First Giving

Here it is folks!  Let the fundraising begin!

http://www.firstgiving.com/jessbaker

All About Boston Partners in Education

So, we've already covered my personal reasons for running the Boston Marathon.  Let's explore another reason - the biggest reason: Boston Partners in Education.

Training for a marathon and fundraising for an organization are both tasks that will be new and difficult for me.  It will be taxing on the body and on the mind.  I would not, could not do this for an organization that I didn't stand behind. I truly believe in what Boston Partners in Education does and what it will continue to do for Boston's public school students.

So, who is Boston Partners in Education (BPE) and what do we do?  BPE has a full-time staff of 15 and one part-time employee in the office.  Last year our staff supported almost 6,000 students and 914 volunteers in 69 schools in Boston.

Our programming reaches students in grades K-12.  We have a specialty math program, Math Rules! for students in grades 3-5.  Math Rules! is for students who just need a little bit more in class support.  Volunteers often stay with their student for the duration of the program creating a powerful bond.  Last year was the biggest year yet for Math Rules! serving 173 students. 

We also have a specialty program for students in grade 1-3 called Power Lunch.  Power Lunch is a corporate read aloud program where volunteers from local corporation come into the school once a week to read to students on their lunch break.  In 2008-2009 320 volunteers were able to commit a lunch break to reading to their respective student.  Power Lunch volunteers are also encouraged to commit to the program for three years, mentoring their student throughout elementary school.

The Big Cheese Reads is our fundraising initiative, and is close to my heart being that it is the program that I work on.  The Big Cheese Reads invites corporate, community, and civic leaders into 6-8 grade classes to emphasize the important link between literacy and career success.  Last year we had 73 "Big Cheeses" speak to students.

Our School Volunteer Program is our biggest program serving 3,872 students in 2008-2009.  We recruit, train, and support volunteers in both math and English Language Arts for students in grades K-12.  Our School Volunteers commit a collective total of 23,816 hours a school year to our students!

While we do have solid evidence of the positive influence our volunteers have on our students academically (which you should check out on our website), such as increased test scores and increased GPAs, the most empowering part of being a mentor is the impact you have on a student's life.  The relationship and bond that is made over the years of mentoring has the power to change the life of a student and a volunteer.  Students report feeling more confident in their studies as well amongst their peers.  Volunteers who take a break from work often return feeling more relaxed.  This is what we strive to do - support our volunteers and most importantly support the students struggling in the Boston Public Schools.

Basically, I think we're great.

Confirmed Running Partner!

Yay!
Congrats to Laurelin Barkel, my (mightaswellbe) sister-in-law and former Boston Partners in Education employee!  She lives in Kansas City, MO and will be training in KC, MO to run the Boston Marathon to support BPE. 

Check out her running blog:
www.laurelinruns.blogspot.com

The two of us at Yellowstone National Park rocking our BPE gear.

A short but sweet post

First of all, thank you Erin and Laurelin for commenting on my blog! And thanks to everyone else who mentioned that they will be reading - awesome! **Grandma, you need a google account (not just gmail according to Dad) to comment.**

I find out (officially) tomorrow if my special running partner in crime will be joining me in the madness of the marathon... I know that you are all dying in anticipation of who it could be. This person will be lucky enough to enjoy 26.2 miles of "Eye of the Tiger" sung by yours truly.

Last week went well. I ran 4 days and felt really good all week! I'm running tonight with Matt (for part of the way) and this coming week I'm going to up my game a little bit.

So far, no updates on events yet. I plan to sit in front of a calendar very soon and map out when I will begin hosting amazingly awesome events that you will all be dying to attend. Anyone know of a company that would be willing to match what I bring in on an event? Let me know...

I have one new idea, well it wasn't completely my idea - a colleague at Skippy's, Allie, had a fabulous idea for a party. Balderdash. I mentioned I thought that would be a great small event to kick off the fundraising efforts. We are currently planning a date to drink awesome beer (Harpoon) and kick your ass in Balderdash. Stay tuned for a date and email if you're interested!

Check out my blog tomorrow to see if I'll have myself a running partner!

Accepted

New idea for my blog - I'm going to log my training for the 2010 Boston Marathon for your enjoyment (and sympathy).

Friday, October 3 I was accepted to Boston Partners in Education's marathon team. Now, many of you that know me may be thinking, "What the hell was she thinking?!" Right. Here is my reasoning...

The B.A.A. has a charity program. They try to diversify they type of charities that are accepted into the program by giving 15 numbers to a charity for a 3-year period of time. This is BPE's third and final year of the program. So, 1) It was (probably) the last chance for me to run for my organization through the B.A.A. 2) I don't have to qualify (and, honestly I'm never going to qualify). 3) I can quit my second job without feeling guilty. 4) It's a good way for me to raise money for BPE. *Summing it up: it is (probably) a once in a lifetime opportunity and you don't get once in a lifetime opportunities don't happen to you very often.* So, there you go.

Some important details about this en devour:
* A marathon is 26.2 miles :) I have never run one before. I've never run a half before either.
* This is for charity. I have committed to raise at least $3,250 (if I don't raise it, sucks for me, I still owe it). My official goal is $4,250, but shhh my real goal is $5,000. Stayed tuned for some fun events!
* I'm trying to talk someone who will remain unnamed (for now) to also run the marathon.

Officially, I start training November 11, but what the hell, if I think that maybe people are reading this, I'll have to keep you entertained.

Today I ran 3 miles. I am pretty sure I can run 5 miles no sweat. I'd like to be able to run 8 miles no sweat before I start training. I think it's doable. The training schedule starts with 2-4 miles a day 5 days a week, which I am hoping should feel like a breeze, if it doesn't I might be in trouble... Matt ran with me most of the way which was pretty awesome of him! We finished up our run with a beer from the Tavern. Motivation.

That's all for now. I will be diligent - please support me by reading (or by donating...) but, really, I need readers or I will feel silly. Please also feel free to type encouraging comments. No horror stories, thank you!