Team RWB is dedicated to enriching the lives of America's veterans by connecting them to their communities through physical and social activities. As the daughter of a disabled veteran, I feel especially compelled to support our service-members, and as a runner and a nonprofit professional, I figured I had plenty to offer. So I reached out to Team RWB in late September to ask if I might be able to get involved in whatever capacity for which they had need. The New York Chapter Captain, Joe Quinn, invited me to join them for their Wednesday evening runs in Central Park.
On the way to my first run, I wanted to throw up, I was so nervous. Like, first date-levels of nervous. As a civilian, I was worried I wouldn't have much to offer the group, conversationally or otherwise, and would feel wildly out of place. Maybe I should just bail and email Joe and suggest I offer pro bono Board development or sponsorship procurement or some other non-profity bit of assistance instead.
In reality, that fear couldn't have been further from the truth. The group that showed up for that first run of mine was roughly 50% military, 50% civilian, and without exception, everyone was kind and welcoming and engaged me and everyone else in conversation. Topics ranged from upcoming races to recent travels to preferred race fuel to my own connection to the military (hi, Dad!).
In my runs with Team RWB since then, I've gotten to know more about some of the usual attendees, as well as to meet new members each Wednesday. While I travel a fair amount, I'm never made to feel bad about missing a Wednesday, and am invited back week after week. In fact, when I emailed Joe last week to let him know I was in San Francisco and would miss the New York run, he connected me to the San Francisco Chapter Captain!
In addition to the weekly Manhattan run, Team RWB has runs in most other boroughs (I have no idea what goes on in Staten Island...), as well as one-off events like Cross Fit and fencing. There is also a monthly new member social, should you be interested in drinking beers (you should be). There are also opportunities to get involved with more particular emphasis on veterans and servicemembers: on Sunday, the Team will participate in the 9/11 Memorial's Salute to Service. Again, all opportunities are for veterans and civilians alike, in fact, what sets Team RWB apart from so many other veterans' service organizations is that it's specifically designed to connect veterans to civilians in their communities. There's a great article addressing this very issue, in which Joe says non-veteran participation is key: "It breaks that 'other' capacity, and you really get to know people. so rather than 'Oh, there's that veteran, he must have been in Western Iraq,' it's 'There's John, he has a wife and two kids; he's part of the community; he's a Mets fan. Oh, and by the way, he's a veteran.'"
If you're interested in getting involved with Team RWB and are based here in New York, I encourage you check out the Wednesday night Central Park run. We meed at 6:30 at the 72nd Street Transverse, overlooking Bethesda Foundation. Or visit Team RWB online and sign up to learn more - Joe provides weekly emails with information about Team runs and other activities. If you're not in New York, check out the website and find the Chapter Captain in your area to get connected.
Thanks to all our veterans and service-members.
