The Morning After.....

If ever there was a case of the 'Little Engine That Could'...I would have to say it was me yesterday. The big day was upon me. I was setting off to participate in the British 10K London Run. As I took the train into London, butterflies were flying wild in my stomach and in my head. "Do I approach the day with trepidation or determination?" Those were a few of my thoughts as I stepped off the train at Waterloo station. I don't think I can print the others. :)

That said, I was doing this for a very good cause and my steps then took on a more even and determined pace as I set off to meet the rest of my Team at St. James Park. They were all smiles, as they always are, one of the things I love about Aussies. I agreed to participate in this event with the Australian Women of London Club of which I am happy to be a member. We were raising funds for CCLEF, more on that here.

With our race cards on, toilets runs behind us and water bottles in place we set off to the start line.
I intended to power walk this event, as my friends well know, I am not a runner. Then a funny thing happened on Piccadilly Street....the crowds were massive, the excitement in the air was contagious and as we passed the start line it was hard not to break into a jog. The support along the sidelines was to exciting to resist. I was good to go...at least part of the way.

We all separated, the runners, the joggers, the walkers and because I had set my own pace I found myself alone (as alone as you can be in a crowd of 10,000) but that in itself was the most interesting part of the event for me. Back and forth, walking, jogging, running, walking. I realised I could do it.

When I started to wane at the 6K mark I took off to the side, plugged in my iPod and set off to the music of Adele...the rest was easy. You can check out her music here.

I may have looked like a silly middle age woman in my bright yellow T-shirt, mini-back pack, fanny pack (for my iPod) and sporting a Heidi hairdo with my bandana pushed back to keep my hair off my face whilst holding my iPhone above my head taking pictures along the way but I was doing my thing and having fun.

In the midst of it all, I started thinking of my blog and posts and photos and friends and somehow the time and distance just passed. I thought of how it feels when you want to throw the towel in, you have had enough and can't be bothered and one phrase came to mind 'A Woman of Substance'. I have no idea where it came from, but I kept saying it over and over again... "I am a woman of substance and I will not give up." Can I just say, that if you ever feel that way yourself, hold your head up high and use it as your 'mantra'. Put yourself there and don't let go. For we all are women of substance..we have heart and gist.

I was never so happy to see the 9K sign..past Big Ben, Parliament House, Westminster Abbey and we were in the home stretch. I picked up the pace and ran past the finish line. Heidi was Happy!

So here I sit, the morning after, at my window, looking out at my garden, typing on my iPad. Achy, sore and thinking of the next run/walk/jog. I think I can, I think I can, I know I can....for I am a woman of substance, just like you!

Note:
A special thanks goes out to all the friends who supported me and this great cause. We have nearly hit our target number. If you would like to help talented young girls living in impoverished conditions get a secondary school education...you can help us here. They are young girls destined to be women of substance one day.   :)

I won't forget....

Our bright yellow T-shirt.

The band playing.

Waiting to START on Piccadilly Street

The view in front of me...

The view behind me.....

The spirit in raising money for charity.

I just loved these two!

A few shots whilst running and holding 

my iPhone over head to take a photo...

The view from the FINISH line...

Lord Nelson welcoming us.

My last parting shot leaving St. James Park 

before catching the train home. 

images~me

Today I rest!

Best wishes for a lovely day to you all!!

A Remarkable Woman...... A Remarkable Cause

A story...
Have you ever met a remarkable woman? I am sure many of you have and in fact I am sure you all are. For me it happened a few weeks ago, whilst attending a meeting of a women's group I belong to,
The Australian Women's Club of London.

Women making connections...
The AWC is a group of Australian women and those with Australian connections who are making the most of their time whilst living in London. We meet regularly, in cafes, art galleries, museums, historic homes, gardens...the list goes on. It has been a pleasure getting to know them all.

