Dear friends of Refuge,
Every four years, Bill and I used to strategize about how much of the Olympics we’d watch. We simply couldn’t take it all in. One year, it was badminton (yes, badminton). Another year, it was fencing because a new friend had competed in earlier Games, which evoked my own memories of fencing class at Agnes Scott. Gymnastics? Always. Track and field, as much as possible. It’s intoxicating.
The Olympic Games, the few weeks every four years when the entire world competes on the same stage, accesses big stuff inside of us, like glimmers of hope for world peace, the nobility of losing well or winning humbly, and maybe even a fleeting desire to get ridiculously good at a new sport. As you probably know, there has been a Refugee Olympic Team since the 2016 Rio Olympics. So, this is still a relatively new team, and I’m fascinated by their stories.
Everything about the Olympic Games feels otherworldly, but I’d like to suggest that the motivation that drives the inclusion of a Refugee Team is accessible to all of us. Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, had this to say about them:
“We live in a world where selfishness is gaining ground… the Refugee Team is our Olympic answer.”
So, maybe I will never stick a landing in a balance beam dismount (let’s face it, at this point in my life, I’ll never climb onto a balance beam!), but I can share the Olympic Committee’s goal to turn the tide of selfishness, to battle the waves that overwhelm us all from without and the rip tide of self-absorption I find within myself, by reframing Thomas Bach’s words this way:
We live in a world where selfishness is gaining ground… ___________ is my answer.
May I dare to suggest three ways for you to fill in that blank for our upcoming Refuge Run to Brew Hope? There are certainly far more ways you fill it in regularly for us:
- Register to run on Sept. 28 in Clarkston
- Donate a registration when you sign up. Last year, we gave $8,000 in 5k and One Mile registrations and we’d love for you to join us in this effort!
- Volunteer at the race. We need around 200 volunteers to make the day as special as we possibly can! You can volunteer for race day here or pre-race here.
And speaking of sports, you already know how much we love soccer, so I thought you’d like to check out these local organizations and find ways to cheer them on. (Clarkston High School runners win big at our 5k every year – they are a joy to watch!)
Cheering on our Refugee Team, both the Olympic one and the one here at Refuge with you,
Kitti
