Fundraising: Part 2

The luncheon turned into a dinner and we did that for about 5 years. I really wanted it to be an event that people looked forward to going to and knew when it would be every year so planned to go and either show their support and maybe have a nice evening out (and even get some Christmas gifts out of the way). I know it is not how fundraising works but I had no interest in trying to "beat" it every year. If we did, great but if not, we still raised a lot of money that wouldn't have otherwise been raised. It became really hard to manage pulling it off and living our lives. I wanted to be at my kids' games and not in meetings. It was hard to give up control. I tried handing it over for other people to run but then felt guilty that I wasn't doing more to help. I didn't want it to be an event where the personal touch was lost but in fundraising that should matter. It's about the "funds" being "raised". Needless to say, I am not a good fundraiser. I wasn't even a girl scout because I didn't want to sell cookies. For cheerleading, I think I ate all the candy bars and then just wrote a check for them. Once we started raising money for CF, I stopped frequenting businesses that said no. I never asked Barnes and Noble because I was too afraid they'd say no and I'd have to stop going there. Thank God Target donated money (and so did Jewel). The CF dinner was emotional with speeches from the boys and I would begrudgingly do one as well.
We are taking a break this year. The hardest part of doing the fundraiser was that it put CF in the forefront of our lives. I like it to stay in the background. I don't do well when it is the focus. I want to make it clear that it is just a break and that we will be doing something next year. We can't stop raising money, not just for a cure but for new meds too. The boys are doing so well because of all the money raised and the new meds that they take. It is not without guilt that we are taking the break but it was well needed by all of the committee members. We have some ideas swirling around like: Breakfast with Santa or a three on three basketball tournament. If anyone is interested in helping us out next year, let me know. We could always use help on the committee and new ideas are always welcome.

It's easy to forget that the boys battle anything but we need to make sure that it stays that way. If you are interested, check out: Miracle Mission. You can see how we are trying to raise money and how we have already raised some. It also has a history if you don't already know ours. Remember, just because we aren't doing the dinner, there are other things going on to raise money for CF and you can always make a donation to the CF Foundation in the boys' names. Please remember in doing so, you are making a difference in the lives or Nico and Tommy.

Fundraising is a lot like faith...it's a lot of believing without seeing. Believing that the money is going to eventually help while still battling the disease. We have seen better meds come through so we know our efforts are paying off so just like faith...we get a glimpse of miracles here and there. Thanks for being a part of them. :)