Walking to End Alzheimer's

If you've been following my blog these past couple of months (basically since I started it) you know that last Saturday was the Alzheimer's Association 2010 Memory Walk in Wilmington, DE.  I was really excited about this walk because I was excited to be doing something to help those with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.  The bf and I ended up raising $775 for the walk... our team goal was $750... so we were able to exceed that which made me super happy!

The Memory Walk was not at all what I expected because never in a million years did I think that so many people would be there to walk.  Sure I know that lots of people do things like this, but they are usually to support breast cancer, leukemia, etc., you don't hear about the walks that are in support of the lesser known diseases (like Alzheimer's). 

Park Full of People Waiting for the Walk to Start

People Walking Behind Us During the Walk

The 3 miles went really quickly and I was really glad that we were able to do this.  It was also really nice that one of my best friends came down from Philly to walk with the bf and I.  Having the support and encouragement of so many of my friends is definitely what made this walk all the more special for me.

NS, the bf, & I Before the Walk Started

NS & I at the End of the Walk with the Pirate Ship

Overall the walk was very successful and I felt GREAT after it was over.  A BIG THANKS to everyone who supported and encouraged me throughout this.  Can't wait until Memory Walk 2011!!

The Spirit of Giving

Once again this having a lot of free time on my hands has made me think... I want to get back into volunteering.  I used to volunteer ALL the time when I was at Bucknell.  Partially because being a Chi O meant that because of Bucknell's Plan for Prominence I had to do a certain number of hours of community service to avoid facing consequences in the sorority, but also because I enjoyed doing it.  I enjoyed helping others and always went above and beyond the number of required hours.  So in remembering that spirit of giving that I embraced while I was in college, I decided to start volunteering again. 

The first thing I have decided to do is to sign up to do a Memory Walk on October 9, 2010 in Wilmington, DE.  The Memory Walk is a 3 mile walk that is organized by the Alzheimer's Association to raise money and awareness about Alzheimer's disease.  For anyone who has read my previous post you know that this is something that is very important to me and I'm actually super excited to do this walk.  I'm forming a team... so anyone who wants to join check out My Memory Walk Page from which you can get to the team page to sign up to walk with me!  From my page you can also make donations to the cause.  Any help and support that I get for this will be greatly appreciated.

I have also decided to fill out a volunteer application for the Delaware Make-a-Wish chapter.  Chi Omega is nationally affiliated with Make-a-Wish and during my time at Bucknell I participated in a number of events that went to benefit our wish children.  To me that was so gratifying, being able to help a sick child obtain their one last wish.  I think it will be a great opportunity for me to get re-involved with Make-a-Wish and I'm really hoping that they have something that I can help with.

Though being unemployed is scary, it is also giving me some good insight into what I want to do with my life.  I remember why I loved helping people and it makes me realize that I probably am best suited to a job in some sort of public service... be it at the Attorney General's office, the Public Defender's office (who am I kidding, I'd make a horrible PD, but ya never know), or some sort of legal aid agency, I think I was meant to use my law degree to help people and will not be pursuing my original goal of working for a corporate firm or some international business.  Of course I could change my mind about this all again, but something tells me that I really was meant to use my degree to help people, and for now, that's what I'm going to try to do.