ChildShare

Team Child S.H.A.R.E. will be biking, walking and running in the 2011 Pasadena Marathon this Sunday, May 15, 2011.

The Race begins at Pasadena City College and the route takes participants through a multitude of historic landmarks and demonstrates the picturesque landscape of the City of Pasadena.

Child S.H.A.R.E.’s inaugural Pasadena Marathon Team consists of many bikers and runners/walkers that have dedicated their time and efforts to participate on behalf of Child S.H.A.R.E.  We are proud to welcome two teams to the Bike tour and 5k this year: Temple City Bike Shop and FS Anaylsis and Design.

It’s not too late to ask your friends, family and contacts for support – send them a quick email, give them a phone call, and send them to our firstgiving page at: www.firstgiving.com/childshare!  No gift is too small and every dollar raised helps support Child S.H.A.R.E.’s mission to find safe, stable, loving homes for children in the foster care system.

Child S.H.A.R.E. will host an Encouragement Station for the Bike Tour along Mile Marker 13, in front of the Rosewalk Community on West Mountain Street.  Families and spectators are also welcome at the Finish Line Festival at Pasadena City College.

For more information, please contact Special Events Manager, Loreena Garcia at 818.649.8017 or lgarcia@childshare.org.

This Mother’s and Father’s Day give the ultimate gift of family with Child S.H.A.R.E.

Don’t wake up in a panic on Mother’s or Father’s Day with no gifts for the loved ones in your life.  Don’t delay and shop for your gifts with Child S.H.A.R.E. today.

Visit http://childshare.org/donate/store/holiday-cards/ to view card options and to place your order.

If you would like to order Mother’s or Father’s Day Cards offline, or if you have any questions, contact Loreena Garcia at 818.649.8017 or lgarcia@childshare.org

On behalf of the abused children who will benefit from your card purchases, thank you!

Team Child S.H.A.R.E. at the Pasadena Marathon

Child S.H.A.R.E. is pleased to send an inaugural team of bikers, runners, and walkers to the Pasadena Marathon on Sunday, May 15th 2011. Team Child S.H.A.R.E. will begin its trek on foot or by pedal at Pasadena City College and will continue through the streets of Pasadena to raise funds and awareness for our mission, to help find safe, stable and loving homes for children in the foster care system.

The Pasadena Marathon will host several events this year, including the popular Bike Tour.  From biking/running/walking 26.2 miles or enjoying the unique, close-up view of the beautiful and historic city of Pasadena, to bringing your family to volunteer or enjoying the 0.5 K-1K Kids Fun Run, you will find an event at the Pasadena Marathon to suit everyone in your family, young and old.

Team Child S.H.A.R.E. warmly welcomes back members of our Bike Team who rode and fundraised on behalf of Child S.H.A.R.E. in past LA Marathon Bike Tours. While Team Child S.H.A.R.E. members were disappointed with the surprise cancellation of the LA Marathon Bike Tour in 2010, we can now rejoice and rejoin at the 2011 Pasadena Marathon Bike Tour.

With numerous Child S.H.A.R.E. faith community partners, families and volunteers in the greater Pasadena area, Child S.H.A.R.E. looks forward to sending a strong, diverse team to the Pasadena Marathon this year and every year to come. Every step we take, every mile we pedal will make a difference and help transform the lives of children in the foster care system.

There are still spots available in Team Child S.H.A.R.E. – please contact Special Events Manager, Loreena Garcia at 818.649.8017 or lgarcia@childshare.org for more information on how to participate, fundraise or sponsor Team Child S.H.A.R.E. at the Pasadena Marathon!

For more information on Team Child S.H.A.R.E. at the Pasadena Marathon, please visit our website at www.childshare.org/marathon and click on 2011 Pasadena Marathon.

