Day 314: Greg Woodburn
“One thing that really inspires me and sometimes gives me the shivers a little bit is when I think about each pair of shoes that I’m handling and thinking about the person that has walked around in this pair of shoes … imagining the next person who is going to wear this pair of shoes … and about how those two people, they never meet face to face, but in a sense, they’ll meet foot to foot through this shoe, which is kind of like a bridge between two lives.”
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Toni Reece: Thank you so much, Greg, for agreeing to be part of the Project today, and before we begin, can you please introduce yourself?
Greg Woodburn: Thank you so much for having me on today, Toni. I really appreciate it. My name is Greg Woodburn. I’m the Founder and President of Give Running, which is a nonprofit organization that promotes a love for running and its many benefits, and the opportunities that come with running by collecting, cleaning, and then donating new and used running shoes and athletic shoes.
Toni: Wow – that’s fantastic! So, Greg, when you think about inspiration, who do you think you inspire, and how does that happen?
Greg: That’s a really good question. When I think about my work with Give Running and how it has grown so much, I feel that a large part of its success has been my ability to communicate my passion for running and my enthusiasm for helping others, with other people and in turn inspiring them to want to give back and contribute in their small part also.
People that have gotten involved in Give Running has ranged across the U.S. from Southern California, my home, all the way to Kentucky and to the East Coast and Massachusetts. Also, I’ve been surprised by the wide range of people that have contributed to Give Running and have been inspired. It’s ranged from Girl Scout troops holding shoe collection drives to high schools and middle schools to elderly citizens collecting shoes for us and grandparents and even small business owners, and even a limousine driver has contributed shoes.
I’ve really been in turn inspired by the overwhelming support and feedback people have brought to Give Running, and I definitely feel that people always want to help others and give back. Sometimes, they just don’t always know the best way to contribute, so I’ve been proud through Give Running to provide a worthy avenue for people to give back.
Toni: So Greg, how do people find you? I’m imagining that you … it sounds as though you inspire others to support your organization, and they may not know how to do that, so this is a very unique way to give back. Who benefits from this?
Greg: We donate most of the shoes to disadvantaged youth, and we have, from the beginning, focused on donating shoes both locally and internationally. We feel that’s so important in today’s global world or flattening world to have that global perspective, and there’s so much need in other nations that I’ve always wanted to donate shoes internationally when possible.
But at the same time, I know there’s so much needed in our own communities and such a great way to strengthen our connections here at home with people that you might pass on the street every day that you don’t really know. So in some ways, giving the shoes locally is also a tool for strengthening our communities.
Toni: I would imagine. So when people are inspired by you … first of all, how do they find you?
Greg: One way they can find us is they can go to www.giverunning.org for more information on our project. Also, another example of people doing what they can to help others is when many people have found out about Give Running and what I’m up to, they’ve just done a great job of spreading word of mouth, or many people have given feedback of Give Running in newspaper articles and magazine pieces. We’ve actually been featured in People Magazine and Reader’s Digest. It’s just a testament to people hearing about us and wanting to do what they can to help spread the word and improve our impact.
Toni: Now, how do you think by being this way or creating the organization, showing people what you’re doing – how is it helping others to explore their potential?
Greg: I think the main thing that I’ve discovered is that if you have the passion and the drive, it’s contagious, and other people are going to see your dedication to the cause and they’ll want to help you continue to fulfill your passion. At the same time, I think it helps them question, you know, “What am I passionate about? What do I want to share with other people?”
For me, it’s been when I was injured and unable to run for two years in high school, I kind of realized how much running meant to me and that I wanted to put that time that I wasn’t able to put into running and competing into sharing my love of running with others that maybe hadn’t had the chance to compete and get the health benefits and the self-esteem, not because they’re injured, but simply because they didn’t have shoes.
And I think other people, if it’s playing the violin or writing or painting or whatever their passion is, if they have one of those things that inspires them and they want to share with other people, that passion can go a long way.
Toni: So really, you’re removing the barrier and the excuse from those that want to get out and run but cannot afford the shoes. You’re saying “Here, take the shoes, and now you create the race.”
Greg: Exactly. Our motto is “Give opportunity. Give joy. Give running.” Really, I try to give people the opportunity to run, but also the educational opportunity, the health benefits, everything that can come along with running and having a good pair of shoes. I also try to give joy, and I feel the joy goes both for the receiver of the shoes and also for those who give the shoes, because I don’t … so many people have contributed to Give Running again and again, and some of their friends and family contribute because they never realized how much fun it is to work towards helping others.
Toni: What an amazing sentence. Give joy through shoes. I mean, that is really cool. That’s an amazingly powerful statement on so many levels. Greg, what inspires you?
Greg: Again, when I think of what inspires me, I definitely turn back to everyone that has contributed their time and their effort and their shoes, and I’m just spreading word of mouth about Give Running. As much as I’ve done to help Give Running grow, so much of it has been other people doing what they can to help. So when I think of how much it’s grown, it just really inspires me that people do want to help others make a difference, even for these people that they may never meet.
