A big THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to my fundraising goal of $1,000 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk! I reached my goal yesterday! Here is what I have written on my fundraising page, which includes a call for any further donations to go toward the goal of my friend, Annette Hernandez, so that she can walk with me in June. We are a team, afterall! :^)
From my overnight.org page:
I want to thank everyone who contributed to my goal of reaching $1,000 in donations! You are all making a huge difference in the lives of many. I want to say to those who are still considering making a donation that my teammate, Annette Hernandez, is still working toward that goal. Please consider helping her reach her goal so that we may walk together as a team in June. Thank you all so much for your kind words of encouragement and for your part in what the AFSP is trying to accomplish.
If you’re interested…to make a donation to the AFSP through Annette’s page, please click here. Every dollar makes a huge difference, and every dollar is very much appreciated! You can also check on the overall status of our team on our team’s page: Resounding Grace.
Wow, a month ago the goal seemed really hard to get to, and there were doubts, but there are people out there – even some I’ve never met in person – who really care about the cause, care about helping out a friend and care about the mission we’re trying to accomplish. We’ve together helped so many in giving the AFSP that much more to work with, but it’s only the beginning. Annette and I are walking not only in the memory of those we’ve lost to suicide or know who have to live with mood disorders, but we’re also walking in order to be with and show God’s love to those who are left behind and hurting. This is a walk for healing and remembering, and what better way to do that but surrounded by friends, new and old?
I’m walking!….and there’s still so much to prepare for!
That leads me to something I told a friend that I’d do. He’s been my motivation through a lot of challenging and celebratory days when I was going through the Couch to 5K program (you can see my journal, week-by-week, on this blog). He’s probably going to be what pushes me out the door that first time I get myself outside to do a real, non-treadmill, run – yes, I’m glued to my treadmill. I want to thank him for being there as one of my “mentors” in the process. Today is 8 weeks away from the Overnight walk. I will keep a running tally of my “training” time for the walk, which is bound to include some running, too. Hubby and I have been walking after work most days, and I’ve only been logging the time somewhere else. I owe it to my donors to keep them updated on how everything is going. You won’t be left in the dark.
Not including anything we’ve done to date, here is the tally – currently set at zero – which I will update often.
Total minutes walked & run: 0
Miles walked: 0
Miles run: 0
I’m sure that we will not have a stellar weekend, considering we’re pretty much homebound these two days, working around the house all weekend – with a birthday party for a niece somewhere in between – but we’ll be back at it on Monday. Besides, I need an excuse to use my new Garmin! :^) Maybe I’ll even post maps of all the squiggly lines we’ve made on our walks.
Have a good rest of the weekend, everyone. Congrats on your new job, Mr. V, and don’t worry, you’ll do fine. 😉
Shannan
Oranges 2 Oranges 