What a perfect day it was for the second annual Give a Breath 5 km walk for Lung Cancer, on Saturday June 1 at the Etienne Brule Park in Bloor West. The sun was shining, the course was lovely along the Humber river, well marked and managed, all the prior planning, organizing and task leadership clearly evident and many families enjoyed the outing so much they said they'd be back next year. Definitely fun and festivities in the air for everyone, including the family dogs!
TPW played a huge part in the success of this fundraising event - and I might add "a few good men" as we call our spouses who support, in very practical terms, the work required. The enthusiasm was contagious, as was the laughter and high spirits - even, I might add when we had a big surprise late the night before of the considerable increase in the number of registered participants! This group swung into problem solving mode without missing a beat (although I dare say some sleep was lost!)
There are two themes here that come to mind. One is the commitment of TPW to support various charitable organizations as we have for many years. The other is about our group.
Many people have given positive comments and complimentary feedback to myself and other key organizers LR, (along with the event's hosts, BM and RF) recognizing the organizing and planning that had taken place for quite a few months. And yes, planning for a successful event of this size does take that kind of work. However, I have come to believe that all the best organizing in the world is not going to be successful without the people involved and engaged. This event was without any doubt a true team effort - but it was more than that - (sounds too cliched). The underlying sense of collaboration and support, getting things done, making decisions, all demonstrated by big smiles, focus and positivity. And fun - lots of it!
For me personally, there is something quite meaningful in our group coming together, the enjoyment of collaboration, using their talents and making this significant contribution. Kudos and thanks all around.