March for Babies on April 26.  NAMI Walk/Live Well San Diego Expo on May 3.  Live Well San Diego 5K on May 31.  With so many walks and runs happening, which do I choose to support?

On February 19, 2012, I was blessed by the arrival of my first grandchild, born prematurely.  According to March of Dimes, nearly half a million babies are born early each year. Money raised by March of Dimes supports programs in our community that help mothers have healthy, full-term pregnancies. It also funds research to find answers to the problems that threaten our babies. So, no question:  I must support the March for Babies on April 26 in Balboa Park.

But wait. Last September, my mom celebrated her 86th birthday, and, absent a few hiccups over the years, she has been blessed with pretty good physical health.  Lately, however, she has been experiencing episodes of depression. According to the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI), depression affects more than 6.5 million of the 35 million Americans aged 65 years or older. Most people in this stage of life with depression have been experiencing episodes of the illness during much of their lives. For others, depression has its first onset in later life—even impacting people in their 80’s and 90’s.  Through it all, my mom remains a model of perseverance for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. So of course, to honor my mom and others who live with mental illness every day, I am inspired to also participate in the NAMI Walk/Live Well San Diego Expo on May 3 at Liberty Station.

Not so fast. My family tree includes five cousins, one uncle and one aunt who were legally adopted, and when we were growing up no one could tell the difference between those born into the family and those adopted into the family. According to County’s Child Welfare Services, more than 40 children in San Diego County's foster care system are waiting for permanent adoption at any given time. The children range in age from toddlers to young teens, come from diverse ethnic backgrounds, or are siblings who need to be placed together in the same home. Through the County Board of Supervisors’ Exceptional Families Adoption Program, the County is looking for adults who have the flexibility, commitment, humor, love and understanding it takes to be a parent. Children right here in our own community need a place to call home. In honor of my family and other exceptional families in our community, I also want to be a part of the inaugural Live Well San Diego 5K at Liberty Station on May 31, with a goal of increasing awareness about foster care and adoptions.

Hmmm.  March for Babies, the NAMI Walk/Live Well San Diego Expo, and the Live Well San Diego 5K.  With so many walks and runs happening in the next two months, which should I choose to support?

Simple. I choose to support all three, and in so doing, I will be supporting a fourth cause as well: my own personal health and that of my family.  I hope you will join me in the coming months in support of healthy, safe and thriving communities throughout San Diego County.

By Dale Fleming, Deputy Director, County Health and Human Services Agency, Office of Strategy & Innovation