every little bit helps

so i have two things to share with you.  don't kill me, but both are fundraisers for causes that are near and dear to my heart.  you can click "close window" now, or maybe you'll be moved to help. i won't judge either way.

first:  my friend ricci is still comatose.  her family continues to pray hard for a miracle, and friends have been organizing one fundraiser after another to help them out.  i still check her facebook page for updates, and the only news has been that she's breathing on her own and that her vitals are strong.  she's also been moved to a different facility that's closer to her home.  i hope that's helpful for her husband and children, to have her nearby.

i read a post on her wall about a 5.3-mile run/walk in san pedro on labor day, across the vincent thomas bridge.  that's quite a bit longer than the 5K i was originally training for, but that's okay.  a group of her friends started a facebook page to organize a team to do this race in ricci's honor and raise money to donate to the family.  i'll admit that it took me a few minutes to mull it over before i decided to commit to the run.  after all, i'm just barely on week 3 of training for 3ish miles, and now it's almost double that.

eek.  i'd like to think that ricci is laughing her ass off at the idea of ME doing something as physical as running.  heh.  and while it's too late to sign up for the team, it's definitely not too late for donations.  my race fee is covered, and 100% of any donations i'm able to collect will go straight to ricci and her family.  interested in helping out?  drop me an email.

the other fundraiser is also for something i've talked about recently.  remember last week's peanut butter pie?  well, this time, food bloggers are joining forces and auctioning off all sorts of stuff to raise money and help jennifer perillo not only with words of support and prayers, but with cold hard cash.  in the wake of her loss, she's facing a pretty shitty situation - no widow's benefits from social security, staggering health insurance costs for her and her two daughters - you get it. 

while i don't really have a whole lot to offer, i thought it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot.  and the only thing i could think of to auction off is probably pretty obvious:

no, not the bean, silly.  just the cookies.  a dozen of 'em.  you pick the theme and the colors (of course, not limited to what i've posted above), and i'll make 'em for you.

• bidding starts at $20.  i make delicious cookies that are super cute, so it's totally worth the money - and it's for a really good cause.
• leave me a comment with your bid.  i'll need a way to contact you, so if you don't want to leave your e-mail address in the comment, you can send it to me directly.  but definitely post a comment with your bid amount, so others can see it.
• the auction will end on wednesday, august 31, 2011 at 5:00PM, PST.
• you'll need to claim your prize anytime between now and december 31, 2011.  because my cookies are so scrumptious, i'm sure you won't lag.
• every penny of your winning bid will go directly to #afundforjennie, via the bloggers without borders paypal account.
• if you want to skip the auction and just send in a donation, here's an easy peasy link, via paypal:

and hey, thanks for reading.  even more thanks for your support.

oh, and if you should happen to be in the san pedro area on labor day - well, uh...i sure wouldn't turn up my nose at a fun sign or a high five or something.  i'm warning you now, though:  i won't be cute - i'll have just trudged across the bridge and back for 5.3 miles.  ya dig?