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Tuesday, October 07, 2008
The Avon Walk 2008 in New York City was wonderful, despite a monsoon-like downpour before the Route opened on Sunday that delayed Walkers getting on the road ... and created lakes, puddles and tons of mud ... and made a lot of them leave their tents up (rather than striking them before they started Walking ... which is usually a BIG no-no, but there wasn't a lot of enforcement of the "take your tent down before you turn in your gear" policy because the rain was so heavy. Fortunately, it cleared up by the afternoon ... and by Closing, it was sunny and pretty warm.)
There were a couple of issues with Route Marking on Saturday ... in addition to Crew's maps being a little funky and hard to read, so at one stop they'd apparently mis-directed Walkers (and had them bypassing a big segment of the Route) ... the Command Center was on speed-dial all day. And our Quick Stop, which was originally scheduled to close at 3pm, remained open until about 6pm. This is OK.
Sunday, I dismantled and packed so many tents that I can now do it in my sleep. (Not that I couldn't already, because my brother Gerald had a tent EXACTLY like these when we were kids.)
Anyway, the NYC event continued its long-standing "tradition" of breaking participation and fundraising records. Over 5,000 participants raised 11.5 MILLION dollars ... and counting! Grants were distributed to area hospitals' outreach, treatment and research programs, as well as to Avon Foundation "Safety Net" services which help breast cancer diagnosees find access to care regardless of their insurance status or their ability to pay. One of the new programs we gave a Closing Ceremony grant to was one that provides a kind of "guidance counselor" to help patients navigate the maze of treatments ... and make sense of the information overload to ensure that they choose the best course of treatment for their cancer. It's really cool.
Oh, and my favorite local beneficiary, God's Love We Deliver (which is kind of like a "Meals on Wheels" for patients undergoing cancer treatments) provided our lunches on Day 2. They are awesome ... they've got the BEST brownies in the tri-state area.
I also made a friend ... who I plan on training with and fundraising with for next year. We're going to team up to do some "big" events so we're not struggling like we were this year. And I may actually Walk next year ... we'll see.
There were a couple of issues with Route Marking on Saturday ... in addition to Crew's maps being a little funky and hard to read, so at one stop they'd apparently mis-directed Walkers (and had them bypassing a big segment of the Route) ... the Command Center was on speed-dial all day. And our Quick Stop, which was originally scheduled to close at 3pm, remained open until about 6pm. This is OK.
Sunday, I dismantled and packed so many tents that I can now do it in my sleep. (Not that I couldn't already, because my brother Gerald had a tent EXACTLY like these when we were kids.)
Anyway, the NYC event continued its long-standing "tradition" of breaking participation and fundraising records. Over 5,000 participants raised 11.5 MILLION dollars ... and counting! Grants were distributed to area hospitals' outreach, treatment and research programs, as well as to Avon Foundation "Safety Net" services which help breast cancer diagnosees find access to care regardless of their insurance status or their ability to pay. One of the new programs we gave a Closing Ceremony grant to was one that provides a kind of "guidance counselor" to help patients navigate the maze of treatments ... and make sense of the information overload to ensure that they choose the best course of treatment for their cancer. It's really cool.
Oh, and my favorite local beneficiary, God's Love We Deliver (which is kind of like a "Meals on Wheels" for patients undergoing cancer treatments) provided our lunches on Day 2. They are awesome ... they've got the BEST brownies in the tri-state area.
I also made a friend ... who I plan on training with and fundraising with for next year. We're going to team up to do some "big" events so we're not struggling like we were this year. And I may actually Walk next year ... we'll see.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Update: New Audio Posting Service
Woo-hoo!
Since having this service dropped from my old provider (about whom I have no complaints) I wasn't able to post audio.
Now I am.
Say "yay!" everybody!
Woo-hoo!
Since having this service dropped from my old provider (about whom I have no complaints) I wasn't able to post audio.
Now I am.
Say "yay!" everybody!
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
BOO!
2008 is going to be different.
2008 is going to be the year when I .... walk the entire route.
2008 is going to be the year when Matt joins me (on Crew, but that's a start! Pray that he has a great experience!) in this journey...maybe he'll get a chance to talk to Mike. That'll be really interesting; I'll prep him to handle Mike's recruiting speech.