by Amanda Bellamy

Finishing the LA Marathon on Sunday, March 20th was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. As the race began, so did the rain. For 26.2 miles, it rained. It was cold… my fingers went numb and they could hardly move. My right leg kept cramping due to the chill, so running for long segments was out of the question, but my partner and I were making good time walking fast, which helped us try and stay warm.
At mile 10, I was able to meet up with my three friends (Blake, Amy, and my Fiance, Keith) who offered me love, gloves, and some snacks to keep me and my partner moving along. We walked through 2 inches of standing water at times, and tried to avoid puddles to no avail. There wasn’t a dry spot on anyone and the wind chilled us all to the bone. We thanked the countless volunteers along the way who stood out with us to give us water and oranges… I remember seeing a sign along the way that said, “If your loosing faith in mankind, watch a Marathon,” and in that instant I couldn’t have agreed more…
At mile 15, I got to see my friends again, and I got to meet up with the folks from Child S.H.A.R.E. My partner needed to drop out of the race, so I hooked up my i-pod for the first time and hit the pavement solo.  After 15 miles of cold, I just couldn’t stop, knowing there were others from the charity still going, wanting to finish.  Aside from being wet and cold, I felt okay…the warm, smiling faces propelled me to continue.
Along mile 18, I met a lady named Denise who lives near Riverside.  It was her 46th marathon and she claimed it was her worse one to date. I remember telling her that if it wasn’t for Child S.H.A.R.E. and my poncho, I would have dropped out.  Denise and I talked for a few blocks about Child S.H.A.R.E. and what they do, and she’s hoping to look up the organization after the race to see how she can help. As I was about to leave Denise and jog a bit to warm my legs, a runner came up to me and asked if I knew I was bleeding.
I was shocked when I looked at the back of my ankle and saw blood soaking my socks. It looked worse than it was. Because of the rain, the back of my ankles had lost a layer or so of skin right at my sock line.  Blisters, of course I expected those, but this? I flagged down a bike medic for a band-aid or something, but he told me it wouldn’t stick in the rain and I would have to make it to mile 19 for a quick patch up at the medical station.  So I walked and jogged on. At a medical station, they taped up my ankle with some gauze, but the medic told me the rain would take it off eventually, and as I approached mile 20 it was soaked and in shambles, the tape unraveled around my legs.
At mile 20, my friends were there and Blake met me with his fully stocked medical kit (he’s a paramedic after all!). He properly taped up both my feet and we swapped out my socks for dry ones (since I thought to bring an extra pair). I grabbed some food, and emotionally, I told them that I had endured too much to stop. I would finish at all costs and I even took an umbrella from my fiance and started walking, while I ate a sandwich.
Along mile 23 the umbrella broke from the wind.  I got a medical blanket from the station and, with tears in my eyes, I walked through 3 inches of rain. They closed the roads along some of the course and made us walk 2 by 2 on the sidewalk, but even then it was flooded.
I kept telling myself I was walking for the kids out there that didn’t have homes. That didn’t have families. They needed to be loved. I made it to mile 24…
My ipod music resonated loudly in my ears, with inspirational, upbeat songs I had loaded the night before that in that moment I focused on with all I had, as I kept pace and passed people by. Tearfully, I rounded down the final stretch. I saw the finish line and my legs started jogging.  Then I had to walk, because my leg cramped up.  The wind blew away my emergency blanket.  With tears in my eyes, I crossed the finish line. I cried as the lady put the medal around my neck and I turned around and looked at the clock. I knew I had not only finished, but I had beat my previous time despite all odds and injuries.
Only 19,740 people finished the race. Many dropped out due to hypothermia, and the Marathon organizers even ran out of ambulances at one point and were putting people in cars to wait for ambulances to return.  At times we were even asked to stop so medical personnel could cross through to get to dropped out racers.
I finished the Marathon in 7 hours, 23 mins, and 28 seconds. I passed 187 people during the last 4.5 miles, while only 16 people passed me. It was the hardest race I’ve ever run.  But it was worth it. I came home and found out that more people had donated to Child S.H.A.R.E. the day of the race. I had raised $1,059.23 for Child S.H.A.R.E.  My teammate and I had collectively raised  $1,338.23.
Thanks for all the encouragement, love, and support!

Child S.H.A.R.E.’s Executive Director, April Steele, will speak at the 2011 Christian Ministries Training Association conference about “How God Can Use Families, Churches and Washing Machines to Heal Children.”  God’s heart for the orphan and your role in transforming the lives of children in foster care can begin with a box of Tide and a Whirlpool washing machine. Catch April’s talk at the CMTA conference on Saturday, April 30th from 3:30-4:45pm.  It is a presentation you will not soon forget.

Are you an energetic, compassionate person who believes that every abused child in foster care deserves a safe, stable and loving home?  Then this is the volunteer job for you!

Child S.H.A.R.E. is looking for volunteers, young and old, to help at the Child S.H.A.R.E. Mile 15 Encouragement Station during the LA Marathon.  At the Encouragement Station we will have fun, energetic folks encourage and cheer on passing runners, wheelchair participants and walkers.  This is a great volunteer activity for boy or girl scout troops or other similar types of community groups.

Here are the Details: Child S.H.A.R.E. LA Marathon Mile 15 Encouragement Station

• • Date: Sunday, March 20^th
  • Time: 8:00am-2:00pm (Stay as long or for as short of a time as you like!)
  • Location: Corner of Doheny Drive and Alden Drive in Beverly Hills
  • What to wear and bring: Wear sunscreen, a hat and layered clothing as the temperature will be unpredictable.  Also be sure to bring chairs, any snacks and water or drinks you would like for yourself.

Contact: LA Marathon Team Captain, Amanda Bell at abell@childshare.org or at 818.649.8016 if you would like to participate!

Child S.H.A.R.E. would like to express our profound appreciation to all of the donors who generously supported the agency during our 25th year of service to abused children.  As you prepare your 2010 tax returns, don’t forget to deduct the value of your tax-deductible charitable gifts to Child S.H.A.R.E.

Throughout the year, Child S.H.A.R.E. mails acknowledgment letters to all donors that contain not only our profound thanks for all gifts, but also the tax receipt information required to deduct the value of the gifts from your taxes.  This information is listed at the bottom of your acknowledgment letter.

If you made a contribution to Child S.H.A.R.E. in 2010 and did not receive an acknowledgment letter, or if you have misplaced your letter please contact Amanda Bell at abell@childshare.org or at 818-649-8016.  Amanda will be happy to furnish you with another copy of your acknowledgment letter.

Thank you to all of our 2010 donors.  You make a profound difference in the lives of abused children in the foster care system.

If you are looking for a fun, family-friendly T.V. movie with foster and adoption themes, you might want to check out Change of Plans, coming Jan 8 on Fox TV. The film features some familiar faces like Brooke White (American Idol) and Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show). I recently previewed the producer’s cut and was encouraged as it showed the positive rewards of a couple’s struggle with life change when they are unexpectedly asked to adopt their friend’s 4 children. 3 of the children were adopted internationally and all grieve the loss of their parents and former life. While the film may not rival this year’s box office hits, it gives a taste of key foster and adoptive themes other films rarely capture: the sacrifice, the emotional roller coaster and the unparalleled rewards of fostering/ adopting. It challenges the viewer to live beyond ourselves to love and care for those God places in our lives, even if it wasn’t what we planned. For that, we think Child S.H.A.R.E. families and supporters might appreciate it too.