The Blog According to Buzz

DONATED: $2 330
GOAL: $10 000
REMAINING: $7 670

A couple cheques just landed in my lap and immediately went in to the Team Diabetes donation jar.

The big one is for a voice session I did for Western Financial, the smaller one is for the Links for a Cause in my sidebar courtesy of TextLinkAds. Next month I’ll be getting a cheque for my Google AdSense that I run with each post.

I’ve committed to Freelancing for Charity as I get ready for the Easter Island Marathon in June 09 with Team Diabetes. I need to get to $10 000 and these latest cheques will nearly double the fund raising efforts.

If you have need for an emcee, spokesperson, voice talent or anything along those lines, I’d appreciate you hiring me. I will do the work for you in exchange for a donation of the usual fees to my Team Diabetes jar. You get a professional product AND a tax receipt, I get closer to my goal.

This week, now that Z has started daycare, I’ve had some time to start running again. I’ve been lazy. I’m only running about 3k and huffing and puffing the whole way - a far cry from the 42k I will do in a year.

Team Diabetes sets out fundraising benchmarks to hit as you get ready for a marathon. My first one is for $2500 in October, I’m well on my way to making that milestone!

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

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?

DONATED: $1 130
GOAL: $10 000
REMAINING: $8 870

Tomorrow morning, 56 000+ people will run the Vancouver Sun Run.

In June, 2009, I will be 1 of 150 running the Easter Island Marathon.

I just got back from the LiveSmart Expo where a few hundred people gathered to learn more about Diabetes and sit down with experts to talk about their situation. I had a GREAT chat with Rebecca Taylor, our contact for Team Diabetes.

When she said 150 people were running on Easter Island, I assumed she was talking about Team Diabetes. No. She was talking about the WHOLE MARATHON.

Rapa Nui (Easter Island) is a small, remote place. If they had more entries available, the island’s resources wouldn’t be able to keep up, so registration is limited to … 150.

I just might win this thing

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

TOTAL DONATED: $1 090
GOAL: $10 000
REMAINING: $8 910

This weekend I’ll be continuing my crusade to learn more about Diabetes and the people fighting it.

LiveSmart Diabetes Expo
Date: Saturday, April 19, 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Location: Broadway Church, 2700 East Broadway, Vancouver
Tickets: $13 online, $15 by phone

The LiveSmart Diabetes Expo is a consumer tradeshow and educational program hosted by the Canadian Diabetes Association which draws together feature speakers, products, resources, and experts to show how you can help prevent and manage diabetes while improving your overall health.

“Ask the Expert” features over 50 professionals to answer all of your diabetes-related questions including: Dietitians, Doctors, Nurses, Pharmacists, Pedorthists, Endocrinologist, Psychiatrists, Optometrists, Dental Hygienists, Insurance Specialists, Lawyers, Diabetes Researchers
and more!

I’ll be cruising the concourse gathering information, talking to people and going all Robert Scoble with impromptu interviews of those on the show floor and many blog post ideas for the coming weeks.

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?