The following message was included in a Moderator’s Memo sent to Cleveland Park Congregational Church on March 1, 2018:

Pastor Ellen and congregation member Laura Kisthardt (who is a student at Yale Divinity School and also our UCC delegate) recently attended a gathering for the new Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. The purpose of this movement is to unite people to work toward a just, sustainable, and participatory society. It draws on the history, vision, and unfinished work of the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign. Laura sent me a write up of her impressions of the event, and I am including a condensed version here:

On Monday, February 18th, I joined Pastor Ellen at Shiloh Baptist Church for the Poor People’s Campaign Mass Meeting in Washington, DC. I knew right away that it was going to be a special evening because of the wonderful music that was playing before the program even began. After the announcements, the real fun began of singing! The worship music was led by Yara Allen from Repairers of the Breach. The spirit and energy in the room was incredible. Hundreds of people singing and clapping together. We continued singing for about thirty minutes with many songs including “Go tell the President/ We shall not be moved/ Go tell the President/ We shall not be moved/ Just like a tree planted by the water/ We shall not be moved.”

Transitioning from the singing to the speakers, Terrence Mayo reminded us of the realities faced by many poor people in DC and the 7,473 homeless people who were counted in 2017. Rev. Dr. Barber spoke to the room on live video chat. He began by explaining why we need a moral movement in this country. Rev. Dr. Barber gave many poignant reasons. One that especially struck me was when he said, “When you can buy unleaded gas, but can’t buy unleaded water – we need a moral movement!” Rev. Graylan Hagler introduced five individuals directly impacted by poverty in various ways. Each testimony was powerful and real.

Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis gave the closing remarks. She reflected back on King’s original Poor People’s Campaign and drew connections to the current campaign. She shared that the current state of our country is an emergency and we need to be willing to do whatever it takes to fix it. It was energizing to see such a large room full of people ready to take action.

If you are interested in learning more about the Poor People’s Campaign or getting involved, please check out the following website: www.poorpeoplescampaign.org.

Today is National Running Day!

I wasn’t aware of this event, but I am happy to celebrate it now. Many of my friends know about my interests in fitness and that I’m currently training for the Nation’s Tri. But talking with my friends about National Running Day was a great way to spark a new conversation about health and fitness.

I will never forget how I felt nearly four years when I started running with the Living Person group at John Carroll University. Running was something I really struggled with during high school. I was the goalie for my school field hockey team and I always dreaded the one time per season that we had to run timed 2 miles. Before high school, I was never interested in running even short distances and could not imagine running a half marathon. All of that changed when I became a part of an inspirational and motivational community, the Living Person. Being friends with Jurell and Craig, the leaders of the Living Person group, allowed me to challenge myself.

My first personal challenge was to run a 5k, the Footprints for Fatima race at John Carroll during Homecoming weekend 2011. I enjoyed that race and decided to take on a bigger challenge, the Peace Race, a 10K in Youngstown, Ohio later that fall. I remember just before Christmas break that semester Jurell and Craig talking about how they were going to try and run their first half marathon in the spring. I thought to myself, jeez I’ve done all these other things I didn’t think I could do. Maybe I can do that too! Sure enough I followed my training plan and March 2012 I ran my first half marathon with my best friend Sarah Castellano by my side every step of the way.

Finishing my first half marathon was a turning point in my health and fitness. I realized that if I put my mind to a goal then I could achieve it – even if it seemed out of reach at first. Incredibly, all of this confidence stemmed from the simple act of running!

It’s important for me to reflect back on where my fitness journey has brought me over the years, especially now that I’m gearing up for some much bigger personal fitness goals. The Nation’s Tri on September 13th will be a race of many firsts for me: my first Olympic distance triathlon, my first open water swim race, and my first road bike race. Along the way I’m hoping to continue to blog about my training, especially tri-specific training.

My other big personal fitness challenge coming up is still about 9 months away. A few weeks ago after talking with my dad and a lot of personal reflection, I decided to sign up for my first marathon! Next March I’ll be running the Tobacco Trail Marathon in Cary, North Carolina. This race was recently recognized by Runner’s World as one of the 10 best new marathons. My dad and my brother ran the marathon together this year. And next year I will be out there running it with my dad by my side!

