UPDATED 2/19/2008: Read End of Article!
Unfortunately, my crimes have caught up with me. I need your help to get bail money to get out of jail! Here's the story:
This year, I have the honor and pleasure of participating in the Muscular Dystrophy Association's (MDA) "Lock Up 2008." This is a national effort happening all across the country this year, but I need your help and the help of anyone you know who might have a kind heart and a few dollars to spare. On February 21st, 2008 I will be arrested by Pitt County Police and taken to Jail until I can raise the money necessary for my bail. This "bail" money comes in the form of tax-deductible charitable donations given by you to the MDA.
Your donation would help MDA continue the important fight against muscular dystrophy. Check out my web page by clicking on the link below. There you'll find all kinds of information about MDA, and be able to make your tax-deductible donation on-line using your credit card. IF you are local and can contribute via check, that is acceptable too. I can't accept cash on behalf of the organization, but anything else is ok!
How much is it going to cost to get you out of jail, Tommy?
The association asks each of us who campaigns to try to raise $3000.00 in contributions from those they know. When I asked the lady on the phone about the details, she told me it takes $650.00 to send one child to camp each summer. I KNOW, of all you friends and associates out there, I can raise the $650.00, but I think if someone tries really hard, with enough help, I can break the $3000.00 mark. Personally, my goal is to raise $5000.00 for the organization.
Why should I help?
I've been a lucky person in my life. When I think about children that have to grow up with one of the 43 different neuromuscular diseases that make up the MD family, I am reminded how blessed I am. I'm healthy, my family is all healthy, my daughter is healthy. But one day, this could happen to someone in my family, or someone I care about, and just knowing that research TODAY can help the people suffering from this disease in the future is enough to make me want to try. I've never ever ever raised money for anything in my entire life (except boy scouts). I've never asked anyone for money, never sent the thousands of circulating donation emails that people get, and never contributed to a cause like this before. I'd really like my first attempt at something like this to be a success. I'd like the help of my friends, family, and associates, for the sake of the children who suffer from this disease.
If you give through the web site, mentioned below, the site will ask you for your name, address, email etc. This is only so they can send you a receipt for your tax deduction, not so they can spam you. You can write off whatever amount you choose to give on your taxes this year as a charitable contribution. This will truly cost you NOTHING in the long run.
How Much Do You Want?
The web site link asks for increments starting at $85.00, but that's not required. Truth be told, most people I know can't afford to give $85.00 to anything this time of year. The last button on the page says "Other amount." If you choose that and just donate $5.00, $10.00, or whatever you feel comfortable with.
I literally know THOUSANDS of people across the world. This time I plan to email each and every single one of them about this. I'm going to hit every contact I have on myspace, facebook, linkedin, email contacts, clients, customers, vendors, partners, friends, family, and maybe even random people I meet on the street. The organization doesn't need everyone to donate huge sums of money, but if I could only get everyone I know to spare ten dollars, I could raise thousands of dollars for this cause. Please help me out in this. If you are strapped this month and only can spare $3.00, then do it. These kids don't feel hurt that you didn't give more. They feel blessed that you cared enough to take the time to give at all! Please help them have a better life and help them get the treatments they need to lead healthy lives!
What's Involved?
I'm going to keep this web page live on my blogs for the next 14 days, until all the checks and credit cards are in. I'm not going to list names of people, because I don't think that's in the spirit of the event, but I will list a daily update here each and every day on how much money we've raised to help the MDA. You will be able to come back here each day and see how far we've come towards our goal.
If you want to publish a link to this page online, I would greatly appreciate ANY links to blogs, web sites, forums, or other places that will raise awareness of the cause.
Want to download the form and mail it in?
 If you'd like to download a form and send it via postal mail with your contribution, you can get the form by clicking here. |
More Information About the MDA:
If you'd like to know more about the MDA before giving, please feel free to review these links below for more information. I'll also answer any questions I can in the comments section if you'd like to post.
Thanks SO MUCH to all of you who help with this cause. You'll never hear it from most of these kids, but if they knew where each and every person was, and could thank them in person, they certainly would!
Donations To Date:
2/09/2008: Donations started coming in today. THANKS SOOO MUCH! This makes me feel like it's making some progress. The rest of you, come on! Give 1 dollar, 5 dollars, anything you can will help!
2/17/2008: I sent out a second email and started putting comments on everyone's Myspace and facebook pages, and then emailed everyone one last time!
2/19/2008: Today I started calling people in a last-ditch effort to hit the minumum of 650.00.. I'm almost there.
2/19/2008: HOLY CRAP! I passed the $650.00 mark! I think we even have a contribution coming in from the United Kingdom! Thanks SOOO much. Can we TRY for $1000.00? C'mon people. I have a day and a half left! If I can hit 1300.00, that's enough to send two kids to camp this year, which would be a really awesome achievement!
| Date | Amount |
| 2-09-2008: | $25.00 |
| 2-09-2008: | $100.00 |
| 2-10-2008: | $25.00 |
| 2-16-2008: | $50.00 |
| 2-16-2008: | $10.00 |
| 2-17-2008: | $100.00 |
| 2/17/2008: | $100.00 |
| 2/18/2008: | $50 |
| 2/18/2008: | $10.00 |
| 2/19/2008: | $15.00 |
| 2/19/2008: | $200.00 (passed the first milestone!) |
| 2/19/2008: | 20.00 |
| 2/19/2008: | 10.00 |
| $715.00 |
My many thanks to all of you who have made links back to this post (CNN Libya, Anglo, Merritt, Khadija, etc!)
This is a test comment from Mom, using my new blogger account. Just wanted to see if it worked.
ReplyDeletePS: tommy is really cool