articles

Awesome Mama: Heather Matthews

November 5, 2015
One of our favorite things about publishing Macaroni Kid is the chance to connect with other moms in our community.  Often times these connections inspire us and remind us of the ability of one person to make a difference.  It is with this in mind that we launch a new article series called Awesome Mama.  Our hope is to introduce you to some amazing moms living right in our communities who not only are doing unique and wonderful things but also deserve to have some attention brought to their mission.

"See a need, fill a need," and that's exactly what Heather Matthews did.  She recognized that - despite our picturesque surroundings - some of our local neighbors are in need.  While the Issaquah Food Bank works hard to fill those needs, Heather knew that an annual fundraiser would go a long way toward stretching their tight budget.  Six years ago this local mom brought the Turkey Trot Thanksgiving tradition to Issaquah.  In the past 5 years, the family-friendly, Thanksgiving morning 5K has raised over $115,000 with 100% of proceeds going to the Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank.

Heather Matthews is on a mission to make a difference in her community by raising money and awareness for the Issaquah Food Bank. Please get to know this local mom a little better by reading her answers to our questions.

What is your MISSION? What do you want to accomplish?
My mission is to make a difference in my community by raising money and awareness for the Issaquah Food Bank. Many people who live here don’t even realize we have a local food bank and are surprised to learn people in our community are struggling financially. Last year the Food Bank helped over 50,000 people – over 60% of those are children and seniors.

The Issaquah Turkey Trot has been a huge contributing factor in helping the Food Bank to grow so they can provide resources for those in our community. While the Food Bank gets a lot of food donations from our community, they can make dollars stretch much further than we can.

The Turkey Trot is an event that allows people of all ages to come together and give back on a day that's intended to celebrate gratitude.  We know that most people in our community are very generous and would love to write big checks to the food bank if they could, but not everyone is in a place in their lives to do so. The Turkey Trot borrows from a well-known quote, "Many hands make light work."  Together with many "small" hands, we can a huge difference.

What inspired/encouraged you to start the Issaquah Turkey Trot?  Is there one specific moment when you knew this was what you wanted to do?
When I first heard about the Seattle Turkey Trot, a 5K for the Ballard Food Bank, I immediately wanted to participate! I was looking for a simple way to give on a day when I had so much to be grateful for. I am not a runner but decided to try it anyway!  I made the drive to Seattle and fell in love with the spirit of the community coming together on Thanksgiving to help those in need. During my second year participating in the Seattle Turkey Trot, I stood at the starting line and had this feeling that I needed to start something like this in Issaquah for our local Food Bank. I came home and couldn't stop thinking about that idea. 

In January, I decided to email the organizers of that event and just ask them a few questions about how they organized their race.  I needed to know where to start and whether ot not this was something I could actually do!  They were great and answered all of my questions.  As read through their email, I had the same overwhelming feeling that this was something I had to do!  At first my family thought I was crazy when I decided to take this on. But once I made that decision to move forward, they were all on board and have been so supportive.  Especially my mom – she encouraged me to do it from the beginning.

How did your life before children influence the mom you are today?  
I always wanted to be a mom – I babysat, nannied, even studied marriage and family therapy in college. I thought I had all of the answers and resources equipped to be the best mom. Then I became a mom of 4 boys and now realize that I knew nothing! My kids have truly humbled me and teach me every day. I never realized how hard it would be, but also how rewarding it would be. I was told that many times but didn't truly understand it. Nothing can fully prepare you for the motherhood adventure. I love being a mom!

What part do your children play in your current mission?
My children love the Turkey Trot! My 6 year old nephew, still to this day calls Thanksgiving, Turkey Trot Day and believes that on that day everyone in the nation runs in a Turkey Trot.  What makes the Turkey Trot so special for me is that the entire family is involved. Everybody helps from the grandparents down to the babies.  

What lessons/values are you learning through this process? 
I have learned there we are surrounded by great people within our community. I am amazed to see how many people come year after year and embrace helping those in need by giving back. Our community has an amazing giving spirit that impresses me beyond words.  I feel like we're living in a world where a lot of attention is placed on negative things.  But the truth of the matter is, the majority of us are really good-hearted people who really do care about their community.  The Turkey Trot is a great reminder for me of the goodness in the world.

What lessons/values do you hope your kids are learning?
I try my best to help my children understand why we do the Turkey Trot and to be more aware of needs around us. As my boys have grown, they've been able to help more and more and have been able to volunteer at the Food Bank sorting food.  They enjoy going with us to deliver the final check of all of our proceeds. My goal is that that they are learning the importance of serving their community and motivated to work to help build a better world. Also showing them how much difference one person can make.

What do you do to take care of yourself and how do you make time to do it?
I love Zumba. Focusing for an hour a day just on dance moves helps my mental and emotional health so that stress doesn’t weight me down as much. I make time for it by teaching it – that motivates you to go when you have no choice.

I also love the quiet time I get once the kids go to bed. My husband and I enjoy that time together. I also really enjoy connecting with my friends and community through social media.

What can we do to support you and the Turkey Trot?
Come to the trot on Thanksgiving morning! Invite your family, friends and neighbors. It is a great family event for all ages. Register here: www.issaquahturkeytrot.org

---------------------------------
Find out about our other MOMS ON A MISSION:

KAYSEE HYATT is on a mission to build community awareness for pediatric stroke and hope for impacted children and families.
 
JULIE PARKER is on a mission to complete a marathon in every state by the time she turns 50 years old. 50 by 50.
 
JAMIE MENOLD is on a mission to raise awareness of and funds for pediatric cancer research.

KRISTEN BRANTNER is on a mission to make a difference in the future of rare disease and created a local non-profit called RAREevents.

CHRISTIE MALCHOW is on a mission to make sure the city hears the voices of young families and is running for Sammamish City Council.