Hooping.org

A bunch of us in Richmond, VA are volunteering with the RVA Hoop House http://www.rvahoophouse.org/ We’re doing really great stuff all over the place, you can check out the website to see what we’ve been up to. I recently “took the lead” on a local event, it was a 5k walk to raise money for cancer patients and their families, followed by a family fun day for the kids. I have a story, and a little bit of “this is what I do” at the end:)

We were told to set up on a grassy patch next to where the band was playing. I laid out all my hoops, and just started hooping away. At first, people were reluctant to join in, and thats when I’d offer them a hoop and give them the basic run-down. I enlisted the help of some friends, all of which were happy to help. This way, I was able to spread myself out and get more people hooping! Within an hour, it was a hooping frenzy. I have a bunch of pictures from the event here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.1758510720806.2094911.1180144906&l=2019035df3

The most amazing thing for me was a woman there who had three children. One of them was fighting cancer. Her two other children were hooping away, and they handed their sister a hoop. She just kind of held it, not sure if she was up to the task, or if she even wanted to. Her mom just broke down in tears. I noticed from a distance and I walked over and offered her a hoop. She declined, I understood, so I just left the hoop laying nearby and left them to themselves. I wanted to say or do something, but retreat felt like the best thing to do. I looked over a few minutes later, and the girl with cancer was hooping her butt off, smiling, and having a great time! Soon, all three kids were cheering mom on to try it. She took off her sunglasses and wiped her tears away, said “ooook…” and gave the hoop a twirl. A smile bloomed. As she kept the hoop going, the smile turned into laughter. Of course, at this point, I was the one with tears in my eyes. This family was really hurting because of the difficult circumstance it was in, and the hoop allowed them to get away from that, and just wiggle and giggle a little together. It offered them a safe place of peace and normalcy when the rest of their lives had been turned upsidedown. If only for a few minutes, they got relief, and it was beautiful to witness.

I was always friendly and polite to both coordinators and attendees of the event. If someone was eyeing a hoop longingly, I got them out of the shy zone and into the hoop in a jiff. I was once that person I kept RVA Hoop House cards and flyers with me so I could give out information to anyone curious about what I was doing or why I was doing it. I’m always happy to talk hooping with anyone, anywhere, anytime lol. When it was time to pack up and leave, a lot of kids had left behind either messes or items like sunglasses. I gathered all of their things and turned them in to the organizers of the event so the kids could locate them later (hopefully) I returned to our spot, and cleaned up all the trash, even stuff that wasn’t put their by ourselves. Always leave an area in as good or better condition than you found it in, I learned that in Girl Scouts, and I truly believe it makes a difference. The bonus factor is that, after we’re gone, and the organizers are cleaning up, they’ll know that the hoopers took care of their own mess. I think it shows respect and it sets an example, and it makes people more willing to have you for an event again.