The Sheffer Stevens family in the Race to Deliver

“I was familiar with God’s Love We Deliver because friends of ours had been volunteering on Thanksgiving for a few years. I love to exercise, but I’d never been a runner at all and knew I would be more prone to actually run if I was training for something, and even more likely to log the miles if I committed to a higher purpose, like a charity race… especially if I told all my friends they had to donate to support me. So I signed up for the Race to Deliver, telling myself I couldn’t wimp out.

On race morning, I was blown away by what a huge event it was. It was really exciting! There was such a palpable spirit to the event – I was totally hooked.

The next year my husband joined (and by “joined,” I mean “completely smoked”) me in the race, and our son had a blast in the Kids’ Fun Run; his little sister entered the following year. A number of other friends and family have run with us too. We wouldn’t miss it! Except for 2011, when we were living in L.A. – and our kids were appalled that we were not all flying back to NY for the Race to Deliver. They look forward to the Race like Christmas; it’s a major annual milestone for them.

This period of our life, as working parents with children, doesn’t allow much room for volunteer work. I look forward to time when we can be more involved with God’s Love. But in the meantime, we want our children to grasp the importance of supporting organizations that take care of people in need, even in some small way, even if you’re a kid.

The Race is such a special day. For a family, it’s a perfect convergence of wonderful and important things: a crisp autumn outing Central Park; a great incentive to stay in shape; a tangible opportunity to do something that helps people; and a great example of New Yorkers at their best: friends and strangers, young and old, world-class athletes and weekend warriors, exuberant walkers and hard-core fundraisers, united in a spirit of fitness and fun, to support a cause absolutely crucial to our city, and truly, indisputably Divine – God’s Love We Deliver.” ~ Jenny Sheffer Stevens

Jenny Sheffer Stevens tells us why she and her family participate in the Race to Deliver.