2022 Magical Community Moments

It’s the season for reflections, so let’s celebrate the epic community events we at Oiselle were lucky enough to host this year. I really tried to narrow it down to my Top 5 but there were so many important moments that yes, I had to sneak in one more.

What do you get when you connect the Volée teammates to our elite athlete team and local running communities? A truly magical Boston marathon weekend. From an all run crew shakeout run tour of local Boston neighborhoods, to cheering for our pros Lauren Fleshman and Jenna Fesemyer (who raced the 5k and marathon that weekend) and Volee teammates at the mile 24 cheer corner, this was such an incredible way to kick off the 2022 race season.

If you’ve been around Oiselle long enough, you know how much we love stickers. We also love having the opportunity to spotlight the amazing teammates in our Volée Program. Which is why I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to collaborate with Kelli Hashimoto aka Runnergrams to celebrate AAPI month this May. Kelli curated a series of stickers honoring her Japanese heritage and her love for running. While those stickers are no longer available, give her a follow as she has a wide variety of others to offer so you too can celebrate your sticker worthy running moments.

As many of you know, Bras for Girls has been growing and gaining momentum since it started in 2017. With a need to expand the reach and support even more girls in sport, this spring Bras for Girls became an official 501c3 organization! The program has provided over 31,000 bras and breast development education booklets to girls in need and trust me when I say, they are just getting started.

After a 3 year hiatus, Birdcamp was back and better than ever. It’s the ultimate weekend for our Volée community, and this year’s adult summer camp had everything I dreamed of and more. There were runs, fitness activities, educational breakout sessions, archery, ropes courses, dancing, eating, lounging by the lake, water slide screams, and an oh-so-epic fashion show. It was a weekend to collectively reconnect with our bodies, and more importantly each other. As cliche as it sounds, this weekend will forever be the gift that keeps me going.

In such a crucial election year, it was an honor to partner once again with Run 4 All Women for Women Run the Vote 3.0: The Alabama Black Belt. Run 4 All Women’s team led with an in-person relay, followed by 1,407 virtual participants over the course of 4-days online. 41,002 miles were logged and 13,397 activities were reported, ranging from walking and running, to swimming, cycling, yoga, and cooking! At a time when voter registration is waning, fundraising fatigue is at an all time high, and there is an overwhelming sense of discouragement. The relay event raised $30,000 to donate directly to Black Voters Matter.

A 2022 recap wouldn’t be complete without celebrating one of my favorite community advocates and new author - Alison Mariella Désir. This fall, Alison set out to share her personal story via her new book, Running While Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport That Wasn’t Built for Us, and ended up making a huge impact within the running community. She hosted book tour stops throughout the country, including numerous engaging events here in Seattle, sharing her advocacy work with historical context (that many weren’t aware of) and empowering the community to make space for everyone to safely experience the power of movement.

As we begin manifesting lots of happy moments together in 2023, let’s take a moment to thank all the local community leaders (especially those on our Volée team) who put in tireless hours of work to bring magic moments to life. In the new year, I hope you too find time to log miles with a friend, share a high-five as you celebrate wins and maybe even a few not so winning days and help make the sport a better one for us all.