“We’re just an ordinary family.”
That’s how Glenda Zamzow describes her family of four. But this ordinary family has dedicated the year to a feat that’s a little out of the ordinary.
Together with her husband Richard, and their sons Marcus (14) and Derek (11), the troupe has undertaken the Zamzow Challenge — a series of 12 challenges to raise $25,000 for Right To Play, a charitable organization that aims to bring sport and play to children in disadvantaged communities.
Already the family, which lives in the Calgary community of Tuscany, has four challenges behind them. Up next: A Charity Dinner, Auction and Dance.
The June 8 event, which starts at 6 p.m. at the Bearspaw Lifestyle Centre, will feature the musical stylings of Calgary duo Hazel Grey and blues band BowDogz. Martin Parnell, a Right To Play ambassador nicknamed the “Marathon Man,” will be providing attendees with a keynote address.
Parnell was the inspiration behind the Zamzow family’s yearlong challenge, said Glenda. She first heard of Parnell when he was embarking on Marathon Quest 250, but it wasn’t until reading Parnell’s book, Marathon Quest, that Glenda became influenced to make a difference.
“I really felt we should do something — we’ve been given such great opportunities,” said Glenda. “You always hear people say, ‘Just pull yourself up by the bootstraps.’ But these kids, they don’t have bootstraps. If it were me, I’d want someone to advocate for me.”
And so it began, starting with Challenge 1: Try something new. For the Zamzows, that saw Derek and his mom lacing up for Parnell’s Hockey Quest 500. Since then, the family has endured a total of more than 200 kilometres on cross country skis and Marcus’ broken arm.
“For me, the biggest lesson is switching gears and moving to Plan B,” said Glenda about the change of plans following her eldest son’s broken arm. “But I think of the advice Martin gave me. Even if the plan doesn’t work out — it’s still your story.”
The family has managed to fit the challenges and the necessary training into the already busy schedule of an ordinary family. With the cast off, Marcus is already deep into dry-land conditioning for the cross-country skiing off-season, and Derek is an avid soccer player.
“Our family unity has come first in all of this,” said Glenda. “(Richard and I) wanted our kids to be healthy, compassionate, hardworking people. But we also want them to have a sense of community and volunteerism.”
Tickets for the June 8 Charity Dinner, Auction and Dance are available online at zamzowchallenge.com. Admission is $75 a person, or $500 for a table of eight. All the proceeds will go directly to Parnell’s Quest For Kids.
