Running for a cause – Team Rise! 
In January 2009, event leaders and organizers Kate and Bill Zembrodt, to help support Team Rise, contacted ABCO Fire Protection and the Live Safe Foundation. With the challenge of fundraising as well as recruiting runners, a small (but mighty) 2-person team was established to support their cause. This past weekend the 2-person team of Jill Marcinick (Founder, Live Safe) and Maria Call (OSU Student) participated in the Flying Pig Marathon held each year in Cincinnati, Ohio. We ran as members of Team Rise supporting the Phoenix Society.
Team RISE was formed by the Everett family and has brought family and friends together for six years to run in the Flying Pig marathon to raise money for the Phoenix Society providing opportunities for burn victims to receive peer support programs like World Burn Congress and other burn recovery resources. We were joined by 76 passionate, authentic and loving runners supporting Team Rise. Together we embarked on a 26.2-mile journey to run (some participated in the full, half and relay portions) and support a very special mother, Sharon Everett. Friends, family, and supporters from all over Ohio and Michigan trained and raised money to help make a difference in the lives of burn victims. This year’s event has already raised over $26,000, with donations still coming in and surpassing last year’s record total. .
This exhilarating experience can be summed up in two words: Gratitude and Appreciation. In the midst of work projects and family obligations, it is hard to stop and reflect on what is important in life, but sometimes (when most unexpected) we experience something special that helps put focus and meaning back into our lives. Meeting Sharon Everett was one of those special occasions.
Sharon Everett is a wife and mother, as well as an inspiration to burn victims. Tragically in July 2000, Sharon was returning from a regular trip to Meijers carrying pool chemical supplies in the backseat of her car. The products were not properly ventilated and exploded in the car. Sharon was badly burned while being belted into the drivers seat. Despite these personal and physical challenges, Sharon is a light – she is gracious, kind and filled with a spirit of courage and grace.
All runners were introduced to Sharon, her family and event organizers at the Friday night pasta and welcome party. Runners were provided a marathon tee shirt with a beautiful colored logo of a mythical bird on the front. Most fitting, the logo for the Phoenix Society was inspired by the “powerful symbolism of the mythical bird that rises from the ashes more brilliant than before”. Meeting Sharon Everett was humbling and truly a testament to those who have “risen from the ashes” and found an amazing strength beyond personal expectations. Sharon’s presence is a gift to all that meet her. She is wife and beautiful mother of two girls who exemplifies something bigger than life. Sharon now helps others in assisting them through recovery – what an inspiration to us all.
It is with gratitude and appreciation that I support those who experience a burn injury and hope that all people affected by burns receive the appropriate medical care to recover physically, emotionally and socially.
For more information about Team Rise and the Phoenix Society, please visit www.phoenix-society.org. I encourage you to join me next year, 2010, to run for a great cause.
Jill Marcinick is the Founder of the Live Safe Foundation.
Tags: fire safety
