Fundraising

I had the pleasure of encouraging my friend Steve through a fundraising stunt that had him post 48 blog entries in 24 hours, all in an effort to raise funds for the Montreal Childen's Hospital Autism Clinic. Steve raised almost $1,800, which is incredible. His initiative was also the focus of an article in the Montreal Gazette on Saturday. In the article, Steve talked about the 24 hours of blogging really being a stunt, maybe a bit of a silly way to raise funds for a cause, just like walking two days for breast cancer. I had a laugh when I read this, because indeed, this is what I'll be doing during The Weekend to End Breast Cancer in September.

A lot of fundraising these days is done through such "stunts". Some are physical challenges that most people could train for and complete safely (CIBC Run for the Cure 5km run for breast cancer, or The Weekend, for example), while others are incredible endurance events that most people would not sanely embark upon (Running the Sahara, 7,000 km in 111 days straight by three endurance runners, raising money for clean water in Africa). I think the common thread of all these events is that not only do they raise funds, but they also raise awareness. When the media covers the different stories, they also publish some background about the illness, or issue. That, I think, is the key driver behind the stunts. It also gives the opportunity for people who want to get involved to feel like they are physically doing something to help a cause.

I challenge you to get involved in a fundraising event in the future. Find an activity that you enjoy doing (you can walk, bike, dance, and even write blog posts) and raise funds for a cause that is close to your heart. Then, tell everyone that you know about your initiative. The biggest donations often come from the most unlikely sources, friends you haven't seen for ages, colleagues you don't know very well... But as I have discovered, raising funds is not that hard because people are really generous and want to encourage you. To this day, I have raised over $7,000 for breast cancer research, $1775 for this year's edition of The Walk.

Go ahead, give it a try.

Wonderfully tired

I'll describe the weekend in more details tomorrow, but I can tell you it was a success. 2105 walkers, $5.5 million dollars raised for the BC Cancer Foundation, and a really amazing weekend.

Our team did so well, everyone completed and we raised over $17,500.

Until I get a bit more sleep, here are some pictures of the weekend.

Am I a believer?

Mom wrote me an e-mail today asking if everything was all right. She said that my last blog update dated back to Thursday, I guess I have to keep up the writing now that family and friends read the posts on a regular basis.

I have been a bit under the weather since my dry cough has returned. Yes, coughing again. Sunday night was pretty bad, didn't get much sleep, so last night, I decided to take some codeine syrup before going to bed. Well, that didn't help whatsoever. I was up every single hour, hacking away. This morning, I almost didn't go to work. It was a long day.

Then I remembered this e-mail I received from Lara over the weekend. We watched a movie on Saturday and as she noticed that I started coughing again, she wrote me a message later that day to encourage me to think of other alternatives for treating this nagging cough. She recommended I visit the naturopath at Choices Market, apparently, this lady was very good. Maybe I would find a treatment that would actually work.

So, I decided to give it a try. I left work a bit early, then headed over to Choices and asked for some help with natural cough remedies. The lady pointed me to a product called Cough Complex, from Nova Homeopathic Natural Remedies. She also explained how to use it to get the most out of it. Instead of following the dosage, I should use the rapid fire method. When I get a tickle or itch in the back of my throat, I take one dose (12 drops). Then, five minutes later, another dose. Then, again, five minutes later another dose. This should prevent me from coughing which, in turn, irritates my throat and makes me cough even more.

So, this is what I'm trying tonight. I already pulled the firing squad twice and it does seem to quiet the cough for a little while. But the real test is tonight, will I be able to sleep more than one hour at the time without breaking into a nasty spell of coughing?

Am I a believer?

Other recent news from my little place in the world: I almost reached the 50% mark on my fundraising efforts for The Weekend to End Breast Cancer. Thanks to everyone who has donated so far! Keep 'em coming!

Fundraising

Last weekend, I started my fundraising for The Weekend to End Breast Cancer. The response has already been really positive, with many friends and family members letting me know that they will contribute to the campaign (and a few have already committed funds).

I'm really looking forward to the walk this year, my colleague Sarah is joining me, along with one of her friends. Last year was a great experience, but I did walk it by myself. Mind you, I was never really alone, there were so many people to talk to, but it's not the same as walking with friends.

Sarah and I are doing some brainstorming on fundraising events we could organize. We've talked about concerts, BBQs on the patio at the office, and a few more options.