Okay kids, here’s the deal. I told you that I have signed up to be on the Team In Training team for the Disney Marathon coming up in January. They will train me and cover my expenses but I have to raise money for a very worthy cause: to help fight blood born cancers.

By helping to raise funds for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma research and patient services, you’ll receive:

* Personalized fitness training by certified coaches for a period of four to five months
* Training clinics
* Your own personal Web site for online fundraising
* A supportive group of teammates
* Lodging and airfare to more than 60 accredited events in the United States and abroad.

I have to tell you, I am very, very apprehensive about doing fund raising. It is not something I have ever been good at, mostly because asking people for money is so far out of my comfort zone. But leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma research and patient services is a very worthy cause. I have been blessed to not know anyone personally who has been affected by these horrible diseases, but I want to help anyway.

So here’s the deal. I have been asked to raise $2,400 by the end of December. That number is quite intimidating! But with your help, I can do it! I figure I have probably fifty regular readers. If each of you fifty could commit to just $10 a month for the next five months (August through December), that would put me over my goal, $2,500. Ten bucks a month is pretty easy to fit into a budget, isn’t it? It’s taking your lunch twice that month instead of eating fast food. It’s skipping two mocha latte’s from evil coffee conglomerate. Super easy. And for such a good cause.

Please, talk it over with your significant other, and please consider pledging just $10 a month for the next five months to help fund cancer research and help me train to run the marathon in honor of a person currently fighting cancer (I think I meet my person in two weeks). You and I can make a difference!

What happens to the money I raise?

Good question. Team In Training figures my expenses will run around $600. They multiply that by four to get the $2,400 figure I have been asked to raise. So, for every dollar I raise, twenty-five cents goes toward my expenses. My expenses include marathon registration, training, a team tee-shirt, two or three nights in a hotel the weekend of the marathon, a high-carb pasta party the night before the marathon, and a post-run party. (I think that’s everything.) I’ll be upfront with you about what I’m involved in because I want you to believe in me, believe in this cause, and believe we can make a difference by raising funds to help fund cancer research.

If I do not raise the full funds by the end of December, I have the option of not running (NOT AN OPTION!) or funding the rest out of pocket. If I fund the balance, I then have two additional months to continue fund raising to reimburse myself. No matter what, the money goes to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

With your help, I can meet my goal!

One more thing, if you are interested in joining a team to run a marathon, either here or in your area, please mention you heard it from me as that will knock a little bit of money off the total I have to raise. And if your company would like to be a corporate sponsor, I can find out more about how to do that. Your company’s logo will go onto our marketing materials, and the back of our purple shirts as our team runs the marathon in January. Since it’s a charity, talk to your tax adviser about tax benefits of donating to charity.

UPDATED:
Rachel Lucas had a great suggestion. For easier payment options, you can either hit my Amazon tip jar or my Paypal button to save having to enter in your credit card information. I will redirect all funds to my Team In Training account.

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