Dear Director Vogel and Superintendent Vietzke,
Our City Is Active…and with November Project DC (#NP_DC) around, it’s no coincidence we’ve been named fittest city for 3 years straight. We aren’t paid members of a club or gym. There aren’t any cliques or clubs. We welcome everyone. We share those historic four score and seven steps of the Lincoln Memorial with other locals out for a stroll, jog, or to catch a sunrise, with strangers and even with military recruits.
I run, bike, swim, hike, (indoor) rock climb, skydive, travel, etc; most of these activities I’ve done alone. November Project, as a whole, and November Project DC, specifically, has become my plus one. To simply #JustShowUp and experience an adventure, collectively give support to our active communities around the city, by volunteering or gathering to cheer at local races, or lending a hand or shoulder to a fellow tribesmen who’s experienced a hardship or tragic event.
I attended my first November Project DC workout on December 4, 2013 at the base of the steps nervous and anxious and excited and couldn’t be happier that I did. It’s been 133 weeks since that cold and early Wednesday morning, and I’ve spent every birthday with #NP_DC, as well as some major holidays including Christmas, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, and Veteran’s Day. And because of our warm up ritual (which includes a huddled bounce and a “Good Morning”), I even found some members of other tribes (Boston, NYC, and Edmonton, Canada) while waiting at the start of the Honolulu Marathon this past December, though I traveled and planned to run alone.
I checked my mailbox yesterday and in the AAA World Magazine July/August issue, there’s an article entitled Connecting the Country by Car written by Rebecca Rhoades (P. 26). It describes the inaugural journey of the National Park-to-Park Highway by members of the Good Roads Club and National Parks Service reps. And it made me think just how #NP_DC is taking a journey of it’s own while picking up family members along the way and we’re doing it all by foot. One step (read: stair) at a time. Hopefully you’ll will allow us to continue gathering at Lincoln Memorial and then #JustShowUp to try us out. I promise to run a “Lincoln Log” with you.
Thanks for your time.
All the best,
Tamara Dawson
