UPDATE by 1RunAmerica

Recently, I wrote an article about the power of give and take in social media and how it helps us to get an inside view of how the Universe works. In light of that, please allow me to share this amazing story with you:

A few minutes into my phone conversation with Lori McNee , Chris Burget asked if he could join the call. I had featured Burget in a recent post, What are your favorite social media apps, and he wanted to express his gratitude for including him in the article.

Burget has proven a very supportive friend on Twitter, making him an obvious collaborative partner. Burget’s appreciation went further than just words; he offered to help me get a vehicle should I ever need one. He has connections to Rosenthal Automotive, a local dealership in Northern Virginia. His graciousness moved me. I thanked him, but thought to myself, “I’m not sure I’ll need a car anytime soon, but I’ll keep his generous offer in mind.”

The following day, I was discussing campaign strategy with one of my clients, Kate Griendling. She is the campaign manager of 1Run, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization created to fight the diabetes epidemic and spark change in our nation’s diet and exercise habits. 1Run President, Doug Masiuk, is running across the United States to raise awareness of type 1 diabetes and fight the rise of type 2 diabetes.

I asked Griendling what was stalling the 1Run campaign. She told me that the campaign needed a car.

Guess who I called? I called Chris Burget and told him I would take him up on his offer. Of course, when I described the 1Run project to him, he was all for it. Burget helped us secure a sizable monetary donation with Rosenthal to kick off this amazing project.

From here, let me introduce you to our #1RunAmerica team Doug Masiuk, the star of @1RunAmerica .

Doug @1RunAmerica leads the #1RunAmerica team and is living proof that lifestyle choices matter. Since reclaiming control of his health and properly managing his disease, Doug runs 175 miles a week and needs only a fourth of the insulin he once required. Doug once ran so much that he went 13 days without an insulin injection. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) are studying Doug’s remarkable transformation to better understand diabetes management.

As the campaign unfolds, we’ll witness social media in action as Doug runs across America – from California to Maryland. The social-media-mobile, transporting the team and accompanying cameras and equipment, will sport social media logos and corporate team sponsors all over it. Doug and his team will immortalize the journey through tweets, Facebook posts, Chime.in, G+ and more.

Please allow me to tell you a bit about our esteemed sponsors and how you can participate. Not only has Rosenthal thrown their wholehearted support behind the project, but we also received a generous offer from DAXAM, a digital graphics printer and installer located near Chicago, to give the social-media-mobile a makeover with a top-of-the-line car wrap featuring social media and sponsor logos to trek across the country in style.

How did this happen? Steve Akins, a dear Twitter friend who also has volunteered to redesign the 1Run website (coming soon), happened to mention Doug to one of the owners when talking to him about the power of social media to make a difference. DAXAM was immediately behind the project.

Companies like Nike and Johnson & Johnson have joined up as well. Several diabetes-oriented non-profits have lent their support to the campaign too. Ever heard of the American Diabetes Association; JDRF, Improving Lives; Curing Type 1 Diabetes; and the Diabetes Caucus? Well, they support Doug too!

I’m extremely excited about working on this campaign with Doug and 1Run. I am very blessed to have my Twitter friends donate their time and enthusiasm to this cause.

I’m pleased to introduce the five enthusiastic, smart and compassionate people comprising the 1Run social media team. All five are passionate people who joined our cause because they believe in the power of social media and giving. I’ve worked with each team member separately on various other projects throughout the past two years, but I’ve only met @2morrowknight in person. All of our strategic meetings are through the web and conference calls. My hope is that we will all meet face-to-face via this monumental campaign.

	@SteveAkinsSEO
	Steve Akins is a digital marketing and SEO professional who brings ideas, teams and tools together to better connect clients and brands with their customers and audiences, globally and locally. Steve has been developing, managing and promoting online communities to connect people and organizations since 1988, and creating and marketing web-based products and experiences since 1994.
	As he shared with the Huffington Post http://huff.to/uDURFe , the fight to stop diabetes and its deadly consequences is a cause close to Steve’s heart. He is thrilled to be helping Doug Masiuk @1RunAmerica with the site, analytics, search optimization, and as part of the #1RunAmerica social media team.
	@bullsandbeavers
	Chris Burget is the owner of BullsandBeavers.com the Premier Online Resource for the Outdoor Sportsman, and lives in the central mountains of Idaho. Chris is an avid outdoorsman who has been featured in the Huffington Post and is recognized as a twitter powerhouse.
	Chris was once a personal trainer to the stars and still believes in the importance of a healthy lifestyle and is proud to sponsor @1RunAmerica. Chris is the social media manager for Smith Elite Optics
	@2morrowknight
	Sean Gardner is a social media consultant and correspondent who blogs for Huffington Post, Social Media Week, and Smedio, and has appeared on CNN, PBS, and FOX. He has contributed to Fast Company, Buzzfeed, The Stimulist, Mission Hot Mama, Womentality Magazine, and Essence.com, and has lectured at leading colleges and universities.
	He’s done extensive work in the areas of speech writing, art advocacy, conservation, as well as promotional campaigns for nonprofits such as Project Medishare and World Vision. Currently, he is spearheading the media outreach operation for #1RunAmerica.
	@lorimcneeartist
	Lori McNee is honored to be supporting Doug Masiuk @1RunAmerica in his efforts to spark change in America’s diet and exercise habits.
	Lori is an avid outdoorswoman and professional artist who shares fine art tips, art business tips and social media advice on her blog, FineArtTips.com. Lori was named a TwitterPowerhouse by The Huffington Post. She has been a talk show host for Plum TV, and has been featured in and written for magazines and books including F&W Media’s Artist’s Magazine, and Zero to 100,000: Social Media Tips & Tricks for Small Businesses.
	@CharityIdeas
	Amy Neumann, a passionate advocate of using social media and technology for social good, is a Social Entrepreneur, Marketing Connoisseur and Builder of Helpful Things at Good Plus Tech (http://goodplustech.com). She creates strategies that connect causes to strong results by using social media as a tool for engagement and awareness with key audiences.
	She writes for several sites, including her “Social Good Stars” series for the Huffington Post. (http://huffingtonpost.com/amy-neumann), which features inspiring people – like Doug – who combine passion for causes with the power of social media. Since philanthropy and technology have both been passions of hers for more than 18 years, Amy is thrilled to be part of such a monumental undertaking that uses both… fueled by the inspiring personal mission of one heroic man. Amy would love to connect with you at CharityIdeasBlog http://charityideasblog.com

How can your corporation, and you as individuals, help us with this campaign? Would you like to see your logo next to other wonderful organizations such as Nike and the American Diabetes Association? If you would like to have your decal featured on the #SocialMediaMobile, please contact me. You can also donate here.

We are beyond excited to work on such a groundbreaking project! Please join us as we journey across the U.S. with Doug, @1RunAmerica and take out diabetes one step at a time.