MBC and Path4Teens: Help Us Help Kids at Risk
For 18 years the Boston Police Runner’s Club has provided programs for kids at risk and various community outreach. These programs provide safe and nurturing environments, encouraging inner city youth to make healthy choices and provide alternatives to gangs and acts leading up to incarceration. Path4Teens is one such program.
Path4Teens provides today’s tools for tomorrow’s leaders. Incorporating personal development and leadership development with an emphasis on community service learning projects, teens discover their gifts and talents. The most significant process is the creation of a mission statement. This becomes the foundation upon which they develop a set of life skills and begin to align their purpose and passion with a promising future. Aggregate data shows a 300% increase in the number of graduations from high school and a 49% increase in API scores from students participating in the Path4Teens program.
Once again, as Mark’s Barrel Company has done in the past, we are asking our customers to join us in supporting a worthy cause. It is easier to teach a child than it is to train an adult. Path4Teens is a program that taps the passion within teenagers by helping them to pursue their purpose. Our goal is simple, we want to raise as much money as possible before the start of the 116th Boston Marathon on April 16! In one week I will be toeing the starting line with some 30,000 men and women runner’s from our planet. We start in Hopkinton and wind our way through seven cities on our way to downtown Boston 26.2 miles later. Boston is THE premier marathon and one of the oldest events held. Some 2 million Bostonians will be cheering us on Patriot’s day and helping us get across the finish line.
Having a purpose drives us as adults. Do you recall when you first became aware of your purpose and the impact it had on your life? Running a marathon is just like that. I have run my share and I can tell you it is more meaningful process when I am running for something bigger than myself. In the past with your help MBC has helped build wells in Africa, serve the underprivileged in Mazatlan, Mexico, and provided a safe haven for street kids in Houston. Sponsor me, $25/mile or more, and help change the life of a teen. Your contribution is fully tax deductible [501(c)3-75-3240064.
Changing our planet for the better is as simple as changing one person at a time. Many teens do not have a sense of their purpose. The POWER of living one’s PURPOSE that is bigger than they are is a foundation for change. Help teens develop a sense of life skills that promote healthy and productive decision-making. Help them identify the core values that drive their behavior and give them a new lease on life. Thank you for your ongoing support of MBC Inc.!
To donate – Click Here>>> http://www.gofundme.com/irv0w
Read MoreIMTX – Possibilities In An Age Where There Does Not Seem To Be Any
For some, May 21, 2011 was to be the end of the world, but for me, it was in a way, the beginning of a lifetime of embracing the endless possibilities. These are my thoughts from IRONMAN TEXAS (IMTX).
For those who have done an Ironman, you understand a lot goes into getting ready for the race. The time spent training and planning, and the sheer impact it has on us, and those around us hard to comprehend. Completing an IM made my bucket list years ago when I saw a show on television. While running the New York marathon I had it in the back of my mind I wanted to do an IM in 2011 and somehow, someway, give something back to community where we competed.
Mark’s Barrel Company is going through some growing pains right now and I channeled some of those pains into my training. I made a commitment to donate money based on just how much we beat our goal time of 13 hours ($10 per minute under my goal). We chose the Freedom Place: A safe haven from child sex trafficking near Houston. (www.freedomplaceus.org)
When we arrived in Houston there was a distinct buzz in the wind. The race took place in the Woodlands, about 30-45 minutes North of Houston. 2700 people signed up to swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles, 140.6 miles in all. In short, we paid to exercise all day long! Thursday night’s banquet was packed, with nearly 6,000 people jammed into the convention space. Incredible testimonies from men and women who shared why they were doing the race were quite inspiring.
When Saturday rolled around it was hard to believe I had spent over four months training about 20 hours a week for that race! I ate my breakfast (can of tuna, and a large bowl of granola, yogurt, strawberries, and blueberries) and washed it down with some electrolyte water.
The starting gun fired promptly at 7 a.m. and some 5,000 arms and 5,000 legs started paddling towards the desired finish. An hour and four minutes later I was climbing out of the water and putting on my bike gear. 112 miles is a long time to be in the saddle. It is important just to hunker down and race your race. I was passed by several riders and passed a few my self. A little short of six hours I was greeted by the “dismount” sign. Music to my eyes! Another transition into my running gear and off I went into the 90-degree temps and 70+ percent humidity (in other words: Houston). It was hot! The volunteers and locals who came out to support us were awesome. The run course looked like a MASH unit at times. I just needed to manage my body (temperature, nutrition, emotions, etc.) one step at a time. Rounding that last corner and hearing those magic words: “Mark Schwietz, you are an Ironman!” was music to my ears.
I cannot describe to bond I felt with fellow racers. The commitment it takes to get across the finish line is significant and it has an impact, positive and negative on everyone around me. Setting a goal and accomplishing it cannot be under estimated. Along the way I discovered a lot about myself, and the support in my life in the form of my Creator, my family and friends.
In some ways I have opened yet another door on this journey of abundance. Possibilities. That is what completing IRONMAN Texas opened me up to. What God has in store for our business and me is greater than I can ever imagine. In gratitude for all those who support MBC and me personally, I will see you somewhere along the sunny side of the street.
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Youth Mission to Mazatlan, Mexico Sponored by MBC
In July MBC was asked to help sponsor the Christ United Methodist Church’s youth mission group’s trip to a village outside of Mazatlan, Mexico. Fortunately for me, I was able to be in a position to contribute to their trip two fold: One by donating monies to improve the facilities and secondly, by flying down as a chaperon for the two dozen youth from the CUMC program. The Salvation Army provides room and board to nearly thirty children, ages 4 to 17. These are not homeless children but instead, children who come from homes who can no longer support them. What an incredible experience for me. On our trip, three buildings were painted inside and out, some 30 meters of concrete was poured, roads were mended, some of their property was re-graded, and an overhang/roof was built. Quite a productive couple of weeks if you ask me, but the real work was watching the teens from the CUMC program connect, play, support, challenge, and “lift-up” their newfound friends from Mexico. Check out the article I wrote on the subject of water posted on the website for even more insight to this wonderful trip. The theme of our trip comes from John Wesley: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the places you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” What a wonderful life philosophy. When I put my own “house in order”, I am freer to doing such. I can be used as an instrument for a cause greater than myself. What a gift. Thanks CUMC for the opportunity. I will never forget it.