Challenges for a Cause
We’re building FytFeed as an authentic community to lift each other up and provide each other with encouragement to live more physically active and fulfilled lives. We use Challenges as a source of motivation and accountability. We ask, “What’s your Y?” We say, “Y not?” In many ways, we live by those two questions.
As we consider the purpose and direction of FytFeed, we have been thinking about ways to lift each other up both within the FytFeed community and in the world. Dennis and I often think about the privilege of focusing on our health as much as we do. As we often struggle to hit our health and fitness goals, we are also privileged that fitness goals are a part of our aspirations. As we develop challenges that bring our FytFeed community together to help push and drive one another to live healthier lives, we want to dedicate some of those challenges to helping people in need. Before we can focus on our health, our fundamental human needs must be met. All of this gave rise to the concept of Challenges for a Cause, where we will rely on the community to seal their commitment to some of our challenges by helping a worthy cause.
The Cause
Did you know that homeless people walk an average of 10-15 miles everyday? That is equivalent to a 20,000 – 45,000 steps count each day. For the month of March, our Challenge for a Cause will be based on keeping track of your steps to raise awareness and fundraise for ARCH, the Appalachian Regional Coalition on Homelessness.
ARCH serves as the first point of contact for homeless people in Northeast TN and Southwest VA across 9 counties. ARCH utilizes resources from their own clothing and food bank when they can, and they also work within a Continuum of Care to meet the needs of the homeless population by pairing them with the correct partner to get the care and resources they need. However, ARCH finds itself struggling for fiscal balance despite the Continuum of Care strategy. Financial donations from the community can help ARCH provide special resources in times of unique and special needs. As Doug Murray, ARCH’s Outreach Chair, explained: ‘There are several special, but common, needs that do not fall under the services of the Continuum, for example, if someone decides they want to reunite with their family to receive help and they need a bus ticket. We need funds to get them that ticket.’ ARCH works endlessly through several programs such as grant writing, on-the-ground care going into the community to personally reach out to people in need, and providing housing opportunities for persons with AIDS.
The Challenge
At the end of each day, plug in your daily steps count into the challenge found in the FytFeed app. The challenge will add each day’s steps to your personal total. Achieve 7,000 steps each day for 217,000 steps in March. When it gets hard, just remember the average homeless person painfully walks 20,000-45,000 steps each day.
The Y
Everyone’s personal journey is unique, and we often teeter between being too hard on ourselves and making excuses. This challenge is meant to help others as we better ourselves. Empathy gives access to gratitude, and gratitude makes room for progress and growth. Many of us struggle to hit our daily steps goals. How grateful can we be for the opportunity to hit a steps goal that is sustainable to our health. How grateful can we be that our steps goal is a choice. If you want to commit to a daily steps goal throughout the month of March, and you want to help raise awareness and/or funds for the homeless population in Southeast Appalachia, we encourage you to download the FytFeed app and join March for ARCH.
