Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Last Request (hopefully!)



Friends and Family - I reached my original goal of raising $1500 - The beard *will* be coming off at some point. Congrats to Bill Merrill for providing the largest donation - he gets to come out and do the trimming! :) A huge thanks to all who have contributed so far!!

I am making 1 last ditch effort to get to the next incentive step - at $2100. I currently have $1800 (including some off-line donations not in the system yet) - so I am only $300 short! You can help me reach that step! The deadline is coming up soon at the end of the month so don't wait!! The Charities listed below will benefit greatly from your donation. If your budget doesn't allow for any more charitable giving this year - no problem! Cheer really loud Saturday morning October 1 :) See below for the original email and information on the charities.

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As many of you know, on October 1, I am doing a Metric Century (62 Miles or so) ride near Santa Rosa as part of Levi Leipheimer's GranFondo. This is a charity event, and as such I am attempting to raise $1500(Updated to $2100) for the charities the event supports. I have included the list of charities at the bottom of this email.

I am writing to ask you for your help in reaching my goal. There are 3 incentives for you to donate (besides helping some worthy charities!):
--If you donate $100 or more, the event folks will send you some sort of a gift.
--If I hit my goal, I will shave my beard (which I haven't done in over 15 years) - I'll even make a video of it!! :)
--If you are the highest donor, I will let you participate in the shaving if you so wish! :) (Highest donor $250 - Thanks Bill!!)

There is a deadline of August 30 to meet the fundraising goals, so please don't wait! :)

If you would like to help out, please click here to donate by credit/debit card. http://www.levisgranfondo.com/fundraising/portal/?user=ccallana
You can donate by check as well if you are more comfortable doing that - send them to me, made out to VeloStreet, Inc. - just make sure to send them soon so I can send them off to Santa Rosa before the end of the month!! :)

VeloStreet is a Non-Profit - all donations are tax deductible.

Your support is greatly appreciated - Please forward to anyone who you think may be willing to help out.

Thanks for your consideration!!

--Chris

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Supported charities


LIVESTRONG

Founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong and based in Austin, Texas, LIVESTRONG fights for the 28 million people around the world living with cancer today. LIVESTRONG connects individuals to the support they need, leverages funding and resources to spur innovation and engages communities and leaders to drive social change. Known for the iconic yellow wristband, LIVESTRONG’s mission is to inspire and empower anyone affected by cancer. For more information visit www.livestrong.org.

VeloStreet’s Cycling Initiatives Program

VeloStreet, the non-profit arm of the GranFondo, has a series of hands-on initiatives that aim to directly improving cycling resources in the communities in which the GranFondo operates and throughout California. The current program is made of the following promising initiatives:

  • Ongoing planing and scoping for the construction of the first Sonoma County Velodrome in Santa Rosa
  • A cycling-specific signage program for favored bicycle routes throughout Sonoma County to facilitate lawful cycling for tourists and to increase awareness amongst local residents.
  • A competitive grant program to fund cycling infrastructure and education in California and beyond.

Forget Me Not Farm

Since its inception in 1992, Forget Me Not Farm has helped thousands of at-risk children and youth break the cycle of abuse. Located on the grounds of the Humane Society & SPCA of Sonoma County, the Farm offers animal-assisted and horticultural therapeutic activities that provide a haven for children, plants and animals to bond, learn, and heal with one another.

Community Giving

Much of the GranFondo course traverses beautiful rural scenery with little to no development. Looks can be deceiving however, for there are folks living in these fine stretches of country with kids that need as good a dose of learning as their city dwelling brethren. Problem is, much of these school districts have to spend more money to educate fewer students across these widely spread areas. On top of that, since there are less kids in the classroom, less money comes down from local, state, and federal coffers. The GranFondo is working with schools along the route to identify needs and support this community as we enjoy the views and terrain in their backyards. Additionally, this gets these kids excited about cycling at a young age and in a time where childhood obesity and nutrition are major problems for developing children.

This same geographic and financial situation extends to emergency services and other community services, not just schools. The GranFondo supports these vital local resources so that folks who make their life in further flung areas of the county can continue to have the same opportunities as their urban comrades.


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