Location: Soldier Field
Date: Saturday, June 01, 2013; 4:30-8:00 am
I had heard about ‘Avon Walk’ through a
buddy who had done this in New York; and when I saw that Chicago was going to have one as well, I wanted to
participate as a volunteer. This walk,
to raise money and awareness for breast cancer, is spread over 39 miles and two
days. I had spent an evening at the
offices a few months ago, helping out with the preparations, and had then
signed-up for multiple shifts, including one at the Opening Ceremony. I had also signed up for an afternoon shift
at the ‘Wellness Village’, which was
the place where the walkers would spend the night after 26 miles of walking on Day 1,
as well as the Closing Ceremony on Sunday.
However, I cancelled the Sunday shift due to a One Brick project, but
was still supposed to do two shifts this Saturday - separated by another One
Brick project. Now that’s what
constitutes a ‘Super Saturday’ in my
book.
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| Soldier Field: Pre-dawn |
I have been to Soldier Field
several times over the last month, but never had I arrived there at 4:30
am. Seriously, if I kept this up, I
would be in line for a pass to the ‘Bears’
locker room! It was still dark, but I
spotted some activity going on in the field outside the stadium and after a few
inquiries, found my way to the volunteer’s tent. I checked in with our Volunteer coordinator
Devon and while I was doing so, noticed a mom who was trying to get her teenage
son allocated to traffic control duties. The organizers were trying to place him
elsewhere, but she insisted that he get that job since his heart was set on it
and she had specifically asked for that assignment. I was amused by all of this, but more on him
later.
 |
| The barricades around the stage |
The first task Devon allocated me
was to work with a group to arrange tables on the green. These were big and heavy and with the help of
a buddy, we got a few set up. Next, she
wanted us to carry some tables to the VIP tent, which was in a different field
across the road. It was a bit of
commute, but me and my partner grabbed a table and were on our way. I learned that my new friends name was
Augusta and she and I got along quite well.
After a few huffs and puffs we arrived at the VIP tent and set the table. This was also the area where the stage was
for the opening ceremony and they wanted our help in setting up barricades on
either side of the stage in long rows.
The idea was to create an area for people to assemble in front of the
stage, while trying to maintain some order.
This appeared to be an easy task since the barricades were quite light
and all we had to do was stand them up and open the feet. We soon realized that it wasn’t that easy
since it had rained overnight and the grass was wet, along with the barricades
and our hands. This made opening the
legs quite a task and Augusta and I were struggled with a few of the barricades. It was time consuming and tiring, but we
managed to put up all the barricades on our side of the field and were ready to
move to our next task.
It was around 6 am and people had
started arriving for the walk. The
organizers wanted to keep the roads around the stadium clear and that mean
traffic control. Augusta and I were
deployed with other volunteers along the road and told to ensure that cars kept
moving and were not stopping to let off passengers. We were to wave them on and tell them to keep
going towards the parking lot that was further down the street. This wasn’t always easy since many cabs were
stopping irrespective of our requests.
However these visitors had not counted on the kid whom I had seen in the
morning. His mom had insisted on him
getting the traffic duty and now we saw why.
He was as passionate a volunteer as I have ever witnessed and was terrific
in conducting his duties. He was waving
the cars like a real traffic cop and was being forceful and decisive in
implementing the law. Whenever people
questioned him, he would point to his bright orange traffic vest and wave them
on. Augusta and I both admired his
energy and knew that while he was around, most of the drivers would follow the
rules.
 |
| The Opening Ceremony was underway |
Well, most did, but it became
more difficult to regulate as we got closer to the start and the crowd
increased. Plus, many walkers were
crossing the road and when cars stopped to let them pass, people took advantage
of this to get out. At the end of the
day, everyone was here to support the cause and have fun and while keeping the
traffic moving was important, I wasn’t going to fault people for getting off at
the crossing. However, one guy came and
parked his car in the middle of the road and when I went over to ask him to
move, he pointed towards his press pass.
I failed to see how him having a press pass would make it convenient for
other cars to go through, but there was little I could do if he had decided to
abuse his press privileges. During this
time I did come across some friendly people, including a lady who asked Augusta
and me where the start line was. I asked
around and pointed it out to her and she said that she wanted to be at the head
of the line, so that she could be one of the first to arrive at the ‘Wellness Village’ and get a massage! Considering it was 26 miles, I thought that
she could make up for time, but she had done the walk in the past and I wasn’t
going to argue against experience.
 |
| The walkers, ready to go |
As I looked around, it truly was
a festive occasion and many people had come dressed in brilliant shades of pink
or with colorful accessories. We even
saw a guy who rode by on a Harley Davidson and who had decorated his bike like
a float to honor the cause. We also had
a front row seat to watch the opening ceremony that was getting underway on the
stage in front of us. It started with
the Master-Of-Ceremonies leading the participants through warm-up routine and
it was wonderful to see all of them follow the stretching exercises in unison. Then we heard stories from survivors, some of
whom had come a long way to walk.
Everyone gave their reasons for walking and just being a part of this
moment had made the early morning wake-up call worthwhile. The final thing on the opening ceremony
agenda was an announcement that the event this year had raised $5.2
Million. With a huge cheer upon hearing
this, the walkers set off on their long trail, though I knew that I would see
them in a few hours.
Augusta and I went and helped
with some of the wrap-up routine, including storing the tables which we had
arranged earlier that morning. As we
walked back to the train station, we got chatting and I found out that she was
from Lithuania and was studying for pre-med.
We talked about our respective volunteering experiences, with her having
done this event last year as well. One
of the other things I learned about her was her volunteering work with
psychiatric patients, where she goes and sings Acapella, as a form of music
therapy. Now, through my volunteering
activities I have come across some remarkable people with some fantastic
stories. But this was one of the most
ennobling things that I have heard and I instantly felt privileged to have
worked with her today. Before we said
goodbye we both agreed that it would be great if we could actually do the walk
the following year, especially since there was a discount for volunteers. It was 8 am and while many
were just waking up this Saturday morning, I was off to find a coffee shop to
wait for my next project.
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