Reflecting on Mobility Awareness Month

This past May ALTSO celebrated Mobility Awareness Month with our inaugural MoveForALTSO. ALTSO’s NextGen Club joined 146 movers across five continents, moving every day for one week to raise awareness on the life-changing difference mobility makes for our CoolKids.

Our NextGen team of 12 committed to donating, or fundraising, $1 for every mile that we moved over the course of a week — we raised over $750 for our CoolKids!

Here’s what our NextGen Board has to say about their month:

Helena Riede: As many of you know, I move every day as a runner. At times, especially after a year with no marathons or races to train for, I struggle to find meaning in the miles. MoveForALTSO meant every mile made an impact and I found so much joy in that. I’m looking forward to more movement-focused fundraising events and many more miles full of gratitude.

Roy Gonzalez: The MoveForALTSO initiative really helped put things into perspective for me. I first approached the week-long initiative as a fitness challenge; I started strong and even wound up on top of the leadership board after the first day. Work and life soon got the better of my time, and I kept pushing the next run or bike ride to “tomorrow.” Shortly after, the week was over, and I realized I came nowhere near my total goal. To compensate, I donated above the miles I contributed, but in doing so, I missed the purpose of the initiative, to bring awareness to mobility and reflect on what mobility meant to me. It was easy for me to push off an exercise or an errand to “tomorrow” because that option was available to me; unfortunately the same cannot be said for many of our CoolKids. I realize now that I shouldn’t be quick to dismiss the ability to be mobile and assume tomorrow is guaranteed. Mobility means more than being able to get from point A to point B, it’s about having the independence and opportunity to live a full and successful life. ALTSO does a lot of work around this to bring the reality of mobility to our CoolKids, and it is through initiatives like these that we may continue to expand our reach and highlight the meaning of mobility. Although I failed to meet my distance goal, I think through this reflection, I’ve gained a better understanding of what mobility means to me and know to avoid assuming it is something I can put off until tomorrow.

Anjulli Patel: Mobility is empowerment! MoveForALTSO was a great way for me to put purpose behind my day-to-day activities and to take time to reflect on how mobility impacts my life. It’s easy to take something like mobility for granted if it’s not a hindrance to your physical, economic or social well-being — which is why ALTSO’s work is so important! 

Consider the difference mobility makes in your life. Learn more about ALTSO and our impact here: https://www.altso.org/impact