Challenge Complete: Foster the Bay 6 Day Fitness Challenge

Challenge week is over! Whew! Foster the Bay hosted a 6-day fitness challenge to raise awareness and funds for their organization, which partners with churches to raise up foster families in the Bay Area. You can read why I wanted to support this organization here. Each morning of challenge week (November 16-2), I was given a fitness challenge and the reason behind it. Here's how the week looked:

Monday: The Juggle

3 reps of 20 lunges in the living room, 3 reps of 20 jumping jacks in the kitchen and 3 reps of 20 shoulder taps in the bedroom. Why? Foster families juggle appointments with social workers and therapists, family visits, school calendars, trainings and a whole myriad of other responsibilities. This challenge reflected the chaos and exhaustion that foster families face.

This one wasn't too bad - but my legs did feel it by the end!

Tuesday: Peaks & Valleys 100 burpies. Why? Every person involved in the foster care system (case workers, judges, parents, foster families and the child) experience highs and lows along the journey. I did 100 Burpies to represent and remember those ups and downs. 

I don't have a photo of the burpies, but believe me when I tell you this one was a struggle! Wow, my arms, back and legs hurt all day and the day after. But I did it. I had to break it down into smaller sets of 10 but I finished!

Wednesday: Walking Wednesday Walk for 30 minutes and pray. Why? Foster care is one of the hardest journeys one can walk through. Walk 30-minutes (or more). You could also take the time to pray for those in the foster care community! Here are a few prayer points:

• Pray for peace, hope and love for kids in foster care across the Bay Area.
• Pray for wisdom, stamina and provision for Foster Families as they care for children in the midst of a pandemic.
• Pray for creativity, generosity and perseverance for Support Friends as they seek to provide critical help to Foster Families.
• Pray for the necessary resources for the mission of Foster the Bay to continue moving forward.

My body needed this day of walking. I had a dentist appointment that morning so I walked there... showed up with a very sweaty top (oops!). I enjoyed the walk and purposeful prayer time.

Thursday: The Bag Carry/role a packed bag or suitcase around the block three times. Then do 3 reps of dead lifts, over head press or other exercise with your bag. Why? The trauma that kids in foster care experience can be complex and heartbreaking - being removed from their family of origin, shifting across multiple homes, new family dynamics, new schools and new communities. This fitness challenge is a small reminder of what these kids walk through and how important it is for us to stand beside them in this difficult season of their life.
Foster the Bay strives to provide stability for kids in foster care by providing loving and safe homes until these precious kids are reunited with their families or find their forever homes. 

This one was a little awkward. I did the workout outside so it felt weird to do bicep curls, upright rows and dead lifts with my backpack (which weighed 13 pounds). But I did it! 

Friday: The 6,000
Run 6,000 steps. Why? At any given time, there are approximately 6,000 kids in foster care in the Bay Area. These are babies, children and teens who each have a name and a story…and every one of their stories matter to God.

I go usually do a 20 minute walk 5 days a week, and I've been working on running more but this one was definitely a stretch. This is the most I've run in a long time, maybe ever. It took me a little over 45 minutes to finish with lots of walking breaks. But I stuck with it and finished! I felt really proud of myself... and a little challenged to do something like this more often.

Saturday: 429
Do a combination of different strength exercises adding up to 429 repetitions. Why?According to the national average, a foster child will stay in foster care for approximately 429 days. As we cross the finish line of our challenge today, we’re going to reflect on these difficult days when they are separated from their families.

This one looked so daunting. 429 reps? Wowzer. I thought this would take me all day, but once I started it was easier to just keep going. Here's what I did (in sets of 20 with short breaks):

60 push-ups (on my knees)

60 plank knee-to-elbow

60 squats

60 crunches

80 jumping jacks

40 lunges

49 shoulder taps

20 tricep dips

I learned a lot this week. About Foster Care and about myself and what I'm capable of. I'm not one to push myself to do a hard workout so I just assumed I couldn't do it. But this proved that I could. Chris and I have been inching our way into finding out more about fostering in the city and now more than ever it's something I want to pursue. It's intimidating, just like these workouts were, but the purpose behind it and the child it impacts are too important to ignore.

I didn't reach my goal of $1000 (yet!), but I'm so proud of how much good we did! Thank you to all those that give. We raised $650!

