Team Congo PDX Cause + Event Rundown

On Saturday, November 16, 2013 Team Congo PDX participated in Cause + Event Portland, a local running/walking event which benefits the charity of the particpant's choice.  Team Congo PDX brought 47 team members to the event, and had participant's entered into both the 10K and 5K run, as well as the 5K walk and virtual walk/run.

Group photo!

$10 of each Team Congo PDX member's registration fee was a direct donation to Women for Women International's Congo program.  In total we raised$545, which is enough to sponsor one woman for one year, plus 40% toward a second one year sponsorship.  This amount represents each team member's registration fee and donations ($470 fees / $75 donations).  

Women for Women International's one year program in Congo provides women (mainly from the east) with job training skills, as well as trauma counseling as most women have been victims of sexual assault/violence, and upon graduation are given a micro loan in order to put their newly learned job skills to use.  (Team Fundraising Page).

It was truly a fun day, and the event was well planned. About 5 months prior to the event Team Congo PDX entered into a friendly side-challenge with Team Angel MS Warriors to see who could bring the largest team.

Team Angel MS Warrior Captain Charlie & Team Congo PDX Captain Amanda

The losing team was to complete an exercise of the winning team's choice. Although Team Congo PDX lost the challenge, The Angel's were great sports & did the 80 some-odd jumping jacks with us pre-race (a great way to get warmed up)!  Rumor has it the challenge is on again for next year (Save the date: 9.13.14 Cause + Event!)

The race course itself was brilliant in that it consisted of several out & backs and so you got to pass by & high five your fellow team mates as you passed by them.  A great way to recharge your running/walking spirit! 

The after-race celebration was also upbeat & much fun.

Team Congo PDX members warming by the heater pre-race

 I enjoyed being able to say hi and thank you to as many Team Congo PDX members as possible, and was inspired at the cross section of our team: co-workers, running friends, fellow activists, high school classmates...

A special thank you to the Never Again Coalition for helping to recruit Team Congo PDX members, and of course the the Cause + Event volunteer race committee, and in particular Race Director Amy Little.

If you'd like to support Team Congo PDX, you can join us for our annual charity group walk/run on International Women's Day (3.8.14): Click here to register.

Wonder Woman Syndrome

It's been a while since the blog muse has hit me, but I've been hit smack dab with it tonight, and so here I go.

This week while expressing my feelings of doubt, my consoler launched straight into a pep talk about how wonderful and strong I am....and I immediately put the brakes on the trajectory of this well-meaning pep talk, because my more vulnerable feelings do not negate my strength or self confidence.  It's okay to just feel and let your guard down.

Source:
http://shirtoid.com/5701/wonder-woman-logo/ 

 

And this got me to thinking.  It's a misconception that to be a strong person means that you never have moments of doubt, and that if you do you are somehow weakening or belittling yourself.  This is particularly true for self-confident women.  

While I appreciate that we live in place and time where it is more possible for women to blossom into their confident and strong selves**, I do believe that many succumb to Wonder Woman Syndrome, in that they feel it is a sign of weakness to express doubt, fear and even disappointment.  

This syndrome name just came to me tonight (hey I've been a Wonder Woman fan since I was knee high to a grasshopper), and I while it's admirable to be dubbed a wonder woman, I just want to put it out there that it's more than okay to doubt, fear, and let your guard down. To do so does not make you any less strong or self-confident. In fact, I would argue it's quite the opposite to do so.  For it takes a confident person to acknowledge their feelings, and frankly confident and strong people need to be able to have moments where they aren't the reliable ever resilient rock.  

Wonder Woman herself said it best,

You must let go of your arrogance. You may need help more than you realize. 

And so, to all of you strong, confident women (and men) out there, remember that moments of doubt are not moments of weakness.  They are moments when you let go of the arrogant belief that you can be completely 100% self-reliant.  We all, from time-to-time, need a rock of our own to lean on, and it takes a strong person to recognize that. 

**I must acknowledge that gender inequality is still prevalent in our world, however, the time and place within which I live has allowed me to become the woman I am today.  A woman who confidently uses her voice.