Recently in Volunteering and Philanthropy Category
KPMG flew my mom and I to New York for a weekend to accept the Chairman's Award for Excellence in Volunteerism. I was nominated for the award by my colleagues for the work I have done with the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area, Avon Foundation, Special Olympics of Northern California, Junior Achievement, Rebuilding Together Project, and other charities. I shared this honor with 26 others from across the US.
Mom flew into San Francisco on Friday evening and then we headed out Saturday morning for a stay at the fabulous New York Palace in mid-town. The weather was beautiful - crisp but not too cold (compared to my last trip in January). We saw the Broadway show Hairspray and several other sights: the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Ground Zero, Wall Street, Saks, and others. We both wished the trip could have lasted a little longer but it was a wonderful time.
Mom and I at Rockafeller Plaza:
In Times Square:
Before the show:
You can almost see the Statue of Liberty in the background:
With Tim Flynn, Chairman and CEO of KPMG (he's a very big deal!)
This weekend was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I joined over 2,400 others in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in San Francisco. I raised over $2,300 which contributed to over $5.6 Million that was raised to support a cure for Breast Cancer. For more details, please see the official article at avonwalk.org.
Saturday morning began early - I got to Golden Gate Park at about 4:30 am where we gathered for the opening ceremony. It was very emotional, moreso than I had expected. That's where I met Patty, Sue, and Michelle - Patty offered me a tissue during the opening ceremony and we decided we'd be a team from there on. The first couple of miles were very slow as we were all still in a pretty tight group and struggling to maneuver stoplights and cross walks. At our first bathroom stop we unfortunately lost track of Michelle...and then there were three.
We all set out with different goals for the walk - but the most important was the one we had in common which was to have fun...and WE DID! We took our time and chatted about so many things while most of the other 2,200 walkers passed us! There were fruit/water stops every couple miles with bathroom stops in between along the entire route. Starting from Golden Gate Park we walked over the Golden Gate Bridge, through Mill Valley and then had lunch. Then we turned around and came back over the bridge to Crissy Field where there was a tent city set up for those who chose to stay the night. I opted for my own bed and a nice hot bath, but the setup was very nice. There were foot and back massagers set up in one tent and several of the sponsors gave out gifts such as soothing socks with Aloe in them. The first day was 26.2 miles and by the end I was absolutely exhausted.
But I came back first thing in the morning for more - the weather was beautiful and we were surprisingly not completely dead on our feet from the day before. This day was much more fun for me - we were walking through almost every neighborhood in the city so there was plenty to see. The San Jose Police Department escorted us on their bikes and had stereos set up with tunes to keep our spirits up. We had to keep dancing to keep them from riding ahead so it was hard not to have a good time.
The day ended in Golden Gate Park - at Speedway Meadow where we had begun. It was so emotional - as other walkers finished they formed two lines to greet everyone as we completed the walk by clapping, cheering, and high-fiving. We gathered at the top of the hill and all put on our pink shirts so that we could make a major impression for the families who greeted us as we came over the horizon. At the closing ceremony the grants were distributed and we heard several inspirational stories. I went home completely exhausted, overwhelmed with emotion, and excited about my two new friends, Patty and Sue. The three of us have decided that no matter where life has taken us next year, we'll get together again...if not for the Avon Walk then possibly for another fundraising walk. We may even decide to travel abroad - maybe Tokyo!
Here is a map I made of our route - it's approximate since I can't remember exactly which streets we took, but it gives an idea of how far we went!
Click here if you can't view the map above or to view a larger map.
Me, Sue, and Patty before crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on Saturday Morning
Half way there!
KPMG Walkers: Heidi Rittershausen, Me, Emily Barker, and Marcia Weist
We got to walk past one of the results of our efforts - the Avon Breast Cancer Center at SF General Hospital - the nurses came out to thank us and it was one of the most exciting parts of the day!
We love the San Jose Police Department!
I walked to honor family friend Cleo Parker and my friend Jeff's late mother, Susan Corey.
For the second year in a row our office bowling team, the "RAS-matazzzz" saw victory at the annual Junior Achievement bowl-a-thon. It was also my personal best score at 116! Hey - no criticizing, I'm pretty proud! (For any non-KPMG readers, our team name is based on our department name - Risk Advisory Services or RAS).
