become available and he applied. We shared his excitement for him when he got into the final round of interviews, and we shared his disappointment when he didn’t get the job. But this is where the real lesson is: I remember calling my dad to see the results. He gave the bad news and I asked him what he was going to do next. “Well,” he said, “I’m sure another assistant store manager position will open up sometime soon. I’ll just apply for that one too…and the one after that”

By watching my dad I’ve learned that, if you set your goals high, you are sometimes going to meet failure. But, if you don’t give up, you are also going to end up with achievements that were difficult to reach and that are satisfying to look back on. My dad never gave up…and this is a lesson that I can’t wait to one day share with my own kids. In this way, a piece of my dad will live on forever.

I have also learned the power of unconditional love from my dad. Time and time again he would do things for me, big and small, that – despite being a huge pain in the butt to him – would help his son. He stayed up until awful, late hours to help me finish homework assignments I procrastinated on. He faced unnamable wraths to make sure I could realize my dream of marching drum corps. And he was always a shoulder to cry on.

I remember once, at 22 years old, being dumped by my girlfriend at the time. I was 22 years old…but I was at an irrational level of upset! I was home for a holiday and my dad and I started talking about it. I started sobbing uncontrollably on the couch and I was so embarrassed because here I was, a young adult, crying over an ex-girlfriend.

Without missing a beat or saying a word, my dad wrapped me up in one of his incredible hugs and didn’t let go until I was done crying. Not only did his hug help me stop crying, but he – without opening his mouth – sent me from feeling ashamed, to reminding me that there was nothing I could possibly do to lose his love or pride. I hope that one day, when the time comes, I can show my children the same kind of unconditional love he showed me. And when I do, a piece of my dad will have lived on.

I feel fortunate that my dad and I left very little unsaid. There is no doubt in my mind that he knew I loved him…and I know he was proud of me. The one thing I wish I had the chance to say, though, was that everything he was proud of me for…everything he talked about in the Hero Presentation at Home Depot…these things are only possible because of what he and my mother did for me as parents. I wouldn’t be me without them…and, because of them, my sisters and I will do things that will make them proud for as long as we live…and will ensure their hard work and success as parents is never forgotten.

Is my dad a hero? I couldn’t help but look at some definitions online last night while I was writing this.

1 a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability
b : an illustrious warrior c: one that shows great courage
2 a : the principal male character in a literary or dramatic work

And then the very last definition offered was the following:

: an object of extreme admiration

I don’t know if the things that my dad has done for me are the things that every dad does for his children. It might be…and if it isn’t, then it should be. But my dad is an object of my admiration. And my dad is my hero.

And when his future grandson or granddaughter, with a first or middle name of Jack or Jacqueline is old enough to start wondering about the origin of their name…I can’t wait to tell them about the quality of the man they were named after. It was my honor to talk about him today and it will be my honor to talk about him for as long as I live.

I love you my FAVORITE dad.

Day 7: "Ripples...that together...can build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."

January 16: Twenty-nine days left!

I had a great five-mile run tonight and the upped pace is feeling more and more comfortable. I don't think I'm going to match the time I hit during Marathon #2, but that's not really the point of Marathon #3!

Monday is the long awaited 10-miler, so wish me luck! :-) I've got my course set and I'm going to take-off right after work.

Thanks so much to Colleen Corcoran and Liz Sluder for their donations today! (And thanks, again, to everyone who has donated and pledged so far!) Thanks to you all, we're on pace to hit our $500 goal and, I believe, to pushing up to an even more ambitious goal!

It's obvious to me that I can't accomplish this without you. And, actually, it's rare that any one person accomplishes something ambitious without the help of many, many others. During my run last night, I was reminded of this quote from one of my heroes, Bobby Kennedy:

"Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total; of all those acts will be written the history of this generation. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope... and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."

Your $5 donation, or $10 donation, or $25 donation, or $100 donation, or even your $1 donation (seriously) is one tiny ripple of hope moving straight toward the lives of those Kindergartners, First-Graders, Second-Graders and Third-Graders at Akili Academy!

Five dollars won't do it alone -- but neither will running a marathon. Together, though, our tiniest ripples can join to create a modest current, which -- with the help of people we don't even know, and may never meet -- can help Akili achieve its fundraising goals and, in turn, provide those kids with an education that, for so many of them, will change the course of their lives forever.

