Paul Ireland, commonly known as Coach Spunky, marks 25 years of volunteering at Youth Villages and the 25th anniversary of Runners Club, part of the organization’s residential treatment program with a focus on weekly runs and participation in monthly 5K races.
Spunky made his mark in Memphis’ running community but didn’t hit the ground sprinting at first.
At 30, Spunky says he wasn’t in the best shape but was trying to be.
“I tried running a few times and started doing half a mile, but my house was on a hill, and I could barely get up there,” he said.
So, he started running with friends, and soon enough, ‘this group’ turned into a weekly Wednesday night run at Bartlett’s Freeman Park — a group that still meets up after 35 years. They started small with 5Ks, and then 5Ks turned into 10Ks.
“Sometimes, being in a big group, we’ll talk each other into things,” Spunky said. “So, we started training for races.”
As Spunky likes to say, it was positive peer pressure at its best.
Spunky and his crew added miles each week and laced up to compete in the St. Jude Memphis Marathon® Weekend. They didn’t glide through the miles at first, but every run sharpened their stride as they crossed the finish line of the 26.2-miler.
Eventually, the group decided if they were going to work and train this hard, why wouldn’t they want to do more races — not only in Memphis but nationwide?
And they did just that. Spunky and the group ran in the New York City Marathon, but the trekking didn’t stop there. From California to New Orleans and Minneapolis-St. Paul, they raced them all.
As large races slowed, Spunky needed a new outlet for his love of running. As a member of the local running community, he crossed paths with Youth Villages CEO Patrick Lawler, who was also a runner. Spunky learned from Lawler that Anne Thompson, a former staff member at Youth Villages, was developing an idea for a running program on its residential campuses. The goal was to incorporate running as a benefit to the youth’s health and provide opportunities to run in events around the city.
While much of the work Youth Villages provides is through its community-based programs, children and youth with serious to severe emotional and behavioral problems can only be helped through a temporary stay in a residential program. For the youth who need it, treatment can be lifesaving.
Lawler asked Spunky to volunteer to lead Youth Villages’ Runners Club. He was all in then, and now, 25 years later, Runners Club is still going strong with eight weekly volunteers who run with kids at Youth Villages’ Dogwood and Bartlett campuses.
In Runners Club, youth are rewarded for each mile completed, and participants can win an array of prizes, from running gear to watches to a shopping spree at a local sporting goods store. In addition to the prizes, the youth adore having someone to run or walk with them. It is not only motivating, but it also teaches them healthy relationships and social skills.
“The kids will ask where a regular volunteer is if they had to miss a day of running,” Spunky said. “So, it goes to show how excited they are for the volunteers to be there.”
For Spunky and the current volunteers in Runners Club, the goal is never to place first but to cross the finish line together with the children. In the past year, Runners Club participants ran in 5K races across the city, including YV5K, Celebrate Munford, Bartlett’s St. Valentine’s Run, and the Humane Society’s Fast and Furriest.
After many years of volunteering to lead the Runners Club, Spunky became an official Youth Villages staff member, serving as a development associate.
“I’ve loved working with these kids for the past 25 years,” he said. “I hope I can continue creating an impact on their lives while I have a few years left in me.”
GET INVOLVED IN RUNNERS CLUB
If you are looking for a chance to engage with children with mental, emotional, and behavioral health needs and also get some exercise for yourself, this is the program for you! With weekly and monthly volunteer opportunities, it’s easy to fit Runners Club into your schedule. Please note that to volunteer, we ask that you be at least 21 or older, willing to complete a background check, confidentiality and liability waiver, and a short, one-hour training. If you are interested, please contact [email protected].
Runners Club’s upcoming race will be the YV5K on Saturday, October 26. Participants can register online for the YV5K by visiting Youthvillages5k.org. Walk-up registration is also available at packet pick-up from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Memphis Area Association of Realtors on Friday, October 25, and from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at Ridgeway Center on race day.
By Shelby Mitchell
Photo by Terrance Raper
