I might paint my fingernails blue. This isn’t an April Fool’s joke. This is Autism Awareness Month, since it’s now April, and I’m going to do what I’ve been doing for close to two years — use myself to try to raise money for charity.
Real quick, just in case you’re new here, I’m a father of three and a marathon runner. My middle child, 7-year-old Jack, is severely autistic. I wanted to use my running to try to make a difference, so last year, I ran 61 full marathons (plus two ultramarathons) to raise money and awareness for a charity I’m a part of called Train 4 Autism. I named the endeavor Operation Jack, after my little superstar.
Anyways, that was 2010. I’m working on various things in 2011 to continue to use my running to help others. The first, fittingly, will be tomorrow, on Autism Awareness Day, April 2. I’ll be participating in the ACT! Today for Military Families 5K/10K Run in San Diego. It’s a race that benefits military families that have children with autism. Really, it’s impossible for me not to get behind a cause like this.
I’ve struggled raising money for this event, so I’m making one last stab. First, I’m matching donations up to the first $500 that gets contributed. So that’s a bonus — you donate $10 and you’re really donating $20. Also, if I hit my goal of $1,000, I’ll paint my fingernails blue and post pictures to prove it. It’s Autism Awareness Month, light it up blue. I’ll paint ’em up blue if we get this great organization $1,000. I wore pink armwarmers in Philadelphia last year. I’ll paint my nails blue, no doubt.
To make a donation, click here and click on the General Team Donation tab. If you can’t make a donation, that’s cool — I see lots of causes come my way and there’s no way I can support them all. But can you share this using the share buttons on the top of this page? Thanks for your help!
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