The Couple That Volunteers Together Stays Together

Posted on by lynnsmythe
Volunteer your time to make this world better

Note: This blog post is a sponsored conversation written by Lynn Smythe, the Founder and Chief Blogger for The Creative Cottage lifestyle blog. The opinions, thoughts, ideas and text are all mine.

While once an oddity, video meetings via Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, Facetime, and Google Hangouts are becoming commonplace. During these challenging times of social distancing, and an almost hermit-like existence due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, video dating is almost becoming the norm for virtual first dates.

Online apps are the perfect option when it comes to options for free dating websites in the UK, the United States, and beyond. If you are recently single or just moved to a new town and are looking for ways to meet new people online dating can help you make real connections even when long-distance dating. 

I wrote extensively about video dating and virtual first dates in a previous post on The Creative Cottage blog. Today’s post is going to take a look at a fun first date idea to enjoy with your BFF or significant other when lockdown ends once and for all. 

Meet Isle of wight Singles, make connections, chat with new people, and pick a time to meet for a romantic dinner or adventurous afternoon getaway. 

A fun first date idea is volunteering your time with your local animal shelter. Photo by Mikhail Nilov from Pexels.

Good Deeds First Date Night

File this first date idea under: the couple that volunteers together stays together. There are many local and national charity groups and non-profit organizations that rely on the services of their many amazing volunteers. A few of my favorite non-profits include Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Loxahatchee River Center, Loggerhead Marinelife Center, and Manatee Lagoon.

You and your significant other could volunteer your time at a favorite charity – to help build and maintain hiking trails, work as a tour guide, create user-generated content for sharing on social media. The sky’s the limit. After spending a long week sitting behind a desk I like my after hour, weekend, and extracurricular activities to be a bit adventurous.

Run Walk Bike for Your Favorite Charity 

I’ve done many long-distance running, cycling, and triathlon events to help support the Palm Beach Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, an organization that provides research and support for various blood cancers. I’ve volunteered my time to help raise much-needed funds and raise awareness for LLS while training and participating in their Team in Training program. 

I did many of the events with my then-husband now ex-husband – he even went on to become a volunteer cycle coach and I volunteered to mentor two of the cycling teams. Long-distance charity events aren’t necessarily recommended as a dating app substitute but based on my personal experience they are a great way to connect with others while making new friends. And, don’t let the fact that I’m divorced scare you away from doing charity events with your significant other. We were actually together for close to 20 years and enjoyed many great outdoorsy adventures during that time.

So far, I’ve participated in 5 century (100 mile) bike rides, 1 sprint triathlon, 2 International distance triathlons, the Disney Half Marathon, and the Disney Dopey Challenge (149 miles of run/walking over 4 days) all while helping to raise over $70,000 for the society. In fact, part of the entry fee proceeds for most of the run, walk, hike, bike, and multi-sport events I’ve done benefit one or more charity groups. 

The Creative Cottage founder Lynn Smythe with co-workers and family members helping to build a positive company culture while participating in the American Heart Association Heart Walk in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Breakaway Key Largo MS150

One charity event that stands out is the National Multiple Sclerosis Society annual long-distance bike ride – the MS150. I’ve participated in the Bike MS: Breakaway Key Largo on two occasions. The Key Largo MS150 starts at the University of Miami then travels 75 miles on the first day, going up and over the extremely steep and terrifying Card Sound Bridge on your way to the keys before arriving at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo. 

After a brief overnight stay to rest, relax, and EAT your weight in carbs, you wake up the next day and cycle 75 miles back to the University of Miami for a total of 150 miles of cycling over two days. A highlight on the second day is one of the main rest stops takes you through Homestead Miami Speedway where you have the option to do a lap or two around the racetrack on your bike. I have photographic evidence of that actually happening somewhere – blast from the past y’all!

The first time I did the MS150 I was a member of the Office Depot Foundation Team and met many great friends and made friends for life. I didn’t actually work for Office Depot, one of my cycling friends’ husbands worked there and they were looking for additional team members to help raise money for MS. We got free weekly coaching and at least one free cycling jersey in return for using our training and racing images in their online promotional and print collateral marketing materials.

The Creative Cottage founder Lynn Smythe, AKA the Bike Diva, dropping off her bike the night before the start of St. Anthony’s Triathlon as a member of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program.

Team zMotion Charity Bike Ride

The second time I rode in the MS150 to help raise money and awareness for multiple sclerosis my ex-husband and I were part of the zMotion farm team. That team was sponsored by Zimmerman Advertising and again, neither of us worked for Zimmerman but a friend of a friend or something along those lines recruited us to join the ride. 

zMotion was an amazing team – besides the weekend warrior team we belonged to they also had a professional cycling team. Most of the time we trained during the week with other members of the farm team. On the weekends we got a chance to do a bit of training and hang out with the pro riders. They started their rides with us but once we got up to our top speed, they were just warming up. They would take off and do a much longer and faster ride before arriving back at our starting location. 

Our weekend meetup spot was at a small shopping plaza with a stand-alone restaurant. That restaurant was owned by the zMotion bike team captain who at the time was also the president of Zimmerman Advertising. After our weekend training ride, he invited whoever wanted to stick around to a FREE buffet breakfast at his restaurant. Hardly anyone said no to this amazing opportunity!

Do you have any suggestions for the perfect first date? I’d love to hear from you – drop me a line at: lynn@thecreativecottage.net and I just may feature your idea in a future blog post. 

More Great Date Night Ideas

If you enjoyed reading this online dating post, check out these other Dating & Relationships articles on The Creative Cottage lifestyle blog:

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Do you have any tips or tricks you’d like to share? Leave a comment on this post or shoot me an email: info@thecreativecottage.net and I just might feature your story in a future blog post.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe

Founder and Chief Blogger
The Creative Cottage

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