The Walk-a-thon is coming! Only 5 weeks until our Intergalactic Space Walk on October 21st!
I first heard about the Corpus Christi walk-a-thon from my good friend Barbara, who is a Corpus Christi alumnae. You can check Barbara Quittman out on the class of 1991 composite in the hallway, rocking some awesome bangs. The very first thing Barbara said when she found out Chloe and Lucy were going to Corpus Christi was “Oh! They get to do the walk-a-thon! That is the best day of the year!” It was hard to picture at the time why walking in circles was going to be so fun, but sure enough--walk-a-thon is one of the best days of the year. For my children it ranks right up there with Christmas and birthdays.
What makes it so great? I think for the younger kids there is a rare feeling of freedom to the day. The route and yard are full of adult eyes watching out for them, but within that safe context they are free to walk the streets by themselves, go to any game they want, band together in ever changing pods of their peers.
As an adult, I really appreciate the home-grown feel to the day. The games are great, and they were handmade by current and past families. The food is delicious, and it is handmade by parent volunteers with recipes that are handed down year to year. Everything is top-notch and low-key at the same time. It is casual, cozy, and perfect.
And now as a co-chair, I love how the walk-a-thon has shown me the strength of our Corpus Christi community. In addition to the co-chairs, there are 18 committee chairs, each one taking on a whole piece of the day and owning it. There are well over 300 volunteer slots, which our parents fill every year. Families with businesses give cash to sponsor the walk-a-thon, and everyone clears out their closets to stock the Spin-to-Win. (And then refills their closets with the junk the kids win, but hey…) It is a cliche, but honestly the walk-a-thon would not be possible without the whole community coming together so generously and enthusiastically. It is a pretty special thing to witness.
So, if it’s your first Corpus Christi walk-a-thon or your fifteenth, I hope you are counting down the days with me until the “best day of the year”! We get a holiday, and a community builder, and just happen to raise a bunch of money for the school in the process. Not bad for a day's work.