This year over 1,000 people participated in Running With a Mission, an event sponsored by Sherwin-Williams to help the women and children at Laura’s Home. It was thanks to all of the volunteers that the event went as well as it did. The volunteers helped with so many things, from directing people where to go, to handing out water, to helping with the activities at the pavilion. But there were also volunteers who most people might not think about or might not realize how helpful they really were when sometimes they were biggest help of all.

If you ran the race this year, there is a good chance that you noticed a woman cheering you on about halfway through the run. She used a cowbell to cheer on the runners and shouted out their time as they went by so they know how well they were doing. This kind of energy and spirit was just what many of the runners needed to keep going after running such a far distance. Volunteers like her many not have been noticed by the spectators, but to the runners it makes a difference to have people cheering them on from the sidelines.

Soon after the runners crossed the finish line they were greeted by a boy offering them water and helping them find where the snacks were. He was making sure that everyone was well taken care of after they finished. Others standing around him might not have seen what he is doing, but to the runners he was a huge help. It showed that people really cared about the runners and wanted to make sure they get the best race experience possible, even after they crossed the finish line.

Even kids did their best to help out anyway they could. During this year’s race a young girl decided to help out by picking up the water cups that the runners put on the ground after they were finished with them. Even when it was raining she was out there picking up the cups. When people think about what goes on during a run, they may not think about the water cups that the runners throw on the ground. These cups could have potentially created a huge mess for everyone, but thanks to volunteers like this girl it was not a problem for this run.

This year’s Running With a Mission was a huge success. Thanks so much to everyone who came out to volunteer at the race. No matter what volunteer position you were in you played a big part in making the event as great as it was. Thanks again for all of your help and we hope to see you again next year!