Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Rita Davis-Cannon! A career Victim Advocate, Adjunct Law School Professor and Founder of The ATIR Community Inc. She and her wellness team shared their story with us below:
Rita has advocated for victim-centered, trauma-informed services for those impacted by crime for over 20 years. Her work inspired her to widen her bandwidth and create safe spaces for all in need of accountability, support, and self-care strategies. “Amid COVID-19 and the exposure of chronic racial injustices, I knew I had to do something. The ATIR Community was my way of standing in the gap and positively responding to the moment.”
The ATIR Community is a 501c3 non-profit organization that is based upon five principles: Advocate, Teach, Inspire and Reach. Each principle governs the way in which this community encourag habits of overall wellness. The unique programs, partnerships and awareness opportunities encourage autonomy and the freedom of knowing that you can LIVE and be HAPPY, despite the stress of the world that surrounds you. “Any traumatic event, personal or globally, can take an emotional and stressful toll. We wanted to implement programs and activities that raised awareness around active ways of recovering, coping and redefining positive meaning in our everyday lives”
It was this mindset that sparked the development of The ATIR Running Initiative. “I remember like yesterday receiving a message from Aly Carter and ATIR’s Executive Director, Wanda Banks, emphasizing the need to incorporate a wellness running initiative. To my surprise, Coach Sonni Green was already an ATIR member residing in Atlanta Georgia. I reached out to him asking if he had the time to speak about establishing a unique weight loss run initiative. It was unique in which our overall fitness goal was to lose the “weight” of the stressors of the world that so many of us held.” He was intrigued and eager to support. He shared that his initial fitness journey actually began in a similar way.
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“I officially began running in 2013 as a way to support my wife on her fitness journey. We both joined a local health and nutrition program as a way to get expert help on nutrition and fitness. A component of the fitness program included a run club that I naturally gravitated toward. It was an opportunity for like-minded runners to create goals that were times bound and group experiences. It was the shared goal experiences that proved to be most valuable. I was later asked to become a fitness instructor and decided to get my running certification in 2017. This was during a time in which there were so few certified African American run coaches. I saw this as the opportunity to provide information and credibility to our community.”
Sonni explained that his passion for running started with his desire to improve his overall health but later realized that the discipline and grit were all transferable skills. He shared that the running community in Atlanta was extremely supportive and offered amazing opportunities for new, intermediate, and advanced runners. “My goal is for everyone to realize that if you have a body, you are an athlete. We just need a little push and a supportive community, We can achieve and overcome much more than we give ourselves credit for.”
From there, the ATIR Half Marathon Project was established. This project offered motivation, direction and connections to like-minded individuals who were serious about their mindful movement. It opened the possibility for all, no matter what age, to establish the habit of positively showing up for themselves every day. “The ATIR Half Marathon Project, facilitated by coach Sonni Green, is a structured virtual run-walk group training program designed to get you from the couch to your first 5K, to the next 10K and the rest is totally up to you,” says coach Green. “In the program’s first year, ten non-runners trained together for four months and were able to complete their first Half Marathon! “Studies show that running can boost your mood, reduce stress levels and help manage anxiety. After the run, many members reported higher self-esteem, increased mood and the ability to cope better with current stressors.”
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There are very few smooth roads as we journey through life. We just know that the only way through is to keep going. Not too many people know that I am a survivor of a violent crime. Learning how to live with the trauma of my victimization was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. The pandemic triggered feelings and emotions that I thought I had successfully worked through. My healing process included me maintaining structure in my life, remaining physically active and surrounding myself with positive mindsets. The ATIR Community was established to share my habits of overall wellness, increase awareness of factors and resources contributing to well-being and inspire individuals to take responsibility for their overall mental and physical health.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
“Establishing a virtual community offered that additional sense of belonging and meaning I needed and wanted to share with others. My goal was to lead people through challenging times with motivation, inspiration, support. As they say, life is 10% of what happens to us and 90% of how we respond to it. It is easy to get caught up in the moment, in the situation. If you stay there too long, you become overly burdened and weighted down to a point at which you begin to mentally believe that there is no way for you to push through. It is important for us to learn that it is not the situation that defines us but how we choose to handle those situations that make the greatest difference. People underestimate the power of health and fitness as ways of strengthening our mind and our belief in the ability to do and overcome hard things.”
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
“Contrary to popular beliefs, I am extremely shy. I grew up timid, with a low self-esteem and a belief that I was not strong enough or good enough. As an adult, I found myself in professional positions that pushed me to the forefront leaving little to no room for me to hide in my shadows. I always had a heart for public service and the passion to serve, but I lacked the courage to take those necessary risks to reach my ultimate goals, my true purpose. My spiritual mother, Constance Smith, told me that God did not equip me with all of this talent and all of this knowledge to keep quiet or to keep it to myself. She reminded me that God’s gifts are meant to be given away. So I took a risk, stepped out on faith, and created The ATIR Community. My lack of self-assurance was preventing me from being, expressing and doing freely. My victimization was a contributing factor. I did not want to continue living that way and did not want others to remain stuck as well.
The ATIR Half Marathon project represents more than accomplishing a 13,1-mile run goal or simply engaging in a process to lose weight. It is a risk we ask others to take for an opportunity of a lifetime to win BIG! It opens the possibility for all, no matter what age, to establish the habit of positively showing up for yourself every day. It is a way to lose the weight of depression, anxiety and the stressors of the world. It is a way to help people realize their inner strength and physical capabilities. I want people to look at being physically active as a healthy way of dealing with hard times. We had members over the age of 55 join the initiative. They trained with the group for four months and completed their first half-marathon! I, 45+ years old, lol, went on to complete two in that same year. This was a big deal for me and so many others. It is important that we raise awareness around healthy relationships with ourselves. We are so much stronger than we think. Many of us just need that gentle push, love and support of our community to truly live healthy, happy and free.
This is the second year of Rita and Sonni’s partnership. “He is not here to simply give advice. He is a leader that “runs” alongside his athletes, instilling little nuggets of inspiration, positivity and motivation.” They both hope to continue to share this initiative with others all over the world!
Contact Info:
- Website: atirinc.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2670112493308056/?ref=share_group_link
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/atircommunity?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/atirwellness?mibextid=LQQJ4d
