Run the Streets will particpate in the Run for Relief 5K in Bartlesville on Saturday, August 21, 2010.  Everyone needs to meet at the YMCA at 6:45 a.m. and wear your RTS shirt.  Make sure to confirm your registration with Joyce Stillwell.  Run for Relief benefits the American Red Cross and they've given RTS a 50% discount on registration.  The race begins and ends at the Red Cross office on Jennings by the downtown post office.  Get ready to race and we'll see you on Saturday.

I was running with a mentor during Season One and they said that their spouse had told them they were wasting their time with Run the Streets, that "those kids" would never change. After Trevor joined the website yesterday and I read his "About Me" posting, I started thinking that change is a relative term. That everyone has a different interpretation of how to measure change or success. It's our own preconceptions, which limit our ability to see change in others. If we only measure change with a stopwatch we’ve missed half the miracles that occur in RTS. I also thought (in a It's a Wonderful Life sort of way), you might never know how one of our lives might have changed for the better, simply by not getting worse.  

The beautiful thing about RTS is that out on the path, we are all equal. We all struggle with our thoughts and with our bodies. Being a judge or a principal doesn't make your run any easier and being a kid in the juvenile system, doesn't make your run any harder. We're all out there together in essence, trying to change our lives one mile at a time.  

Take a minute and go read Trevor’s posting then decide for yourself if we’re wasting our time in RTS. Trevor was a great kid before he ever laced up his sneakers (he refused to wear running shoes but could still bust out a 21 minute 5K) and he’s still a great kid. He just found something in RTS that clicked with him and made him want to stay on that path of change.

The Guru

Run the Streets is the recipient of two generous local grants including a $10,000 United Way Venture Grant and a $32,000 grant from the Washington County Anti-Drug Network. This is the second year for both grants and the grantors were impressed with the program outcomes from our first two seasons, agreeing to fund Run the Streets for our third and fourth seasons. Run the Streets will need to seek other revenue streams to sustain the program for upcoming seasons and our board will take the lead in pursuing other funding sources. Run the Streets expects to serve 100 youth and 50 mentors over seasons three and four. Visit www.bartlesvilleuw.org to learn more about how United Way helps in our community.

The RTS Board firmed up many details for the upcoming season of RTS at our meeting on June 22, 2010. Season Three will feature a fourteen-week training schedule beginning with the Kickoff Event on August 14th and concluding with the Route 66 Half Marathon on November 21, 2010. Check out the Calendar Page to stay up to date on our training schedule and race schedule. The Woolaroc Road Race committee has named RTS as a beneficiary of their race again this year. Check out the link to their website on the Links Page.

We’ve scheduled a mentor meeting for July 19, 2010 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Court Six at the Richard Kane YMCA and a Mentor Academy from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. on August 2, 2010, again on Court Six at the YMCA. Prospective mentors and returning mentors are invited to attend both events. Our new coordinator, Joyce Stillwell will be moderating the meetings as she officially assumes her RTS coordinator duties on July 1st.

We’re also checking into ordering new RTS gear including shirts/vests, drawstring bags, a canopy tent (w/ RTS logo) and RTS Support Crew t-shirts to sell as a fundraiser. Joyce is working on putting together a youth speakers bureau to do presentations on RTS to local civic groups.

If you would like to sign up as a new mentor or would like to volunteer to help with the Kickoff Event or other RTS events, email Joyce Stillwell at Coordinator@runthestreets.org. You don’t have to be a runner to volunteer, we have many other needs in the program.

The Run the Streets website is now up and running at www.runthestreets.org. We plan to use the site to increase public awareness of the program as well as to serve as a central hub for disseminating information and posting updates. We also plan to add a fundraising page and downloadable forms. You’ll want to check the News Page prior to races and RTS events for details such as departure times and locations. Members can register and post on the site as well. Enjoy the site and give us your feedback at RTSGuru@runthestreets.org.

Run the Streets finished up Season Two with 23 youth and 20 mentors finishing the Jenks Aquarium Half-Marathon on May 15, 2010.  We started the 18 week season on January 9, 2010, with 51 youth registered to participate.  Over the course of the 18 week season, RTS youth logged over 250 miles of running and participated in four races.  RTS hosted a Finish Line Party at the Westside Community Center on May 17, 2010.  All RTS youth received hoodies and trophies as well as burgers and hotdogs provided by Arvest Bank.  A drawing was also held with eight youth winning prizes ranging from Wal-Mart gift cards to an iPod Touch.