Archive for the “charity” Category

The Vancouver Marathon had 13 000+ people weaving their way through 42k of Vancouver streets this weekend, and among the bobbing heads and shuffling feet were more than a few members of Team Diabetes.

While I’m getting ready to run the Easter Island Marathon in June 09, there are marathons every couple of months around the world that feature dozens of Team Diabetes members.

Rio, Honolulu, Reykjavik, Vancouver…

Watching the news highlights today I threw myself on my annual guilt trip for not being in enough shape to even participate in the half marathon. It’s been 5 years since I ran in the Vancouver Marathon.

8 weeks later I ran a second one in Iceland, and in between I hiked 42km up the Inca Trail to Machu Piccu. 2003 was a very active year. 2008? Not so much. But that will change. The plans are set for next June and I know next May I will at least run the half, maybe even the full.

What about you? Were you inspired seeing these people from all walks of life accomplish one of those 43 things on pretty much everyone’s life list? Do you wanna do it?

Team Diabetes can help. You’ll be off to do your marathon in an exotic world city, you’ll have an entire organization supporting you and helping you with training, and you’ll be raising money and awareness for diabetes. Actually, just by training for the marathon you’ll be fighting diabetes. A healthy lifestyle is the best defense and marathon training demands you live on the right side of the line.

So… who’s in for a marathon? Maybe a half? What about a 10k or inline skate? Here are some upcoming events and Team Diabetes entry deadlines:

Honolulu - Registration Deadline: June 27, 2008
Marathon Date: December 14, 2008
Distances Available: Full Marathon and 10km Race Day Run/Walk
Travel Dates: Participants depart Canada on December 11th and return on December 16th.

Prague - Registration deadline: October 10, 2008
Marathon Date: Early May 2009
Distances Available: Full Marathon, & 10K In-line Skate

Easter Island - Registration deadline: August 8, 2008
Marathon Date: June 2009
Distances Available: Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 10k

Gold Coast (Australia) - Registration deadline: October 24, 2008
Marathon Date: Early July 2009
Distances Available: Full and Half Marathon, 10K

If you’re still not convinced, but want to support the cause, throw some of your tax refund at my Team Diabetes Easter Island push. You’ll pick up a tax receipt for next year’s return, and you’ll help millions in their fight with diabetes.

The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?

DONATED: $1 180
GOAL: $10 000
REMAINING: $8 820

I have committed to donating all my freelance income to the Team Diabetes Easter Island effort. So far that includes a voice over session ($1000 payment pending), an iTunes endorsement ($600) and any monies I make from this website.

See those little links on the right hand side? The ones that say “Links for a Cause”? Those are TextLink Ads and I’ve been running them for a couple months, enough to get a little bit of a cheque.

Toss $44.76 into the Team Diabetes coffers. Actually, I’ll round it up to $50 to keep the accounting easy.

Are you trying to find a way to scratch up some money to donate? Why not serve up some of your site’s traffic money to the cause? Or maybe break off a piece of your tax refund?

Or, you could just hire me to do your media work. You’ll get a professional product, a mention on the blog and a tax receipt for supporting Team Diabetes.

The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?

It’s tax season. I know. I just got a letter from Revenue Canada asking for my 2006 return. And while I’m at it, could I give them 2004, 2005 and 2007?

Yeah, I’m lazy. But I don’t think you are. You do it every year. You save every receipt and you get a big fat refund every spring.

I’ve been rolling around in my head different ways for you to pitch in and help out with Team Diabetes without really asking you to dig deep into your pockets.

Then I saw a posting by Airdrie on the weekend. She got her tax refund and immediately broke off a piece for the Balding For Dollars campaign.

While I know I should put all the money into my credit card debt, I decided to donate part of it to the Children’s Hospital ‘Balding for Dollars‘ fund-raiser, taking place next week. A team of teachers and students at my school are shaving their heads on Wednesday as part of a Province-wide event to raise money for children with cancer and blood disorders. [source]

Brilliant.

It was free money to Airdrie, it’s now free money for the charity and Airdrie gets a tax receipt to get a head start on next year’s return.

That’s what I call paying it forward.

So now comes my turn to ask.. you’re going to get your refund soon, if you haven’t gotten it already. When you do, break off a piece for Team Diabetes. My personal goal is to raise $10 000 and you (and the Finance Minister) can be a part of it.

Please?

The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?

TOTAL DONATED: $940
GOAL: $10 000
REMAINING: $9 060

A friend recently called into question my involvement with Team Diabetes Easter Island. She thinks it’s odd that people would do fundraising for something and then be rewarded with a “free vacation” subsidized by the donations they’ve collected.

It’s true, sort of. In exchange for raising a minimum of $7500 for Team Diabetes, I will be able to run a marathon on Easter Island. My flight and accomodations will be covered. Easter Island is in the South Pacific, somewhere between New Zealand and Chile, not a cheap place to get to.

