Brother and Sister Alumni Crew Members Keep Walkers Going Throughout the Night
As Walkers journey throughout
the host city in the Overnight each year, they see our dedicated Crew Members
at the various Rest Stops and Quick Stops, at Midnight Snack, out along the
route blocking intersections, and even following along behind making sure that
all of the Walkers are on track and safe throughout the course of the night.
Many of our Crew Members are
returning veterans of past Overnight events and have traveled to various cities
around the country to pick up their roles once again and help make the
Overnight Walk a success. Two of the well known faces that participants have
seen at the Overnight Walk in the past several years are the Wheats, Cari and
Josh, who have worked as Crew for the last three events together.
“We’re All a Part of This Together”
From Route Marking teams and
Route Cleanup to last year’s appearance at the Midnight Snack stop in San
Francisco, the Wheats have had their hands in many different aspects of the
Overnight Walk and continue to come back to help make the event a success so
that Walkers can “just concentrate on being there with their friends and
family,” as Josh says.
After having lost their
parents years ago to suicide, Cari Volunteered and Crewed 7 years ago in
Seattle and has been returning each year ever since, with Josh joining her
starting 3 years ago in Boston. The brother and sister live in different areas
of the country and travel to be together, to participate as a part of the
Overnight team, and to help make the sense of community that comes with the
Overnight a reality.
When asked what everyone
should know about the Overnight, Cari puts it eloquently that “This is where
you belong, if you have been looking for that [community] in any of your own
journeys and struggles. Participating in the Overnight, in any way, this is where
you belong.”
The Working Crew
The Crew works behind the
scenes in many cases, and with a long event schedule, are often there working
for almost a full 24 hours to see that the event goes as planned. “You are
literally the back and arms and legs of getting things running,” says Cari,
“but then once it is up and running you get the opportunity to help make a
smooth and seamless experience for the Walkers – and how great that is that
someone is willing and able to do that part and Walk.”
Josh tells us “you are
totally exhausted by the time it is done, but then there are still people
coming across the finish line after walking 18 miles that still have their
energy, who are feeding off the energy of the event and everyone around them –
there are no words to describe the feeling then, to see the whole thing come
off with all of us together.”
Familiar Faces and New Friends
Every Overnight Walk season
brings both veteran Crew Members and Walkers and new faces and friends together
for this powerful event and the Crew is a great way to meet other Survivors and
supporters and be a member of a small team of hard working volunteers that make
the event possible and special.
Designed to be a role that
lets Crew Members be a part of the route and the event itself, this option for
participation in the Overnight has come to be the favorite of many of our
Alumni, and allows different ways for people to participate in this
inspirational event.
For more information about
Crew Teams and roles, see the Crew
Section of the website.
If you are interested in
being a part of the 2013 Overnight Crew, sign
up here or contact roze.mota@theovernight.org.
If you have any questions about the Overnight Walk in general, please contact us at
888-THE-OVERNIGHT (888-843-6837) or coaches@theovernight.org
and we will be glad to help.
