The ASICS LA Marathon and LA Big 5K are just 2 weeks away! Follow #MarathonMonday to learn more about our amazing runners and why they are running for Team P.S. ARTS! This week, meet Cindy Delgado, Sydney Daniel & Jamie Rodriguez:
Cindy Delgado
After running two marathons and two half marathons over 5 years ago, I was convinced my long-distance running days were over, but when I heard about the opportunity to run the LA Marathon and raise funds for P.S. ARTS, thus helping bring arts education to students in our city, I realized my journey had just begun! The day after registering I bought some new running shoes, and I’ve been on the go ever since. As my training miles increased (I finally completed my longest training run of 22 miles!) the donations from my fantastic friends and family continued to come in, and I’m so pleased and excited to be helping P.S. ARTS bring the wonderful world of art to the kids who need it most!
The arts have impacted my family in so many ways. My father-in-law had a stroke several years ago. Though he cannot speak, he now expresses himself through painting. My mother is a nonagenarian. Though her hands are bent with arthritis, she still sits at her pottery wheel every day, creating ceramic pieces that will one day become beloved family heirlooms. My youngest son is a gymnast. There’s a reason it’s called Artistic Gymnastics – every time a gymnast moves, it’s a form of self-expression. My oldest son has made a career for himself in graphic and mixed martial arts. I played competitive classical piano for 11 years, and it brought out confidence and poise I never knew I had.
I imagine what our lives would be like without the arts and it makes me sad. For many students at underprivileged schools who are in need of ways to help express themselves, grow, gain confidence, stay in school, accept differences, and rise to challenges – art is the answer. P.S. ARTS brings the arts to these kids and changes lives in amazing ways – that’s why I’m proud to run the LA Marathon for P.S. ARTS! Go Team!
Sydney Daniel
Long distance running has become a way to challenge my mind and body in ways I’ve never thought possible. This is my first marathon and I am running with Team P.S. ARTS because I know how important it is to give students a creative outlet in school. My past experiences with the performing arts have taught me the importance of hard work, teamwork and time management and have helped shape me into the person I am today. I also believe I can credit the performing arts for my ability to run long distances; it is because of musical theater courses in high school that I have ankles of steel and the lungs of an elephant!
Jamie Rodriguez
I’ve been a runner since 2010 and when a good friend of mine asked me to run the LA Marathon with him, I agreed without thinking about it.
It was a rest day during my training, and as I was about to register for the LA marathon, I thought to myself, “Why am I doing this? Why am I running 26.2 miles? What for?” In short, I was looking for a bigger meaning than just saying I’m doing it.
I consider myself an artist and I grew up in the heart of Hollywood feeling that we had no resources to do art; it is usually the first subject that schools cut to save money. It wasn’t until I went to college that I discovered I was an artist and finally started to take it seriously. If I had had more exposure to the arts as I child, I would have had a head start towards my career and self-actualization. I saw running with Team P.S. ARTS as a chance to give back to the kids who are on the same path as I was.
Seeing art fuels and inspires me, and creating art is what I give back to the world – it is what keeps me going! It’s immensely important to support arts education in our schools because it exercises a different part of a child’s mind; it’s an outlet for self-expression that helps keep children mentally and emotionally healthy.
Support Cindy, Sydney, Jamie and Team P.S. ARTS
