So I'm sitting here at Oh-Dark-Thirty on a Sunday morning, getting ready to head out and do an eight mile training run for my half marathon coming up in June (on Father's Day--sorry Dad) in Lake Placid. If you haven't read any of my previous blogs on the topic, I'm running 13.1 miles to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through their "Team in Training" program, and I need to raise at minimum $1500.00

Thus far I've raised $730.00 on my fundraising page, plus a couple of checks I have in hand, which brings the grand total so far to $805 (and a HUGE thank you to everyone who has donated so far, particularly my Western NY friends). I don't count the "I'm gonna give you $____ next time I see you" donations until I'm actually in possession of the donation.
If I did, I'd be done with the fundraising already and could focus strictly on my training runs.

This means I still have a pretty big chunk of money to scare up before the run. If I don't hit the mark by the second week of June, I'm going to have to cough up the rest out of pocket, which isn't something I'm keen on doing, particularly as my Green Beast (that godawful non-sexy-beast green van I drive) is nearing the end of its life expectancy and will need to get replaced soon (with something that doesn't eat gas like a death march survivor).

SO.....here comes the beg.....

If you're on my friends list, if you've been entertained by any of my FNG(irl) posts, if anyone in your family or any of your friends have had their lives touched by leukemia or lymphoma, if you've had a lucky streak at the craps table in Vegas, or if you're just sympathetic to the cause.....please consider going to my fundraising page and making a donation. Anything you can donate is appreciated from the depths of my heart: $1, $5, $10 --it's completely tax-deductible and the pay site is completely secure.
This is the letter I sent out recently....please consider giving me a helping hand and I PROMISE you'll get some entertaining race day stories from me after the fact (they don't call me Calamity Jane for nuthin...);

Dear Colleagues, Friends & Family,

I've decided to once again participate in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s “Team in Training” and am running

a half marathon on June 15, 2008 in Lake Placid, NY.


This is my fourth (yikes!) half marathon for them, and since I have no idea how much longer my knees

are going to hold out (until those titanium replacements come in ;) ), I’m hoping that you’ll cough up some

much needed cash and donate to my run.


In case you’re unaware, a half marathon is 13.1 miles. “That’s not so bad” you think to yourself…

Well, perhaps not, on a flat course…but this is the Adirondacks baby…it’s all hills and there’s no Julie Andrews

standing at the top singing us home. It’s blood sweat and tears (and a few band-aids) for 13.1 miles, and we’re

raising desperately needed research and patient support dollars while we’re at it.


I’m running in honor of an exceptional girl from Western New York, her name is Brianna Blank, (and a big fat thanks to her dad, Dave Blank, a firefighternation.com buddy of mine)------and I’m also running in memory of Tanner Zullo from Albany,NY and for Aidan O'Malley from Chicago, IL, both of whom lost their fight with this disease.

These kids are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!

I believe in this organization with all my heart, and support it with everything that I have and everything that I am.


I’m doing this because the kids I'm running for need me, and the kids who didn't make it need someone

to remind everyone that every kid with a blood cancer needs a fighting chance.


I think you can donate, don't you? I need to raise $1500.00 by June 15…and thus far I’m at $730.00 Can you help?

visit my donation page to make a contribution---it’s tax deductible and you’ll feel really good about yourself, I can promise you that.

http://www.active.com/donate/tntnyvt/tntnyvtMShea1



Thanks for reading, thank you (hopefully) for donating, and think good thoughts while I’m out there doing my training runs.

If you’ve already donated, --hugs---and you can disregard. If you’ve NEVER donated to one of my runs, wouldn’t this be

an outstanding time to jump on the bandwagon?



xo,

Mary Ellen

UPDATE:
I want to give a HUGE thank you and a hug to Mike from Montana ---major donation....AND he gets his name written on my race jersey on race day, so that I remember how amazing people are....and how amazing he is for doing this for someone he barely knows....
Stop by his page and say thanks
http://www.firefighternation.com/profile/Mike56