We can do that! But you can't have the mightiest current without the tiniest ripple.

Have a Happy MLK Day!

Thanks,
Matt



P.S. You can donate online here: http://www.active.com/donate/daythirtyfive

You can play send checks (made out to "Matthew Haines" or "Akili Academy of New Orleans") to the following address:

Attn: Matt Haines
LPTP
200 Broadway Street, Suite #108
New Orleans, LA 70118

And you can watch this incredible video of Ted Kennedy giving Bobby Kennedy's eulogy (which includes the quote I reference above) here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9JTYnMpRyg

Day 6: "We don't have to beat them...we just have to fight them."

January 15: Thirty days left!

The title quote is one of my favorite moments from one of my favorite movies: Braveheart. During this scene, near the start of the movie, a bunch of Scottish leaders are tricked into an ambush by the King of England and slaughtered. After hearing about this, William Wallace's father, Malcolm, speaks that line to inspire his neighbors to fight.

I love the quote, because I think it's easy to fall into the trap that, if you don't accomplish something, it wasn't worth trying. Totally not true. There's a lot to be learned from setting goals that are ambitious (maybe a little crazy), working hard to achieve them and, ultimately, failing to do so.

At least you tried. And, if you failed, you probably accomplished something bigger than those who called it quits before they even gave it a shot.

To date, we've raised over $200 for Akili Academy and, I've already set a goal of $500. But, you know what, I think we can get to $750! Maybe even up to the big $1000! So far, we've received donations of over $100, donations of $5, as well as everything in between.

EVERY -- SINGLE -- DONATION -- IS -- INCREDIBLY -- HELPFUL! I have dozens of AmeriCorps friends who I know can't give a $100 donation, for example. But if 20 of them give $5, we're just as close to reaching our goal.

Drink one less beer or coffee this week and send the proceeds to the Akili Academy! You can donate here: http://www.active.com/donate/daythirtyfive or you can send me a check (made out to "Matthew Haines" or "Akili Academy of New Orleans").

Thanks to Colleen Corocoran for her donation today!! Who will be next? :-)

Thanks thanks thanks!

- Matt

Day 5: "An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest."

January 14: Thirty-one days left!

I got myself a day behind on the blog because I left my computer at a friend's house. I'll keep it short in an effort to catch up!

I had mentioned that my legs were pretty beat up on Thursday, so I decided to take it easy today by not running. I still biked to work and back -- a total of an hour and a half of cycling. I also did sit-ups (no pushups today). Plus, I danced A LOT tonight...that's gotta be good for something. :-)

The title quote, as well as the article I'm linking are the primary reason I have become so interested in education (which is what we're raising money for!). The most proven way to grow our economy is to make investments that will develop intelligent and creative citizens. As far as these kind of investments go, the biggest bang for our buck is to make that investment in our students and schools; and the country that does that is the country whose economy will make the biggest gains when those students enter the workforce.

Check out this little story by Nicholas Kristof. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/opinion/09kristof.html?src=un&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fjson8.nytimes.com%2Fpages%2Fopinion%2Findex.jsonp

Thanks to Kevin Pflug for his donation!! We're up over $200 now and rising! Donate here: http://www.active.com/donate/daythirtyfive or send me a check made out to "Matthew Haines" or "Akili Academy of New Orleans."

Thanks so much!

- Matt

Day 4: "At 14, she is already far off the pathway to a happy and successful life."

January 13: Thirty-two days left!

Flag football always has a major impact on my legs and, between the game on the 12th and the five-mile run yesterday, my legs are sore! I'm kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. The "rock" being the fact that as I run more, my legs will get sore; the "hard place" being the fact that I have to run 26.2 miles in 32 days. I'm trying to find a balance.

In the spirit of balance, I decided to go for a 3.5 mile run today, instead of the usual five. I did the normal pushups and situps, and -- of course -- the bike ride to and from work.

My plan is to take a day off from running on Friday, and then to do a 10-miler on Saturday! My theory has always been that, if you can run eight miles, you can run forever! I'm hoping to prove myself right. :-)

Thanks to Lauren Neupert for her donation today!!

