Meet Yvonne Thomas | Event Director -Jenkins Park parkrun

We had the good fortune of connecting with Yvonne Thomas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yvonne, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
parkrun is a 5k walk/run at Jenkins Park, Baytown, and it is held EVERY Saturday morning. It is part of an international program that encourages community, inclusion, and a healthy lifestyle amongst other things. Participants register on parkrun’s website to get a barcode, they choose their home parkrun as Jenkins Park parkrun, and that’s it. They get to participate in this free community 5k week after week, year after year.

The social impact is easy to see. It is inclusive, it allows individuals to have company while exercising in the park, it encourages friendships, it is a family activity, and most importantly, it encourages a healthy lifestyle. Participants of any age are welcome. Differing abilities are welcome. It is not a race, it’s an opportunity to get up and get out! The event is supported 100% by volunteers so that opens the door to other participants who don’t necessarity want to walk or run, they just want to give back to their community.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
parkrun begain in 2004 in London when 13 people got together at Bushy Park and held a timed run. 22 years later there are over 2500 parkruns in 23 countries and the number grows every month. It was all about getting people outside, community, health, family and so much more. People have developed meaningful friendships, discovered how they can lose weight, found their spouse, controlled their illnesses, battled mental health issues all because of parkrun.

As a charity, its mission is to make the world a happier and healthier place.What started as a running event evolved into a health and wellbeing movement, with inclusivity at its heart – removing as many barriers as possible so that everyone can take part. The pledge is simple: “Free, for everyone, forever.”
What we want the world to know is that parkrun is so much more than a 5k. It is a social intervention masquerading as a five-kilometre running event. Each event reflects the unique character of its location while contributing to a broader global movement — one built on community, belonging, and the belief that showing up matters more than speed. parkrun events have the power to change lives in ways we could never have imagined, and on a daily basis people share incredible stories of personal fulfilment and transformation.

Whether you run, walk, volunteer, or cheer from the sidelines — there is a place for you at parkrun. You can’t finish last at parkrun, because there’s a volunteer whose job is to finish last. It’s a place where beginners and seasoned athletes line up together, where families make memories, and where strangers become friends. The social impact of a weekly community event that brings everyone together is hard to measure, but it has undoubtedly brought huge benefits to so many people who struggle with mental health and, in particular, loneliness. All it takes is showing up on a Saturday morning. The rest takes care of itself. Volunteers are the ones who keep this momentum going. Isn’t that amazing?

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There are lots of places to discover in Baytown, Pirates Bay, The Nature Center, Jenkins Park, Events at the Town Square, and The Baytown Sculpture Trail to name a few. Eateries are many from great Mexican food at El Toro, to Asha’s for caribbean food. Great home made ice cream can be found at Sabor of Mexico and waterfront eating at O’Neals is a treat.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There have been several key people that have helped along the way. Augustin Loredo, Oscar Chapa, Phillip Kleypas, William Davidson, Karyl Williams, and Allison Cooper are all part of the Core Group. They show up almost every week to set up the course or volunteer in some capacity. parkrun is run completely by volunteers and it cannot take place unless we have volunteers to put out the 22+ signs along the 5k route, timekeep, distribute tokens and scan barcodes to record the times. We have had many people step up to volunteer each week and we really appreciate them. We have even had an organization, Baytown Junior Forum, add parkrun as a service for their members. We are a 501c3 non-profit organization and we invite companies to join this worthwhile endeavor.

Website: https://parkrun.us/jenkinspark

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