BEYOND JUST INCREDIBLE
MERLE COHEN
THERE’S ONLY ONE QUESTION I’VE BEEN GETTING FROM FRIENDS AND FAMILY (AND MY MOM’S FRIENDS WHO SEE ME IN THE SUPERMARKET) OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS: “HOW WAS THE SBH DISNEY MARATHON?” I LAUGH AND I TELL THEM, “IT WAS INCREDIBLE! IT WAS THE BEST WEEKEND EVER!”
And we’ll smile and nod at each other in that earnest way where there’s more to be said but the check-out line is moving and the ice cream in my cart is melting.
It seems like everyone is genuinely curious what the weekend is like, and my first thought was: you need to experience it for yourself, at least once. No amount of adjectives will come close to describing the magic that is the Team SBH Run for A Dream Weekend. But I’ll try. And you can keep count of the excited adjectives that I use throughout.
I’ve worked at SBH for a number of years and I’ve had a front row seat to the incredible work that we do on a daily basis—heart-warming stories that would keep your house toasty warm during the winter. But there’s something about the Disney Weekend that affirms both the vision and the work that SBH is committed to.
This year, SBH was joined by over 800 community members who partook in the hesed, the half-marathon, the fundraising and of course, the food. From the moment we stepped foot in the hotel, we were surrounded by the messages of hope, hesed and volunteerism with which SBH aims to inspire volunteers, young and old alike. We joked before the weekend, we wanted people to see the SBH logo in their dreams when they went home.
You might think the weekend is all about the marathon and the fundraising. And you wouldn’t be wrong, but these are simply vehicles that allow our volunteers to realize the true essence of the SBH Disney Weekend—that changing the world through hesed starts with the first step, whether that be to visit a senior, package boxes at the pantry or simple commit to delivering a meal once a week.
There were moments on this weekend, moments of depth, of realization, of inspiration. Moments in which I looked around at an awe-inspired audience listening and learning about how hesed changes lives and thought, every person here is now an ambassador of good. They’ve heard the stories, they’ve been encouraged to get involved, they’ve run a half-marathon—there’s nothing they can’t do, because taking your first step toward the finish line is no different than taking your first step toward hesed. You simply must do it.
Full disclosure, I’ve never actually run the half-marathon and there’s one main reason why I haven’t, unrelated to my lack of athleticism. It’s because there’s nothing like standing on the sidelines with the Team SBH Cheer Squad waiting for our teammates to run past us. It’s like a ripple runs through the group, “Jack is a quarter mile away!” “Get your camera, Stephanie is about to pass us!” I almost feel bad for the unassuming American guy waiting to see his wife who just happened to stand next to the most enthusiastic, sleep-deprived, lunatics on the whole course. We go wild! And it’s that split second when the runner’s face lights up as they see us cheering them on that makes it all worth it—the late nights, the brainstorming sessions, the hours I spent on hold with customer service because my banners were lost in the mail. It’s all worth it to see my community members encouraged and supported in the exact way that SBH taught us.
This is truly a weekend beyond words, even though I just spent the last 500 telling you about it. When all is said and done, and I get on the plane back to New York, I’m left with a re-affirmed sense of purpose and drive for hesed. I’m left inspired, motivated and challenged to take my own steps toward supporting both myself and those around me. Taking that first step, toward helping or being helped, is certainly a daunting one, but you have an entire network ready and excited to encourage you on the way.
Thank you to those who joined, ran, sponsored and cheered for us on this magical weekend! We look forward to taking many more steps toward hesed together.
After graduating from Brooklyn College in 2019 with a degree in Literature, Merle joined the SBH team and has been with them ever since. As the Director of Marketing, you’ve probably gotten her emails, seen her Instagram posts and possibly been coerced into attending an SBH event because “you have to come!” Merle is an active committee member of Sephardic Synagogue’s Hayil Minyan and despite what anyone else says, hasn’t gotten any taller since the last time you saw her.