I truly believe no matter how big or small your fitness goals seem, if you set up a plan for yourself, have a good support system, and put in the work, then anyone can achieve their goals. I never dreamed I would run a half marathon before I could barely run a mile. Truthfully some days I still have a hard time running a mile! Personal fitness is something that is continually being improved and is different for everyone. So today for National Running Day, I encourage you just to go out there and RUN!

P.S. if you’re interested in taking a bigger leap and signing up for a triathlon, join me at the Nation’s Tri September 13th. There is a one day sale today in celebration of National Running Day, no code needed!

This past week I took the FSOT (Foreign Service Officer Test). This was the second time I have taken the test which is the first of many steps to be considered for employment at the Department of State. The first time I took the test was October 2012. I was still a senior at John Carroll. I did not really know what to expect the first time I took the test. I did not study much the first time, in part because I was busy with school commitments. After reading several different blogs on how to study for the test, this time I purchased a few apps in the iTunes App Store that are designed to help students prepare for AP exams. I used an app for AP US History and AP World History and found them to be very helpful.

I felt much more comfortable on the actual test day this time. I was very close to passing the test last time. However the way the hiring process works for the State Department, someone who barely passes the test probably won’t make it very far anyway and it is highly unlikely to be hired. Obivously I hope that I pass the test this time, but we’ll see!

When I was in Lebanon we met with officials from the embassy. Everyone I met there said they had taken the test multiple times, some up to eight times!

The one thing I realized quickly taking the test this time was a weakness of mine was writing the essay. It’s strange because I consider myself to be a good writer. I frequently write emails and reports for work. But writing essays like you do in school is not something that is found in the traditional working world. So moving forward, I am making a commitment to more blogging so that I can continue to improve this unique style of writing which is similar to short essays.

The photo is from a few weeks ago when I took the Megabus from DC to Pittsburgh. The blog title “As the leaves change…” symbolizes the change I am making by committing to blogging!

It’s been a busy week at the Krash house with lots of coffee consumed, midnight dance sessions, and ice cold beers enjoyed out on the porch in the evenings.

In the midst of it all, we are fortunate as Krash residents to have our linens (bedding and towels) cleaned and changed once a week. I was lucky enough to get to meet two of the people who make this all happen.

Krash is committed to using local services whenever possible and supporting small businesses, which I think is awesome! So here in DC they are currently working with a company called Wash Cycle Laundry. And the reason I’m sharing this is because Wash Cycle Laundry is not your typical laundry service. Wash Cycle Laundry was founded in Philadelphia in 2010 and just recently expanding to Washington DC.

There are three main reasons why I think Wash Cycle Laundry is a great company.

The first reason why Wash Cycle Laundry is neat (haha punny!) is that they “Say ‘No’ to Dirty Laundry” meaning they use locally-made, hypoallergenic detergents, high-efficiency machines, and an organic dry-cleaning process free of chemicals. They are a green company that cares about the environment and the chemicals that are around us. Who doesn’t like that?

The second wonderful thing about Wash Cycle Laundry is the fact that their commitment to being green doesn’t stop with their detergents. They use bicycles (and tricycles!) to pick up and deliver the laundry. Their bikes can haul up to 300 pounds or up to 600 pounds on electric assist tricycles. The bikes are more affordable than trucks and also can move faster in city streets.

I saved the best for last. The final reason I think Wash Cycle Laundry is a part of a new, innovative and socially responsible future is their commitment to “laundry as a launching pad.” Wash Cycle Laundry has partnered with two organizations in Philadelphia, Philadelphia Works and Gearing Up, which are committed to providing opportunties for underserved communities, like previously incarcerated individuals. I can only imagine that since DC is the first city Wash Cycle Laundry has expanded to that they will continue to form partnerships of this kind in additional locations.

In short, I think that Wash Cycle Laundry is doing great things and hopefully will continue to see growth and expansion to additional cities in the near future.

For more information, check out their website: http://washcyclelaundry.com/. There was also a recent write up about them by InTheCapital: http://inthecapital.streetwise.co/2014/06/10/dc-tech-wash-cycle-laundry/.

Photos are from Wash Cycle Laundry.