If you ever wanted to see the best possible face our towns could present to the public, you would be hard-pressed to find a better example than this past Saturday morning. Under bright, sunny skies and mild temperatures, 530 runners from as far away as Hoboken, NJ descended upon Saugatuck to take advantage of the 20th Anniversary running of the Mount Baldhead Challenge multi-terrain race.
Hospitality and welcome from over fifty volunteers and a similar number of professionals from our police, fire, and public works departments met the runners. This unique public-private team came together to make sure that “MBC20” was an organized, efficient, fun and, above all, safe event for all.
Mission accomplished! With few exceptions, everyone had a great race and enjoyed the party in Wicks Park afterwards. The event raised well over $75,000 for the main purpose of bringing the Boys & Girls Clubs proven programming to our school children here.
Rotary has been organizing this race since 2012. A committee of nine race directors “sweat the details” through weekly planning meetings six months prior to the event. Nearly everyone in the Club volunteers for some aspect of the race—to greet runners as they arrive, make sure they have the right T-shirt, serve as trail markers and guides, arrange water stops along the way, and work with our public officials to make sure that, in the event of an accident, immediate aid can be administered. We are surrounded by a host of friendly volunteers who help out. We call such folks “Friends of Rotary” and we’re mighty glad they are around.
What motivates these otherwise busy people go to such trouble each year to put on events like this? What’s in it for them?
The answer is as simple as it is profound: it’s FUN!
“Fun” in the sense that we genuinely enjoy each other’s company and we work well together. “Fun” in the sense that we each feel we are contributing a little to causes that directly help some of our neighbors in need. “Fun” in the sense that these kinds of events, especially the MBC, showcase the best our towns have to offer—the harbor, the river, the dunes, the Big Lake, the beaches, and trails of course. But you should hear what they say about the kindness, friendliness, and welcoming hospitality of our volunteers. It’s the people of our towns who bring back the runners year after year.
Imbedded in this wonderful picture Scripture calls “the peaceable kingdom” is Rotary’s ethic of “Service Above Self.” Our Club’s an antidote to the MSNBC-CNN-Fox madhouse/horror show that has taken over the conversation about what it means to be an American citizen. Rotary thinks citizenship doesn’t rest on politics. Instead, it’s about consideration and courtesy to fellow citizens. Each of us enables the freedom of the rest of us by living up to our responsibilities to be individuals of justice, equity, fair play, and service to the common good. We don’t give a flip about your politics. We just want committed hearts with willing hands to rise above themselves to serve others.
Guess what? It’s FUN! It builds a better community. It calls forth a brighter world. And it transforms us, too, into what my father used to call “solid citizens.”
I’ll conclude with Albert Schweitzer’s thoughts: “I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.”
–Jim Sullivan, Rotary Club President
