Chairlady's welcome letter

The Club objectives are framed within the context of the following maxim:
"Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, they're yours…"
(Richard Bach)

Against this background, the objectives of the CLUB shall be:

1. To promote and encourage road- and cross-country running amongst both novice and experienced runners
2. To encourage members to extend themselves beyond their perceived physical limitations
3. To provide support and encouragement for the improvement of members' athletic activities and abilities
4. To promote the holistic enjoyment of the sport, and to encourage social interaction and camaraderie in the context of members' athletic activities
5. To grow HARFIELD HARRIERS ATHLETIC into a successful and respected club that will be capable of rendering a meaningful contribution to the sport in the Western Province.
   We draw your attention to any new candidate for membership:
   They must be proposed by one existing member, and seconded by another existing member, both of whom shall be in good standing with the CLUB at the time of the proposal. In this way responsibility is taken for that member and it is ensured that they are introduced to the Committee and Club Members and made to feel welcome. We also ask that you join them on their first few runs with us as a Club.

Harfield Harriers strives to give something back to those who are without and in doing so we have created a Charity Fund. This is funded in 3 ways:

• by an optional donation as part of your joining fee
• by a 10cents donation for every km run in official races. (This is calculated at each year end.)
• by fund-raising events held throughout the year...

"One of the reasons Harfield Harriers was born, was for the love of running, and to motivate runners to achieve the goals they set themselves. We also wanted Harfield Harriers to start new runners on the road to running pleasure.

To grow the sport of athletics, we need to make new runners feel welcome, and we strive to encourage their active participation in all Club activities - that is, in experiencing the joys of running, in widening our horizons, and in making and expanding new friendships.

My own personal experience is that all new and "lazy" runners need the camaraderie of fellow runners to motivate them, and to achieve greater things than they themselves believe possible. We all need support and encouragement in a sport that is so fulfilling, but sometimes so difficult, especially in today's times with the pressures of work and security issues. Harfield Harriers has already encouraged both new and experienced runners to surpass their expectations, and in that context, I personally feel a huge sense of achievement. I genuinely believe that our Club is special and unique, and that we have a significant contribution to make to the sport. I hope that we can encourage and make our members feel as much a part of the Club as possible. As we grow we should never forget that each new runner that joins us, even for one run, is a potential friend."

JENNI ROWE
Founder and Club Chairlady