February 12th: One day left!!
So I had a dream last night. It could have been a nightmare, but I'd call it a dream. Stick with me after the initial sentence...
I was hit by a car. So how's that not a nightmare?!
Well, I told the doctors that I still wanted to "run" the marathon. They told me I could do it in a wheelchair, but my arms were pretty messed up in the accident so I couldn't do it by myself.
I had 26 different friends from different parts of my life each push me one mile. Then for the last 0.2 miles I somehow scooted myself along in the wheelchair. Personally, I don't really believe in pure miracles, but in a dream I'll certainly welcome them for symbolism's sake. :-)
Back in real life -- I was talking to my Grandma Ruth today. She asked, how I was feeling and I told her my right ankle was giving me some trouble. She responded with her typical response, "Well, you've done an incredible thing already and, now, whatever will be...will be."
I've understand that response, but personally, I've never liked it. My philosophy is that I have a lot more control over my life than that. Tomorrow is a particularly clear example.
I responded, "I'm going to finish the run, Grandma. I don't really have much of a choice, now do I?"
Just as it allowed me to operate my wheelchair in the dream, I will choose to finish tomorrow because I am running for my belief in the dreams of the students at Akili Academy; because I am running for the 127 people who believed in this project enough to add their very, very meaningful contribution to it; and because I am running for my hero, my Dad.
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Thanks to the following individuals and couples who helped turn this little act of kindness into something very special for, both, me and the children it will assist in the daunting and exciting task of reaching one's full potential:
Kelly Stillufsen, Molly Ruben-Long, Pamela Cox, Anna Kwawer, Mary Gardner, Lindsay Dunaj, Tom and Michelle Fernandez, Laura Prigoff, Jill Sluder, Nora Hume, Tommy Serio, 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, Tyler Ogilvie, Phil McKenna, Esther Sackett, Chris Taborsky, Kristin Insalaco, Valerie Raedy, Jill Piccione, Rosalie Cohn, Crystal Wagner, Sara Barasch, Taryn Lott, Emma Herr, Jesse Cottrell, Sarah Diringer, Janet Beck-Robinson, Jennifer Sluder, Heidi Bellinger, Phil Nicosia, Lisa Martin, Heidi Miles, Ariana Alonso, Georgine Althouse, Sarah Paradis, Deborah Large, Shalli Thomson, Phoenix Devos, Jessica Reynolds, Grandma Ruth, Theresa Bentivegna, Tania Torres, Ben Donahue, Grandma Phyllis, Casey and Nick D’Alfonso, Mary and Joe Price, Barbara and Ralph Russo, Aunt Elisabet Haines, Aunt Sue and Uncle Rich Cole, Carlie Kilgore and Matt Story, Amanda Borenstein, Adam Gold, Ben Marino, Dominic Fossile, Aunt Wendy Haskell, Diana Leonardo, John Hummel, Kevin Coniker, Brenna Gillette, Barbara Wind, Larissa Benedek, Kathy Brandler, Rachele Armstrong, Debbie and Sandy Steiger and Dylan Schlotterbeck, Mandana Namdar and Jami Haines.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Day 32: "I constantly imagine this beautiful picture of what New Orleans can be."
February 10th: Three days left!!
Three days left?! Geez.
I went on a nice, easy three-mile run tonight. My legs are feeling pretty good again -- still a little stiff from the 20-miler. I might run a two-miler tonight...or I might just stick to biking until marathon Sunday.
The better news is that I'm up to $3125 from 116 contributors!! With just a few days left, I'm excited to see how much we can raise for Akili Academy!
My friend Lauren, who is a Kindergarten teacher at Akili, sent me pictures of some of the "Good Luck" cards a few of her students made for me! :-) Check them out!
With Taylor as my coach, I'll be able to finish the marathon regardless of how much my ankles hurt! :-)
With your help, our joint contribution is going to be able help, in some small way, a school full of children like THESE reach their potential. I hope that feels really good to you. It feels really good to me.