One thing that really inspires me and sometimes gives me the shivers a little bit is when I think about each pair of shoes that I’m handling and thinking about the person that has walked around in this pair of shoes and lived part of their life in this shoe. And now that I’m cleaning it up, I’m imagining the next person who is going to wear this pair of shoes to play soccer in or just to probably walk to school in, and about how those two people, they never meet face to face, but in a sense, they’ll meet foot to foot through this shoe, which is kind of like a bridge between two lives.
Toni: Absolutely. What else inspires you, Greg? How did you get here? How did you create this organization? I mean, you’re still in college, correct?
Greg: Yes.
Toni: You said you’re in your second year of college?
Greg: I just finished my second year, so I’m going to be a junior at USC in the fall.
Toni: Absolutely. So you’re a junior in college, you’ve created this nonprofit, you’ve got this worldly view of giving back and making a difference. Where did this come from?
Greg: That’s a good question. I definitely owe so much of it to my parents and to my older sister, Dallas. They have always been so supportive of me and about encouraging me to help others. Definitely my freshman year in high school when I suffered a stress fracture in my hip and I was sidelined for most of the year, and then again my sophomore year in high school, I had knee problems that had me unable to run for most of the year.
At first I was really disappointed and frustrated, but they definitely encouraged me that the best way to put our own problems in perspective is to empathize with what other people are going through and help others. That’s when I started thinking about how I couldn’t run at the time, but I knew I would get healthy and be able to run and compete again. But then there were kids out there that weren’t running, not because they’re injured, but just because they didn’t have a pair of running shoes.
So I definitely owe so much of it to my parents’ support, and definitely my older sister Dallas has always been my number one role model and my number one best friend, and just a huge example for helping others and giving back, to put your own problems in perspective.
Toni: Greg, I sincerely hope your parents have listened to Dallas’ interview as well as your own on the Get Inspired! Project and how proud that they must be of their children. The reflection that you guys create for your parents is just amazing.
Greg: Oh, thank you.
Toni: So, let me ask you now – what other tools and resources do you tend to reach for when you’re looking for a little inspiration, when you want to be inspired? What are your go-to things that you reach for?
Greg: I’m a pretty big quote person. I like finding quotes, or if I see a quote available, I always try to jot it down or save it, or file it away somewhere. So definitely, I have quotes I can turn to or that can help motivate me at times.
I think one of my favorite authors or favorite people that have so many great quotes, you know, is an inspiration for myself and my sister, Dallas, and my family, too, is the late coach John Wooden. He has so many helpful pieces of advice, and really it’s just about authenticity and listening to your conscience and really, when you know the right thing, don’t let anything get in the way of doing it.
One of my favorite pieces of advice by Coach Wooden is his Seven-Point Creed … just seven pieces of just kind of sensitive little creeds that if you do your best to follow them each day, it’s going to help you live a more fulfilling life. Among them are “Help others.” There’s also one “Build shelter against a rainy day” which I think is just a great metaphor in that at times we’re all going to be facing adversity or there’s going to be rain, but, you know, if we do our best to make something of it, if we build a shelter to protect ourselves and turn our adversity into opportunities, we’re really going to be able to give back so much more.
One of my other favorites from Coach Wooden’s Seven-Point Creed is “Make each day your masterpiece.” I think, you know, there might be times where we might have an hour we have to do something we don’t like, or there might be other things we have to do in the day that might not be our favorite, but there’s going to be some time each day that we can set aside for us and to do something you love, and to make that day your masterpiece.
Toni: Those are some great pieces of advice, aren’t they? What are you doing now to explore your own potential, Greg?
Greg: Definitely as Give Running has continued to grow, I feel like I’ve grown so much along with it, and it’s definitely having a far greater outreach than I ever expected it would. And at the same time, it’s helped me discover things or develop new skills that I never imagined I would be practicing at this time in the way of kind of running a nonprofit between classes.
But I feel like one of the main things I’m doing right now in addition to continuing to run and gain from that experience with my teammates is also really just trying to give back to Give Running as much as I can, and that so much of it has created experiences that I feel like I couldn’t come across in any other way.
This past December, I had the great opportunity to travel to Mali, which is in West Africa, with the Alternative Winter Break Program. So I was able to bring 112 pairs of Give Running shoes with me, and I donated them to villagers in this small village called Sikoro, and it was a completely life-changing experience. And I just can’t imagine feeling so fulfilled any other way than by giving back to others.
Toni: What an amazing experience that that must have been, just the way you describe it … I can’t imagine. Greg, I would love to see where you are in two years’, three years’ time. If you have created this much value so far in your life, can you only imagine how far reaching your efforts will be in the years to come? I’m so proud to have you be part of the Get Inspired! Project.
Greg: Thank you so much, Toni. I really appreciate it.
Toni: You are welcome. Thank you for being here, Greg. We’ll have a link at the bottom of the transcript so that people can check out your organization, and we just thank you so much for being here.
Greg: Thank you.
Toni: Take care of yourself.
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For more information about Greg Woodburn: giverunning.org
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