It’s official: I reached my $10,000 fundraising goal for LIVESTRONG at 10:30 last night! Now it’s time climb Kilimanjaro with Survivor Summit to fight cancer. I’m very happy to be doing my part to help others. $10,000 is a lot of money, and I’m grateful for the support from so many wonderful people and organizations. Thanks to everyone for donating to such a great cause. This couldn’t have come at a better time; I leave next Saturday for the the charity expedition!
(Source: sass-and-the-city)
Transparency is a great thing. Since its inception, LIVESTRONG has raised more than $400 million dollars in the fight against cancer, with 81 percent of those funds going directly to support programs and services for cancer fighters and survivors. LIVESTRONG consistently aims to unite, inspire, and empower people affected by cancer. And in March 2012, Charity Navigator (a leading independent charity evaluator) issued LIVESTRONG a top rating of four out of four stars for its excellent financial heath, accountability, and transparency. So consider donating to this great cause—especially through my Survivor Summit climb up Kilimanjaro; any amount helps!
Only six weeks left until I take off for Tanzania to climb Kilimanjaro! I’ve bought my plane tickets, my immunizations are done, almost all my gear has arrived, and most importantly, my $10,000 minimum fundraising requirement for cancer programs and services at LIVESTRONG is in sight.
The next high priority items on my long list of things to do before I leave are: keep training; break in my hiking boots; fill my malaria and altitude sickness medications at the pharmacy; and make sure I have photos to process my Tanzanian visa when I arrive at JRO.
Needless to say, these last few weeks are going to fly by, and I’ll be standing on African soil soon! If you want to help me cross “fundraising” off my to do list, click “donate” on the right side of my blog, or visit my personal fundraising page.
Come join me tonight at 7:00 p.m. at a party to celebrate the completion of my 200th beer at the Flying Saucer (in The Triangle at 815 West 47th Street Austin, Texas). In addition to hanging out with yours truly, you’ll also get a chance to partake in my $100 bar tab until it runs out. I will only indulge in one tasty craft beer, so I need some help from a lot of friends to finish my tab!
When I’m officially recognized in the “Ring of Honor” for tasting 200 beers over the past two and half years, I’ll be asking patrons of the bar to support my Kilimanjaro charity climb with Survivor Summit to fight cancer, which benefits programs and services at LIVESTRONG.
If you can’t make it out, but want to help, you can still donate online. With almost less than $1,500 to until I reach my fundraising goal, any amount helps. Thanks to everyone for the support so far, and cheers to raising money, awareness, and hope in the fight against cancer.
Final ask letters going out in the mail ASAP. So far, I’ve received over $8,300 from amazingly kind people for my fundraiser for cancer programs and services at LIVESTRONG. That means there’s almost less than $1,600 to go before I can climb Kilimanjaro to fight cancer and honor everyone who’s been affected by this terrible disease. Friends, families, and stories from incredible individuals inspire me to climb. Can you help, or do you know someone who can? Click “donate” on the left side of my blog and please contribute whatever you are able to support this great cause!
I’m at $8,393.41—which is $1,606.59 away from my $10,000 fundraising minimum requirement to climb Kilimanjaro, which I’m doing to support cancer programs and services at LIVESTRONG.
With only 66 days left, that works out to less than $25 a day that needs to be fundraised between now and the climb. Please help me reach my goal early and donate to a really great cause!
Wonder what a donation to my Kilimanjaro climb supports? It’s not paying for my flight to Tanzania, that’s for sure! Instead, your tax-deductible donation supports LIVESTRONG’s cancer programs and services—like their Navigation Services, which in the past year alone has served nearly 15,000 people nationally through free, confidential, one-on-one support services offered online, by phone, and in-person in English and Spanish. In the past year, LIVESTRONG has also saved clients an estimated $3.3 million in medical expenses.
The LIVESTRONG Cancer Navigation Center in east Austin, which represents an underserved part of the city, is a tangible reminder of the impact LIVESTRONG can have on a community. This center was created to help survivors from Central Texas, as well as their friends, family, health care professionals, and caregivers, overcome the tough challenges that arise after a diagnosis—including insurance problems, treatment concerns, and dealing with the emotional impact of the disease. Your donation supports people who need help when dealing with a cancer diagnosis, so click “donate” on the left side of my blog’s main page and help out this good cause.
This link makes me a proud T4K alum. Yijiao Zhuang (Sierra 2010) writes about fundraising lessons learned from being a part of the Texas 4000 organization. She discusses her hard work to raise money for cancer research, diligently implemented through letter-writing campaigns, small fundraising events, and panhandling at busy Austin street corners. “I couldn’t have imagined a more fitting way to be introduced into the social sector, and it was through the latter endeavor—panhandling—that I learned some of my most important lessons in kindness, humbleness, and the true meaning of an “ask,” writes Yijiao. Read more in the link above. On a side note, I have less than $2,000 to go before I meet my minimum fundraising goal for Survivor Summit and LIVESTRONG!
Coming up on less than $2,500 to go before I hit the minimum fundraising goal of $10,000! Don’t get me wrong: $2,500 is still a lot of money. But think of how far we’ve come; on January 15—a mere three months ago—I embarked on this crazy goal of climbing Kilimanjaro to fight cancer. And now, I’m more than three quarters of the way there, thanks to all the great support I’ve been fortunate enough to receive from friends and family.
It’s now April, and I’ll be heading to Tanzania in late June to make my summit attempt.
Speaking of April, did you get a little money back on your tax return? Want to make a small tax-exempt donation that you can claim for 2012?
Then please donate, and help me raise money for cancer programs and services at LIVESTRONG!
Lisa's reflections on summitting Kilimanjaro and raising over $10,000 for cancer programs and services at LIVESTRONG.
