Help a Sista Out!

The key thing to remember about charity work is that you're not alone. You can always find someone to help in some way, and you can always find someone who is in need themselves. And to that same extent, you can throw a rock and are pretty much guaranteed to hit at least a few benefits and fundraisers every day of the year.

First off - if you have fundraisers and enjoy people participating in them, pay it forward and participate in someone else's fundraisers. To me, the only reason you should hesitate is simply to give yourself time to figure out which one to get involved with!

I struggled with the last point for quite a while. There is no right or wrong answer. As much as I'd like to have the ability to be at all of them, there is just no physical or financial way for anyone to attend *everything* they want to support. I, in general, try to participate in at least one fundraiser for every fundraiser I have/ plan on having. So if I have a putt-putt tournament, bikini bike wash and benefit concert, I should go to at least 3 other fundraisers. Great, I know how many I want to (at minimum) participate in, but the real trickery is figuring out which three!

My first criteria is of course the level of personal tug I feel when I think about a particular fundraiser. If it's a friend's fundraiser, then hands down I'm there. Even if I can't donate, I try to show up and show my support. Also, if it's a fundraiser for a group or cause that I'm involved with then I'm much more likely to attend.

My take on fundraisers is simple - you could just write a check, or you could go have a good time and write a check. Obviously, I try and go with option #2 as often as possible :D

On that note, check out this cool fundraiser tomorrow night in Arlington! http://www.pinkjamsdc.com/

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie...

... or an overworked coworker.

Tip of the day: Keep a thing of cookies or candies on your desk. I know that if I'm having a bad day, or even just a long one, theres nothing like a quick cookie to help reset my system and get me through till the final bell (ok they don't really ring "time to go" bells at my work. If they did, I bet I'd probably get home on time).

Today I provided cookies.

Who is providing the ice cream?

Or beer?

Planning Ahead Much? 2010... and Beyond!

The way I see it, there are 2 ways to react to a bad situation: 

1. Let it eat at you and be a dark spot on your life. I met a woman 2 weeks ago who had be unable to personally cope with her breast cancer diagnosis and instead took it out on me. It crushed my resolve momentarily, but then renewed my determination to take the second road.
2. Find the silver lining and hold onto it like your life depended on it.

I of course state the above with the knowledge that it can often be a very difficult and confusing road between #1 and #2. That caveat aside, though I would never ever wish that my mother would get sick, her BC has opened my eyes to the wonderful events that are breast cancer walks. 


There are 2 major walks that I work with - the Avon 2-Day and the Komen 3-Day. During the Avon event walkers trek 39.3 miles (a marathon and a half) over the course of 2 days. The Komen walk is similar, though the participants travel a total of 60 miles over 3 days. For each event, walkers are required to raise $1800-$2300 and many raise above and beyond that!


My involvement in these events started with my momma. She participated in the 3-Day two years in a row just after she went into remission, and then when my sister and I were both old enough we all walked in Boston in the Avon 2-Day. When I saw the motorcycle crew in Boston, I knew exactly what I wanted to do the next year. I patiently waiting until the 2008 DC registration opened, often checking the site daily because I'm impatient (for some reason I believed if I looked every day, they would see me clicking and would open it up sooner). After some gentle poking and prodding, I also convinced my mom to sign up to crew with me in DC that year! As for the moto crew - to be frank, it was love at first sight. By love I mean that twisted kind of love you have for your strange pseudo-uncle that was your dad's college drinking buddy and is now borderline nuts, but love nonetheless. After the crew training day (and over a beer or 3), they took me under their wing like I'd been a part of the family for years. From that point on I was hooked like a trout to a good lure, so when our new captain emailed needing more volunteers for the 2008 Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk (which was not yet associated directly with Susan G. Komen) I of course jumped onto the opportunity.