I spent this weekend volunteering at the Northern California Special Olympics for the second year in a row - you may remember last year's entry: I received a marriage proposal from a tennis athlete. Well, this year was no less eventful - we were stationed at the track and field venue and I almost died. Not that I'm being overly dramatic (I never am), but a kid named Daniel almost took me out.
My job was to stand at the staging area and greet the athletes when they checked in for the races. Then I had to keep them all in one place until it was their turn. They like to wander around so it is much easier said than done. I tried distracting them with a game of "Duck, Duck, Goose" which quickly turned violent so we had to play "Simon Says" instead. After I explained for the third time that "Simon says you're ugly" and "Simon says you smell bad" are not valid commands, I gave up on that one too. Eventually we just decided to focus on stretching to get ready for the race.
When their heat was called, I took the athletes to the staring line and wished them luck - temporarily handing over responsibility to another brave volunteer who had to settle arguments about lane assignments. Then I headed for the finish line where I was to (attempt to) gather everyone up before escorting them back to their coaches and parents. This was probably my favorite part of the job since I got to tell them when to stop running and congratulate them on finishing the race. This is also where I almost died.
One of my groups was males age 15-17, and one of the more outgoing guys in the group was Daniel. Daniel entertained my coworker Fabian and I with stories about how he can run faster than a speeding bullet. When he told us that sometimes he runs so fast that flames come out of his shoes, the other kids started getting scared so we had to change the subject. I should mention that Daniel was about a foot taller than the other boys in his group and had at least 6 inches on me. He was no bean-pole either, probably a good 175 lbs. of solid strength. At the end of his race, Daniel was extremely proud, and very excited. I was there at the finish line to congratulate him, which is where I made the mistake of offering my hand for a high-five. When I saw him transfer his weight backward (the way a pitcher winds up before throwing the ball) things started going in slow motion. I knew I was in grave danger, but couldn't move my hand for fear that he'd accidentally make contact with my face instead. I tried to jump backward as he made contact but it was too late, all that force drove through my open palm and nearly knocked me over. I lost my balance and almost fell on my ass in front of everyone, but luckily I didn't. Somehow, the news camera saw it coming and rather than warn me he leaned down to get a nice clear shot of my pained expression.
Arm throbbing, I stood up to see Daniel with a very worried look on his face. He knew he had been a little too enthusiastic and offered an apologetic, "I guess sometimes I just don't know my own strength." He looked like he might cry, so I tried my hardest to smile and say "that's okay, next time just be a little more careful." I politely excused myself and asked if I could be in charge of the girls' heats for the rest of the day.
Despite my brush with death, I returned today. I saw Daniel, and he remembered yesterday's events and showed me his new technique where he holds out his hand and I give him high-five. It was much gentler.
I'm excited for next year's games, and hope we get to be part of the Track and Field event again. I learned two important things at this year's games:
- Be careful around kids who are bigger than you.
- There are some things can instantly take any regular guy from a 5 to an 8: a guitar, a badge, a military uniform, a puppy, to name a few. Well, add "Special Olympics Coach" to the list. If the coach from San Jose is reading this, please get in touch :)
A group of KPMG employees and partners got together on Saturday to help make the Hunter’s Point home of Mrs. Edwards a brighter place to live. This effort was part of the Rebuilding Together project. When we arrived, we found a garage full of unwanted furniture, trash, and countless other items. The back yard was so over-grown it could not be walked through, and the house was barely accessible due to piles of recycling, more trash, and more unwanted miscellaneous things.
Over the course of about 6 hours, we transformed the place into a nice cozy home for the elderly Mrs. Edwards. We cleared all the trash out of the garage and house so that she could actually use the space, created a peaceful sitting area and flower garden in the backyard, and re-painted her bedroom (very bright pink)!
I was on the back yard crew – in charge of flower placement. Our team trimmed the large pine tree back so that the sidewalk was usable, created planter boxes from half wine barrels, and set up a few benches and a table in the sun. We planted a little garden outlined by decorative rocks, and even cleaned the gutters. When Mrs. Edwards came out and saw her new back yard, she was speechless. She was amazed at how nice we had made it look, and very grateful. I felt like Ty Pennington for a second – ok well maybe one of the members of the design team.
