Lymphoma

Fundraising Update

On October 14, 2009, In Finances, Fitness, Health, Travel, By LisaT

Hello everyone!

So here’s an update on my fundraising activities for Team in Training. Even though I’m definitely still fundraising and baking cupcakes, I’m no longer doing it for the $3200 goal.

Sadly, when we received our recommitment paperwork for to sign, which basically says that if I can’t reach my fundraising goal by Dec. 30th, then I’d have to make up the difference. Sadly, I couldn’t risk it, so I had to bail. Incidentally, the paperwork was due today, so that’s probably why I waited until now to post this.

But there’s a happy ending to this story!

I’m still raising funds independently for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society because it’s a great cause. I’ve signed up for the PF Chang Half-Marathon in Phoenix in January 17, 2010. Thanks to everyone who has donated so far!

Tagged with: Finance • Fitness • Fundraising • Health • Leukemia • Lymphoma • Running

Cupcakes & Kris Jones Are Saving the Day!

On September 30, 2009, In Fitness, Food, Friends, Work, By LisaT

What a difference a day makes.

So, I was lamenting my fundraising woes yesterday and within a few hours, was feeling more optimistic about my ability to make it to my goal of raising $3,200 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and since I last posted, I have earned 5% more toward my goal. Woo hoo! I have one Ms. Kris Jones to thank for that!

Once she saw that I was having trouble finding customers for my Cupcakes for Cancer idea, she promptly messaged me on Facebook to I should call her the following day.

So I emailed her today around 2 p.m. to find out if it was a good time to call. The response I received informed me that everyone was expecting cupcakes since breakfast and to hurry up and bring some because the natives were getting restless! Quickly, I whipped up a batch of chocolate and scooted out the door bearing red velvet and chocolate chocolate cupcakes to Warner Bros.

All in all, I took in $170 in donations—both on and offline—as a result of Kris’ efforts—and have orders to return tomorrow. The tide is turning! I can’t thank Kris and her lovely co-workers enough for their generosity and healthy appetites. The only way I can think of to express my appreciation is to come back tomorrow…and hopefully a few more times after that.

STATUS: $600 out of $3,200 raised by December 30, 2009.

Tagged with: Cancer • Cooking • Cupcakes • Fundraising • Leukemia • Lymphoma • Team in Training

Making Money & Other Stressful Hobbies

On September 30, 2009, In Finances, Fitness, Friends, Health, Projects, Sports, By LisaT

Confession time: I had a mild freak out the other night when I looked at my fundraising goal for my upcoming Team in Training event in January. After adding up the checks I received in the mail from friends and family in addition to online donations, I calculated that I have raise approximately 15% of my goal. Despite the fact that I remain extremely grateful to everyone who has donated thus far, that’s not even a D on a quiz. My ultimate goal of raising $3,200 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society felt like it might as well be $32,000.

Then I received my recommitment papers via email that cheerfully asked for my credit card number, lest I not be able to raise the money on my own. What the WHAT? Yikes. I felt the panic rising, as I debated with myself whether or not I should just cut my losses and consider the nearly $500 I had raised so far to be a donation and call off the whole thing all together. I’m good at Photoshop, I thought. I could always Photoshop myself into pictures from the race, post it on Facebook and call it a day.

Sadly, however, I had involved potential witnesses who would know that I had given up at the first sign of adversity, so I calmed myself by baking a batch of cupcakes for a recent donor and setting my recommitment papers aside…for now.

At my friend Ingrid’s house, I chatted with her and a few friends about my fundraising anxiety and lo and behold, Claudia suggested I forward her the email to show her boss, who happens to be a particularly fond of donating money to worthy causes. She felt confident that she knew a few other people in her office who would be interested in pledging money for cupcakes.

Since then, a few more friends have volunteered to help me pass along my message. Also, I read the fine print from my recommitment paperwork and saw that I actually have until February 17th to get reimbursed by hustling and acquiring more donation funds, should my credit card get charged. That’s

Within a few hours, I had taken my feelings of hopelessness and effectively turned my frown upside down. And you know what you have at that point? That’s right, my friends, a big, obnoxious smile.

Let’s raise some money for cancer research, people!

Tagged with: Cancer • Finance • Fundraising • Leukemia • Lymphoma • Money • Running • Team in Training

Team in Training: Top o’ the Mountain to Ya

On September 27, 2009, In Fitness, Health, Nature, Projects, Sports, Weather, By LisaT

Somehow, I managed to drag myself out of bed 5:45 on Sunday morning to go for a seven and a half mile run in the Santa Monica Mountains as part of my Team in Training activities. I’ve been AWOL at the weekly runs for the past three weeks, due to two scheduling conflicts and one incident involving the snooze button—one which I’d rather not discuss in further detail as it is very embarrassing and pretty self-explanatory.

I arrived to the meeting point for our trail run at 7 a.m. and was greeted by the welcome sight of my fellow Team in Training runners and was immediately happy that I had successfully wrangled my way out of my cozy covers. Before we took off running, we received a quick briefing about nutrition during the day of our big race, followed by a chat with one of our Team in Training assistant coaches, Javier.

He talked about his mother living on the other side of the country with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, which I learned is incurable at this time. He became emotional discussing her prognosis and if someone would have noticed me tearing up, I would have simply blamed my allergies, which have been plaguing me with watery eyes lately.

After Javier finished explaining how running with Team in Training had helped him to cope with his mother’s illness and that he had seen firsthand what the donations to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society were helping people do, my anxiety about the fundraising aspect of my half-marathon in January diminished.

The least I can do is put aside my sheepishness about asking people to give to the cause and continue to come up with creative ways to provide incentives for people to pledge funds.

Currently, I’m giving out cupcakes to Los Angeles-based pledges from now until October 31st. Click here to donate, or email me at timmonslisa@gmail.com for more information.