I've been waiting patiently to write about light the night. Waiting until I found the camera chord that mysteriously misplaced itself. Waiting because I knew there were wonderful pictures of the night to be shared.
Then I found the chord.
And found that there were not wonderful pictures to be shared. The lighting is so tough with those balloons having little bulbs in them...either that or I haven't perfected the art of taking pictures with my camera that is too smart for me. Whichever one, I don't know, but the end result is that I have postponed this blog an entire month for apparently no reason at all. And now I'm hit with the daunting task of remembering what to write!
Light the Night...
When I decided to be the team captain I had no idea how much more I would feel a part of the wonderful cause. I felt a sense of responsibility and pride in what my team was able to accomplish. Once they tallied up all of our corporate gift-matching we raised over $10,000!!! That averages to $400 per person on our team, and knowing that there were roughly 7,500 people in attendance means that in theory they may have raised a total of three million dollars! I'm sure not everyone raised $400, but then I'm sure some raised above and beyond. So, maybe $3,000,000 is a little ambitious but even to think that we raised $1,000,000 is beyond my comprehension. A million dollars?!
The weather was absolutely perfect and it hardly felt like we walked 3 miles. Just like last year, it was incredibly moving to see thousands of balloons lighting up the night sky. The gold balloons tug at your heart, knowing that those carrying them have also suffered a loss, but the white balloons help to soothe that pain knowing that there are people who have made it through. The money has helped to learn more and help more people, hopefully help some to win their battles. I wish I could do more to help, but I know that in the least I can walk.
I had a great time walking with my mom, Alfredo, Austin, my coworkers(next year we are hoping to recruit more!), and most of all William. He was quite the handful that night - wanted nothing to do with sleeping, eating, or riding in his stroller...but I carried him with pride (and passed him off to Austin when my arms went weak). I hope he can walk every year and I can teach him about the importance of supporting non-profit organizations such as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. More than that, though, I hope he can walk so that I can teach him about his grandfather and the fight he had with cancer. William won't ever personally know him, but I hope that I can help him to know who he was.
Thank you SO much to those of you who helped me exceed my goals and be a part of that fundraiser. I have thank-you notes in my purse...literally, they've been in this particular purse since before the walk since I switch often...that I just need to slap a stamp on and stick in the mail, but I'll give you a big thanks here too. I appreciate your support so much - it really means the world to me. So, thanks again to the people I already named, and thanks to my mom, miss jan, and addie for your contributions as well.
Love you all, and promise not to bug you for money again until next year's walk! :)
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