I was at an education lecture tonight and one of the panelists said the following:
Three days left?! Geez.
I went on a nice, easy three-mile run tonight. My legs are feeling pretty good again -- still a little stiff from the 20-miler. I might run a two-miler tonight...or I might just stick to biking until marathon Sunday.
The better news is that I'm up to $3125 from 116 contributors!! With just a few days left, I'm excited to see how much we can raise for Akili Academy!
My friend Lauren, who is a Kindergarten teacher at Akili, sent me pictures of some of the "Good Luck" cards a few of her students made for me! :-) Check them out!
With Taylor as my coach, I'll be able to finish the marathon regardless of how much my ankles hurt! :-)
With your help, our joint contribution is going to be able help, in some small way, a school full of children like THESE reach their potential. I hope that feels really good to you. It feels really good to me.
I was at an education lecture tonight and one of the panelists said the following:
"I constantly imagine this beautiful picture of what New Orleans can be. Too often we hear about what is happening in tension with that beautiful picture. But when we educate one child -- when ONE child walks across that stage to accept his or her diploma -- that's one point for us."Her "us" is at least 116 individuals stronger now. :-)
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Day 31: "Happy Birthday To You."
February 9th: Four days left!!
Today we would be celebrating my Dad's 60th birthday. I have not had a lot of sad memories of my Dad. Almost every time I think of him, it's a positive thing.
The only time it gets sad is when I think about the things he won't get to experience. Weddings, grandkids, birthday parties...
Today would have been a really fun day for him and all of us.
Well -- there is great news today, as well! We just reached $3000!! Considering the original goal was $200 or $300, this is amazing! Thanks so much to everyone who has contributed to turning our small contributions into a meaningful donation to the students at Akili Academy.
This week I'm taking it nice and easy, trying to recover from my 20-mile run. Lots of two- and three-mile runs. More biking than running.
Lots of thank yous coming up on Day 32's entry!
Thanks again for being a part of this!
Sincerely,
Matt
Today we would be celebrating my Dad's 60th birthday. I have not had a lot of sad memories of my Dad. Almost every time I think of him, it's a positive thing.
The only time it gets sad is when I think about the things he won't get to experience. Weddings, grandkids, birthday parties...
Today would have been a really fun day for him and all of us.
Well -- there is great news today, as well! We just reached $3000!! Considering the original goal was $200 or $300, this is amazing! Thanks so much to everyone who has contributed to turning our small contributions into a meaningful donation to the students at Akili Academy.
This week I'm taking it nice and easy, trying to recover from my 20-mile run. Lots of two- and three-mile runs. More biking than running.
Lots of thank yous coming up on Day 32's entry!
Thanks again for being a part of this!
Sincerely,
Matt
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Day 30: "How far are you running? ... Well shit..."
February 8th: Five days left!!
This past Saturday I went on my 20-mile run! It was pretty tough -- especially the last five miles -- but more than anything else, it was so so boring! Twenty miles is somewhere around three hours. That's a long time to go without talking.
It turns out I can occupy myself with stimulating thought for about 50 minutes. After that, I'm not very interesting!
Fortunately, I had one conversation with a guy on a bicycle. I saw him near the end of my first mile and then caught back up to him at about Mile 4. We were going in the same direction and, when I ran back into him, he was coming out of a gas station with snacks.
Him: "You're the guy I saw back in the Bywater??"
Me: "Yup, that's me! How's it going?"
Him: "Man! Where are you going???"
Me: "Past the lake and back."
Him: "How far are you running????"
Me: "It's 20 miles total."
Him: "...Well shit."
First five miles felt great. Miles six through 10 made me realize I need to stock up on band-aids for my nipples and gold bond for my...for the places where gold bond is typically applied.
Miles 11 through 15, I was dealing with a lot of wind, but I felt pretty good. And, finally, miles 16 through 20 were where my ankles started to feel weak and my legs got heavy-heavy.