Women raising money...
We also raise money for the CCLEF (Commonwealth Countries League Education Fund).  The CCL works for the rights and interests of women in the Commonwealth Countries. Our primary focus is the CCL Education Fund, an organisation that sponsors bright needy girls to give them equal opportunities for secondary/high school education in their own countries. The CCLEF have been able to help over 3000 girls in 30 countries to date and my aim is to help them increase that number. If you find that overwhelming, I admit I did as well and then I met Ladi and listened to what she had to say.

A remarkable woman...
What can I say about Ladi? She is a remarkable woman. In 1988, in her home country of North Central Nigeria, she benefited from the CCLEF. She was the young girl, who was identified as bright and needy, who if not assisted, would be living in very different circumstances. The CCLEF opened the door  to an educated life for Ladi. In fact, it was the students of Burntwood School in Wansworth, South West London who made the difference for her.  They raised money to give her a chance.  She took that chance and made the most of it. On completion of her secondary education, Ladi went on to put herself through University and now holds a Masters Degree in Management. So grateful and eager to help others like her, she is now working for the CCLEF in support of helping other girls reach their full potential. Her message is clear... 'Support a girl and you support a family, community and country'.
You can read more about Ladi, here.

A remarkable cause for girls....

Ladi has put her name to a brilliant initiative to raise funds for girls like her. 

A Thousand Schools for Thousand Girls

She asks one simple question.. What if?  

What if we could find a thousand schools to each support one girl? 

What if 1000 schools helped 1000 girls like Ladi?

In Ladi's words...

"What if we could find a thousand schools to each support one girl? What a splendid revolution we would start! You do not need a lot of money to make a difference, get your school involved, do fun stuff and raise money to help change the course of history. You are capable of starting a massive wheel of change, you cannot leave it to someone else; you can cause change to happen! Sponsor a girl today and see the difference you would make to lives, communities and nations.

From Pakistan to Papua New Guinea, Guyana to the Gambia, Bangladesh to Botswana, The Solomon Islands to St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago to Tanzania, Ghana to Grenada and beyond, the girl child needs your help and support! Join us in being part of the Thousand School for a Thousand Girls Initiative!"

As you can see, Ladi's story touched me. I respect her commitment to the young girls she helps, being a recipient of the funds herself, she is a shining example of what can be.

Women getting involved...
Having traveled to some of the countries Ladi mentions above and hating to see opportunities for change passed by, I got involved. Small steps, but I believe each step can make a difference. Our family is supporting three girls and I have joined Team AWC in the ASICS British 10K London Run on 11 July 2011 to raise funds for the Thousand Schools for Thousand Girls initiative.

GO TEAM AWC!

I am going to put on my all time favourite runners/sneakers 

and doing the talk/walk/run to the finish line.

Team AWC is ready to spring into action. 

Actually, to be honest, it may be more of a power walk and talking for me...

but I am ready to spring into action none the less!  We set a financial target 

and are busily working away at it. If you can help, we would be delighted!

A little bit goes a long way. From just £10.00 to buy pens and pencils for a year

to £100.00-£450.00 to pay school fees for a year. If you know of a school in the UK that

would be interested in participating in the Thousand Schools for Thousand Girls initiative,

please contact Lady Dariya via email at fundraising@ccl-int.org. 

She would be delighted to hear from you!

Lastly, from Ladi...

I asked Ladi if I could share her recent letter to us and she was happy for me to do so.

Dear All,

You girls have gone beyond amazing I am at a loss for words ( this seldom happens) to express my appreciation for what you are doing to change lives!

I know first hand, how hard it is to ask for money; I also know first hand how important it is to bite the bullet and just ask. It is the courage and the strength and the giving and the go-getting of women like you that make women like me and my gratitude and admiration knows no bounds.

Our girls who know what goes into raising the funds for their education are full of wonder at your strength of character and spirit.

On behalf of our girls whose lives you have given new meaning and those whose lives you will change as you run; Thank you ever so much!

Very warm regards,

Ladi

GO TEAM AWC!

Target: £5,000.00

Raised so far: £1,770.00

To support us, click here

To my friends... 

Thank you for your support, both in my last post and today!

Jeanne xxx


images: 1-2 via me
You Tube
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