If you are interested in donating, here's how:

Online Payment Page: 
https://pushpay.com/g/echochurchfosterthebay 
(Choose FTB 6-day Challenge from drop down and put my name in the comment line)
Mail a Check: Foster the Bay; 1172 Murphy Ave., Ste. 130; San Jose, CA 95131

Challenge week is over! Whew! Foster the Bay hosted a 6-day fitness challenge to raise awareness and funds for their organization, which partners with churches to raise up foster families in the Bay Area. You can read why I wanted to support this organization here. Each morning of challenge week (November 16-2), I was given a fitness challenge and the reason behind it. Here's how the week looked:

Monday: The Juggle

3 reps of 20 lunges in the living room, 3 reps of 20 jumping jacks in the kitchen and 3 reps of 20 shoulder taps in the bedroom. Why? Foster families juggle appointments with social workers and therapists, family visits, school calendars, trainings and a whole myriad of other responsibilities. This challenge reflected the chaos and exhaustion that foster families face.

This one wasn't too bad - but my legs did feel it by the end!

Tuesday: Peaks & Valleys 100 burpies. Why? Every person involved in the foster care system (case workers, judges, parents, foster families and the child) experience highs and lows along the journey. I did 100 Burpies to represent and remember those ups and downs. 

I don't have a photo of the burpies, but believe me when I tell you this one was a struggle! Wow, my arms, back and legs hurt all day and the day after. But I did it. I had to break it down into smaller sets of 10 but I finished!

Wednesday: Walking Wednesday Walk for 30 minutes and pray. Why? Foster care is one of the hardest journeys one can walk through. Walk 30-minutes (or more). You could also take the time to pray for those in the foster care community! Here are a few prayer points:

• Pray for peace, hope and love for kids in foster care across the Bay Area.
• Pray for wisdom, stamina and provision for Foster Families as they care for children in the midst of a pandemic.
• Pray for creativity, generosity and perseverance for Support Friends as they seek to provide critical help to Foster Families.
• Pray for the necessary resources for the mission of Foster the Bay to continue moving forward.

My body needed this day of walking. I had a dentist appointment that morning so I walked there... showed up with a very sweaty top (oops!). I enjoyed the walk and purposeful prayer time.

Thursday: The Bag Carry/role a packed bag or suitcase around the block three times. Then do 3 reps of dead lifts, over head press or other exercise with your bag. Why? The trauma that kids in foster care experience can be complex and heartbreaking - being removed from their family of origin, shifting across multiple homes, new family dynamics, new schools and new communities. This fitness challenge is a small reminder of what these kids walk through and how important it is for us to stand beside them in this difficult season of their life.
Foster the Bay strives to provide stability for kids in foster care by providing loving and safe homes until these precious kids are reunited with their families or find their forever homes. 

This one was a little awkward. I did the workout outside so it felt weird to do bicep curls, upright rows and dead lifts with my backpack (which weighed 13 pounds). But I did it! 

Friday: The 6,000
Run 6,000 steps. Why? At any given time, there are approximately 6,000 kids in foster care in the Bay Area. These are babies, children and teens who each have a name and a story…and every one of their stories matter to God.

I go usually do a 20 minute walk 5 days a week, and I've been working on running more but this one was definitely a stretch. This is the most I've run in a long time, maybe ever. It took me a little over 45 minutes to finish with lots of walking breaks. But I stuck with it and finished! I felt really proud of myself... and a little challenged to do something like this more often.

Saturday: 429
Do a combination of different strength exercises adding up to 429 repetitions. Why?According to the national average, a foster child will stay in foster care for approximately 429 days. As we cross the finish line of our challenge today, we’re going to reflect on these difficult days when they are separated from their families.

This one looked so daunting. 429 reps? Wowzer. I thought this would take me all day, but once I started it was easier to just keep going. Here's what I did (in sets of 20 with short breaks):

60 push-ups (on my knees)

60 plank knee-to-elbow

60 squats

60 crunches

80 jumping jacks

40 lunges

49 shoulder taps

20 tricep dips

I learned a lot this week. About Foster Care and about myself and what I'm capable of. I'm not one to push myself to do a hard workout so I just assumed I couldn't do it. But this proved that I could. Chris and I have been inching our way into finding out more about fostering in the city and now more than ever it's something I want to pursue. It's intimidating, just like these workouts were, but the purpose behind it and the child it impacts are too important to ignore.

I didn't reach my goal of $1000 (yet!), but I'm so proud of how much good we did! Thank you to all those that give. We raised $650!

