Category: doing good

In four weeks (*gulp*) my good friends Jen and Shelley and I will be participating in a special event called the Susan G. Komen 3-Day. We’re going to walk 60 miles over the three days, in support of those impacted by breast cancer. It’s an incredible event, and since its inception in 2003, the 3-Day has raised more than $600 million.

According to the Susan G. Komen website,

Seventy-five percent of the net proceeds raised by the 3-Day fund national research and large public health outreach programs. The remaining 25 percent funds local community and affiliate outreach programs.

No breast cancer organization provides more support and care than Komen. Virtually every major advance in the fight against breast cancer in the last 30 years has been impacted by a Komen grant, and millions of women rely on Komen every day. These women need our help more than ever to safeguard Komen’s great work in our local communities for another 30 years.

I don’t have the connection (knock on wood) to breast cancer that I do to ovarian cancer, but the fact of the matter is that breast cancer is so common that virtually everyone knows someone who has been imapcted.

Check out these statistics:

• Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and is the leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide.

• About 1.6 million new cases of invasive breast cancer occurred among women around the world in 2010.

• About 425,000 women around the world died of breast cancer in 2010.

• Every 19 seconds, somewhere in the world, someone is diagnosed with breast cancer.

• Every 74 seconds, somewhere in the world, someone dies from breast cancer.

• The number of new breast cancer cases more than doubled around the world in the last three decades.

Additionally, breast cancer is closely tied to ovarian cancer, as the same gene – BRCA – is often responsible for both diseases.

I’ve committed to raising $2,300 for the cause, and as of now, I’m 84% of the way there – I’m just $365 short of my goal. If helping to end breast cancer is something that is meaningful to you, I’d really appreciate your support.

Every gift makes a difference. For example:

$35 could be used to provide the cost of patient transportation to a treatment session.

$60 represents one dollar for every mile a 3-Day walker will travel.

$120 could be used to cover the cost of a life-saving mammogram.

Thanks for your consideration. You can click the Komen widget in the sidebar to donate —>.

A few weeks ago, I went on a wee tirade about how I felt like people care more about animals than they do about their fellow man.  Especially when that fellow man (woman, or child) has a disability.

I said this then, but I’ll say it again now: having a child with developmental delays made me look at, think and feel differently about people with disabilities.  I don’t like the way they are treated and I want to do something to help, just to  help change things.  Because there are a lot of totally cool, amazing people who also happen to have disabilities.  It would be so great if we could all see the totally cool, amazing parts FIRST.

So, when my friends Paul and Jessica posted on Facebook a few weeks ago that their infant daughter Joy had been born with Down Syndrome and that they were forming a team to raise money for our local chapter of the Down Syndrome Association through their Buddy Walk, I was like, “I’m going to do that with them!”  So,  that day I joined Team Peace, Love, & Joy.  We’re walking for this cutie:

And as you may have guessed, (like her big brother Jay, pictured below) she is totally awesome and amazing!  She is exactly what & how God made her to be!

I’m walking for Joy and for persons like her with Down Syndrome in my area because the funds we raise will stay in our area to help them!  Funds are used for scholarships for therapies and services that will  improve their quality of life.  Families can get scholarships for important therapies – speech, OT, physical therapy – and other important things you might not think of like private special needs swimming lessons and iPads to work on speech therapy at home.

Emily and I decided back in May when we were at Mom 2.0 that we wanted to do more to use this blog for good!  So today, that is what I am doing.  To help us reach our team fundraising goal of $3,000, I’m asking each and every one of you to donate $5 to our efforts – become one of our $5 Friends!  Team Peace, Love, & Joy is 77% of the way there!  I hope Mommin’ It Up readers can put us over the top by being our $5 Friends!  Here’s how you can help!

1) Click here to go to my fundraising page
2) Click on “Donate to Team Peace, Love, & Joy”
3) Click “other” for the donation amount and enter whatever amount you want
4) Submit your donation & process through PayPal

All donations are of course tax-deductible.

Emily and I have between us given $65 to this cause.  So once again, we are not asking you to do anything we wouldn’t do many times over. Please join me in my passion for helping our friends and neighbors with disabilities!  Let’s make a difference!  I’ve already raised over $500 thanks to generous friends and family, and I hope to add to our team total  and  put  Team Peace, Love, & Joy over the top with your help.  It would mean so, so, so, so, so, SO MUCH to me if you would help me in this effort.  THANK YOU for reaching a hand out to improve the lives of a lot of totally awesome people in our area with Down Syndrome!