So I re-evaluated what I was doing and why I was doing it. I dont want a free vacation. That’s not what these runs are for - but they are a little bit. That’s a pretty big piece of bait to stick on a lure to get people, who might not otherwise be committed to the cause, interested in Team Diabetes.

And it got me interested. Now I’m ready to lay down a stronger commitment to not only raise money, and train, but to raise awareness about what diabetes is and who is living with it. As I tell people about my run, they start to tell me their personal experiences with Diabetes..

Like Tiffani

I don’t think alot of people get the serverity of this disease unless you know of or live with someone who actually has it. My husband has Type 1 and it’s a daily thing to live with and be worried about.

Like Carolyn

My grandfather had diabetes, the complications from which eventually lead to his death. My mom has just recently (in the last two months) been diagnosed with borderline diabetes. It’s hereditary, so there is a very likely chance that I will have diabetes one day too.

Like Candice

My mom was diagnosed a few years ago - it hits close to him. I used to work for the diabetic centre in vancouver - and learned a lot. I know people that have lost their battle with this disease and I know others that have had it for so many years.

I have made my fundraising goal $10 000 and I have committed to donating all my freelance income to the Team Diabetes cause, it will be more than enough to cover the travel expenses for the trip. Already I have designed a website for a colleague ($250), I have done a voice session for an insurance company ($1000) and I’m doing an endorsement for Apple ($600). Nearly $2000 in just the first month. So I am confident I can cover my own travel expenses. If you have some work you think an engaging radio guy can do for you, please contact me. You’ll get your job done, and get a tax receipt for your Team Diabetes donation.

I’ve also committed to learning more about the disease. With a strong blogging platform, I can write about diabetes what it is, who is fighting it and their struggles. It’s not a personal fight for me, but it is a personal fight for others and that’s why I’m running and raising the money.

We could always use more members on the Team. My run isnt until June 2009, but check out the schedule of other Team Diabetes events you could join:

Dublin - Registration Deadline: April 25, 2008
Marathon Date: October 27, 2008
Distances Available: Full Marathon and 3km

New York - Registration Deadline: May 2, 2008
Marathon Date: November 2008
Distances Available: Full Marathon

Honolulu - Registration Deadline: May 16, 2008
Marathon Date: December 2008
Distances Available: Full Marathon and 10km Race Day Run/Walk

The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?

TOTAL DONATED: $290
GOAL: $10 000
REMAINING: $9 710

I dont have diabetes. I dont know anyone with diabetes.

So in addition to my pledge to raise $10 000 for Team Diabetes, I have also committed to learning more about the disease and who is fighting it.

It’s not a personal fight for me, but it is a personal fight for others and that’s why I’m running and raising the money.

I’ve subscribed to a number of blogs by diabetics to read the stories about their struggles and find out what life with diabetes is really like.

As I get ready for a vacation next week, I’ll be stressed packing all the gear to keep Zacharie entertained, but what if he was diabetic? What extra stress and gear would be needed?

Lindsey Guerin is 19 and has been living with diabetes since she was 4. Check out her entry at blogabetes as she heads off on vacation:

I checked, double checked and triple checked the TSA website to make sure I knew every law before I made my flight. I found out diabetics can carry water, juice and all supplies on board the plane. I read all my rights when or if they searched me or my bag.

I packed twice the amount of supplies I would normally use for the next six days. I brought snacks, glucose tabs and an entire bag of life-savers. I had extra batteries, important medical phone numbers and syringes just in case of pump malfunction. I went through security with little hassle. They took my water (which I didn´t fight for because I was running late for the flight). They asked what was on my belt and before I finished “insulin” they waved me through the metal detector.

We land in the tropics where the sun beats down and the ocean rumbles in the background. As I walk off the plane, I just wish that I was leaving my diabetes in the cargo hold. What I would give for a vacation from this disease…simply: everything. [source]

My goal is $10 000 towards that dream of Lindsey’s. If that sounds good to you, click the link and get started.

The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?

Remember when you were a teen and you’d ask for permission and be denied. Only to retort with “Well xxxx’s parents are letting him go!”

And then Mom and Dad would drop a “Well, if xxxx jumped off a bridge, would you?”

Of course you wouldn’t. You just wanted to stay out an extra hour past curfew.

Then there are times, once we got older, where we would want to do something, but we had to wait for someone else to try it first. You know jumping off a cliff, streaking through the hallways, trying raw oysters.

“I’ll do it if you do it, but you go first.”

It’s all about following a leader, and being a part of the crowd. A sense of belonging and feeling good about our choices.

Well, when it comes to raising money for Team Diabetes, my friend Carolyn has gone first. She jumped in, clicked the banner (which she designed) and threw a few bucks in the empty jar.

