On May 6, 2023, South Suburban Chicago Chapter celebrated Black Family Day by hosting a Family Fun Walk, Stroll, Run for our families at the Forest Preserves of Cook County Vollmer Trail. Leading up to the big day, the Black Family Day committee, led by Chair Kimberly Mitchell, engaged members by hosting “weekend workouts” at the same trail where the walk was held in order to train and prepare participants. Family members of all paces and abilities were welcome to join.
Race packets were meticulously curated with a heart-healthy theme and the contents included a custom performance t-shirt, personalized race bib, safety pins, Nuun electrolyte hydration packet samples, That’s It fruit bars, Biofreeze pain relief samples, coupons for Allure Medical Spa, L.A. Fitness, and Downs Fitness gyms, StrechLab brochures, a printed Know Before You Go newsletter, and a heart-healthy coloring sheet for our youngest participants.
More than just a 3.6 mile walk/run, this Family Fun Day also included a warm-up with Havoq Fit, a certified fitness training company owned by our Fathers’ Auxiliary dad Jason Williams. We were then graced with remarks about the history of Black Family Day by our National Program Director, Marvis Donalson. As we walked over to the trail entrance, participants were able to easily identify the start and finish line thanks to large display yard signs by Yard Lagniappe, owned by Mother Member Leslie Williams. The course was fully supported with committee members cheering, a hydration station stocked with mini water bottles, and a medical table with a first aid kit staffed by an on-site Member Physician. Children under 10 were required to stay with a parent or their Group Chair for the duration of the walk/run. Differently-abled children and adults were able to participate by walking at their own pace and could easily separate themselves from the crowd. Everyone also had the option to shorten their walk/run by turning around prior to the halfway point. Finishers of all ages were awarded custom medals branded with our Black Family Day logo.
Music by our Fathers’ Auxiliary dad DJ Robert “P Dyddy” Watson started our day and kept us dancing throughout the morning. Our featured vendor partner was StretchLab of Orland Park, owned by Mother Member Lenita Williams, who offered free professional-assisted stretches and instructional information about healthy stretch routines. Our finish-line festival celebration culminated with a hot breakfast, bounce house, and games, of which tug-of-war was a fan favorite. For our community service ask, we collected over 115 pairs of new and gently used shoes to donate to Soles 4 Soles, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing relief, fighting poverty, and creating opportunity through shoes and clothing donations.
