March '08 Newsletter: Post-Marathon Report and Celebration

Here are text excerpts from the March '08 e-newsletter. Subscribe to the mailing list on the sroakland.org home page to receive the full newsletter formatted with photos.

Student Voices

Each of the 32 students who finished the LA Marathon spoke about their experience at a celebration banquet March 7. Many were overcome with emotion and spoke through tears. Here are some of their comments:

"I remember I couldn't even run one mile, and then I did 26." - Elizabeth Nunez, Castlemont ninth-grader

"I didn't really like to run. But running taught me new things and built my endurance. ... Crossing the finish line, now I know that if I can do a marathon, I can do anything." - Eric Bagley, Oakland Tech ninth-grader

"Every time we came together on a Saturday morning, meeting new people, that was great for me. Thanks to all the volunteers who supported me." - Ernesto Vega, Castlemont junior

"Him [Spencer] being tough on us made us so much better, and now we're wearing our medals, proud of what we've done. ... I'd like to thank every single volunteer. It's great for adults to be helping us get that accomplishment." - Salvador Lopez, Castlemont senior

"Ever since ninth grade when I crossed that first finish line, it just felt so great that I came back again. ... This is something I never thought I'd do. I always challenged myself academically but not physically. I hope you guys [the volunteers] in the future keep inspiring people to go forward." - Joanna Morales, Castlemont senior and four-time marathoner

"I'm just glad to be here today and can't believe I made it this far." - Danielle Bond, Oakland Tech ninth-grader

"I still do not know why I run, but I know it's the only space and time I have to relax, meditate, and reflect on myself ... and also to meet other people. It's been a wonderful experience." - Esmeralda Aguilar, Castlemont senior

"I'd like to thank all the volunteers and everyone who believed in me, because my friends didn't think I could do it, and I didn't think I could do it -- but I did it." – Taylor Hill, Oakland Tech ninth-grader

From MetWest teacher and SRO volunteer Young Whan Choi, who ran the marathon with the students: "As teachers, we have a lot to learn from the young folks in the room ... about motivation and experience."

Message from Executive Director Spencer Hooper:

To the entire SRO team of staff, volunteers, and supporters: Thank you for a job well done and congratulations on yet another successful season! Thanks to the extraordinary effort of a collective group of passionate individuals, every student who started the marathon this season proudly crossed the finish line in Los Angeles on March 2. At our post-marathon banquet, we had the opportunity to hear from SRO's Board of Directors Chair, Bridget Harper. I would like to share with you a few of her observations and our shared vision for SRO's future. She spoke of how SRO is entering the second phase of its evolution, and of what we need to do to become a premier not-for-profit organization in the East Bay. As she put it, SRO is at a pivotal point, and "it is truly an exciting place -- the organization has solidly and consistently executed year over year and is ready and primed to take it to the next level." Please read the full text of her excerpted remarks on our website's blog.
- Spencer Hooper

SRO at the LA Marathon
(A few captions to photos that published in the newsletter):

- This season, SRO had its first father-son team: Matin and Umar Abdel-Qawi. Matin is a principal at Castlemont and Umar is a ninth-grader at MetWest. They ran every step of the way together during training runs and the marathon. At the post-marathon banquet, Umar called his father "my great inspiration."

- Ahmed Farah, a junior at Oakland Technical High School, ran the LA Marathon with volunteer Jamie Saunders and was the first SRO student to finish. Ahmed moved to the United States from Somalia two years ago. He commutes over an hour to school each morning, works with his SRO-provided tutor after school, and attended SRO practice three days a week while maintaining a part-time job at Safeway. His commitment and hard work paid off in LA!

- Syeda Jones, a ninth-grader at Oakland Tech, ran and walked the whole marathon with volunteer Christine Chapon. They approached the finish after the marathon course had closed and were accidentally detoured off course by street sweepers, which made their route a bit longer. At the banquet, a tearful Syeda spoke publicly: "I was the last person to finish, and the only one who did more than 26.2. ... Thank you, everybody. You stayed with me. You cheered me on through the finish, and it made me run faster when I saw everyone there."
Also at the banquet, Christine was singled out for special recognition for her six years of service as Volunteer Coordinator for Students Run Oakland. Executive Director Spencer Hooper said, "Everybody knows Christine throws everything she has into SRO."