I have committed to pledging all freelance income to the Team Diabetes cause, and have already done a couple jobs for the cause, but I’m still waiting for the payment to come in.. so, in the meantime, would you mind clicking the button below and dropping some money in the jar to keep Carolyn’s company?

The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?

Earlier this week I put out a call for help with creating some banners and buttons to spread the word about Team Diabetes Easter Island and the effort to raise $10 000 for the cause.

My pal, Carolyn, did a little bit of grown up art while her daughter was colouring. Here’s one she came up with:

Here are some thumbnails of others she designed:

If you want to add one of these to your own blog, feel free to click out to the larger version, save-as and then please link back to this address (my donation page with Team Diabetes): https://ocp.diabetes.ca/pledge/cspledge.asp?prId=td&oId=1212656&tId=8410

And while you’re at it, double click on the larger image and make a pledge yourself!

The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?

The email came back yesterday, I’ve submitted my registration papers, paid my deposit and have been accepted as a member of Team Diabetes: Easter Island.

Now comes the fun part. $10 000 in the next year, all of it going towards Diabetes research in Canada. That’s what this little button the left is for. Click it and you’ll go directly to my fundraising page with Team Diabetes. The money goes right to them, they’ll process your tax receipt and the donation automatically counts towards my fundraising goal.

I have already committed to donating all my freelancing funds to the cause, and thanks to some Twitter pals, a corporate video voice over gig could soon be coming my way.

If you’re a professional holding an event, or producing a video, or starting up a marketing campaign, I will waive my fee to do your work, in exchange for an equal donation to Team Diabetes. You get the work done professionally, while at the same time scooping a charitable tax receipt. Sounds win-win to me!

In addition to money, one of the other ways I’ll be asking for help, is technologically. Team Diabetes has got the online donations going smoothly, but there aren’t slick buttons or widgets to throw in to the site. I made that button roughly this morning. If you’re graphics whiz, or php star and can whip up a button or plugin that I can spread around and have people post on their own blogs to raise for the cause, please let me know.

The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?

Today I landed my first big voice over gig. 75 local tags to run for Western Financial (an insurance company in Western Canada).

My work consisted of me standing in a studio for 2 hrs saying “In (city) call (agent name) at (phone number).”

75 times. Well more, like 250 times when you throw in screw ups and retakes.

For my efforts today, (after agent commission) I will be paid about $1000. Such are the spoils of the voice over artist.

Next month, I will be doing some work for Apple’s iTunes Music Store. Again, I will be paid an endorsement fee.

Now I already get a good salary for my job at 95Crave, so these freelancing gigs are supposed to be gravy cash for Jen and I to take vacations, fix the house, or save for Zacharie’s education.

For the next 16 months, I want to do something different.

All my freelancing money will go to Team Diabetes.

Anything I get outside of my regular work, will be donated to the cause. I want to run in the Easter Island Marathon in June 2009 with Team Diabetes, and need to raise around $10 000 for it to happen. Now, before I’ve even really started, I’ve already got nearly $2000 in the bank.

So here’s the challenge I’m putting out to those hiring people for commercials, voice work, hosting and endorsement gigs - hire me.

You have to pay that money to a host anyway, pay it to me and you’ll actually be giving it all to charity.

You know where to reach me.

The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?

In August, 2003 I ran the Iceland Marathon as a member of Team Diabetes.

I raised $5000 and got to pound my way through 42k around Reykjavik. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Since then I’ve continuously received email updates from Team Diabetes and have been tempted to do runs in Brazil, or Rome, but the schedules never worked with the time off I can take from work.

Today I got an email update from Rebecca Taylor with a marathon that fits my schedule and fulfills another lifelong adventure dream.

As you may have seen on the Team Diabetes website, Easter Island in June 2009 has been added to the schedule as an alumni-only event. The Easter Island event offers full marathon, half marathon and 10K distance options.

Are you kidding me? A marathon on Easter frickin Island? SIGN.ME.UP. Maybe.

Because here is the fine print. The fund raising requirement is $7500. $2500 of it is required by June. That’s a lot of money. I’d need a lot of help.

I firmly believe in the Team Diabetes cause, education can prevent us from getting hit by it in our adulthood, and many children have no choice having to live with daily insulin shots. Being a new father, I am all over preventing diseases that Zacharie could face.

So. I have a question. Would you be prepared to help? Late last summer I scraped together almost $1500 in less than a week to do Lance Armstrong’s Tour of Courage. That was huge.

So I need to know, would you all step up again? I’d need to average $500 / month for the 16 months between now and the run. Now that doesn’t sound too tough.

So I need to know if you’d be interested in helping out.

Maybe a $50/month donation between now and then? Would you add a donation badge to your own blog? Would you help collect prizes for raffles and Easter Egg hunts? What would *you* do to help out?

Comment below.

The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?