There is something organic about small children playing; it's a carefree innocence of joy and laughter looking to one another for acceptance and validation while wiping sweat from their brow and sharing smiles. It is during play, in a backyard or a dusty field in the back of town, where sportsmanship is fostered, character is developed, and the will to push harder is conceived. This rite of passage, to play as a child, is where lessons of working as a team, building camaraderie, enjoying victory, and learning the lessons of defeat are truly wholesome.
Sadly, as I write these words, there are millions of children who do not get the opportunity to play because their lives have been taken by slavery. As an American this concept was hard to understand, I was sure that slavery had been abolished hundreds of years ago and did not realize it was still going on with such ferocity today. Across the globe millions of men, women and children are enslaved, they are trafficked from one country to the next, bought and sold like common wares. Often they are used as sex slaves, young boys and girls in disgusting conditions forced to have sex with customers, hour after hour, day after day.
Not For Sale is an amazing organization that is dedicated to re-abolishing slavery around the globe. Their approach is three fold, they spread awareness, they inspire hope, then they encourage action. One program that has really spoken to me is Free2Play. It is a program designed to raise funds to build facilities and programs to rehabilitate children who have been freed from slavery through physical activity. While rehabilitation has many layers one of its most fundamental is physical activity - Giving children the chance to PLAY! With physical activity as a part of their rehabilitation these boys and girls gain confidence in themselves that is needed to find peace in their past and hope for their future.
Playing is an outlet that all children should have and I have decided to race my next Ironman 70.3 on September 26, 2010 in Augusta, GA with a pledge to help raise awareness of human trafficking and raise funds for Not For Sale's Free2Play program. This money will be sent to one of their many projects around the globe to fund facilities that promote healing through physical activity.
Since my family and friends are spread out to the 4 corners of the earth I have decided to put together a blog of my training and offer information and links of Not For Sale and their work to re-abolish slavery. I encourage each of you to visit their site and do your own research into this worthy cause. I will be posting a bit about my training and preparation for the race - I am able to laugh at myself and I encourage the rest of you to laugh along with me! I thank everyone in advance for their support.
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