By Bryce Gaudian
Guest column

Local individuals, as well as area businesses and a network of folks across the country, graciously gave $11,339.40 for the Youth Villages Running Program through my latest running effort in the St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon on Dec. 3, 2011.

Youth Villages is a national leader in helping children who struggle with the effects of abuse, neglect and trauma.

There truly are just so many positive benefits to running, and the running program at Youth Villages, which I was able to hand deliver all these gifts to the day before the race, has had enormous success with offering young people the opportunity to realize these benefits, which include fitness, setting and reaching goals, stewardship of their bodies, positive competitiveness, fulfillment, camaraderie, the development of an edifyin lifetime activity and so much more.

What ended up transpiring in the run on the streets of Memphis, Tenn., with one of the 17-year-old teens involved in the Youth Villages’ program are the most profoundly inspiring moments in my 37-plus years of running. During the entire race, one could just see and sense that this young man had been so deeply touched by the lives of the staff, volunteers and mentors with Youth Villages, and that the perseverance he exhibited in giving that half marathon run his heart and his all, was the same perseverance and heart he was going to give to being an emotionally healed young man who wanted to go to college, develop a livelihood, establish his own healthy family and be a constructive and contributing citizen, and, in the process, an encouragement and inspiration to others.

It was an absolutely beautiful thing to witness as we ran side by side and stride for stride the entire 13.1 miles and crossed the finish line together in a time of 1:48:26.

While touring Youth Villages, I was also able to see where the 5,300-plus running shirts (almost $100,000 worth) from 32 states and 38 foreign countries on all seven continents (including Antarctica and the North Pole marathons), sent in response to the separate effort reported on earlier in the Tribune, are being stored and, in periodic intervals, being given to the kids in the Running Program.

While there, I was also given the gift of being able to run several miles with about a dozen of the kids at their Youth Villages Dogwood Campus. You could both sense and see the pride in these kids’ glowing faces as they ran around the track, adding to their miles which are logged, advancing them to the 100 Mile Club, 200 Mile Club and so on. There are many needs for the kids in the running program, including good socks, running shorts, appropriate running shoes, race entry fees, transportation to races and special banquets to recognize the kid’s achievements, among others. The money contributed will go a long ways in encouraging and further inspiring these precious kids.

The young people at Youth Villages are daily being equipped to persevere through their whole lives ahead of them. There are so many life lessons to be learned in a race, and through running in general, like enduring, dedication, determination, overcoming obstacles, knowing you’re not alone, encouragement, fulfillment, character, perseverance, stamina, the joy of positive achievement and stick-to-it-iveness.

Youth Villages is an extraordinary nonprofit organization, which has been involved for 25 years now in helping children and families live successfully. I am so incredibly grateful to those who so graciously came alongside this effort to help bring encouragement and inspiration to the kids involved in their running program.