It's here! The campaign has begun! We officially kicked off the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's
Man and Woman of the Year campaign at the
Radisson last Wednesday. Thanks to your amazing support, I was one of just four candidates to achieve the first bonus challenge (our team raised over $700 in the first DAY)!
 |
A handwritten message from
the Girl of the Year! |
At the kickoff, we were introduced to the
Boy and Girl of the Year,
Chase and Adyson! These amazing kiddos will be attending events, sharing their stories, and providing inspiration throughout the campaign! I even got a handwritten card from Miss Ady that morning!
I also got to meet my
competitors for the first time! 13 total: eight men and five women. And they are FIERCE and FOCUSED on the cause! I can't wait to hear the total dollars raised by this group at the finale! I already know it's going to be incredible!!
 |
| With Leroy, the Easter donkey |
Leroy the Easter Donkey
Saturday morning I got to scope out the competition firsthand at a fundraising event I could not resist - Brunch with Leroy the Easter donkey!
Mandie Levan and I traveled to
Ironstone Ranch in Elizabethtown. We had an amazing brunch by
C&J Catering, took a tractor ride, saw the future home of the
Star Barn, toasted marshmallows over a campfire, AND got to meet Leroy (who may be the sweetest Donkey I've ever met)! Congrats to
Bryan Laudermilch for a fun event (fundraising totals are top secret until the finale, but I'm guessing it was a success)!
 |
| With Dot and Nick Ferraro |
The Philly Elvis
Saturday night it was time for me to do some of my own fundraising! I was invited by past Woman of the Year,
Dot Ferraro and past candidate
Nick Ferraro to
Hershey Italian Lodge for Nick's performance as the
Philly Elvis (I'm a huge Elvis fan, so I couldn't resist)!
Kimm Moore was my date for the evening.
During the show, Nick and Dot introduced me to the audience and encouraged everyone to donate to the cause. As I was walking through the room with my donation bucket, I met another "why" for taking on this challenge - a survivor (now in remission!) introduced himself and shared his story. More motivation to kick some cancer butt over the next ten weeks.
 |
| Our big win!! |
And we have a new tool to do it! While we were there, we won the grand prize raffle - a kiddie pool filled with beer, wine, snacks, and more! We are going to pay our luck forward and use our winnings as a prize at one of our upcoming events! Watch for details of how YOU can win our fun PARTY POOL!
Dot and Nick - Thanks so much for all of your support and encouragement!
Coming Up Next...
At the end of our first week, we are going strong! We are busy finalizing the details of our many fundraising events, confirming sponsors, making flyers, and starting to promote! Here's what's coming up next...
Today is our first
AROOGA'S FUNDRAISING DAY. Every Tuesday, April 7 - June 9, All day, any location! Just give this
VOUCHER to your server and 15% of your bill will be donated to
LLS (like we really needed another excuse for their crab pretzel!!)
We are also gearing up for an incredible
ZUMBATHON CHARITY EVENT Saturday, April 25 (2-4pm) at
Gold's Linglestown! Don't miss our first official event of the campaign! Just $15 for six instructors, two hours, and one amazing cause!
Message me to reserve your spot on the dance floor!
Save The Date
Here are a few other events that are coming up in May!
BINGO/FUN DAY
Sunday, May 3 (2pm), Faith Church, Halifax
YARD SALE AND FOOD TRUCK
Saturday, May 9 (7am-1pm), CrossPoint United Methodist Church, Harrisburg
ZUMBATHON CHARITY EVENT
Saturday, May 23 (1-3pm), Halifax Elementary School
POKER RUN
Saturday, May 30, Local 520 Plumbers and Pipefitters Union Hall, Harrisburg
BENEFIT DINNER
Thursday, June 4, The Conference Center at Central Penn College
ZUMBATHON CHARITY EVENT
Sunday, June 7, West shore - Location TBD
More than 1.1 million Americans are currently living with or in remission from a blood cancer. Every three minutes, someone is diagnosed. Every ten minutes, someone dies from these cancers. They are men, women and children of every race and every age. Learn more at lls.org.
Look for event and campaign updates on my blog and on my personal fundraising page!