2008 is going to be a great year.
2008 is going to be different.
2008 is going to be the year when I .... walk the entire route.
2008 is going to be the year when Matt joins me (on Crew, but that's a start! Pray that he has a great experience!) in this journey...maybe he'll get a chance to talk to Mike. That'll be really interesting; I'll prep him to handle Mike's recruiting speech.
2008 is going to be a great year.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
The Avon Walk Dips into NEW JERSEY!
Wow! We just had an exciting announcement - the Avon Walk NYC event will dip its toes into the Great Garden State!
Our campsite is in . . . Englewood, NJ!
This year's route will now take walkers across the Hudson River, using the George Washington Bridge. . .I am simultaneously excited and bummed. Excited because I can share the AWBC with more of my family and friends who are based in northern NJ, but bummed because I will miss the inaugural crossing of the Hudson because I am Crew this year!
But, of course, I have faith that if things go well the route will be repeated in future years, so I will still have an opportunity to cross the Hudson on foot.
Wow! We just had an exciting announcement - the Avon Walk NYC event will dip its toes into the Great Garden State!
Our campsite is in . . . Englewood, NJ!
This year's route will now take walkers across the Hudson River, using the George Washington Bridge. . .I am simultaneously excited and bummed. Excited because I can share the AWBC with more of my family and friends who are based in northern NJ, but bummed because I will miss the inaugural crossing of the Hudson because I am Crew this year!
But, of course, I have faith that if things go well the route will be repeated in future years, so I will still have an opportunity to cross the Hudson on foot.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Wow! What a whirlwind tour it's been!
This has been a very exciting year around here. . . last year, I got engaged, walked in my first Walk to D'Feet ALS, walked in my 3rd Avon Walk event, cooked Christmas Eve dinner, lost my car, bought a new one, got married, went to Hawaii and will be walking my second ALS Walk in a week.
Whew!
So far, I've received my preliminary Crew assignment (have to contact my Team Leader to let him know I've changed my name!) and haven't started my fundraising.
True, Crew isn't expected to fundraise, but since I've got the skills I might as well use them! I'd love to brainstorm with my Crew teammates and maybe come up with something spectacular with them . . . they look like a great group to work with and I'm really looking forward to experiencing the Walk from this p.o.v.
That's all for now; I am HUNGRY and the DH has promised he'll get me dinner.
This has been a very exciting year around here. . . last year, I got engaged, walked in my first Walk to D'Feet ALS, walked in my 3rd Avon Walk event, cooked Christmas Eve dinner, lost my car, bought a new one, got married, went to Hawaii and will be walking my second ALS Walk in a week.
Whew!
So far, I've received my preliminary Crew assignment (have to contact my Team Leader to let him know I've changed my name!) and haven't started my fundraising.
True, Crew isn't expected to fundraise, but since I've got the skills I might as well use them! I'd love to brainstorm with my Crew teammates and maybe come up with something spectacular with them . . . they look like a great group to work with and I'm really looking forward to experiencing the Walk from this p.o.v.
That's all for now; I am HUNGRY and the DH has promised he'll get me dinner.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
It's 2007 Already?
Whoa!
It is NOT 2007 already. . .I feel unprepared and overwhelmed.
But, as an emphasis, I am STILL COMMITTED to the Avon Walks. I may not be a Walker this year, but I intend on fundraising as a Crew member.
Please click the link to the right to help me reach my $1500 goal.
Whoa!
It is NOT 2007 already. . .I feel unprepared and overwhelmed.
But, as an emphasis, I am STILL COMMITTED to the Avon Walks. I may not be a Walker this year, but I intend on fundraising as a Crew member.
Please click the link to the right to help me reach my $1500 goal.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
My 2007 Page is Now Available!
Yes, OK, fine, I am Crewing, but that doesn't mean my fundraising will go to bed!
Visit my 2007 AWBC Page for more info. And as soon as I get my hands on PhotoShop, I will be adding photos from 2006 to personalize the page.
Yes, OK, fine, I am Crewing, but that doesn't mean my fundraising will go to bed!
Visit my 2007 AWBC Page for more info. And as soon as I get my hands on PhotoShop, I will be adding photos from 2006 to personalize the page.
