Glenwood's Mother's Day Mile goes green, international

Group from Kenya joins up with local women

Click to Enlarge Browse and Buy Post Independent Photos The Mother's Day Mile will be awarding fastest mom, grandmom, great-grandmom, and top runners with handmade crafts from the Imani Workshop in Eldoret, Kenya on Sunday, May 11. Extra crafts and gift baskets will be for sale in the Gift Basket Silent Auction under the big tent. The race begins at 1 pm. Registration at Glenwood Medical Associates. Submitted

By Stina Sieg
May 9, 2008

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Winners in the men’s category will go home with beaded paper bowls, while women will be given necklaces, with beads made of recycled magazines. The items were hand-crafted by women in Kenya. Click to Enlarge Browse and Buy Post Independent Photos

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado - This year, Glenwood's Mother's Day Mile is going green, and it's going global.

And it's doubtful that organizer Nancy Reinisch could be any more enthusiastic about it.

"This really is very exciting," she said, all bubbly over the phone.

For the last nine years, locals have taken part in the community run, complete with cheering fans, fresh apple pie and flowers waiting at the finish line. The money they've raised has always gone to a good cause (the Advocate Safehouse Project, a shelter that provides assistance to victims and survivors of rape and sexual assault, along with community education). This year, in Reinisch's words, runners will supporting "worldwide sisterhood" as well.

And just how is that?

First, Reinisch described the eco-friendly side of the run.

Mother's Day Mile

What: A fundraiser supporting the Advocate Safehouse Project When: 1 p.m. Sunday Where: Glenwood Medical Associates, 1830 Blake St. in Glenwood Springs Cost: $15 per person, $55 per family To register: visit www.glenwoodmedical.com or visit GMA offices in person. Registration will also be held the morning of the event.

This time around, it will feature a "green zone," where everything is either recyclable or compostable. Almost every gift the race gives away, right down to its goodie bags and cups, will be earth-friendly. This all came about from Advocate Safehouse board member Thelma Zabel and Reinisch's son, Marco Salmen. It's a little more expensive this way, explained Reinisch, but she was undeniably proud.

"We're saving the earth for a next generation of mothers," she said.

It's the run's "global" aspect that really gets her going, however.

Recently, Reinisch's other son, Chas Salmen, lived in Kenya. Among the stories he shared with her was that of the Imani Workshop (the name means "hope" in Swahili). The group, based in Eldoret, takes HIV-positive women off the streets, gives them medicine and teaches them a skill. These are women who came from unhealthy, abusive relationships, ones in which they had no power. When Reinisch heard about their heart-wrenching experiences, she was struck with how much they reminded her of what she had seen as a Safehouse board member. She knew she had to help.

So, for the first time, winners of this year's race will receive crafts, handmade by these African women. Men will go home with beaded paper bowls, while women will be given necklaces, with beads made of recycled magazines. Those not swift enough to medal may purchase pieces from a booth, located at the starting/ending line.

Proceeds will benefit women both here and in Africa.

"We hope there's some imani, some hope, with this project," said Reinisch.

Her voice was filled with it.

Contact Stina Sieg: 384-9111ssieg@postindependent.com





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