Every Little Step I Take*

This week, I have received some very generous donations. Between Monday and today (Friday morning at 10 a.m.), I have received $1,075.00 in donations. This is more than 1/4 of the donations needed for me to reach my minimum fundraising goal. I am amazed and touched by the generosity of all of my donors--regardless of the dollar value of the donation.

I may be most impressed by my less-than-one-year old niece, who donated $25 dollars to me this week--not only is she computer savvy, but she also managed to get access to her mom's credit card!

I have begun sending out reminders to persons that I sent fundraising letters and emails to back in late May. I know the economy sucks and money is tight for everyone, but I wouldn't be asking for money if it weren't for a good cause. It's not like I am asking for someone to fund my trip to the Nordstom Anniversary Sale (which started this morning--or at midnight last night if you shopped online). Please don't think that any donation would be too small...$1 or $5 or $10 or $1,000 (I know, not small)--all these amounts add up and will help towards the ultimate goal of Team in Training--to eradicate cancer. That's our team's mission and this year, Team in Training is likely going to hit the $1 billion mark. Please consider helping add to that total.

And, many thanks to my donors of this week**: Anonymous, Barry Davidson, Judith Elder, John and Jan Giesa, Travis and Erin Haynes, Ralph Leutz, MacKenzie Lovchik, Melanie Giesa Marshall, and Jackie Witter. Your kind comments on my fundraising page and your personal notes have been very encouraging.

*As I wrote that line, I was taken back to St. Francis School in New Haven, CT--where I am fairly certain at 12 or 13 I danced to the Bobby Brown song of the same name at a mixer with the other parochial junior highs in town.

**Many thanks to my previous donors as well!

Almost to the Halfway Point (in Donations)

Yesterday morning, when I checked my email at work (which I do first thing every morning while drinking my coffee from Madeleine's) and saw that I had received two new donations towards my $4,000.00 fundraising goal, one for $50 from Judith Elder and one for $100 from "Anonymous." I also received $100 from Ralph Leutz that day. Then, this morning, I received $25 from my niece MacKenzie (who is not even a year-old, but very computer savvy).

So, my fundraising total has now reached $1,900.00 as of this morning.* A big thanks to all who have sent donations--I really appreciate it, and I know it is going for a good cause. Also, for the "Anonymous" donors, I must apologize that I cannot personally thank you, as Team in Training and LLS do not provide me with contact information or names of any of my anonymous donors. I would love to thank you personally.

Finally, I know that I have asked many people for money. Please do not feel like you can't donate because your donation will be too small. Every dollar donated actually makes a difference, so even if you want to donate a dollar, you're still helping the cause.

*As a reminder, my fundraising page (see the link on the right) does not auto-update donations that are personally given to me or mailed in--please be patient to see your donation appear on my fundraising page if you donated other than online.

Donations (A Follow-Up to the 36, 7, 40 Post)

As of this morning, I have received $1625 in donations--$2375 to reach my goal. I just wanted to thank, again, all of my donors to date: Anonymous 1; Anonymous 2; John Bakken; Laura Carl; Sheri Engelken; Devon, Peter, & Abbey Gay; Jan & John Giesa; Ed & Ginny Haynes; June Haynes; Kitty Janssen; Carole Kasper; Trisha Kissler; Daniel Kratz; Jen, Ryan, and MacKenzie Lovchik; Chad Keller; Trisha Pfeifer; the partners at Reed & Giesa, P.S.; Rich & Deb Rogers; Barb & Jim Whitely; and me.

The Mission--Step Up

Most of my posts have been about running, but I am not just running to be a runner, get in shape, complete a half marathon, get smaller thighs and flatter abs, etc. I'm running and training to raise money for Leukemia and Lymphoma Research.

Leukemia and Lymphoma encompass a broad range of blood cancers. My training for the half is with Team-in-Training (TNT), which has raised over $850 million in the last 20 years for blood cancer research, financial aid for cancer patients, cancer patient support, clinical trials, and many other things. This year, TNT is hoping to hit the $1 billion mark. Think about it. $1 billion. That $1 billion ($1,000,000,000) has and will be raised by individuals who have decided to train for endurance events and donate their efforts and time to seek donations. These are people writing letters to friends, having bake sales, and telling everyone they know about the cause. These people get rejected in their solicitations, but they keep going, as the cause is a worthy one.

I am one of those people. I have to raise $4,000 by October 6 to be able to run the Nike Women's Half-Marathon, which I have been training for for almost 4 weeks. If I don't raise the money, I have two options--quit or pay the remainder myself. If I quit, I will still have gotten good training, raised some money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and tried. I have already donated $114 towards my own goal. I don't want to work and quit.

I know that solicitations for money are unpleasant, but I'm not asking you to fund my Nordstrom habit or to buy me a gift. I'm asking you to help end blood cancers. The government is not doing as much as it should or could to end them, so individuals have to step up. Any donation helps. You even get a tax deduction for making the donation, because the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is a non-profit organization.

So give up your latte today, skip lunch out, avoid the MAC counter, have one less martini and make a donation. I'll even send you a stamped, self-addressed envelope in case you want to send a check, money order, or cash--just let me know.

Donations in check/money order form should be made payable to: LLS. Give them to me, and I'll send them to the right place (you'll get a receipt mailed to you for tax purposes). Or, go to my fundraising page (second link on the right) and donate using your bank card or credit card (and you'll get an immediate receipt).

If you have questions, shoot me an email: rlhaynes@reedgiesa.com. If you want to read more about the cause and program, check out the Team in Training and LLS links to the right. Also, check out my first blog entry about why I am running--more great info on the program.

Anonymous Donor?

I received an "anonymous donation" on my fundraising site. Thank you to whomever it is and know that I would be thanking you personally if I knew who you were.