Before the NYC marathon was (finally) cancelled, Julia Burke decided to donate the amount she would have spent going to the city to run the marathon (entrance fee, travel costs, etc.–about $500) to the Red Cross instead. And she decided to run her own marathon in Buffalo, to raise money and awareness of the help people still need to recover from Hurricane Sandy. Now that the NYC marathon has been cancelled, she’s still going forward with her plan. What can you do to help?
- Make a donation to the Red Cross or to the mayor’s fund at nyc.gov.
- If you are in the Buffalo area or can make the trip, join Julie tomorrow (Sunday) morning on her run around Delaware Park. She’s starting at Meadow Drive at 8 am. At least go cheer her on! Find out more at the Facebook event page.
- Not near Buffalo? Start a solidarity marathon in your area to raise funds and awareness. Post about in the comments here and we will promote it. Be sure to leave a comment on Julia’s event page as well.
- Spread the word about what Julia is doing. You can share this post, the event page, or the article in the Buffalo News.
Every one of us can do at least one thing in this list, and maybe we can help make up for the lost time and resources spent before the decision to cancel the NYC marathon was made. Support Julia. She is truly inspiring.
Featured image by Michael Tapp.
These are all wonderful but they’re band-aid solutions in the long run. Did you know another strong coastal storm may hit again by next week? We can donate to the red cross but also should be screaming in the streets for climate change solutions, green initiatives and better infrastructure. Think 50 years ahead, not just 2 weeks ahead. Green NYC. Right now.
I agree. Even green NYC right now, in the grand scheme of things, is a band-aid solution for what is a massive global problem. I think we can easily fall into the trap of thinking the small things we do are enough, but the converse is true as well, thinking that the small things don’t matter when what we need is a much larger solution.
Every little thing we do does matter, not only in the cumulative effects but in the awareness it generates, the sense of being in this together, and the empowerment we need to take more steps and bigger steps.
If another storm is about to hit, that’s even more of a reason to do everything we can now to help the people already affected.
If helping people in the immediate situation is where our thinking stops, yes, that’s a huge problem. But it’s not an either/or decision, and sometimes helping in the small ways is a good step toward doing more.
Agreed 100% on this.
Some tend to hyperfixate on only the large picture, without realizing that even small efforts can count for something too.
Here’s one example, though it covers an entirely different subject matter (one which I hope can find it’s way onto this website):
http://wilwheaton.tumblr.com/post/34900181439/taelus-this-ladies-and-gentlemen-is-what-you
Love that tumblr post!
Not sure if this is the right place but –
Occupy Wall Street and interoccupy.net have Occupy Sandy up and running. They have organized a boots on the ground relief effort aimed at finding out what different areas need from the people who live there and identifying people/palces in the community who coordinate drop off and delivery.
http://interoccupy.net/occupysandy/
There is also a link for New Jersey:
http://interoccupy.net/occupysandynj/
Here is a list of the most urgent needs:
Blankets Candles Flashlights Lights Water Food Batteries Diapers and Wipes Gloves and Masks Rubber boots Shovels Cleaning supplies and bleach Trash bags Serving dishes and utensils Anything that produces heat Winter wear (jackets, hats, gloves, warm stuff)
Thanks for all the info! I added the links to a new post. http://skepchick.org/2012/11/you-saved-skepticon/