[caption id="attachment_967" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Race Day Morning"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-967" title="dsc_0092" src="http://giveyoursole.com/blog/wp-content/uploads//dsc_0092-300x177.jpg" alt="Race Day Morning" width="300" height="177" />[/caption]

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span>It didn’t take the runners 500 years to rise up and breathe life into charity this past weekend at P.F. Chang’s </span><a href="http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/" target="_blank">Rock ‘n’ Roll </a><span>Arizona marathon and 1/2; they did it in three days.<span> </span>Give Your Sole received over 500 pairs of shoes throughout the weekend’s convention and racing events, which are already helping those less fortunate in the Phoenix area.<span> </span></span></p>

<span>This was our first big event of 2010 and it didn’t disappoint. Our weekend started early Friday morning with a news segment on </span><span><a href="http://tinyurl.com/yad4o2x" target="_blank">Sonoran Living, ABC – KNXV Phoenix local.</a> Brett put his camera “shyness” aside and sent forth our message in crystal clear fashion. We were also able to gain the support of Miss Arizona, USA 2010 – Brittany Bell who happened to be in the studio audience that morning. </span>

[caption id="attachment_969" align="alignright" width="183" caption="Tom with Miss Arizona showing her support"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-969 " title="dsc_01891" src="http://giveyoursole.com/blog/wp-content/uploads//dsc_01891-261x300.jpg" alt="Tom with Miss Arizona showing her support" width="183" height="210" />[/caption]

<!--StartFragment--><span>Off to the Health and Fitness Expo at the convention center where we were eager to meet and spend some time with Brenda Combs.<span> </span>Before I continue though, a great, big, huge THANK YOU needs to go out to all those who helped volunteer while in Phoenix.<span> </span>Without your support (Russ, Melinda, Jack, John, Jake, Kyle, Peggy, Steve and Helen) we would have never been able to do all that we did that weekend.</span>

[caption id="attachment_970" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The Volunteers rocking the booth! "]<img class="size-medium wp-image-970" title="dsc_0079" src="http://giveyoursole.com/blog/wp-content/uploads//dsc_0079-300x260.jpg" alt="The Volunteers rocking the booth! " width="300" height="260" />[/caption]

<!--StartFragment--><span>Imagine waking up one day to find yourself lying in an alley, not knowing how you got there, it’s hot – you’re confused, hungry and hurting.<span> </span>Looking around, all you see is broken glass, needles and sharp stones lining all paths leading you to more familiar grounds.<span> </span>You gather yourself to get back on your feet to walk to, well, walk to anywhere but there.<span> </span>It’s then you realize that if you’re going to take those necessary steps, you’re going to have to do so barefoot; someone has stolen your shoes.<span> </span>I’d like you to meet </span><span><a href="http://talktobrenda.com/?page_id=2" target="_blank">Brenda Combs</a></span><span>.  One could learn a lifetime of lessons in spending sixty minutes with Brenda and her son Mycole as we did Friday afternoon, but it simply wasn’t enough time to capture her amazing story.<span> </span>More on that later…..</span><!--EndFragment-->

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<!--StartFragment--><span> Convention bound – it was the first event of 2010 both Brett and me were able to attend and it was great to feed off each other’s energy and passion for purpose in Give Your Sole.<span> </span>We met some incredible people throughout the weekend.<span> </span>Some believed so deeply in what we were doing, they asked to wear a Give Your Sole t-shirt during their run of the marathon on Sunday. </span>

[caption id="attachment_971" align="alignright" width="210" caption="Tom with Give Your Sole supporter Debbie"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-971 " src="http://giveyoursole.com/blog/wp-content/uploads//dsc_0097-300x265.jpg" alt="Tom with Give Your Sole supporter Debbie" width="210" height="186" />[/caption]

<!--StartFragment--><span>Lunch with Team World Vision - Comrades in training, a heartfelt driven group of individuals whose compassion and </span><span><a href="http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/pages/team-world-vision-comrades-marathon?Open&amp;campaign=12380716" target="_blank">cause</a></span><span> goes beyond words.</span><!--EndFragment-->

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[caption id="attachment_972" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="These boys mean business when it comes to making a difference"]<a href="http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/pages/team-world-vision-comrades-marathon?Open&amp;campaign=12380716"><img class="size-medium wp-image-972" src="http://giveyoursole.com/blog/wp-content/uploads//dsc_0031-300x181.jpg" alt="These boys mean business when it comes to making a difference" width="300" height="181" /></a>[/caption]

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Saturday morning we were able to meet with Brenda again and her husband Tony Carter through a retracing of steps where they were both homeless over ten years ago, from the 7<sup>th</sup> Avenue Bridge where hope was lost to the shoeless alley where hope was miraculously found.<span> </span></span></p>


[caption id="attachment_978" align="aligncenter" width="240" caption="Brenda and Tony"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-978 " src="http://giveyoursole.com/blog/wp-content/uploads//dsc_0049-300x159.jpg" alt="Brenda and Tony" width="240" height="127" />[/caption]

<span> </span>It’s no wonder she is the ambassador of inspiration for Grand Canyon University, she has truly walked through many hardships and become a stronger individual because of these journeys.<span> </span>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>While we’re on the subject of miracles, imagine if everyone that stopped by our expo booth on Friday, did so with a pledge to come back on Saturday with a few pairs of shoes to donate.<span> </span>Now imagine someone actually coming back with over thirty-five pairs.<span> </span>Thank you Robbie Sittman!<span> </span></span></p>

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