Author: Brian Fullford

Husband and a father of two. Graduate of UNF with a master's degree in philosophy and religion.

Fitness to Purpose

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Nitzer Ebb fans will get the title. They may also remind me the meaning of the song is probably not where I am going with this piece. And they would be correct. However the title alone does serve my purpose of pointing out the many ways in which you can satisfy both your need to get fit and to give back.

Years ago my good friend Chuck Schoonmaker asked me to participate in Jacksonville’s Gate River Run. A 15k (with a nice bridge at mile markers seven and  eight) seemed an impossible task but together we made it through. Now our pace was just fast enough to beat a snail but that was not the point. For me it was a watershed moment of proving what I could do physically.

That is not to say I was a lethargic sofa cushion. I played in a flag football league and engaged in a pick-up game of basketball from time to time. But participating in an endurance event requires a different degree of commitment and mental strength.

Once I had the Gate bug, running became part of my life routine. It was not until my friends Brian Thompson and Joe Peters approached me to take a leg of a sprint triathlon that I really began to understand what the draw was to these type of events. The interesting piece was not so much the sense of satisfaction you get from crossing the finish line (especially at a better time than your last) but also the sense of community and the inspiration from the other participants.

For example, after I finished last year’s Gate I fueled up and found a spot about 50 yards from the finish line. I wanted to cheer on my wife and our friends as they came by. What I was also witness to were pairs of obese competitors pushing each other to success along with few who fell along the route. Those injured, while bleeding and limping, had just as much intent on their faces as those who had finished much earlier.

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Change-Can Helps Ponte Vedra Beach Rotary Club

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I will not lie, it was cool to introduce myself as a representative of Change-Can to the volunteers that came out. There was also an opportunity or two to talk about our vision which in turn fostered feedback.

My friend Chuck Schoonmaker is the president of the Ponte Vedra Beach Rotary Club. In a monthly meeting we have he shared that PVBRC activities are always open to whomever might like to lend a hand. When he posted on Facebook that they were having a clean-up of the Intercoastal Bridge off 210 I jumped at the first opportunity to act on behalf of Change-Can.

The weather was sunny, not too hot, and the people were great. Chuck also supplied Starbucks coffee and caffeine always helps motivate.

A big thanks to the St. Johns police representative and to all the motorists who drove safely as we walked the bridge along with the forwarding and following roads. I also need to give love to all the cyclists on their morning ride that waved and offered verbal support.

I coveted many bikes.

You can find pictures of the event here. Thank you to all at the PVB Rotary for making me feel like one of the group. I look forward to helping out at future activities.

What is Change-Can

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It started like this…

1. Buy a can of soup.

2. Cook the soup.

3. Eat the soup.

4. Clean the can.

5. Start collecting change in the can.

6. Once filled up, donate the money to your favorite charity.

Something so simple, right? Maybe not original but it was new to me when my good friend Chris Gandy pitched it to his Philosophy class. It inspired me so much I decided to run with the idea and expand upon. Seeing the double entendre  to the phrase “Change Can”, I expressed to Chris a plan by which we could generate some type of grass roots charitable organization\group which serves to look for areas that we can change.

Chris was already in the throes of  his own good works efforts and my speaking up was simply a confirmation that he might be on to something. I personally have been wanting to do something with him for years as graduate school and work had pulled him from Jacksonville, FL to other parts of America (he now resides in Silk Hope, NC).

The birthing process is not yet complete but we are not short on targets. Food pantries are a shared love so our initial focus is there. However, since coaching youth football I have always wanted to start a Pop Warner Scholarship fund that would pay registration for at least one child.

Through the feedback of friends we have been able to find simple areas of need such as helping a local Rotary Club or assisting at the USO. It is not a matter of being part of the organization, but simply finding a need and volunteering time. People do it every day but some might be oblivious to how easy it is to take a few hours out of a Saturday or Sunday.

I know I personally am a bit ignorant as to what is out there outside my little tidal pool, along with how to actually manage a charitable group.

Another gem of an idea from Chris is what you will find below. I am copying from the Change-Can site he created (http://blogspot.change-can.com). It exemplifies the idea of using something small to generate change. Or as my friend Greg Stritch stated – Don’t try to cover too many dots. You empty stretching yourself too thin and you end up covering none at all.

I ask anyone who reads, follows or participates for patience. Chris and I are both learning as we go. Our goal is to earn the trust of those who will donate money. Beyond that we hope Change-Can will become a lifestyle that others will drive in their own towns. A penny, nickel, dime, quarter or dollar at a time. A day picking up trash, gathering fruit that might go to waste or simply taking away someone’s sense of being alone.

Change can also be sharing tips on starting a garden, home repair or fitness. Apathy is our enemy. You decide, is it going to change for the worse or for the better?

For our first official initiative, here’s what we’re proposing. I have 142 friends on Facebook, and I’m guessing that each my friends has at least the same number of friends. You do the math, but that’s just over 20,000 people, and they have friends, etc. Let’s see if we can get everyone to donate $1 for a charitable cause. Even if only 10% responded, that’s $2000, which is a significant amount and could do a lot of good.

The second part of this proposal requires an act of faith on everyone’s part, as I would like everyone to send us $1 in the mail by a certain date – let’s say one month from tomorrow (August 13). At that time, we’ll take the money to the bank, have a cashier’s check issued, and mail the donation to our charity – courtesy of the Change Can group. We’ll keep detailed records, provide receipts for the individual donations, notify everyone when the donation has been made and provide copies of all documentation. Of course, everyone could make a $1 donation online to the same charity, saving a stamp and envelope in the process, but we like the tangibility of letters and the impact of one large donation.

Please forward this note to all of your friends (think of it as spam with nothing but the best of intentions). We appreciate your support. Let’s do something good.
Change-Can

c/o Chris Gandy and Brian Fullford

PO Box 303, Pittsboro, NC 27312