I'm hoping to start using this blog as a way to introduce everyone to the students our donation will be helping! New Orleans has the same problems many American cities face, but we also have a few that are unique to this city, alone. Here's a short article that talks about some of those unique problems. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marian-wright-edelman/katrinas-children-childho_b_800162.html

Remember, you can donate online here: http://www.active.com/donate/daythirtyfive

Or send a check (made out to "Matthew Haines" or "Akili Academy of New Orleans") here:

Attn: Matt Haines
LPTP
200 Broadway Street, Suite 108
New Orleans, LA 70118

Thanks!

- Matt

Day 3: "You're a fierce soul."

January 12: Thirty-three days left!

Although the temperature was generally quite pleasant, its variations carried it rapidly from one extreme to the other.... One day may have been a real spring day; the following night would bring a violent wind.... The next day might be cold enough to call for heat; and the day after tropical....

- Pierre Clement de Laussat, describing New Orleans in 1803


Tonight it is f@$&ing cold in New Orleans!! During my run it was 33 degrees. Ironic, as I am also 33 days away from the race! (I wish -- for warmth's sake -- I was 65 days away.)

Today was a pretty typical fitness day: 1) 45-minute bike ride to work; 2) 45-minute bike ride back; 3) Ran five miles (Bywater, Marigny, through the French Quarter, to Canal Street, and back); 4) Push ups/Sit ups

During the run, I had an interaction with a man sitting on a curb. Here's how it went:

(He yelled something indistinguishable.)

"Huh?" I replied, cupping my ear to show I couldn't hear.

"You're a fierce soul," he repeated, shaking his head at me, presumably because he thought I was an idiot for running in the windy-cold this late at night.

"Oh, well, everything's way warmer when you're running!"

*Awkward silence* *Awkward silence* *Awkward silence...no blinking on his part*

Finally, he said, once again probably making fun of me, "Nice pajama pants..."

They are nice pajama pants! And, besides, they're the only pants I have that are moderately athletic. Anyway -- I laughed, waved and was back on my run, happy to have had the interaction, even if the humor of it was at my expense.

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More importantly, our first donations came in today online! Thanks Catherine and Gretchen!! Here's the link to donate online http://www.active.com/donate/daythirtyfive (Full disclosure, for each online donation, the site takes 6.5% of the donation for admin costs and takes another $1 on top of that.)

The other option would be to write a check (to "Matthew Haines" or "Akili Academy of New Orleans") or give me cash-money.

Also -- the first pledges for checks also came in! Thanks Mom, Jenna and Kate!! Additionally, a parent of one of my mom's baby sitting kids owns a bar and he talked to her about donating, so we have that to look forward to!

The online donation site asked me to create "levels of giving." For your viewing pleasure, here they are! (For explanation on the theme of the levels, check out my first blog post at http://daythirtyfive.blogspot.com/2011/01/day-1-even-if-i-knew-tomorrow-that.html ) What level will you be?

PBR Level -- $1.00

Coors Light Level -- $2.00

Abita Amber Level -- $3.00

Brooklyn Lager Level -- $4.00

Choco-Mocha-Frappasomethingajig Level -- $5.00

Hot Truck Sandwich Level -- $10.00

I-Found-$20-on-the-Sidewalk-And-I'd-Feel-Bad-If-I-Kept-It-But-I-Don't-Know-Who-It-Belongs-To-What-Should-I-Do? Level -- $20.00

Shortstop Deli 2010 IthacaFest Sandwich Level -- $23.73

Holy Moly Level -- $25.00

Gadzooks! Level -- $50.00

Can-I-Say-"Shit!!"-On-This-Thing? Level -- $100.00


Thanks thanks!

- Matt

Day 2: "Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice."

January 11: Thirty-four days left!

I woke up today and I was feeling very excited about my decision to run this race, rather than putting it off another year. For those of you that know me, you know that excitement probably won't change much between now and Day 35!

At first, the title quote for this entry seems like another MLK, Jr. He actually paraphrased it from Theodore Parker, a transcendentalist minister from the mid-19th century. At any rate, I'm not sure how much I agree with it. In my opinion, with every action we take, we are taking the "arc of the moral universe" in our own, individual hands and bending it in the direction we see fit.

When we stand up and do something positive for those who need it the most, we are bending that arc toward justice. We're not bystanders that became eager to work with the benders...we are the benders.

So how did I bend the arc today? Modestly, but enthusiastically.

