Charlie's Angels Unite For a Second Year

For the second year, Charlie's Angels are walking in the Great Strides walk to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of St. Louis. Why do I raise money and walk in this event? (In case you don't care why I participate, wish to stop reading this post, and just want to make a donation, please click the post title above. It will take you to my donations page).

1. See picture to the right - how could I NOT participate knowing that Charlie has this disease, a disease whose research is underfunded. In the last 10 years the life expectancy for a CF kid DOUBLED with the limited research funding they had. Could you imagine if they had more money?

2. It's really fun. There's something about participating as a team that makes me feel very accepted. We all had matching t-shirts and there were a lot of us...it alleviates some of that "picked last in gym class" trauma.

3. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has extremely low administrative costs. Of each dollar donated, $.90 of it is used for programming. Working at a non-profit (which also boasts low admin expenses) I appreciate knowing my money will be put to good use.

4. The staff and volunteers at the CF Foundation are FREAKISHLY nice. Working for a non-profit can feel very thankless at times - these people are amazing. Someone calls each walker the day before the race to thank them for their participation, ask if they need anything, and give a little pep talk. Also, they make donors feel good about their donation (very important in getting repeat donations). My mother hit a wrong button (because my email was kind of vague and confusing) and I didn't get credit for my parents donation. I emailed the CF Foundation asking if they could correct it and it was done within an hour - accompanied by a gracious email thanking us for everything and offering assistance in the future.

Alright, so those are my reasons for supporting the CF Foundation. If only you could find it in your hearts to find reasons to support me in my efforts. :) Do I need to post a cute picture of me? I could, and I will if I have to!