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Meredith Dolhare Running Works - www.runningworks.org
Running can solve big problems, Meredith Dolhare believes, and she should know. By her count, she’s hoofed 2,396.8 miles since 2008, including iron man competitions, double marathons and marathons – the equivalent of 77 marathons in all. “Running saved my life,” she told Charlotte Rotarians simply. She’s in recovery, she added. Published
stories outline sexual assaults in her teen years and cocaine and alcohol abuse later. The Charlotte resident has learned that running can turn those who suffer from addiction and homelessness into productive citizens. She showed Rotarians a video of a formerly homeless Charlottean named Lamar who backed her up. “I was lazy as heck,” Lamar admits as he stares out from the screen. “Running was what you did to get away from the police.” “Bonkers” is how Dolhare describes Lamar when she met him as an overweight 22-year-old with mental health issues, living on the streets. Now that he’s 26 and has completed four marathons with Dolhare, Lamar has lost 65 pounds, he’s stopped smoking and drinking and has cleaned up his court record. He lives in an apartment. He gets along with people and works at Panera delivering orders on foot. Dolhare was on a long-distance foot race circuit in France, Austria and Switzerland in 2011 when she decided to channel her media attention into helping the homeless. She founded Running Works, Inc. Running Works raises money to address homeless issues and it also gives many marginal people a goal to pursue. For those who volunteer to run races, it provides matching shirts, shoes and socks and turns them into a team. Besides training with them and teaching life lessons, Dolhare competes with them. “If homeless people see me do something crazy (running a long distance), they think they can do anything,” Dolhare said. “That’s huge for them.” Working with the homeless, Dolhare sees a big difference between empathy and
REPORTER February 7, 2017
sympathy. One of her several one-liners was: “Some people create their own storms and then get angry when it rains.” She holds the homeless accountable. She tells them, “Find a solution to the problem; don’t be part of the problem. Do the next right thing.” Dubbed “The Iron Lady” by Sports Illustrated magazine, Dolhare has run competitively in North America, South America and Europe. She played on a nationally eighth-ranked tennis squad at Vanderbilt University where she graduated with honors. She has a husband and two teen sons. Despite such shiny success, she knows the power of initiatives Running Works undertakes with people who sometimes make it hard to help them. “If you think you have to be big to be productive,” she said, “you’ve never been in bed with a mosquito.” Speaker Write-Up: Elly Clary Head Table: Carol Hardison, Natalie English, Tony Marciano, Jerry Coughter; Invocation: Cheryl Banks; Visitors & Guests: Don Carmichael; History Moment: David Zimmerman; AV: Jessica Dupree, Tom Bartholomy; Photos: Bert Voswinkel; Piano: Em Syrewicze CLUB NEWS The club expresses sympathy to Bob and Robert Freeman upon the death of Bob’s wife, and Robert’s mother, Malinda on February 1, 2017. Funeral services were held February 7, 2017 at Warlick Funeral Home in Lincolnton. Welcome to Charlotte Rotary! Luther Moore introduced Graham Wilson, who is a Past District Governor and former member of Union-West Rotary. Graham is president of Sterling Financial Group and can be reached at [email protected]. Next up was Wes Jones to introduce Tripp Guin. Tripp was a member of Meck County South Rotary for a couple years and is a broker with TRIPP Commercial. Tripp: [email protected]. Devon and Parker Cains welcome the birth of baby girl Hunter Rose Cains, born February 4th. Parker says she is a ham and screams like a banshee, but only after 11pm. Congratulations to Sean Taylor Jones and Carol Gainey Bledsoe, who were married February 4, 2017. Proud parents are Louis and Suzanne Bledsoe. Member email updates: Luther Moore: [email protected]; Dumont Clarke: [email protected]; Tom Burgess: [email protected]; Angela Mauldin: [email protected]. Mark Markanda was on deck to energize President-Elects attending the Mid-Year Assembly held on Saturday: ‘when serving your club as president, think of FEDEX…be the Force; show some Excitement; Desire; Enthusiasm; and don’t X-RAY other people’s life.’ North Mecklenburg Rotary Club invites you to their pancake breakfast, February 11, 7am-Noon, Bethel Presbyterian Church in Cornelius. Nominations to select the 28th winner of the Excellence in Leadership award are due to Phil Van Hoy by February 20, 2017. Submit your one-page write up and biographical sketch to Phil: [email protected].
