Why I am running for AWE
I have so many stories I can tell about AWE and the amazing, wonderful work being done. My experiences at the not-so-traditional Thanksgivings, Molly’s constant dedication, or how I became involved. However, I want my first blog to be about an upcoming event, the Baltimore Marathon.
As a Board member it was my responsibility to recruit runners… let’s just say I am not always the most prompt person. I also was having trouble recruiting runner friends – other marathons were scheduled, not this year, or people just plain avoiding me. I figured, okay – I can do this. I’ll just sign up and run with friends in a relay. Recruitment wasn’t terribly easier, but I was able to shore up two friends (and one of their boyfriends) for the relay team.
I was so very excited when I saw my friend’s request for funding and the dedication she had made to ensuring AWE’s information was clearly shared with prospective donors (she sent out an e-mail to all of her friends). Not only was I involved and invested in this organization, but I had also made enough of an impression on my friend to spark enthusiasm and dedication as well. Sharing the work done by AWE with my friends is a main reason why I am running.
I am not a runner. In fact, I’m not sure that I’ve really ran more than a few miles in the last few years. I also broke my leg two consecutive years, with a brief stint in shock trauma surgery. I am terrified about the prospect of running 6-7 miles and don’t think I’ve even ever ran a 5K. However, this year in particular (maybe because I’m leaning more towards community work and less towards cubicle work), I felt really compelled to make the commitment and do something I wasn’t great at; wasn’t even used to routinely doing.
When I think about this comparison; making the commitment to something unknown, something a little scary, and perhaps something you’ve never done before, and how it relates to many of the women supported by AWE, I see so many of the same concepts. I am so especially grateful and blessed to have experienced an upbringing in a stable government and the ability to follow my dreams, educational, and professional goals (with the help of SallieMae and other federal funding).
In all seriousness, I encounter stories of migrants, refugees and asylees every day who are forced to make hard choices, embark upon journeys completely foreign and unknown, and start anew with very little training, assistance or support. Running my 6-7 miles doesn’t even begin to resemble these sacrifices made on a daily basis, yet this is another step on path of realization and appreciation for the emotions, experiences, and difficulties facing asylee women.
I’m excited to run with fellow supporters this fall and to spread my passion for AWE with my friends, family and colleagues. I am scared, but I have faith that with resilience and determination I, like the women involved with AWE, will do great!
Posted by: Jade Jackson. Jade is an AWE Board Member and works with refugee and asylee children in a national program.