I still love deadlines. The first fundraising deadline was this past Monday, and I am so grateful and happy to say that it has been far surpassed. As of 7:00PM on September 3, 2012, $2,905 has been donated to cancer research in support of my personal Texas 4000 requirement and goal. Thank you so much to my friends, family, and loved ones for helping make this goal attainable, and I am pleased to say that the second and third deadlines have been surpassed as well! As much as I love having incentives to fundraise, it could be tempting to just stop the hard work once the pressure is off. I will not do this.
One of the ways Texas 4000 encourages us to raise money is by panhandling on the busiest street corners in Austin. The idea is simple: panhandling on a regular basis gets the message out to the community and shows how devoted you are to funding cancer research. I have never been super comfortable with this method, because my parents taught me that it was always more fulfilling to work for your goals than to just have them handed to you. Arguments could be made saying that panhandling is more work than simply sending out letters to my loved ones . . . I mean, come on, it’s Austin in the summer. But I see my parent’s point. In high school my sisters and I were encouraged to babysit more if we wanted to go on church retreats or mission trips. The biblical term they used was “tentmaking.” Regardless of anybody’s religion, this method is a good one. We shouldn’t do something only because our parents want us to do it, we should help make it happen. I want to help make this happen, which is why I have decided to donate my tips at least once a week for the next four months to my fundraising. The way I calculate it, I will raise at least $800 to donate to MD Anderson, the UT Biomedical Engineering Department, and Cancer Survivorship programs at LIVESTRONG that I would normally use to buy “fun” stuff like meals away from home and that new pair of sandals I’ve wanted. You know what else is fun? Bringing hope, knowledge, and charity from Austin to Alaska and beyond.
:)
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