Last week, I threw something out there, offering a $250 grant to a charity runner who would write a guest blog here. The reason I did this isn’t because I’m having troubles coming up with content. I did this because I love supporting various causes through the Operation Jack Autism Foundation and I wanted to make a donation. The folks who were interested can tell you that I was completely fair and transparent with randomly picking somebody and that somebody is Heather Gonzalez.
Real quick, if Heather sent you over here and we’ve “never met”, I’m a father of three and a marathon runner. My middle child, 8-1/2-year-old Jack, is severely autistic. Operation Jack is named after him. With him as my motivation and inspiration, I ran 61 full marathons in 2010 to raise money and awareness for Train 4 Autism, a charity I’m proud to be a part of. Together, we’re making lemonade out of lemons. We will make the world a better place! After 2010, I stayed home with my family on weekends but still did everything I could to keep raising money for charity in honor of Jack. To date, Operation Jack and related efforts have grossed more than $140,000 and in cae you’re wondering, nobody makes a nickel from that. Every penny either gets donated to charity or is used to raise even more money for charity. Oh, and follow me on Twitter!
One more thing: I’m going to donate more to guest bloggers again this year. I’d like to do this another 5-10 times. So stay tuned!
That being said, I’m really excited to have Heather as my guest blogger. She’s been very supportive of Operation Jack for the past couple of years. And beyond that, with Mothers Day this weekend, I think it’s great to have such a strong, wonderful mom gracing this site with her story. So, with that, here’s a Q&A with her and some other stuff. Thanks Heather!
Why are you a charity runner? Who do you raise money for?
I raise money for Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation. Immediately after my 4 year old daughter, Gabby, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, I felt like I needed to do SOMETHING. I’d heard about PCRF offering a training program for their annual Cinco de Mayo Half Marathon – in exchange for fundraising for PCRF, they offer 12 weeks of training with an amazing coaching team, including a training plan, group runs, strength/yoga classes weekly, and incentives for hitting your fundraising goals. As a new runner, I thought this would be a perfect fit. I had never run for a charity, and never fundraised, but I felt like this was at least something within my power – I couldn’t cure my daughter, I couldn’t take chemo for her, but I could run, and I could ask people for money.
I researched PCRF pretty extensively, and loved everything about it. 80% of every dollar raised goes directly to funding research for new drugs and treatment regimens to children. The fact that there has been only 1 new cancer drug for children approved in the last 20 years infuriates me. It’s not acceptable to me that my daughter is treated with protocols that are decades old. During one of the phases of Gabby’s treatment, she was treated with a pill nicknamed “The Red Death”, due to its extensive list of side effects. Two of the 9 chemotherapy drugs she’s taken warn of an increased chance of future cancers. PCRF is committed to funding research to change that.
In the 2011 training program, I raised $2,370 for PCRF. This year, I captained a team, Team Gab, and recruited 18 runners and walkers, raising a total of $6,684. Additionally, another team adopted Gabby as their honorary teammate, and raised $2,380 for PCRF this season.
What are your most memorable experiences as a charity runner?
• In my first season with PCRF’s VIP team, I originally requested to run the 5K, unsure if I would be able to raise the fundraising minimum ($500 for the 5K). Within 24 hours of asking for donations, I had surpassed the half marathon fundraising minimum ($1,000).
• Connecting with so many people all working for the same cause – funding pediatric cancer research. I’ve made some amazing friends in the VIP program, and look forward to every run.
• Running across the finish line for the last two years, knowing that my time goals, they were dwarfed by what we had accomplished, as a team, raising money to find better cures for pediatric cancer.
• Meeting another “cancer mom”, Kim, whose son was exactly a year older than Gabby, and diagnosed with ALL exactly a year – to the day – before Gabby.
Nothing can be perfect. List at least one disappointment you’ve had as a charity runner.
Some people who were big donors my first year, didn’t donate my second year, or donated significantly less. But, you just don’t know what their current circumstances are or how things have changed. Focus on finding other donors to fill their gap.
Transitioning from a solo charity runner to team captain was fun, but I kind of sucked at it. I owed my team more than I gave, and next year, I’ll focus more on that.
List some good fundraising tips for other charity runners out there! Do you have any specific methods that work well? Do you have general principles you try to follow?
• Ask. Just ask. People aren’t offended by you asking. It doesn’t hurt anything.
• Ask skilled friends to donate some of their time – one person I know hosted a salon party – set a fixed for a wash, blowdry, and style. Stylists donated their time, the salon donated their space and product, and all proceeds went to PCRF. Yoga classes, spin, pilates, knitting classes, etc.
• Find a cause that really speaks to you. If you’re passionate about the cause, it’ll be easier to fight for it.
• Talk to people about your cause. You never know who has been affected by what you’re fundraising for.
• Reach out to local businesses to host a fundraising night. Most restaurant chains will host a dinner night, wine bars will sometimes host wine tastings, etc., with a percentage of proceeds going to your cause.
• Thank people. I’ve gotten rebound donations from people after shooting them a quick thank you email, and just including my fundraising link and noting that I was still collecting. People who donated at the end of 2011, donated again in 2012 for the double-tax break.
• Use your personal story, or the story of your honored teammate. If you don’t have a personal story, the group you’re fundraising for should be able to provide you with someone you can use for inspiration. At first, I was hesitant to share what I thought was too much information – I wasn’t sure if everyone wanted to hear about Gabby’s latest 9 hour day in infusion center, or the number of lumbar punctures she had. But these stories carry weight. These stories give your donors something to think about, and inspire change. Don’t be afraid to use them. These are experiences that not everyone is aware of, and knowledge is power.
Do you have any advice or insight for somebody who hasn’t done charity running but is considering it?
Charity running scared me at first – I’m a shy person by nature, and it took some time for me to open up to the idea of talking to people in real life. But I had a cause I was passionate about – pediatric cancer research – and being able to share Gabby’s story with people, and see their reaction, their drive to do something as a result, that overcomes any hesitation I have in public speaking. I’ve been able to take something awful, and turn it into something full of hope. That is the most rewarding thing, putting this really mediocre hobby to some sort of use for a cause much, much bigger than me. It’s worth it. It means that nothing Gabby goes through is in vain – someone is still fighting for something better. Gabby’s treatment, it is what it is. Any advancements made now will not change anything for us. But for the kids following her, I want better.
Thank you, Heather! The Operation Jack Autism Foundation will be contributing $250 to PCRF for you! Anybody else, if you’d like to make a donation and support PCRF and Team Gab, click here! Have a great weekend!
Newdadintraining says
Well Done Heather, you ROCK! And Kudos to Operation Jack.