As I continue on with my public Giving Pledge, I realize that these donations to nonprofits each month are becoming no-brainers.
I’m thinking I will actually have three donations to report for the month of May.
I honored my mother and mother-in-law with donations to Opportunity International, purchasing digital quilt squares in their name for Mother’s Day. (They both loved this gift!)
I believe I have also triggered another donation to my local library through my Snoball, thanks to those who have recently liked me on Facebook.
But my focus this month was on the Great Strides walk to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. In addition to our donation to Team Mamie for the second year in a row, we also got to participate in the walk.
We were out of town last year and missed out on the event. This year, my whole family and even my mom (who came up from Massachusetts!) got to walk.
Of course, participating in a charity event makes our donation that much more meaningful. My kids got to meet the person we were raising money to help. The most adorable Mamie who, like most kids her age, was more interested in the “bayoons” (balloons) and eating pizza than chit chatting with us.
Talking with Mamie’s parents and my good friend Karla, who is also the development director for the Northern New England Chapter of the CF Foundation, I found out that the median age of life expectancy for a person with cystic fibrosis is just 37.
That’s how old I am.
That’s too young for someone to leave the earth because of a disease. (Or any reason, really.)
So, we were happy to donate money and walk around Back Cove in Portland with new friends in hopes that we can add a few tomorrows for some amazing kids just like Mamie.
I’m happy to report that the walk in Portland raised a total of $233,000 that day.
I’m also happy to report that after finishing the walk, my kids immediately asked me if we can walk again next year.
We’ll see you again next year, Team Mamie.
Have you ever participated in a Great Strides walk?
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