Well, it's taken me a week to find time to give the 'after report' on my daughter and I volunteering at the 2010 Face of America Bike Ride, sorry 'bout that!
a link to our pics from the ride is HERE
and Angel friend/bike rider Greta's blog round-up of the ride is HERE
My daughter and I had the Most amazing time volunteering through Soldiers Angels at this event again (and check out Angelic Faces of America on the Soldiers Angels website :)
Because volunteering at this event has become a 'mother-daughter' tradition for my daughter,April, and I for the past 4 years, and because with my daughter heading off to college next year, this might have been the last year we have gone to volunteer together? (she may have scheduling conflicts next year, with college and exams)....I gave a lot of thought this year to how far volunteering has taken us.
From that first time we went to volunteer in 2007 for just a few hours on the first day of the bike ride, to making it an all day volunteer effort in 2008 , and then my daughter volunteering the first day by herself last year and then both of us for the first time also volunteering on the 2nd day of the ride last year?
We have been privileged to meet so many wonderful people each year, both volunteers and riders......and have looked forward each year to seeing the same volunteers we only see once a year, sharing laughter and work with them, and cheering on the amazing and wonderful folks who ride in the bike ride.
I had no idea in 2007 when I first answered the call in an 'Angel' email for volunteers, what a big part of our lives this would become each year, and what a wealth of shared memories my daughter and I would carry away from this volunteering opportunity. That, I think, is the wonderful effect of volunteering.......you have no idea when you start out, where the journey will take you, or what a profound and lasting effect it can have on your life :) and I'm so grateful to Soldiers Angels and World T.E.A.M. Sports, for giving us the opportunity this past four years, to together be a part of something so worthwhile to volunteer for, and to have this shared memory in our lives.
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some of the memories I'll carry away from last weekend?
the sunrise over the Capitol building at the beginning of the ride, and standing with the other volunteers holding up the banners as the riders started out.....
as always, seeing the awesome banners that folks send in from all over the country for those of us on the 'Banner Team' to hang up to encourage and cheer on the riders.....
the great firefighters at so many of the rest stops, who were always so welcoming:)
pitching in at the second rest stop to help the 'food volunteers' get everything ready for the riders, and them discovering they had no knives to cut up the oranges! and the very nice lady at the little country store up the road who told us 'you can borrow this knife' because they didn't have any plastic knives on sale there......and watching my daughter become 'orange slicing queen',lol :)
the fabulous Boy Scout volunteers at the Sportsplex who did such a wonderful job! (only why did Three of them come by to tell me 'the food is ready inside'?? did I look That hungry,lol? or was it just I looked 'plump'???:)
having the chance this year at dinner the first night to hang out with 'Angels' and getting to speak further with some of the Riders.
the as always fantastic cookout at the end of the Ride at Seamus' place :)
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that's my round-up of how our weekend of volunteering went last weekend!!
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