Please accept my apologies for my absence from blogging. Work is always a challenge, plus I went on a
vacation, celebrated an anniversary, and enjoyed the height of softball season
for my daughter (my first as a sport parent).
Oh, and there was this little thing called the 4th AnnualAmanda Wall – Corey Haddon Memorial Walk…also known as the Miles for Melanoma –
Raleigh Walk. (Whew…that’s a long name!)
This is the third year that I’ve been associated with this walk and it’s
greatly rewarding every time.
Admittedly, those that founded this walk do a lot more than I, but I
still try to pitch in when I can. For me
personally, this was the most successful walk yet! Here’s why:
Over $22,000 raised! This is
lower than our goal, but considering that the committee cut back on some raffle
items, we did pretty damn good!
One of our top fund-raising (nearly $3000) and entertaining teams...The Sun Block-ade
Blue Lizard! The awesome
sunscreen company became a corporate partner with the walk this year and made
their presence known with some samples at the walk. It was nice to know that Blue Lizard is now
available locally at Harris Teeter supermarkets (although…pssst…it’s cheaper to
order online).
Blue Lizard...Corporate Sponsor!
Skin screening! For the first
time, we had a dermatologist (from Sanford Dermatology) performing free skin
screenings. The doc pointed out two
spots that should be looked at more closely.
I have my annual appointment in about a month, so you can bet that my
dermatologist will be made aware of these spots!
Family and friend support! While
I would promote the walk at my workplace in previous years, there seemed to be
a greater interest this year. This was
partly due to the Amanda-Corey group’s presence at my company’s health fair in
August. Also, I decided to be a bit more
aggressive in urging people to attend or donate. And they did!
Plus, my family joined me at the walk for the first time. There had always been some conflict in the
past, but this year I got to have my wife and two kids walk along side…even
though they seemed a little wary of my attire.
Co-workers Phung and Marcie, Marcie's kids Max and Connor, Me, my kids and my wife Kim (missing from photo are co-worker spouse Jon Bailey and son Joshua)
Pennies! I decided to start a
campaign called #CARRYMYPENNY in which I would carry a penny for every dollar
donated. While my unofficial total was
$860, I went ahead a carried an even 1,000 pennies just in case I missed a
few. That’s 6 ¼ pounds worth of
pennies. Admittedly, that’s not a lot,
but I can tell you that it feels quite a bit heavier after 3 miles of
walking. Although as you can see in the
next photo, I had a bit of help from one of my co-worker’s sons.
Connor toting my pennies!
Tutu! I was very proud to wear
the black tutu as the East Coast Division of Men in Black. There was talk among the Amanda-Corey group
that perhaps others would don the tutus next year for certain donation
amounts. I know this method works…I had
a rush of donations once I announced I’d wear the tutu after I hit the $500
mark. Perhaps next year I’ll offer other
humiliating incentives for higher amounts.
I need to ponder that for a while.
Man in Black...East Coast Division
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