Sister, can you spare a dollar? or two?

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Let me tell you a story.

This weekend, I ran a half marathon.  That’s 13.1 miles.  Actually this run was 13.4 miles, and if you think that extra 3 tenths of a mile didn’t count, you weren’t there!   I have been a runner in my past life.. but I was 11 years younger.  And I was 25 pounds lighter.  And had 5 fewer kids.  In July of last year, another mom asked me to run the DisneyWorld Marathon in 2010 with her and a bunch of other women.  At first, I thought, no way, that was crazy, I couldn’t do it.  AngryBoy was at the zenith of his oppositional nuttiness.  I was so physically and emotionally exhausted I couldn’t imagine adding one more thing to my day.  But then I thought felt, deep in my soul, that I needed this, needed it so, so badly.

So August 1, I got off the couch.  At first, I couldn’t run a single mile without stopping.  I was f-a-t.  I was sloooooooooooow.    But three times a week, I got off the couch and gave it a go.  It was like putting pennies in a bank.  I knew sooner or later, I’d have a dollar.   Sometimes, I could put a nickel in.  Eventually, I could put nickels in all the time!  And then an occasional dime!  And then it was like all the time, I could put a dime in the bank, and sometimes quarters.  I lost 20 lbs!  I ran 4 days a week, and then 5.  I changed my whole schedule, getting up at 5:30 in the morning so I could run before the kids got up.

Why am I telling you this story?  I feel like I’m rambling.  When I was out there on my race this weekend, the hardest, hilliest race I ever ran, I thought, THIS SUCKS.  IT’S HARD.  I even thought.. HOW am I going to finish this?

Heartline Ministries is in a race right now, a long race.   If they can raise $15,000, they will be given a matching grant.  That kind of money is an incredible, incredible blessing.  They are a third of the way there.  There is a long way to go.  I don’t know how my friends at Heartline are feeling about the fundraising, but generally speaking, when it comes to fundraising, IT SUCKS.  IT’S HARD.  You wonder… HOW are we going to finish it?

We have to do this.  We just have to.  It would hurt my sensibilities to let that much money go to waste when I *know* what a difference it can make in capable hands, in Haiti.

Maybe you are reading and you’re thinking, “Cor, this is not my schtick.  I don’t care about Haiti.  I read you because of XYZ other reason.  I give money to charities for: cancer, autism, Alzheimer’s, ASPCA, MS, PTA, whatever.”  Ok.  I hear you.

But I assume, if you read here, that you also care about me.  (Because frankly, I’m not really that interesting otherwise.)  What if, when I run a half-marathon, you sponsor me, and I donate that money to Heartline?  You don’t even have to get off your couch.  I run… you pay.   For every dollar per mile you sponsor me, I’ll write your name (or your kid’s name, or your grandkid’s name) on my shirt.

My next race is the River Towns Half Marathon on April 4.

Sponsor me $1/mile x 13.1 miles = $13.10 and I’ll write “In Honor of ________” on my shirt.   $2/mile x 13.1 miles = $26.20 and gets you 2 names.   $3 = $39.30  (3 names)          $4 = $52.40 (4 names)            $5 = $65.40 (5 names)

More than that, and I’ll give you one of my kids.  (my pick!)  

Every penny goes to Heartline.

In addition, I’ll put my money where my mouth is.  I’ll match the donations for my own fundraiser!

EDITED TO ADD: To make a donation, please donate directly to Heartline, then email me the amount at jcwaters2002@yahoo.com so that I can make a matching donation.  I will make my donation all at once on 4/6/09.

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