November Goal

To help with my fundraising, I have decided to set monthly goals for where I want to be. February 28th is my recommitment date, that means on that day, I am asked by Team In Training if I believe I will reach my goal of $3,200 by final funds on April 11th. 

This is where I say YES or NO.

If I say yes, and I don't reach my goal by 4/11 than I am responsible for funding what is left. And sadly, if that number is too much for me as an individual, I can't afford it. If that is the case, I will have to drop from the race completely. I will not allow that to happen, so my goal is reach 25% of my goal each month, so by the end of February I will have already reached my fundraising commitment of $3,200 and can keep fundraising after that, without the stress of reaching that goal and can focus on the training.

I have some good fundraising projects coming up in the next few months, so stay tuned for more ways to help!

My first goal is by November 30th to have raised 25%, putting me at $800. Thanks to an extremely generous donation by my Aunt (who has decided to run the race with me!!!!) I have raised $300 already, that's only $500 away from my first goal...and technically November doesn't start till Friday, so I am ahead of the game.

And since November is the month of Thanks, for the first 10 people to donate $50 or more to my frundraising page, I will send you a special gift of Thanks! Since most of my donations will be done from people outside of Florida, I will make sure it is mailed safely.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ncfl/nikewhlf14/kalexanjdj

My coworker shared this series of photographs on her page, and it was just too powerful not to share with you. I'm sorry the size is small, but you can visit the link above it to see better. 

A Glimpse Into the Life

Someday is Today.

Running. Fundraising. Curing Cancer.

That's right, I'm doing all three. And I'm going to need your help.

Our move to Florida came with the possibilities of many new things for us. We saw it as a chance to be different, step out of box, explore, and grow.

 I had been teaching for the past three years, and while I loved it, I always had the urge to try other things, never feeling satisfied, and wondered what else was out there (that grass is always greener feeling). I wasn't ready to say that teaching was my career and Florida gave me that opportunity to find the strength to job search outside of the classroom.

I have always wanted the chance to work for a non-profit, ever since I started with my sorority and St. Jude, and so I applied for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I was excited when I was offered the position of Campaign Assistant for their Team In Training Campaign. My job includes recruiting people to join TNT, talking to TNT past participants, and researching races. It's hard to talk the talk, when you haven't walked the walk (or run). 

I saw these participants raising so much money for a wonderful cause, I felt the urge to do more, to push myself, to accomplish something great. So I joined The Team.

I was beginning work on marketing campaigns for the Nike Women's Half Marathon in DC and was doing research on the race and knew I just had to do it! Not only is in going to be in the peak of spring time in New England, a fast and easy course that takes you through our Nation's Capital, and wonderful company of women from all over, but this is also waiting for me at the end...

That is a Tiffany & Co official finisher's necklace being handed out by firefighters in tuxedos. I was signed up!

So, it's pretty cool. But it's not the REASON I'm running. I could do a half marathon anywhere, I could pick a much smaller race, I could pick a smaller fundraising commitment, I COULD do a whole lot of things...but I'm not, I'm running because cancer doesn't stop, it doesn't think about what it could do, it doesn't take the easy way out, and it needs to be stopped. 

I'm running for a cure.

I'm running because every four minutes, someone is being diagnosed with a blood cancer.

I'm running because every 10 minutes, someone has lost their battle.

I'm running because Leukemia is the most common form of cancer found in children and accounts for almost one third of all cancer deaths in children and adolescents.

I'm running because I'm the lucky one.

I'm running because I want more to be the lucky one.

I'm crossing the finish line to cross the finish line in finding a cure.

Will you help me in crossing that finish line?

On April 27th, I will cross the finish line at the Nike Women's Half Marathon because I raised $3,200.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ncfl/nikewhlf14/kalexanjdj