After that year (and signing up for 2009), I made a quiet goal for myself - I wanted to experience one new city as a member of a moto team every year. Admittedly, I was chicken to sign up by myself while openly jealous of those traveling the country to different 2- and 3-day walks. In May of this year we all met Charlie who had signed up to be on the crew for ALL of the Avon Walks across the country. And I thought doing one extra city was a big deal!! On top of that, he was riding his bike to most of them, including the walks in the Rocky Mountains and California. After watching his travels unfold on facebook, I sent him a message letting him know that I was interested in expanding my horizons - literally. It just so happened that the Charlotte walk was in severe need of some extra motos. I shot off a quick email to a few of my DC moto buddies and soon enough I was looking at a hectic October.


Needless to say Charlotte was even more amazing than I could have imagined. Their crew welcomed us with arms as open as that first DC crew I worked with, a fact that my friend Alicia and I remarked on quite a bit. It seems that when you pair bikers up with boobies, you get a match made in heaven :D Being in a new city was enlightening - I'd never really spent time in Charlotte, so as the walk winded through the streets of that beautiful southern city I soaked it all in like a sponge. [Sidebar: Charlotte is beautiful and maybe one of the cleanest cities I've ever seen. Even the less afluent areas were in pristine shape. If you haven't yet, spend a day or two in Charlotte.] 


My experiences in Charlotte sealed the deal for me - I have to do one city other than DC every year no matter what. Luckily, Alicia has the same unhinged resolve (that admittedly, at times, borders on crazy) and is going to join me for... *drumroll please* TAMPA BAY 2010!! 


Every year they hold the Tampa walk over Halloween. Looking at the schedule of cities I could feasibly visit in 2010, to me Tampa + October + Halloween weekend = BC Moto Crew Awesomeness. After closer evaluation of said schedule, Alicia and I realized that the Atlanta 3-day and the Charlotte 2-day were the weekend BEFORE Tampa. Since Tampa is a haul on the bike, why not go halfway down a week early, do a walk and then go to Tampa? After going back and forth in my head between Hotlanta and Charlotte (Charlie is captaining Charlotte again next year), I decided to go where a) I knew moto crew [we have a few ATL guys and gals come up to do the DC 3 day every year] and b) I knew friends from school, some of which have had relatives affected by BC.


In short - Hotlanta and Tampa beware, I'm comin for ya next October!!




**What are some other ways I could push myself a little more in the future for these events?**

Dinner From Friends

One very common memory I have from when my mom was sick (for those playing the home game, she's a 10-year survivor of Inflammatory Breast Cancer) is the overwhelming support from the community. We often had folks bringing us complete meals, which was a huge help while mom was going through her treatments. My parents didn't want us eating pizza and takeout every night, but often we were in a hurry so we could visit my mom or exhausted from the long days, so the knowledge that we could still have a home-cooked meal brought us an indescribable level of comfort.

What amazed me most was not the act of kindness itself, but the people behind the acts of kindness. Jonaleen, who passed away a few years ago after losing her own battle with cancer, was undoubtedly the most frequent contributor to our diets, and Holy Feast Batman! That woman could cook Julia Childs under the table. Not only were we blessed with friends and family who helped out, but we also received tasty treats from complete strangers. My sister and I were active in Girl Scouts at the time and our troop often gathered a few generous moms with large ovens to make us things that we could eat right away or freeze for an easy meal.

At 14, I'm not sure I fully understood what drove these people to do what seemed to be the most generous act a teenager could think of. In time I learned that to these folks, it was such a small gesture. Baking a pie took an hour out of someones afternoon, but to my family meant another hour that we could spend with my mom. Spending the morning whipping up a pan of lasagna meant my mom and dad could focus on her health instead of worrying about what they had time to put into our mouths. Creating a meal that we didn't necessarily need one week made it possible for my dad to spend the evening with my mom on their anniversary and not have to spend a ton of time in the kitchen to feed us kids beforehand.

So next time you feel overwhelmed by someone's situation or don't think you could possibly do anything big enough to make an impact, know that often what seems like a small gesture on your part will make a huge difference to someone in need.


**What are some small gestures that you have made or that you suggest others make in order to help someone in need?**