Has Anyone ever done the Team in Training Program?

[Possegal]

Totally agree with the idea that if you shift this from YOU to the CAUSE, it makes it easier for you, and I think that a subset of people who may not have thought to donate just because you are riding, will want to help out a good cause. I laughed at my tax return I just finished, I had about 5 leukemia and lymphoma society donations.

My requests for my LiveStrong ride last year were all about my sister's recent lung cancer diagnosis and my need to feel I was doing something for the cause. My need to show her I was supporting her and my wanting her to realize how many people were behind her. I'm sure there were some folks that supported my team because of that. But you also find that you would have to search far and wide to find someone that hasn't been touched in some way by cancer. I realize that makes it sound like it was still about me, but it was about me feeling so powerless with my sister, and I do think most of them also wanted to try and help because they too have felt that powerless.

I think all of you doing the Team in Training ride will do just fine and good on ya for helping a very worthy cause!

My niece and I went to a happy hour at a local pub that was a TNT fundraiser, we went there straight from the hospital after my sister had a failed surgical attempt to remove her cancer. We gave a lot of money. And we had a beer with both her chemo nurse and her radiation oncologist. And I mentioned to the guest bartender that I was intimately involved in one of the most effective leukemia drugs to come down the pike, one that was funded by the leukemia lymphoma society, so we joked that I brought the whole deal full-circle by being there.

They charged a $5 cover at this happy hour (all I assume went to the team), then the 'guest bartender, a pediatric neuro-oncologist, had a bin set up for tips to the cause, then twice during the night they did a 50/50 raffle. If I get a chance to ask my sister's chemo nurse, I will see if I can find out how much they made, but I'm betting they did pretty well! I may have to look into it at the same Pittsburgh pub this summer for my fundraising.

I made a video from my last ride, that now will likely be a part of my fundraising for this year. http://tiny.cc/ONtUm Maybe you could make a little slideshow or something to highlight why. My email appeals were all about why I ride, about my sister.