It's race time again - and this year also time to give back! Give me a boost for Boston - and support a good cause!
Yes – it’s the time of the year again! Spring is there – and that means the oldest still running marathon is on! This year will be my second go at Boston after qualifying back to back. Last year an injury stopped me last minute – but this year everything is set for giving a go at the unicorn! The hard part is over: training is done, tapering started. I’m ready and I really do look forward to cross the finish line at Boylston street – and become part of the 120th edition of this historic and iconic race!
With 2 weeks to go I decided to go an extra mile – and for the first time to raise money for a race. First week with personal mails and the last week on social media. This sounds easy - but actually for me a harder part than the training: going out and ask for money is way out of my comfort zone. But marathons thrive on the support of the local community – and Boston has had this support already for 120 years! I wanted to give something back to the town and its people. It’s the Bostonians volunteers that make this race possible and the Bostonians crowd who will help me to finish with all cheering along the way. So I decided to raise money for an organization that does great work in the local communities – and is located right at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
This organization is The Theater Offensive, iconic in itself – having with True Colors the longest running queer youth theater troupe. And by chance it was founded in an iconic year: 1989, the very same year that changed my life and many lives in Europe, as the Berlin Wall came down that year.
The Theater Offensive uses art to present the diversity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender lives - to break through personal isolation, challenge the status quo and to help building thriving communities. Its program for youth, True Colors focuses on at-risk lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) and straight allied youth who are trained in Community-Engaged Theater Arts and leadership skills. The youth then create plays based on their training and their personal stories, and they tour these performances to schools and community groups across Massachusetts to show their peers the issues that young LGBT people, particularly youth of color, are facing. It’s all about being visible and dialogue – to create safer communities and to break down walls.
You might say what is the need for this, don’t we have equal rights? Yes, on paper. But especially in those communities reality is different and people that differ are at risk of being homeless, bullied and discriminated against.
The work that Theater Offensive does empowers youth and gives them tools to create change. It’s really inspiring to me, and I hope you’ll consider supporting their work by sponsoring me in this year’s Boston Marathon.
Every penny counts, nothing is too small to matter! To make a donation, please visit my page.
Thank you so much for considering supporting me in the Boston Marathon!