Kevin's Story

Donation Recipient: San Marcos Cross Country

HealthyHeart,

"A long time ago in a galaxy far far away... " I received a certified letter from an Andrew Graham, not Andy... Andrew. I thought to myself well, "it must be worth opening," especially when I had Artie repeatedly asking me, "Hey Kev, did you get your mail yet? If not, something will be coming." To my surprise, a nice little one hundred dollar bill fell to the ground as I read the letter. My first thought that went through my head was the movie Pay It Forward. I initially thought, "This will be easy to promote a healthy heart with one hundred dollars." Ha! Was I wrong...

I spent weeks and weeks and weeks kicking around different ideas. The most important thing for me through this experience was changing my thought process. From the beginning I kept thinking that one hundred dollars was not THAT much money and it would not be enough to actually make a difference. I guess that was fortunate Kevin talking. I had to look away from my own life and experiences to focus on the task at hand that was going to affect somebody else. Okay... ONE HUNDRED dollars, now that is a lot of money! Think about what that could buy. Once my thought process changed I knew exactly how I was going to approach this.

Many of you know that I am the head coach of the Cross Country and Track and Field team at San Marcos High School. I coach a lot of high school students that come from less affluent families that don't have extra money to spend on anything. I deal with students with shin splints, sore feet, sore knees, and sore ankles. My first question when I have this happen is, "How long have you had those shoes?" And my responses are always the same, "Since I was in eighth grade." "For two years." "Ever since I was in sixth grade." Wait a second, SIXTH grade? From one runner to another we all know one thing that needs to be in good shape are your running shoes. "AH-HA," I knew exactly what I was going to do. I would buy new shoes for one of my students. Sounds easy, right? NOPE! Who would I choose for this? Why would I choose that person? If it was a boy, would the girls be upset? If it was a girl, would the boys be upset? Instead of thinking and thinking and thinking, I decided I would actually split the one hundred dollars in half, so I could impact not only one person, but two!

At the time, my runners were desperately looking for motivation. I told them that I can only inspire, NOT motivate. Motivation comes from within. Currently, the athletic program at our high school is going through some pretty bad times, and we are in a complete rebuilding period right now. You know who feels this the most? Yep, the kids... This HealthyHeart experience couldn't have come at a better time. I had been watching two of my students throughout the entire season. At this point we were halfway through the season. The female runner that I was going to choose had been the best of the best against other schools in the county. She worked her butt off day in day out, and not only in the run. She trained just as hard in the swim and the bike. (Imagine that... another Tri-nut... ) This particular individual was definitely going to get a new pair of shoes, not only because she couldn't afford a pair of racing shoes, but she deserved it! She's worked hard, and the other individuals on my team need to see that hard work pays off! Did the other individuals get the point that hard work pays off? Absolutely! Did I notice a difference among the team after this experience? Absolutely! The male runner that I was going to choose was definitely not the best runner on the team. He had been the most dependable, honest, caring, and most importantly he was the most passionate about running and had the desire to get better. This kid absolutely loved running! He was never late to practice, always was a good role model for the kids who were acting out, and always was 100% focused at practice. This particular individual was definitely going to get a new pair of shoes, not only because he couldn't afford it, but he deserved it! I wanted the other individuals to see that when you are a leader, try your best, put everything into it, and are completely dependable that should be noticed. Did the other individuals get the point that this type of behavior pays off? Absolutely! Did I notice a difference among the team after this experience? Absolutely! So, these two individuals received a fifty dollar gift certificate for new pair of shoes.

I made a big deal about this "presentation" for these two individuals. The team was quiet and attentive. "Wwoah... Coach Chindlund is going to give away two fifty dollar gift certificates to Movin' Shoes?" And there it was…Not only did I make a difference for the two individuals I chose, I made a difference for the entire team! Not only did I make a difference for the entire team, I made a difference for myself. Like I said in the beginning, one hundred dollars IS a lot of money... look at what it can buy... How did I feel? As you can imagine I felt very warm inside knowing that I helped out two people with something they couldn't afford. However, I wanted to make a lasting difference with this healthy heart experience, something that went beyond the two new pairs of shoes. Did I accomplish this with my team and myself? Absolutely!