So, besides the realization of what I need to stock up on, I also learned that Sunday will be painful. :-) Particularly miles 17 through 26.
Fortunately, I feel confident that it's a pain I'm going to be able to handle -- especially when I am thinking about who I'm running in memory of, when I am thinking about the 104 (and growing) people who have supported me, and when I am thinking about the students who are going to benefit from our joint effort!
It will be pain well worth it!
This past Saturday I went on my 20-mile run! It was pretty tough -- especially the last five miles -- but more than anything else, it was so so boring! Twenty miles is somewhere around three hours. That's a long time to go without talking.
It turns out I can occupy myself with stimulating thought for about 50 minutes. After that, I'm not very interesting!
Fortunately, I had one conversation with a guy on a bicycle. I saw him near the end of my first mile and then caught back up to him at about Mile 4. We were going in the same direction and, when I ran back into him, he was coming out of a gas station with snacks.
Him: "You're the guy I saw back in the Bywater??"
Me: "Yup, that's me! How's it going?"
Him: "Man! Where are you going???"
Me: "Past the lake and back."
Him: "How far are you running????"
Me: "It's 20 miles total."
Him: "...Well shit."
First five miles felt great. Miles six through 10 made me realize I need to stock up on band-aids for my nipples and gold bond for my...for the places where gold bond is typically applied.
Miles 11 through 15, I was dealing with a lot of wind, but I felt pretty good. And, finally, miles 16 through 20 were where my ankles started to feel weak and my legs got heavy-heavy.
So, besides the realization of what I need to stock up on, I also learned that Sunday will be painful. :-) Particularly miles 17 through 26.
Fortunately, I feel confident that it's a pain I'm going to be able to handle -- especially when I am thinking about who I'm running in memory of, when I am thinking about the 104 (and growing) people who have supported me, and when I am thinking about the students who are going to benefit from our joint effort!
It will be pain well worth it!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Day 26: "Let's see how far we've come."
February 4th: Nine days left!
I wasn't sure what quote to use today for the title and then, like a voice from on-high, my Pandora.com station started playing "How Far We've Come" by Matchbox 20.
Well -- how far have we come?
The original email I sent to Akili Academy said I was hoping to raise two or three hundred dollars. $200?? We're now at $2580 and pursuing a goal of $3000.
This has not come from "one big donation." Rather it has come from 93 individual contributors with no one giving more than $100! This will be an interesting calculation that I'll do sometime soon, but it looks like the average contribution is somewhere in the range of $20.
As for the running -- I have my 20-mile run tomorrow morning! That's a far cry from the five-miler I did when I started 26 days ago. I can't really do many pushups than when I started, but -- if I tense up real tight -- I think I can see an ab. :-)
And, then -- on a personal level -- with your help, I was able to take anxiety I was feeling about my Dad, coming out of my first holiday season without him, and turn it into something that can be a positive for something I really care about -- inner-city education -- and a school I really believe in.
The last 26 days have been a really great adventure and I'm very much looking forward to the final nine! Thanks so much for your part in helping me create a memory that will be with me for the rest of my life.
How far we've come. But we've still got a little further yet to go!
I wasn't sure what quote to use today for the title and then, like a voice from on-high, my Pandora.com station started playing "How Far We've Come" by Matchbox 20.
Well -- how far have we come?
The original email I sent to Akili Academy said I was hoping to raise two or three hundred dollars. $200?? We're now at $2580 and pursuing a goal of $3000.
This has not come from "one big donation." Rather it has come from 93 individual contributors with no one giving more than $100! This will be an interesting calculation that I'll do sometime soon, but it looks like the average contribution is somewhere in the range of $20.
As for the running -- I have my 20-mile run tomorrow morning! That's a far cry from the five-miler I did when I started 26 days ago. I can't really do many pushups than when I started, but -- if I tense up real tight -- I think I can see an ab. :-)
And, then -- on a personal level -- with your help, I was able to take anxiety I was feeling about my Dad, coming out of my first holiday season without him, and turn it into something that can be a positive for something I really care about -- inner-city education -- and a school I really believe in.