Fitness
- I was up at 7am today doing pushups and situps. Honestly, when it comes to
working out, I do nearly no research. I remember, when training for the
Cincinnati marathon, we did a lot of pushups/situps and it seemed to work.
Regardless, at least I'll be a little less flabby.

- I biked 45 minutes to work and 30 minutes to our flag football game. This
actually has nothing to do with the marathon. It has A LOT to do with me not
having a car. I may have to take this into account while training so I don't
over-exercise myself around big runs.

- Apparently it's smart to mix runs with non-running exercise called "cross-
training." I don't know much about this, but I'm sure flag football is not an
acceptable form of cross-training, since it's putting strain primarily on my
legs. My team, The Mariah Carey Dreamlovers, won 33-0 so let's call it a
success and move on.


Administrative
- Check out this sweet blog you're reading! I set it up this evening before I
left for the game.

- The fundraising page is set-up. Unfortunately, it needs to be approved by the
company that hosts the page.


A few notes on the fundraising page. There are three main ways I imagine accepting donations:

1) You can donate online via the page on which I am waiting for approval. The site says it takes 24-48 hours to approve, so I'm hoping for tomorrow. The annoying thing about this option is that the site scoops off 6.5% of each transaction, plus an additional $1 per transaction. Poopy, right? That's $1.65 for a $10 donation. It's not great, but it's the best I could find, and that donation is still wayyyyyy better than nothing so don't be discouraged!!

2) You can write a check and mail it to me! You can make it out to "Matthew Haines" or to "Akili Academy of New Orleans." Please mail it to the following address (I'm in the middle of a move, so it is my work address):

Attn: Matt Haines
LPTP
200 Broadway Street
Suite #108
New Orleans, LA 70118

3) You can hand me cash or a check when you see me!

Ok, that's that for today! Thanks for reading and I hope you're starting to think about how you might help me alter that arc! Every modest bend helps. I'll make sure to post the link for my online donation page (Option #1 from above) as soon as I get it!

Have a great night,
Matt

Day 1: "Even if I knew tomorrow that the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree."

January 10th: Thirty-five days left.

First thing to note: I decided to start training -- and actually began my training -- yesterday (five miles). I didn't have time to start the blog until today, so I will double-up before the end of January 11th and be on track from there on out.

What am I talking about? Let me explain!

Since summer, I had been planning on running the New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon. My strategy would be to train five months in advance and to fundraise during the final portion of that training period. As you will see, I have failed miserably! Thirty-five days away from said marathon and I have run no more than five miles and raised not a dime.

Rather than make excuses, I have decided to look my failure in the face, see it as a minor setback, and make the decision to change course. This blog will keep me honest. It will also, I hope, inspire you to join me in supporting an incredible school.

Akili Academy is a New Orleans charter school that has some of the best scores in the city. Incredibly, they're achieving these results while serving some of the city's poorest children in one of the city's poorest communities. More on this in posts to come.

I would love -- with your help -- to fundraise for these children and their school. Why do we have to fundraise for a school? Well...since Akili is striving to provide such a strong education for their students -- an education so many inner-city kids don't have the opportunity to pursue -- government funding for the school doesn't cover its costs. That funding gap is something that many charter schools face.

Our contribution won't eliminate the gap by any stretch of the imagination, but we don't have to eliminate it to be successful. We just have to close it a little further.

I'm not asking for any one person to give a lot (though I'm not asking you NOT to :-)! ), but if everyone that sees this blog, or a similar message on facebook, donates $1, $2, $5, or $10, we'll have made it a very long way!

$5 is the cost of a beer! I'm asking you to drink one less beer, or one less skim-frappa-latte-whatever for the kids at Akili Academy! And -- here's where it gets crazy: For every beer or tall-mocha-cappathing you don't drink, I will match you by taking an equivalent amount from the money I would normally set aside for booze booze each week, and donating it to Akili. It will be like a "non-cheers" for a great cause.

Finally: The marathon is on February 13th, just a few days after -- what would have been my Dad's 60th birthday. After the marathon, I'll take the money and donate what we all raised to Akili Academy in my Dad's name. A great, belated birthday present that I think he we would have enjoyed more than the bag of peanuts I normally bought him.

I'll have the fundraising site up by the end of tonight, and then we can begin our modest effort at making a difference.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Even if I knew tomorrow that the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree." For the next 35 days, this is my apple tree. I hope it will be, at least, a branch on yours as well.