Thanks and Misc.

A grand total of 45 SRO volunteers went to Los Angeles to chaperone the students. 32 volunteers ran with the students, 5 offered support while cycling the course, and 8 worked the finish line and post-race support. Heidi Anders worked tirelessly to coordinate the logistics, and thanks to her work, the entire weekend ran smoothly. As Spencer said at the banquet: "To the volunteers, thank you again and again and again."

Students participated in two community service events in February: 11 SRO students helped at a Valentine dance for youth and young adults of various abilities, organized by the Family Resource Network and Berkeley Parks and Recreation, and 16 students (pictured above) helped clean up the shoreline at MLK Park in Oakland for the East Bay Regional Park District. Thank you to the SRO volunteer drivers and chaperones who participated in these projects: Alita Sanchez, Kelley Haskins, Mark Tipton, Peter Gertler, Jodi Funk, Christine Chapon, Karen Kline, and Heidi Anders.

In February, SRO Volunteer Peter Gertler organized an opportunity for SRO students to learn about careers in planning, engineering, and architecture by visiting the firm HNTB Corp.,
where he works as a vice president. Several students attended. Many thanks to Peter and HNTB for offering this tour and pizza for the students!

Stay Tuned for Next Season: SRO will launch its ninth season this fall, stronger than ever and ready to reach a greater number of students. Want to be a part of it? Email Volunteer Coordinator Christine Chapon.

Board Chair Bridget Harper Speaks on SRO's Accomplishments and Future Plans

Here are excerpts of remarks by Bridget Harper, Chairperson of Students Run Oakland Board of Directors, given at SRO’s March 7 post-marathon banquet.

When Spencer first requested that I speak at this year’s banquet, I had just seen the movie The Great Debaters. There was a wonderful exchange, a ritual between a father and his son. The father asked the son, “What do we do?” And the son replied, “We do what we have to do, so that we can do what we want to do.”

This father and son exchange stayed with me, because as I heard it, I immediately thought of the students participating in SRO. It also occurred to me that this truth “We do what we have to do, so that we can do what we want to do” is also very apropos for SRO.

I have been involved with SRO for the last six years, first as a supporter and then as a board member. This season was an incredible opportunity for me as I had time to fly up (from Los Angeles where I live) and get to know students, volunteers, collaborating partners, and donors. It has been such an awesome experience, that I would like to share a few observations because I think that they underscore what makes SRO such an amazing organization. Then I would like to provide some high-level thoughts, the board’s vision for the future of SRO.

Observation number one: The students

I was able to make several of the weekend training runs and participate in the culminating event: the marathon. I experienced the thrill of watching several of the students endure and then victoriously achieve the completion of the 26.2 mile event.

But, more than completing the marathon, I witnessed firsthand many of the students’ transformation from not really understanding the magnitude of the goal that they had set, to understanding the magnitude and then not really knowing if they could do it. To fully grasping the magnitude and knowing that they could do it. And then transferring this “I know that I can do it” attitude and belief to other aspects of their lives.

All of the students who made it to Los Angeles clearly understood that if they did what they needed to do, they could do what they wanted to do!

Observation number two: The volunteers, donors, and community collaborators

The volunteers are an amazingly passionate, talented, and spirited group of individuals! These are individuals who in spite of their busy personal and professional lives commit entirely and enthusiastically to the success of SRO.

Over the season, I also had the opportunity to meet some of SRO’s partners and supporters. With SRO’s partners, it was very clear that these are truly partnerships and our partners believe in SRO’s mission.

I also met the fundraising team and read many of the grants that were submitted this year.
This is a team who has so very eloquently captured and put to words the magic of SRO. They are energized by going after every dollar that they think SRO can get. And, they are individuals who graciously and generously open up their personal networks to SRO.

