September 26 is the Tunnel to Towers Run.
After the run, my friend Jackie is organizing a get together to benefit rock CAN roll at The Yellow Hook Grille, in Bay Ridge Brooklyn http://www.yellowhookgrillenyc.com from after the race until 4ish.
Entrance is a donation or 3-5 healthy & nutritious non-perishable food items, and for every $10 donation to rock CAN roll , you will receive a shopping coupon for Bloomingdales to be used at their Shopping Benefit October 20-21.
There will be great music, great people and it will be a day to celebrate those we love…and those who ‘get it’!
If you are participating in the run – come on down after and support rock CAN roll….
If you’re not running – come to Yellow Hook Grille and hang out for the day – from 1p on. The website is : http://www.yellowhookgrillenyc.com/
Alex is donating his time and playing too! (being a parental unit)
You never know who may show up!
I hope it will be YOU …your family and friends!
If you are unable to make it – you can still make a donation to rock CAN roll at
www.rockCANroll.org
Below is the email from my new friend Jackie…we met at the Train
Concert at Jones Beach and just connected…
*** PLEASE FORWAD THIS TO YOUR FRIENDS AND rsvp to Jackie at gilbertjbs@aol.com ***
Hugs and Peace…
Aimée
— From Jackie —
Hi All,
Many of you have heard me make mention of these events already, but for many others this is the first time your hearing from me.
First let me say, sorry about the short notice, but it’s been a hard month and it took
me a little while to get all my ducks in a row. Having said that, I know we can still put it together and pull it off quite smashingly! So here goes….the Reader’s Digest version of what’s going on….
On Sunday, September 26th the Tunnel to Towers 5k run will take place from Brooklyn to NYC. It is a run that was organized in memory of fallen fireman Stephen Siller. Stephen was just off duty on September 11, 2001
when the attacks took place, but heard of them on his radio. He had just gotten to the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and immediately turned around to go back into the city. At that time all tunnels and bridges had already been closed so he left his vehicle, put his gear on, and proceeded to run all the way through the tunnel and to the buildings to join the rescue.
Unfortunately, like so many others on that horrible day, he never made it out. Stephen was married with four children, and one of nine siblings. His siblings then started the Stephen Siller Foundation, which does amazing work for burn victims and children who have suffered the loss of a parent.
They also host the Tunnel To Towers Run, which follows the very path he took on that day, running through the tunnel to the Manhattan side, and along West Street to Battery Park City.
As many of you know, I do not take part in many September 11th related events. For me, it’s just too hard because it hits too close to home.
However, this is any amazing event. I have found that most of the people who take part in the day really “get it”, and that’s something I don’t come across all of the time. For those of you already signed up for the run, I look forward to seeing you. For those of you who aren’t signed up but are interested, I encourage you to log on to tunneltotowersrun.org and join us. You can run or walk, or just come in support of everyone participating. West Street and Battery Park City are both closed off and there is a real community feel to the whole event with music and vendors filling the streets after. It’s a great way for New York City, and all the participants, to acknowledge what happened because it’s done in a very positive, proactive way. Which leads me to part 2 of the day.
The last time I did the run I was with a very special group of people. We spent the entire day together…commuting in, running the race, meeting up with old friends, making new ones, laughing and crying together….and not wanting to leave each other. We felt such a strong bond after going through so much together and touching on so many different emotions. On the way home we spoke about the energy we felt and how we wished we could do something with it. I immediately knew if we decided to do the run again we would have to have something set up, already in place and ready to participate in. When you’re full of so much emotion you want to do something then and now, because after all, you can’t change the past, but we can certainly affect the future.
This idea has been in the back of my mind for some time, just waiting for a direction to go in. I was then lucky enough to meet my new friend, Aimee Holtzman, at a concert this summer. Aimee is the president and founder of Rock Can Roll, a non-profit, hunger relief organization whose mission is to continually restock the shelves of emergency food agencies in our neighborhoods. She is an amazing woman who is doing incredible work and I was immediately drawn to her and affected by her.
So here’s the deal.
After the run, when everyone is feeling as pumped up as I was last time, we are all going to head to Brooklyn (because where else would we want to be)! We are going to come together as a group, continue with that community spirit, eat, drink, listen to music, have a good ol’ time, and while we’re doing all that, we’re going to help put food on the table for our neighbors in need. It’s a win-win all the way around!
As I have always said, I am the luckiest unlucky girl in the world, and that holds true to date. A great friend is freeing up some lovely space for us to occupy in his pub,Yellow Hook Grille ( 7003 3rd Avenue,
Brooklyn 11209) another couple of friends will be providing us with great music, and there will be an open bar and plenty to eat. All I am asking is if each of you could please log on to Aimee’s website, www.rockCANroll.com, scroll down to the bottom right side of the page and click on the recommended food list. Imagine what we CAN do as a group if everyone brought at least 3-5 healthy & nutritious non-perishable food or other needed items….we can start the day in NY taking part in something very important from our past, but then we can come together and do something that will help people today, and in the
future!
And remember, you don’t have to be in/at the run to participate. If for some reason you can’t make it to NY that morning, please don’t let that keep you from joining us in the afternoon. The more the merrier!!
Any and all are welcome, so feel free to pass the invite along….just remember, your admission to join in the festivities can be found on the food list on Aimee’s website….that’s all I ask.
Information for the Tunnel To Towers Run can be found at
www.tunneltotowers.org
Information on what items to donate to Rock CAN Roll can be found at
www.rockCANroll.org
Information and directions for Yellow Hook Grille can be found at
www.yellowhookgrillenyc.com
RSVP’s for the days events can be sent to me at gilbertjbs@aol.com
(If you’re not sure if you can make it, no worries, I would just like to get an idea of a head count)
The run takes off at 9.30 am, but registration is earlier. For those of you who are not running, please feel free to join us at Yellow Hook Grille from 1.00 pm on. Those who are running can meet up and head to Brooklyn together after the race.
Also, anyone who wishes to take part in the day and lives in/around my area in New Jersey, we will be getting some form of transportation to take us in to NY in the morning and bring us back from Brooklyn at the end of the day, so just let me know if you would like to be included in that.
I love you all and I hope to see you on the 26th.
Pray for our loved ones,
pray for each other,
and pray for peace.
Jackie Gilbert
____
Thanks all…you rock!
Aimée
Aimée Z. Holtzman
President and Founder
rock CAN roll, Inc., we CAN beat hunger!
Phone: 516-822-3457
aimee@rockCANroll.org
www.rockCANroll.org
if music is the food of love, let it be the food of life!
*** follow us on twitter! www.twitter.com/rockCANroll ****
** check out…http://bit.ly/VtxF **
rock CAN roll, Inc., is a volunteer, 501c3, non-profit, hunger relief organization and think tank whose mission is to be a source that CAN continually restock the shelves of emergency food agencies.
rock CAN roll collaborates with rock concerts, schools, corporations, and private individuals to collect canned and non-perishable food (and basic provisions) for distribution to local agencies and into the hands of
children, seniors and families who live with hunger and poverty.
The rock CAN roll organization is always looking for new collaborators, volunteers, supporters and friends to help in this quest to beat hunger.