100 SERVICE PROJECTS (80 completed; 203 participants; 2347 volunteer hours) The idea behind the commitment to complete 100 service projects is to TOUCH 100 organizations. We are starting to lap ourselves and although we can count the community service hours, we can’t count the organization if we’ve already provided a service for them. Example: Christmas breakfast at Charlotte Rescue Mission, coat collection for Crisis Assistance, bell ringing. Do not read into this that we will not continue supporting these projects. Just that we need to identify new organizations that need something done….manpower, no funding, prefer minimum of 2 Rotarians (can be more) volunteering to make it count. I’m looking forward to your new ideas. NEW PROJECTS in red - Winter clothing drive to support immigrant children from Central America. Donations of lightly used or new winter coats, hats, socks and gloves for children ranging from four years to 18 years old (boys & girls). In partnership with Compassion Action Network, Legal Services of Southern Piedmont and UNC Charlotte. CMS ESL program administrators will help with distribution. Items may be dropped off at Rotary during the month of February. Contact: Vernon Menard: [email protected] - Tree-planting event partnering with other Rotary clubs and TreesCharlotte to be held Saturday, February 25, 2017, 8:30am-11am; Winding Springs Elementary, 6601 Horace Mann Rd. Registration required at http://treescharlotte.org/event/winding-springs-elementary-school-treeday-event/ Contact: Phil Volponi: [email protected] - The Jamie Kimble Foundation for Courage will be hosting the “Women for Courage’ luncheon on April 5, 2017. Table hosts are needed; sponsorships are available. Contact: Terri DeBoo: [email protected] - 2017 PGA Championship, August 7-13, Quail Hollow Country Club. Volunteers needed to help in their concession areas. Several schedule options range from 6am-1pm, 7am-2pm; 8am-4pm, 9am-4pm, 10am-close, 11am-close. I have additional information if anyone is interested. ONGOING -Allenbrook Elementary School: North Star Reading Partners with a commitment to read to a 3rd grade student one hour a week. Eric Davis: [email protected] -Platelet Donation: Register at the American Red Cross or Community Blood Center of the Carolinas to donate platelets. 63 donations to date! John zumBrunnen: [email protected] -American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO): Coach, referee, board member, linesman, snach shack worker, etc. Kathy Riley at [email protected] or Carolyn Carlburg [email protected] UPCOMING BIRTHDAYS (02/13/17 – 02/20/17) 02/14 Ravi Thakkar, Luther Moore, Gene Bratek 02/15 Catherine Browning, Bob Fuzy 02/16 Matthew Greer, Art Ringwald, Greg Sizemore 02/17 Ken Poe 02/19 Warren Kean 02/20 Brian Gibson UPCOMING ANNIVERSARIES (02/13/17 – 02/20/17) 02/13 Meghna & Ranjay Sarda 02/14 Joanne & Biff Virkler, Lee & John Tabor 02/15 Dena & Robert Diorio 02/20 Terri & Mark DeBoo MEMBERSHIP 07/01/2016 318 02/07/2017 321 Net Increase: +3 New Members: Graham Wilson, Tripp Guin Resignations: Guests: Howard Hoyle, Brian Betkawski, Eralphia Eckles, Doug Barr, Duncan Wilson, Morgan Fortune, Amariis Graham, Rhonda York, Ella Hoyle, Carla DuPuy, David Jordan, Troy Pelshak, Lynn Lee, Ross Davis, Jennifer Stanger, Joslyn Blackburn, Patricia
Christgau, John Laub, Joseph Wiegel UPCOMING PROGRAMS 02/14 – Dr. James Howell, Sr. Pastor, MP United Methodist Church 02/21 – Mark Fernandes, Future World of Work: Baby Boomers working with Millennials & Gen Y 02/28 – Joe Stewart, NCFree Enterprise Foundation Photos from our luncheons and other events can be found on Flickr Click here
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