5k RUN! To End Homelessness

As a college student, I felt it necessary to spend my summer at an internship to help me figure out my future career goals, gain skills, and have an unforgettable experience, and this is how it went…

At 4:23 am I was unfortunately woken up by an unpleasant dream. I was at the 5k RUN! To End Homelessness and only 10 runners came out for the event! How could this be, what went wrong, why did didn't anyone come to the event I worked so hard on all summer? Luckily this wasn't real, and my alarm was set to go off at 4:27 am anyway-- dodged that bullet.

After quickly getting ready with excitement and nervousness for what was to come, my dad and I headed out to A Safe Haven to get the day rolling. Because I was the RUN! Coordinator, from the moment we arrived on site, I was directing people to move boxes, printing last minute documents, and waiting for this event to get started. I felt prepared and I felt ready, but in events, things are bound to go wrong. After running around the building in chaos and distraught, I found my way over to Douglas Park, where the DJ was playing upbeat music, and the runners were beginning their pre-race routine.

People from all walks of life gathered on July 14th for the purpose of ending homelessness. This cause is one that doesn't appear urgent to the general public, but today I saw 1,000+ people come out to start a revolution. 

I can't say everything went smoothly-- the waters weren't delivered to the right areas, the ribbons were misplaced on site, the Children's Fun RUN! was unorganized, and the music wasn't on schedule. These things were easily fixed with problem solving and improvisation. I sent volunteers on the hunt for ribbons, we caught the water issue before it was too late and got it delivered to the right areas, and I enthusiastically led the children in their pre-run stretching and held a mini-pep rally!

The RUN! Team was great, everyone worked together to pull this event off! We each had a hand in the event, which made it even stronger... the RUN! To End Homelessness wouldn't and couldn't have been successful without each member of the team.

So all of this being said, I would like to point out a few important lessons to take away from this experience:

1. You can’t do it alone

            It is important to create a team that you trust, trusts you, and you work well together. In a lot of situations, you aren’t the one to pick your own team—therefore being able to communicate, work with, and get along with others is a must.

2. Anything can go wrong at any time

            Having a back up plan isn’t an option… it’s essential. No matter how well prepared you feel or how ready you think you are, something is bound to go wrong, therefore knowing the steps to another plan is a great way to be prepared for the worst, but hope for the best!

3. Staying organized is KEY

            Becoming familiar with lists, to-do lists, excel, and word documents is a great way to stay organized throughout your event planning/event. Not only do you get overwhelmed with minor details, but you also will be pulled in many ways during the event, so knowing what needs to be done and physically seeing those tasks will help you get a handle on things.

4. Stay positive: the end is in sight!

            Keeping an encouraging, fun, and loving demeanor is another important aspect in planning events. The day of the event is stressful, and there is nothing worse than someone barking orders and not leading in an approachable way. By keeping spirits high, your team will be energized and ready to go at 100%!

By: Janna Parke