If you are interested in donating, here's how:

Online Payment Page: 
https://pushpay.com/g/echochurchfosterthebay 
(Choose FTB 6-day Challenge from drop down and put my name in the comment line)
Mail a Check: Foster the Bay; 1172 Murphy Ave., Ste. 130; San Jose, CA 95131

Challenge Accepted: Foster the Bay Fundraiser

In 15 days I will begin a six-day fitness challenge to spread awareness and raise funds for an organization I have come to really care about. Foster the Bay is a nonprofit working to increase the number of foster homes available in the 10 counties that make up the Bay Area. They do this by partnering with churches, raising awareness of the need for homes, providing support and walking with families as they enter into this new endeavor and they also work with these churches to build support networks so these families are not doing it all alone. These support networks help gather necessary supplies (cribs, mattresses, clothing, etc) for new placements as well as bring meals, babysit, provide needed breaks and support. 

I heard about this organization through a couple at our church when they first started looking into fostering; then I found myself going to an interest meeting last year and feeling my heart strings being pulled to help in some shape or form. We invited the organization to speak at our MOPS group and share their vision and heart for foster kids, and this summer Chris and I attended their virtual fundraising gala. 

I have several friends from college who have fostered children and eventually adopted; my brother-in-law and his wife are also raising a foster daughter. I've wanted to be a part of caring for kids in tough places for a long time and I love that I get to watch others actually do it. I'm praying that someday we will be in a place to love and care for child in this way. 

But until then, I'm doing what I can. And that is bringing this to your attention. 

There are 6,000 children in the Bay Area in the foster care system. One of the biggest concerns is that there aren't enough foster homes in the area to keep these kids in their counties. So they end up being moved farther away and uprooted from their city, their schools, and nothing is familiar anymore. All of this (including being taken from their parent or moved from one home to another) is really traumatic for these children.  We can help. We can raise funds for this organization to reach more churches, more families that have a heart to help children to have safe and loving home and we can pray.

Would you consider sponsoring me on this challenge? I'm 25% to my goal already, so I know we can make it the $1000 mark in 2 weeks time! I have no idea what the fitness challenge will include, so stay tuned. I'll share more the week of November 16-21!

There are 3 ways to give:

Facebook Donation: 
https://www.facebook.com/donate/792093014680769/
Online Payment Page: 
https://pushpay.com/g/echochurchfosterthebay 
(Choose FTB 6-day Challenge from drop down and put my name in the comment line)
Mail a Check: Foster the Bay; 1172 Murphy Ave., Ste. 130; San Jose, CA 95131

Thank you!

In 15 days I will begin a six-day fitness challenge to spread awareness and raise funds for an organization I have come to really care about. Foster the Bay is a nonprofit working to increase the number of foster homes available in the 10 counties that make up the Bay Area. They do this by partnering with churches, raising awareness of the need for homes, providing support and walking with families as they enter into this new endeavor and they also work with these churches to build support networks so these families are not doing it all alone. These support networks help gather necessary supplies (cribs, mattresses, clothing, etc) for new placements as well as bring meals, babysit, provide needed breaks and support. 

I heard about this organization through a couple at our church when they first started looking into fostering; then I found myself going to an interest meeting last year and feeling my heart strings being pulled to help in some shape or form. We invited the organization to speak at our MOPS group and share their vision and heart for foster kids, and this summer Chris and I attended their virtual fundraising gala. 

I have several friends from college who have fostered children and eventually adopted; my brother-in-law and his wife are also raising a foster daughter. I've wanted to be a part of caring for kids in tough places for a long time and I love that I get to watch others actually do it. I'm praying that someday we will be in a place to love and care for child in this way. 

But until then, I'm doing what I can. And that is bringing this to your attention. 

There are 6,000 children in the Bay Area in the foster care system. One of the biggest concerns is that there aren't enough foster homes in the area to keep these kids in their counties. So they end up being moved farther away and uprooted from their city, their schools, and nothing is familiar anymore. All of this (including being taken from their parent or moved from one home to another) is really traumatic for these children.  We can help. We can raise funds for this organization to reach more churches, more families that have a heart to help children to have safe and loving home and we can pray.

Would you consider sponsoring me on this challenge? I'm 25% to my goal already, so I know we can make it the $1000 mark in 2 weeks time! I have no idea what the fitness challenge will include, so stay tuned. I'll share more the week of November 16-21!

There are 3 ways to give:

Facebook Donation: 
https://www.facebook.com/donate/792093014680769/
Online Payment Page: 
https://pushpay.com/g/echochurchfosterthebay 
(Choose FTB 6-day Challenge from drop down and put my name in the comment line)
Mail a Check: Foster the Bay; 1172 Murphy Ave., Ste. 130; San Jose, CA 95131

Thank you!