2012 Sparkle and Shine 5K

Filling up more waters for racers!

December is the time for the winter Sparkle and Shine 5K in Mission Bay in San Diego. I volunteered at this event the previous year and I really enjoyed my experience. I met so many nice people and I loved the work I was doing. One thing that really motivated me to volunteer again in 2012 was  the smiles and looks of satisfaction that was on the girls faces as they finished the race, I was hoping to experience that again. It reminded me of the little moments that really create a person; even small things like completing a 5K can build confidence in the long run. I arrived at 6 am for set up and we unloaded the big truck full of all the supplied for the race. We set up a stage, marked the start and finish line and helped all the vendors set up booths. There were a lot of volunteers there and it was great to see everyone working together to make a handful of little girls' day. I worked at the snack and water table where we organized all of the donated food into piles and cut it up into appropriate serving sizes. We had bananas, fruit snacks, pastries, and bagels. We also served as the water table and I was one of the runners, making sure that we had enough cups on the table at once all with water in them. This meant constantly filling up cups and bringing new water jugs into the booth. It was a really great experience because I got to tell every finisher that came to the table for water congratulations, and it was really rewarding to see them all smile back and say thank you. I also learned the importance of communication in various situations; I was working with a group of other women and we were working very well together communicating on what needed to be put out on the table, if we needed more water and what was going on around us. It was a great experience and I would like to continue working with this organization. I left the station at 10 am.
4 hours service.