‘Volunteers Strengthen Our Community’ ft. Ashley Burr
As we celebrate National Volunteer Week 2023, I wanted to take time to reflect on this year’s theme, ‘Volunteering Weaves Us Together.’ At Up and Running Guelph, we rely on our dedicated team of volunteers to donate 4500+ hours each year to deliver our walking and running programs to over 250 participants. Our volunteers play a significant role in both our organization and our community by sharing their time and talent. It is also important to recognize that Up and Running Guelph volunteers help make our community strong and vibrant by helping folks find friendship, develop trust, and gain belonging.
Volunteering makes us more deeply connected to our community and creates a sense of unity. At Up and Running Guelph, our volunteers join our team for many different reasons. With permission, one of our running coaches, Ashley Burr shares what inspired her to become a volunteer. For more information on how you can get involved as a volunteer with Up and Running Guelph, contact me directly at kelly@upandrunningguelph.ca.
Up and Running Coach and 2023 Secret 3K Guelph Race Director, Ashley Burr. Photo Credit: Secret 3km
Running has been a lifelong activity for me. With Up and Running Guelph’s focus on positive mental health and being outdoors, I knew from the moment I came across the organization that I had to be a part of it.
As a young person and a survivor of sexual assault, running has always been a way for me to get out of my negative thoughts, release tension, and feel strong. There are days when the last thing I want to do is get my shoes on and head outside for a run. On these days, I focus on how good I know it will feel to have the stress fall out of my body with every stride, occasionally pushing me to run faster. I also remind myself how empowering it is to feel exhausted after really trying hard. When the weather is terrible and I make myself go out, I often see something phenomenal, like the time I saw three bald eagles in a tree by the river in the middle of a very bad snowstorm. Things make more sense in my mind when I have finished a run and sometimes I even put off big decisions until I have come back from a run. I do not get these benefits if I do a treadmill run; I need to be outdoors.
This is why I volunteer with Up and Running Guelph. I have a coaching background and think it is great to have women supporting women in athletics. It is a bonus that we are outside and in nature. We are a team out moving and supporting each other, talking about serious topics or not-so-serious topics or not talking at all. Sometimes we stop to admire large birds or different forms of nature. We run in terrible weather, questioning why we are out. But, we are out running and laughing about it. We are safe, we are supported, we are strong together, and we are having a good time.
I know I am not alone. When we are out on the trails, other women in the group often share that they run because it makes them feel strong, makes them feel happy, and, most importantly, because they can. I always look forward to joining my Up and Running Guelph team!
In addition to walking and running outdoors, Ashley Burr also enjoys horseback riding.
Photo Credit: Ian Woodley
