Another vital member of the Upward Bounce team is Christine Solari, Director of Stanford College Prep.
I met Christine a few years ago while I was a Tutor Coordinator for EPASA (East Palo Alto Stanford Academy), the middle school enrichment program whose graduates usually join Stanford College Prep when they reach high school. EPASA worked in close proximity and sometimes, collaboratively, with Stanford College Prep. In my time working in the Haas Center, I was able to get to know Christine and her commitment to Stanford College Prep and the students that she supports.
When I approached Christine with my idea, she was completely supportive…after she did a double-take on my email and needed assurance that I was serious. From the start, she devoted much time of her busy schedule as the Director of SCP to help out with the campaign. Christine helped give the team the space to hold our meetings and the freedom to develop various methods of fundraising. With her experience, she was able to also refine ideas and help spread the word about the campaign to the masses. Whether it was handling the raffle at the fundraiser, spreading the word, letter writing, or joining us in interviews, Christine devoted much effort and support for Upward Bounce.
On a personal level, Christine has been the most calming and peaceful presence for the campaign. Her calm manner has calmed everyone and kept us all inspired and focused throughout the campaign. Her optimistic outlook on everything has made it a more fulfilling experience. When the team would meet after a long and stressful day of work, after difficult workouts, and we were all exhausted and stressed, we were always met with a smile and a warm welcome from Christine. This campaign’s success would not have been successful without the great support of Christine and her passion for helping the students of Stanford College Prep. Thank you Christine!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Upward Bounce team: Chris Gaines
Upward Bounce has been successful beyond imagination. As race day nears (only 8 days left), I want to take the time to thank everyone who has helped make this possible. For the next week, I will introduce vital members of the Upward Bounce team, all of whom have played an integral part behind the scenes to make this campaign successful. First off is Christopher Gaines:
Chris Gaines and I have known each other for many years. We met when we both served as camp counselors for Camp Kesem as undergrads at Stanford. At this camp, we both connected with our desires for bettering the people and communities around us and using our talents and passions to make a change. We formed a strong friendship at the camp and have continued that friendship since. Chris is a Personal Training Manager at Equinox Fitness in Palo Alto, CA. He is also the Strength and Conditioning Coach for Stanford Rugby. Check out his website: http://www.performancegaines.com/ for more information on him and his services.
Chris helped with training me for this marathon. After I approached him with my idea, he was all-in and devoted much of his time and effort to help with the training, but also the fundraising campaign. He helped develop a training plan that would best prepare me for running 26.2 miles while dribbling a bask
etball. I have never felt better prepared for an event like I am for this one. I owe a lot of credit to the tutelage of Chris for this one. His concentration was to get me ready but to also prevent injuries along the way. Chris has volunteered much of his time and energy to work with me in developing and adjusting my workout regiments, and conducting one or two workout sessions with me a week. His flexibility in preparing workouts that meet my changing needs has been a blessing. Whether it was a freak shoulder injury, a 10 day trip that kept me confined to training in hotels, or constant rainy weather, Chris has kept me prepared for the goal.
On top of the physical training, Chris has provided tons of encouragement and moral support. Imagine a trainer who prepares you physically, but as the day of the big event comes, he prepares you mentally for it and keeps you focused…that’s Chris. As the training went on, he constantly supported me through encouraging words. Everyday for the past week (and he plans on doing this until the day of the race), he sends me a quote and a message to keep me inspired and focused on the goal. These words of encouragement have been just as big a help for me as the physical training. I leave you with one of the quotes that he shared with me, which we both hold dear to our ideals and our focus for the past couple of months, and we hope it will guide you as well:
"Until thought is linked with purpose there is no intelligent accomplishment."
Chris Gaines and I have known each other for many years. We met when we both served as camp counselors for Camp Kesem as undergrads at Stanford. At this camp, we both connected with our desires for bettering the people and communities around us and using our talents and passions to make a change. We formed a strong friendship at the camp and have continued that friendship since. Chris is a Personal Training Manager at Equinox Fitness in Palo Alto, CA. He is also the Strength and Conditioning Coach for Stanford Rugby. Check out his website: http://www.performancegaines.com/ for more information on him and his services.
Chris helped with training me for this marathon. After I approached him with my idea, he was all-in and devoted much of his time and effort to help with the training, but also the fundraising campaign. He helped develop a training plan that would best prepare me for running 26.2 miles while dribbling a bask
etball. I have never felt better prepared for an event like I am for this one. I owe a lot of credit to the tutelage of Chris for this one. His concentration was to get me ready but to also prevent injuries along the way. Chris has volunteered much of his time and energy to work with me in developing and adjusting my workout regiments, and conducting one or two workout sessions with me a week. His flexibility in preparing workouts that meet my changing needs has been a blessing. Whether it was a freak shoulder injury, a 10 day trip that kept me confined to training in hotels, or constant rainy weather, Chris has kept me prepared for the goal.On top of the physical training, Chris has provided tons of encouragement and moral support. Imagine a trainer who prepares you physically, but as the day of the big event comes, he prepares you mentally for it and keeps you focused…that’s Chris. As the training went on, he constantly supported me through encouraging words. Everyday for the past week (and he plans on doing this until the day of the race), he sends me a quote and a message to keep me inspired and focused on the goal. These words of encouragement have been just as big a help for me as the physical training. I leave you with one of the quotes that he shared with me, which we both hold dear to our ideals and our focus for the past couple of months, and we hope it will guide you as well:
"Until thought is linked with purpose there is no intelligent accomplishment."
