What's a volunteer?

For the past few years, my partner's younger daughter Maeve has tagged along for one of our running club's annual traditions. The Pamakid Runners have put on a half marathon in San Francisco since 1983--celebrating its 30th! birthday this year as the Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon on Super Bowl Sunday.

A ton of work goes into putting on the race, and there are club members who spend hours in the weeks and months leading up to race weekend figuring out the logistics and making it happen. The big group volunteer activity, though, is stuffing hundreds--thousands--of race goody bags on the Saturday before the race. This is an assembly line like you've never seen. Paper cuts abound. Tedious, maybe a bit--but not when you're next to great running friends figuring out quirky ways to pass the time (watch out for flying mini Clif bars.) It's also worth it when you consider that your work is for 10,000 runners who will toe the starting line the following morning.

Last year, Maeve, her dad and I went together to stuff goody bags. Ahead of time we talked about how we were "going to volunteer" for the Pamakids. She asked me, what's a volunteer? I explained that volunteering means helping with a task, without getting paid; that it is offering to help make something better for other people. Over the past year volunteering has come up a few times in conversation, and she always mentions the Pamakids. For Maeve, the club is associated with that act of doing good. Nice lesson for a club meant for "Pa, Ma, and the Kids" to teach a five year old.

Thanks to all of the runners, club members and other volunteers who made this year's race happen! (As for Maeve, she has joined her sister in attending school on Saturdays, meaning we both missed out. Next up, Rites of Spring?)