A new personal discovery…

The past few years I have been on the search to find something that really helps me in giving back to my community. From participating in Relay For Life with the American Cancer Society to Lone Star workshops with F7 Group, I have given my time but not felt like I had found the right place where I best felt my capabilities were used to the point where I personally felt refueled every time I attended an event. These organizations are all amazing, but personally I felt like I was lacking something within and I still am involved with them both.
Out of the blue last year an e-mail was sent to me for a training camp through an organization I had never heard of before. Although I wanted to attend the event in the end I decided not to, but it was just the beginning of a surprising new chapter for me and my family. That e-mail opened a door that day, but we did not walk through it until a few months later.
In January we were made aware from an e-mail that the organization needed volunteers to help out with their Aid Station during the Houston Marathon. We decided to help out and it was an AMAZING feeling to help those athletes stay refueled and hydrated with 9 miles still to go until the end. That event was just the first that we would do with this amazing organization. Since we have become involved with Team Red, White, & Blue I feel like what I do impacts more than just a small group because we interact with Veterans and our community at large. Since becoming involved in January I have learned that I am capable of doing SO MUCH more than I could have EVER imagined.
Next year I will not be on the sideline volunteering I will actually be RUNNING the Aramco Houston Half Marathon. The thing is that a year ago I NEVER could have imagined that it was possible to do something like that, but SO MANY athletes that I have seen at the events I have volunteered at have inspired me to reach for new goals. It is AMAZING to discover that it is possible to run and to actually feel good running. Discovering that there is SO MUCH more in me than I EVER could have imagine has helped to boost my self-confidence and to set goals of things I had never imagined before.
Team RWB has a mission of Enriching the Lives of Veterans, but in my case being a part of them has enriched my life as well in just a few short 6 months. See you at the Finish Line of the Half Marathon and I will have my flag right there with me while wearing my Eagle with PRIDE!!!! God has truly blessed me with Team RWB this year.

What is Team RWB?

Our mission is to enrich the lives of veterans by connecting them to their community through social and physical activity. So what we do is “connect veterans to their community” and how we do it is “through social and physical activity”. And I can tell you that we are the best organization to help veterans make the transition from military to civilian life, bar-none. There is no other organization that allows for everyone- civilians, veterans- literally anyone- to have an immediate impact in the lives of veterans WITHIN their community- it’s better than wearing a yellow ribbon, better than a “thank you” and better than cutting a check. Why “social and physical activities”? Remember- we want to “enrich the lives of veterans”, right? So one of the key findings of positive psychology is that true happiness and life satisfaction comes from relationships. So when we formed Team RWB we kept asking- “how can we create relationships?” Especially for veterans in their communities- a large percentage of whom do not return home when exiting the military. Then, of course the physical benefits of keeping fit are well documented- but it’s really important for veterans because while there are many different ways to treat the invisible wounds of war there is no answer, no one-size-fits-all template. Except physical fitness. In fact, studies show that exercise can be as effective as pills and counseling. And what’s even better is that when you conduct exercise in groups there is a multiplier effect to that effectiveness. So what we found is that if we can create relationships and if we can create group fitness programs then veterans’ lives will be greatly improved. So that’s what we do- we create consistent, local social and fitness programs all over the country to properly connect veterans to their community in a way that promotes building and forming natural relationships (networks). The results are pretty incredible, my life is a testament to that fact. Check out our website for more info and some success stories. www.teamRWB.org ~Written By: Chris Widell, Director of Team RWB Houston Chapter