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Two weeks away...
I just returned from Sojourn to the Past, a trip that retraces the Civil Rights Movement by traveling through Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Tennessee and visiting important battlegrounds in the fight for equality. I spent 10 days with many teachers, speakers, and over 100 high school students in a very powerful and enriching learning experience. By learning about the past, we all learned what we needed to do in our communities to make a better future. The common theme in the trip was, “ordinary people doing extraordinary things because it was the RIGHT thing to do.” People like Minnijean Brown-Trickey and the Little Rock Nine, Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth and the courageous people protesting in Birmingham, Representative John Lewis and the countless marchers in Selma, and many more who fought for what they believed in and put their bodies and spirits on the line because it was the right thing to do.
I know that everyone was wondering how I was able to keep up training while traveling. Given that it snowed in Atlanta and was freezing cold and very windy everywhere else we went, I was in the hotel gyms on treadmills and bikes, and running sprints up and down long hallways, and doing intervals going up emergency stairwells. With our very busy schedule, I had to sneak out very early in the morning or go workout late at night. Sometimes when I had an hour in the middle of the day (which was rare), I sprinted into a workout or at least stretched. It was very tough, but hearing the stories of everyone we met kept me motivated.
The speakers we met and the stories we heard inspired all of us to continue to fight for social justice. Going on this trip as a high school student in 2002 inspired me to become a social studies teacher. Being able to return as a teacher and experience this along with some of my students and 100 “adopted” students from the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and New York, showed me how people want to make a change. The trip was demanding of the students, but they diligently worked through the material and delved deep into the lessons. The stories impacted everyone so much, that it was rare to see a dry eye every time we met a speaker. To see the students so thirsty for knowledge and wanting to learn so much reminded me of why I decided to start Upward Bounce. I wanted to help students who have that deep desire for higher education in order to learn more, by giving them the opportunity to attend college. These students want equal opportunities, but the high costs of the application process can be too expensive for some. By raising money, we are helping students achieve their dreams. My goal has always been to break the world record; however, this has turned into something bigger than that. I knew that by me attempting such a bizarre and crazy feat, it would draw attention to the cause. People would hear about the running and dribbling, but that would only allow us to further spread the message of the need to help bring equal opportunities for higher education to students who do not have access to these opportunities.
The Civil Rights Movement was not successful because of one individual; it was the collective efforts of thousands, even millions, of individuals who brought about change. With a collective effort in donating (even a little bit), we can help more students reach their dreams. All we need to do is get them to college, and they will flourish when they arrive. Everyone who has been helping and supporting Upward Bounce for the past six months has devoted countless hours to the cause because we deeply believe in equal opportunity and education. We hope that you will continue to support us. But even more than that, we hope that this will help inspire you to fight for social justice by helping someone, marching for a cause, protesting, speaking out, or any other means of support—simply because it is the RIGHT THING TO DO.
Much love.
I know that everyone was wondering how I was able to keep up training while traveling. Given that it snowed in Atlanta and was freezing cold and very windy everywhere else we went, I was in the hotel gyms on treadmills and bikes, and running sprints up and down long hallways, and doing intervals going up emergency stairwells. With our very busy schedule, I had to sneak out very early in the morning or go workout late at night. Sometimes when I had an hour in the middle of the day (which was rare), I sprinted into a workout or at least stretched. It was very tough, but hearing the stories of everyone we met kept me motivated.
The speakers we met and the stories we heard inspired all of us to continue to fight for social justice. Going on this trip as a high school student in 2002 inspired me to become a social studies teacher. Being able to return as a teacher and experience this along with some of my students and 100 “adopted” students from the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and New York, showed me how people want to make a change. The trip was demanding of the students, but they diligently worked through the material and delved deep into the lessons. The stories impacted everyone so much, that it was rare to see a dry eye every time we met a speaker. To see the students so thirsty for knowledge and wanting to learn so much reminded me of why I decided to start Upward Bounce. I wanted to help students who have that deep desire for higher education in order to learn more, by giving them the opportunity to attend college. These students want equal opportunities, but the high costs of the application process can be too expensive for some. By raising money, we are helping students achieve their dreams. My goal has always been to break the world record; however, this has turned into something bigger than that. I knew that by me attempting such a bizarre and crazy feat, it would draw attention to the cause. People would hear about the running and dribbling, but that would only allow us to further spread the message of the need to help bring equal opportunities for higher education to students who do not have access to these opportunities.
The Civil Rights Movement was not successful because of one individual; it was the collective efforts of thousands, even millions, of individuals who brought about change. With a collective effort in donating (even a little bit), we can help more students reach their dreams. All we need to do is get them to college, and they will flourish when they arrive. Everyone who has been helping and supporting Upward Bounce for the past six months has devoted countless hours to the cause because we deeply believe in equal opportunity and education. We hope that you will continue to support us. But even more than that, we hope that this will help inspire you to fight for social justice by helping someone, marching for a cause, protesting, speaking out, or any other means of support—simply because it is the RIGHT THING TO DO.
Much love.
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