In just over a week, I’ll be on my way to New York City to participate in my THIRD breast cancer walk, and I think this one is going to be the best time so far.

You may recall that I spent 2 of my 3 days walking in Philly (2006) getting rained on. That’s dedication.
Last year, the temperatures were in the upper 90’s as I stumbled my way through Tampa Bay. That’s nuts.
This year, the weather in NYC is promising highs in the mid 70’s and overnight lows in the low 50’s. That’s perfect!

(I feel like one of the three bears!)

As of right now, I am $425 away from my goal of $1800 raised. My donation ticker says I’m $400 away, but I’m sitting on a check for $25 from my godmother - I’ll turn it in when I get to the Event Eve site at the Sheraton in Manhattan next Friday. It’s not too late for you to donate!

So there are 26 (eek!) days until the Avon Walk in New York, and I’m still a bit away from my goal. I’m at $1150 right now, with a $100 donation in the mail to the Avon folks, and a promise of a donation from my sister’s friend Leebo coming as well. That’ll put me right around $1300 or $1350, depending on how generous Leebo is feeling. There’s not a single free weekend before the walk for me to spend any time soliciting donations, so we’ll be wrapping that up after the walk. I’ve got 30 days after the walk to get to my $1800 goal, or it comes out of MY pocket.

That said, feel free to donate!

I know times are tough. The economy stinks and gas is $4, but in times like this, we still need to be charitable - there are ALWAYS people who have less than us, due to circumstances beyond their control. That’s why I am walking for the 3rd year in a row in a breast cancer walk.

This October (just 49 days from now!) I will be walking nearly 40 miles over the course of a weekend as a participant in an Avon Walk for Breast Cancer event. Once again I am honored to be walking with thousands of others who have made the same courageous commitment: to help raise awareness and funding for this devastating disease. We will sleep in tents, shower in semi-trucks, and push ourselves far beyond what we ever thought we were capable of doing.

This isn’t the first time you’ve heard something like this from me and it probably won’t be the last. Why do I continue to push myself to participate in these events? Why do I keep talking about breast cancer? Why do I continue to fundraise and train? Why? Because when I first started participating in these events I only knew one person that had been touched by breast cancer. Now I know more than I can count. The numbers are not improving. The more people I talk to and the more money I raise to fund the fight against breast cancer - the sooner the numbers start turning around and the sooner a cause and a cure are found.

I truly believe that finding the cure to one cancer will be the key to unraveling the mysteries of many cancers. Too many people have had their lives torn apart by this disease. I refuse to sit idly by and watch it happen. So why do I continue to do all this? Because I can.

To participate in each event every walker must raise a minimum of $1800 - and I have raised $915 so far. I need YOUR help to make my goal and participate…I can’t do this alone! Every little bit helps, whether your donation is large or small. The Avon Breast Cancer Crusade will manage the money raised from these events, funding research and support services.

There are two ways you can donate to this cause and support my efforts:

1. Donate online using a debit or credit card at my Avon Walk website
2. Send your donation to me via PayPal, and I’ll make the donation in your name using my PayPal debit card

Thank you for your unwavering support.

Love,
Colleen

At a recent fundraiser for our Avon Walk, we had more than one person ask us how she could walk, or how she could get involved with Avon as a volunteer for the walk. All we were able to do was to tell people the website address for the walk, so I’ve been brainstorming on ways to easily share that information if we’re asked at our next fundraiser. I think I’ve got it…

I’m contemplating ordering business cards from VistaPrint that will provide people with the URL for this blog. I think the end result would be more traffic (duh) and it’s always a way to engage people who are interested in learning more about our cause. Why VistaPrint? They did my business cards for my other blog last fall, and I was super pleased with my order and the price. They do business cards, checks, baby announcements, invitations, and even car magnets. Ooh, that’s another idea! A big pink car magnet for the side of my SUV with 3DayMom.com printed across it - that would definitely get us some attention! There are definitely a lot of well priced options at VistaPrint for shameless self promotion. Hey, it’s all for a good cause, right?

There are 158 days to go until the Avon Walk in New York City, and I’ve raised $425 of the required $1800 in donations. Not too shabby, but I can’t stop now! I have another fundraiser scheduled in a few weeks which will be another “begging for change in front of the grocery store event”. After that, I’ll take stock and see how many more fundraisers we need to schedule and work as a team.

The Positively Pink Team (not my team!) has already raised almost $30,000! And one walker has raised almost $12,000. Holy cow - those are some over achievers!

This weekend I (along with a few members of my walking team!) will be at a local store to beg for spare change. It’s weighing your wallet down, and we’re happy to take it off your hands. If you’re in the Tampa, FL area, come out and see us!

Publix at Hollybrook Plaza
Corner of SR. 54 and Bruce B. Downs
Wesley Chapel, FL

We’ll be in front of the store from 10am until about 3pm, or sooner if we die of exhaustion. Raising money is hard work, you know!

1. Put the word out! Put an ad in the paper that lets everyone know the sale is for CHARITY. Send press releases to your local paper. They’ll usually publish your info on the event calendar section of the paper for free since your profits go to charity.

2. Good signage! We had 5 or so signs out in all directions so that our sale was easy to find.

3. More signs! We had signs at the sale letting people know all of the $$ was for charity, and what charity we were supporting.

4. Word of mouth! We told everyone who walked up that the sale was for charity, and if they wanted to know more, we did a little song and dance about the Avon walk. (Not a real song and dance, but you know what I mean.)

5. Donation buckets! We had a donation bucket (and a sign) on the table and people dropped money in it more than once.

6. No hagglers! Early in the sale, when people tried to haggle, we wouldn’t. I guilted more than one person into paying full price since it was all for charity. Later in the day, when we tried to move more items, we made great deals.

7. The buddy system! Doing this with a friend made it 100% easier - don’t go it alone!

I’ve now met 10% of my Avon Walk goal. My overall goal is $1800, and I’m at $180 right now. Our team goal, with 6 members, is $10,800.00 (wow!) and we’ve raised $650.00 of that. Of course, I wouldn’t be sharing all of these facts and figures without asking you to consider making a donation to me! We need every bit of help, and while I can’t help you on this year’s tax return, your donation is tax deductible for next year.

Our next group event (for our Florida team members) will be at a local grocery store on 4/19. Traditionally, a few hours out in front of the grocery store nets us at least $500, so I’m hoping we can see that success again. It will make a big dent in my goal. My sister also committed to a $200 donation, since she’s not walking this year. I look forward to that being deposited!

Our garage sale for the Avon Walk this weekend was a big success!

I walked away with $100 in profit, and my friend ended up with over $200. We were busy all day and got rid of a ton of stuff, and even snagged a few donations from benevolent shoppers. When all was said and done, I packed up what I had left and hauled it to Goodwill where I made a big donation.

Our next fund raiser will be a stand out and beg day in front of a local grocery store. That’s always good for big donations!

We’ve got our first group fund raising (is it fund raising, or fundraising?) event set for April. Now, I hope some of the group can assist me that day, or it’ll be me and Catherine collecting all of the cash for my own account. If you’ve got money to raise, give your local grocery store a call - most will allow to stand out front and solicit donations if you can prove you’re collecting for a real charity. We’ve got a whole system - I’ve got a card table, chairs, and a pink table cloth I bring. We’ve got a poster that briefly explains who we are and what we’re doing, and we’ve got big industrial sized mayo containers (plastic) with handles to collect the cash. We’ve been using the same supplies for 3 years and it makes getting ready for these events super easy.