in it to end it

sooooo...you may have noticed a new little something on the ol' blog.  a super fab photo of yours truly and the teen, just to the right over there.  can you see it?

yup, that's right.  we've officially registered ourselves as a team for the 2012 avon 2-day walk for breast cancer.  it's up in santa barbara in late september, and we're super excited to take part in it this year.  this is their 10th year, so it promises to be extra special.  the teen and i have been looking for something to do together that benefits a truly worthy cause, and the moment we saw a flyer for this walk, we knew this was it.

we've formed a team, which means that we'll do all of our fundraising together to meet a goal that's basically the equivalent of both of our requirements.  while we're both a little daunted at the prospect of raising four figures worth of cash, we're super duper determined and i know we'll get it done.  we've dubbed ourselves team "cool runnings," simply because we love the movie about the jamaican bobsledding team.  really, there's no other reason besides that one.  and it's super random.  we like random.

right about now, you're thinking "aw shit, she's about to hit me up for cash."  and i'm not gonna lie - you're dead on.  of course, i don't know whether you're actually reading this or not, and really i'm just putting it out there - kind of like taking a shot in the dark.  maybe you know someone who's struggled with breast cancer.  or perhaps you've battled it yourself.  there are over 3 million folks currently dealing with their own diagnosis and treatment - although statistics show that 1 million of them don't even know it yet - so scary.

anyway, what i'm getting at is this:  if you should feel the need to bust out your wallet and support us in our quest to help in some way, i'm sure not gonna argue with you.  i'm even going to make it stupendously easy and give you a link to click on.

and there are other ways to donate, too - like with my efforts to raise money for autism, i'm taking orders for custom sugar cookies by the dozen for $30, plus shipping if necessary.  then there's my stella & dot site, and 25% of all sales will go directly towards our team.  i've also got some s&d pieces that have been discontinued, so i'll be doing another blog sale in the coming weeks.

oh, and here's something else to consider: if you're interested in doing the walk yourself, let me know.  the referral program offers a $50 credit towards fundraising for both of us, and that's a nice little bonus.

lastly, i'm looking for more great ideas to put the fun in fundraising.  friends have given me lots of suggestions - poker tourneys, wine & cheese nights, 50/50 raffles, ice cream socials.  i'd love to hear what has been successful while doing fundraising of your own.  i'm even more interested in finding out what kinds of fundraising gigs have caught your attention and gotten you to bust out that wallet.

i figure it can't hurt to get as many balls up in the air as possible.  mama needs a whole lotta donations, ya dig?