The last 26 days have been a really great adventure and I'm very much looking forward to the final nine! Thanks so much for your part in helping me create a memory that will be with me for the rest of my life.
How far we've come. But we've still got a little further yet to go!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Day 23: "Dylan gave you two dollars."
February 1st: Twelve days left!!
I tend to be a pretty big planner -- ESPECIALLY when it comes to my weekends. The grand scope of plans for this upcoming weekend is already figured out, but as I started to think about the following weekend (I told you...I'm a big planner!), and started to fill it with late nights of music, dancing and great New Orleans beer, I came to a terrifying conclusion -- THAT weekend is marathon weekend!
And so was born the pit that now exists in my stomach.
Obviously late nights will have to be shortened, dancing will have to be toned down (I'm not sure I'm even capable of doing that), and my support of the local brewing industry will come to a short but grinding halt. Does anyone have any ideas for an inspirational movie I can watch on the Saturday night before the race? Chariots of Fire?
I forgot to tell you -- by the way -- I ran 15 miles about a week ago. It was ok. Not too quick, but pretty comfortable! I ran from my house near the river, uptown, to the lake, a little bit east on the lake, and then back! I'll have a 20-miler coming up on Saturday. Oy.
As for today -- I woke up and ran 5.2 miles, did pushups/situps, and then -- like practically every day before -- biked eight miles to work and eight miles back home-ish.
"Home-ish" because tonight was another flag football game. I'm happy to report that the Mariah Carey Dreamlovers won our game and are currently 4-0!
Now the fun part -- we've had a lot of contributions to our joint donation over the last few days! We are now up to $2480 from 86 individuals! We are $20 away from our most recent goal of $2500, and getting close to a once seemingly unreachable feat of 100 individual contributors!
Thank you so much to our most recent contributors for bringing us so close to our goal!! Thank you to Anna Kwawer, Mary Gardner, Lindsay Dunaj, Tom Fernandez, Laura Prigoff, Jill Sluder, Nora Hume, Tommy Serio, Adam Gold, Ben Marino, Dominic Fossile, Aunt Wendy Haskell, Diana Leonardo, John Hummel, Kevin Coniker, Brenna Gillette, Barbara Wind, Larissa Benedek, Kathy Brandler, Rachele Armstrong, Debbie and Sandy Steiger and Dylan Schlotterbeck. Thank you for believing in me to choose a cause that is worthy; thank you for supporting the children at a school I believe is doing -- and will continue to do -- incredible things; thank you for believing in my ability to run this race; and thank you for giving me the opportunity to think about my dad one more time than I might have otherwise :-)
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Every contribution is an incredible one. But one, in particular, stands out for two reasons. First -- at $2, it is the smallest contribution I've received so far. Second -- at four years old, Dylan Schlotterbeck, is the youngest contributor I have received a donation from. Dylan is a little kid my mom babysits and so, obviously, Dylan knew my dad. I would be lying if I pretended to understand how that affected him or to have a story about him to share, but I can say two things honestly:
a) I love to hear about who great my dad was with kids. Children -- whether a year old or 28 years old -- loved to be around him, and
b) The thing that brings me the closest to tears when I visit home on Long Island -- every single time -- is the picture that one of my mom's babysitting kids drew for her to show they were sad about my dad passing away.
Dylan's contribution, though small, was meaningful -- not least of all because it happened to bring the total from $2298, to $2300. It was meaningful because it represents exactly what this project is supposed to be. If you believe in this thing -- whether it's for the children we're donating to, or in memory of my father, or to support a friend -- then you can do a lot by giving a little. By combining our donations, we're making sure that whatever you CAN give, WILL make a difference.
