Free Fitness Movement. All you need to do is show up!
The time has come for another NP Homework brought to you by our friends at Knockaround and this one has a pretty sweet prize for the most creative submission! But before we get to that, let’s talk about:
Theme. “Runaround”. What does Runaround meant to you? Running fast? Running slow? Running in place? Running in circles? Running solo? Or with friends? There are no right or wrong answers so show us what you got! Runaround.
This week, we wanted to offer you the perspective of one of the members of the November Project community. We have asked our friend Sara Schulwolf to take pen to paper, or fingertips to keyboard, and tell us a story.
This heartfelt blog takes up a concern that we think a great deal of adults face as they continue to live – the feeling of connection. So, without further ado, our friend Sara.
We interrupt your regularly scheduled week of fun and excitement on this, the week of the 12th Annual Providence Marathon and Half Marathon (and 5k) to bring you a list of all the November Project awesomeness happening in conjunction with this race (#FREEFITNESS)
Fact – there is still time to register for the Marathon, Half Marathon, or 5k! When you sign up, join the team “November Project” – the password is “novemberproject.”
Leadership Support and Training:
Our leaders are our most important assets. Their willingness to selflessly wake up before dawn and lead workouts is the only reason that this movement keeps growing and prospering. It’s vital to us that we continue to provide them with support and resources so they can continue to excel in leading their city. One way we do that is by connecting them with other leaders at our annual gathering we call the Meeting Of the Minds, or MOM for short. At MOM, the leaders have the opportunity to share stories, learn from each other’s successes and failures, and foster relationships that transcend geographical boundaries and time zones. We discuss everything under the leadership umbrella such as creative ways to recruit new members, how we can improve inclusivity, ways to plan an efficient workout, as well as addressing ‘Corporate’ topics with strategic decisions that we at NP HQ are working on. We also bring in specialists who have a unique perspective on diversity and inclusion to challenge us to shift paradigms. And even though the hashtag #safetythird has seen its fair share of usage on social media channels, we take the safety of our members very seriously and offer CPR certification classes to every co-leader interested.
Day-To-Day Operations:
November Project, Inc. has two full-time employees, Brogan Graham and Bojan Mandaric, and one part-time contributor, Laura Green. This trio is in charge of all non-workout leading operations including, but not limited to, designing and executing NP strategy, planning and operating an annual budget, communicating with leaders, growing the new and existing NP locations, and collaborating with our sponsors, partners, and local communities. As we move into this new space, the job description is now expanding into the growth of the non-profit/youth program and fundraising that may require bringing on more hands on deck.
Administrative Cost:
And finally, the not-so-sexy yet extremely valuable tools associated with administrative duties which include website hosting and maintenance, accounting, legal expertise and compliance, mailing, and printing, just to name a few.
We hope this gives you a more transparent view on how your donations are used to grow the movement we all love and appreciate. If you’re interested in supporting November Project, click here.
Remember when it was freezing cold, and there was snow on the ground, and the sun didn’t come up at all? Yeah, that was like 3 weeks ago. Not today though!
This morning was the epitome of perfect. The sun was in the sky by 5:52. The grass was a little damp, and the bricks were too, but the 52-degree weather was exactly as great as we could’ve hoped for.
And it was PR day. Which is always the best day. The day when we push ourselves just a little bit harder to climb up 57 marble stairs, and then back down 57 marble stairs as fast as possible, to hit 40 sets within 40 minutes. Now is the best time of the year to do such things.
And it’s the perfect time to bring new friends, or call up old friends who may have hibernated through the winter – and we saw a few of them today.
#NPSUMMIT
This year’s annual gathering of all November Project members from around the world will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, November 15-18 at The Rock’n’Roll Las Vegas. The races on Saturday (5K) and Sunday (10K, 13.1M, 26.2M) actually shut down the iconic “Strip” and don’t start until the sun sets. There is so much more to come, but for now, plan to partake in various activities that will kick off with the workout on Saturday morning and conclude on Sunday night. We will be sharing NP-specific registration codes soon but if you’re so excited that you HAVE to register immediately, who are we to say no?
We’re stoked about all the incredible things that are ahead of us but for now, please join us in welcoming Brooks to the global November Project family!
Tomorrow, April 11, our incredible co-leader Holly gets married. For those of you not in the know, she and Jack changed our first “Hell Week” into “Heaven Week” when Jack proposed to her in the pouring rain, which was great because it masked me crying like a baby (I love love!)
We learned it in kindergarten, right? April showers bring May flowers…but this morning, co-leader Holly raised the question – what else does May bring?
I love the whole rebirth aspect of Spring. The snow melts (eventually.) It stops being freezing cold in the morning (eventually.) The flowers start to bloom, the grass turns green again, leaves appear. It’s this whole wonderful renascence* of life. Change is inevitable, after all.
If you have read today’s main blog post, you’ll have learned that after 4.5 years, the partnership between November Project and The North Face has come to a conclusion. Because change is inevitable (blog post here). We grow, we bloom. We evolve. This is just another facet in the continued evolution of a grassroots movement that over 7 years has taken over the globe. And we shall continue to evolve. But it with gratitude and grace that we say farewell to The North Face, and yet let’s maintain the mindset that they provided.
The cold is behind us. The warm is ahead. So it’s the perfect time to set your goals for the spring and summer. What are yours going to be? Is it to get out of bed in the rain and create memories? Is it to rally together and cheer on our team? Is it to run like the wind? Leave them in the comments.
Listen up NP this is your official save the date for The North Face Endurance Challenge Series NY May 4th and May 5th (your actual invite was lost in the mail, condolences). This race series is hosted at Bear Mountain, on a picturesque spot on the Hudson River. For those who haven’t been or heard about this race series (*gasp*) here’s what you need to know.
This past weekend, the amazing humans of Syracuse, NY, and November Project Syracuse, played host to November Project tribe members from all over the US and Canada (including a crew from NP Orlando, who experienced snow for the first time.)
To say Snow Globe was an incredible time would be an understatement. The planning and logistics for this event, put together by tribe leaders from Syracuse, Toronto, Buffalo, and Montreal was nothing short of perfect, and every single person who attended left with a greater sense of community, and a lifetime of stories to share with people.
This week, we’ve asked Jill Parrett to guest blog for us, and tell of her experiences in Central New York.
Without Further Ado….JILL!