Every December, the city of Dallas, Texas, USA, holds the White Rock Marathon, the premier running event in Dallas. In 2007, one of our Forum Moderators, John Powter, came to me with the idea of putting together a challenge among all of the EO Dallas Forums to run in the relay segment of the marathon.
All members of his Forum were working on fitness goals, so John saw this as a great way to get everyone on track with their goals, himself included. They would each be responsible for approximately five miles. All entrepreneurs love a good challenge, so to sweeten the pot a little, John's “Rule 76” Forum added a wager. If any Forum could beat their time, it would receive US$500 from John's Forum to go to the charity of its choice.
I was encouraged to hear about their idea and was behind them 100 percent. I helped promote the challenge among all of the Forums, had a T-shirt designed for all participants and even created a one-of-kind trophy.
Four Forums agreed to the challenge, and because of the response, we have decided to make this an annual chapter event. The trophy will be passed along each year to the winning Forum.
I am pleased to report that “Rule 76” was victorious in our inaugural competition, and I look forward to seeing more Forums get involved in the upcoming years.
In the end we triumphed, but most importantly, we met a common goal together, and relationships within our Forum were strengthened.
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For more ideas on how to bring your chapter's Forums together, contact Renee Manning, Vice President of Forum.