I have 1786 friends on facebook (beat that! :-) ). If every one of those friends matched Dylan's contribution, we'd be able to donate $3572 to Akili Academy of New Orleans. That doesn't even account for the non-facebook friend contributors!
I'm not expecting everyone to donate. But if you can, even $2 goes a long way.
:-)
I tend to be a pretty big planner -- ESPECIALLY when it comes to my weekends. The grand scope of plans for this upcoming weekend is already figured out, but as I started to think about the following weekend (I told you...I'm a big planner!), and started to fill it with late nights of music, dancing and great New Orleans beer, I came to a terrifying conclusion -- THAT weekend is marathon weekend!
And so was born the pit that now exists in my stomach.
Obviously late nights will have to be shortened, dancing will have to be toned down (I'm not sure I'm even capable of doing that), and my support of the local brewing industry will come to a short but grinding halt. Does anyone have any ideas for an inspirational movie I can watch on the Saturday night before the race? Chariots of Fire?
I forgot to tell you -- by the way -- I ran 15 miles about a week ago. It was ok. Not too quick, but pretty comfortable! I ran from my house near the river, uptown, to the lake, a little bit east on the lake, and then back! I'll have a 20-miler coming up on Saturday. Oy.
As for today -- I woke up and ran 5.2 miles, did pushups/situps, and then -- like practically every day before -- biked eight miles to work and eight miles back home-ish.
"Home-ish" because tonight was another flag football game. I'm happy to report that the Mariah Carey Dreamlovers won our game and are currently 4-0!
Now the fun part -- we've had a lot of contributions to our joint donation over the last few days! We are now up to $2480 from 86 individuals! We are $20 away from our most recent goal of $2500, and getting close to a once seemingly unreachable feat of 100 individual contributors!
Thank you so much to our most recent contributors for bringing us so close to our goal!! Thank you to Anna Kwawer, Mary Gardner, Lindsay Dunaj, Tom Fernandez, Laura Prigoff, Jill Sluder, Nora Hume, Tommy Serio, Adam Gold, Ben Marino, Dominic Fossile, Aunt Wendy Haskell, Diana Leonardo, John Hummel, Kevin Coniker, Brenna Gillette, Barbara Wind, Larissa Benedek, Kathy Brandler, Rachele Armstrong, Debbie and Sandy Steiger and Dylan Schlotterbeck. Thank you for believing in me to choose a cause that is worthy; thank you for supporting the children at a school I believe is doing -- and will continue to do -- incredible things; thank you for believing in my ability to run this race; and thank you for giving me the opportunity to think about my dad one more time than I might have otherwise :-)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Every contribution is an incredible one. But one, in particular, stands out for two reasons. First -- at $2, it is the smallest contribution I've received so far. Second -- at four years old, Dylan Schlotterbeck, is the youngest contributor I have received a donation from. Dylan is a little kid my mom babysits and so, obviously, Dylan knew my dad. I would be lying if I pretended to understand how that affected him or to have a story about him to share, but I can say two things honestly:
a) I love to hear about who great my dad was with kids. Children -- whether a year old or 28 years old -- loved to be around him, and
b) The thing that brings me the closest to tears when I visit home on Long Island -- every single time -- is the picture that one of my mom's babysitting kids drew for her to show they were sad about my dad passing away.
Dylan's contribution, though small, was meaningful -- not least of all because it happened to bring the total from $2298, to $2300. It was meaningful because it represents exactly what this project is supposed to be. If you believe in this thing -- whether it's for the children we're donating to, or in memory of my father, or to support a friend -- then you can do a lot by giving a little. By combining our donations, we're making sure that whatever you CAN give, WILL make a difference.
I have 1786 friends on facebook (beat that! :-) ). If every one of those friends matched Dylan's contribution, we'd be able to donate $3572 to Akili Academy of New Orleans. That doesn't even account for the non-facebook friend contributors!
I'm not expecting everyone to donate. But if you can, even $2 goes a long way.
:-)
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