And then there is the team that makes it all happen everyday, the trio: Christine Chapon, Heidi Anders, and Spencer Hooper. This team is tireless and works unselfishly to deliver on SRO’s mission. As a board member, SRO’s leadership demonstrates the traits/values that you want to see. There is a passion about executing on the organization’s mission and the mission is used as a guide, a compass to lead from and as a basis for making decisions.

The volunteers, supporters, and SRO’s leadership have done what was needed so that the organization is positioned to do more of what it wants to do.

Where SRO is heading:

I liken SRO to being in its second phase in its life cycle, its evolution. The first phase, SRO’s inception, happened when a group of community-minded individuals planted the seeds for this wonderful organization to grow. The second phase, under Spencer's leadership, has been about transforming the organization to a business with a solid track record for executing. And as SRO is completing its eighth season, it is at this point in its evolution to really take it to the next level, to catapult itself to becoming one of the premier not-for-profit organizations in the East Bay.

Obtaining funding is the lifeblood for any not-for-profit organization, and this is a very serious and competitive undertaking. Funders have an increasingly complex set of things that they are looking for and greater sophistication in how they allocate monies.

It doesn’t matter if the funder is a multi-billion dollar corporation, a public institution or an individual donor -- there are some basics things that cut across each of these groups: They want to see that the organization is delivering on its mission; they want to see a consistent track record; they want to know that the monies they give will be used prudently; and they want to know that the organization will be around. So, yes, SRO had to transform itself into a business that consistently executes.

What are some of SRO’s proof points -- evidence of the program’s success and proof that we are executing on our mission?

- Over 90% of SRO’s students graduate from high school compared to Oakland Unified School District’s rate of 60.8%.

- Approximately 80% of SRO’s graduating seniors go directly to a college or four-year university.

- The cumulative Los Angeles marathon completion average is 98% -- and, the last two years 100% of the students completed the marathon.

Potential funders also want to know about the vitality and viability of the organization. Here are some examples of how SRO has evolved and transformed itself over the last couple of years:

- We’ve gone from an organization where most of the “how to” resided in people’s heads to one that is building a formal infrastructure.

- Early on, there were just a handful of sponsors and supporters. Today, SRO continues to expand and strengthen our community partners and have marquee/household brand-name organizations that now support us.

- The organization moved from not having a board to where individuals approach SRO about being on the board.

SRO has clearly done what it had to do to be at a point to do more of what it wants to do.

As SRO is at this pivotal point, it is truly an exciting place -- the organization has solidly and consistently executed year over year and is ready and primed to take it to the next level.

Here are some of the things that SRO wants to do -- our next round of goals:

- Enhance the student experience and improve retention by hiring a Student Liaison
- Expand tutoring for the students
- Increase scholarships for the students who are college-bound
- Expand the number of schools that SRO is offered to
- And build an all-year round program

This year, we launched two strategic imperatives: Board Development and a Strategic Planning Initiative. Both are intended to inform, shape and build the tools for SRO to execute on these goals.

There is the big goal ahead of us -- for SRO to become one of the premier not-for-profits in the East Bay -- and there will be the “road map” and additional leadership support to get us there.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank you for being such a source of inspiration; congratulate you on another incredible season; and applaud you for your work that will move SRO to the next level!

- Bridget Harper, Board of Directors Chairperson

Thank You From Spencer

To the entire SRO team of staff, volunteers and supporters

Thank you for a job well done and congratulations on yet another successful season! Once again it all came together, thanks to the extraordinary effort of a collective group of passionate individuals.

Every student who started the marathon proudly crossed the finish line this past weekend in Los Angeles. After speaking with the students, I know that we executed on our mission as I witnessed a transformation in many of them.

“Life is not a path of coincidence, happenstance, and luck, but rather an unexplainable, meticulously charted course for one to touch the lives of others and make a difference in the world.” – Barbara Dillingham

Again, a much deserved thank-you. It’s your efforts that make "Training For Life, One Step At A Time" possible.