The last 30 days or so....

Hello all!  I'm so sorry I have not been updating my blog!  I actually have been really busy and did not think many people were reading it, but since I have not updated it, I keep getting asked to update it!  Sorry!

Since the walkathon, money has been trickling in every now and then from participants, family, friends, and people who have heard about what I am doing!  I am sooo thankful for all of the support and all of the new friends I have made through all of this!  It has been a life-changing goal to reach for.  We are just shy of $6500 dollars, which is awesome!!!  I can not believe I have even made it that far!  I set my goal at $10,000 and did not think I would even come close, even though I did not reach my goal (yet), I am very pleased with the amount of money that has been raised.  I will continue to work with this organization even after all of this, and hold the walkathon once a year.  So be ready for next spring!

My training has slowed down, my race is just 6 days away!!!  Crazy how fast time goes!  I did my longest run a couple of weeks ago, on the day of the River Bank Run.  It was very nice.  I am VERY nervous for the marathon though!  I feel like I have not trained as well this time.  But I do remember that I felt this way the last time too, so you never know what will happen!  Either way, I will be happy to say that I have ran 2 marathons in my life:)

So next Sunday, around 8am, say a little prayer for me!  I will be just starting my run!  I will definitely update my blog after that and let everyone know how I do.  Thanks again for all your support and I hope to see you all soon!

Run/Walkathon a Success!!!

Hello everyone!!!  I finally have a little bit of free time to tell you about the Run/Walkathon this past Saturday!  It went very well!  It was a little chilly at first, some clouds, and a lot of wind - but at about 1:30 or so the sun decided to come out for us.  We had a great turn out - Dr. Mann was there with his nurse Cathy, and they were able to give a couple of announcements and explain to everyone what Of One Heart is all about and how it helps local children.  He ended up running 4 miles!!!  Good job Dr. Mann!

We had a massage therapist there doing chair massages, which were awesome!!! Thanks Courtney, I will definitely be giving her a call next year to see if she would like to do it again, because everybody loved it!  The hot dogs and cookies from Papa's Dogs and More were also a hit!  They were delivered nice and warm and were eaten right away.  We had some leftovers when we were done that we sold to some of the fans that were there:)

Also, a girl I have met recently that works with my husband came, her name is Tara.  She was also born with a cleft lip and palate and has had numerous surgeries by Dr. Mann.  At about 2:00pm everyone was done walking/running and we all gathered around in a circle.  Tara and I had a chance to tell our stories about our surgeries and our lives.  While Tara was talking I kept getting a little teary - her story reminded me so much of mine!  I have never met anyone who knows almost exactly how I feel!  I was very touched by her presence there as were many other people.  And I have also made a new friend, how awesome!

Along with Tara there were two other people at this event.  One of them is Kelsey, when she was born, the plates that make up her skull were fused together, leaving no soft spots, and no room for her head and brain to grow.  She had a surgery by Dr. Mann when she was an infant to allow her skull to grow and form properly.  She was there and her story is stapled to my board (a board I crafted just for this organization, it hangs up in my room at work.)  Another family was there, my new friend Julie and her daughter Addisyn.  Addisyn is about 4 weeks old and was born with a cleft lip, her palate is fine.  Julie and Addisyn had not met Dr. Mann yet and were very anxious to meet him.  Addisyn is adorable, she has to wait until she is at least 10lbs to start her surgeries, but I have no doubt that she will be a beautiful girl!

Dr. Mann had some really cool and interesting things to say about this organization.  Of One Heart will soon be rolling into a larger non-profit organization called Healing the Children.  This is an international organization that helps children with all sorts of deformities.  Of One Heart will be the local division for this organization, and it will also have a new name - I can not for the life of me think of it right now, but I will let you know as soon as I remember!  He was also excited to tell us all about the changes in how doctors are treating these deformities.  They are able now to reduce the number of surgeries needed to fix this, for example, I had 13 surgeries to fix my cleft lip and palate, and children who are born now may only need 5-6 surgeries to fix this.  That is awesome!  What a great change!

Well, overall we raised $4058 for Of One Heart!!!  The first place winner, which is the participant who raised the most money, was my dad; he raised $1010!!  He won a $25 Gift card to Striders and a $25 dining gift card.  The second place winner was Tara, she raised $680!!  She won 2 free 8 oz sizzler meals at Branns and one month free membership at the YMCA.  The third place winner was the Morris Family, who raised $500!!!  They also won 2 free 8oz sizzler meals at Branns.  What an awesome and amazing event!  I had so much fun planning this and have met so many amazing people.  I can not wait to do it again next year!  Thanks for reading!

I'm so excited!

Hello!  The Run/Walkathon is only a few days away, I can't wait!  It sounds like it will be such a fun day, I just hope the weather is nice.  No matter what, we will do it, unless it is lightening.  Everything is checking out so far, the massage therapist, Courtney, confirmed that she will be there giving massages for a "tip" which will be donated to Of One Heart.  Thanks Courtney!!!  Also, Papa's Dogs and More will be selling their signature hot dogs, we have already ordered 50 White and 50 Wheat.  Their dogs are baked into the homemade bun.  Their bread is amazing!!  We will also be having chips and homemade cookies, yummy!  There will be water, Gatorade, and Lemonade offered at no cost to everyone.  Also, bananas and Panera Bread bagel bites:)

My sister helped me put together a little Easter inspired game.  For every $25 you raise, you can pick one Easter egg from the basket.  There will be some eggs with a winning ticket inside, if you pick one of those you get a prize.  Sooo..the more money you raise, the higher your chances!!!

I know a few people besides myself that have had surgeries by Dr. Mann.  I am in the process right now of having either a poster with their stories on it, or having them speak while the participants are running/walking.  How cool! 

As long as it doesn't rain, we should have music playing as well.  This will be so fun and I can't wait until Saturday!  I think we have some pretty big competitors for the first place prize, it will be a close call!

Well, my training for the marathon has slowed down a bit this past week.  I was not feeling well at all for a week, so I took some time off to get better.  I had a chest cold and running just did not work well with that.  So I am feeling much better today and I got some cardio in this morning and it felt great!  This weekend will be another 20 miler:)  Looking forward to it!

Well, let me know if you have any questions about anything, you can always email me at ofoneheart@hotmail.com  Thanks for reading!

I love this weather!

Hello again!  It has been a long time again since I have written, sorry!  Things are going great and I'm getting very ready for the Run/Walkathon on April 23!  It's going to be so fun:)   This past Saturday was an awesome run!  I met up with the Riverbank training group at the zoo for a "prediction" run.  This is when every one predicts how long it will take to run 4 miles, and we all write it down.  We are not allowed to wear watches or anything that will help us keep our pace.  There are volunteers timing us and the person who is closest to their prediction time wins.  This week they won a free entry into a race in Belmont.  Well, this winter I have been running extremely slow, so I predicted 40min.  I thought that was being optimistic.  Last year I would have done it in 38, but this year I seem to be running a lot slower.  So I was nervous I wouldn't even make it in the 40 min predicted.  Well, after the four mile prediction run there was a 9 mile course mapped out for runners to get their miles in.  So I found a new friend:)  and we ran the 9 miles together.  It was great!  The weather was perfect and we had a good pace going.  When we were done with that, we got to see our times for the four mile run.  My time ended up being 37:41!  Way better than I thought!  That just made my day!  I had to get 19 miles in, so I ran a few more miles and then I was done.  I ended up doing 19.6 miles in roughly 3 hours. 

The rest of the weekend we did some yard work and then went to a Whitecap's game on Sunday.  What a beautiful weekend!  I can't wait until summer when this is normal weather:) 

Well, I don't have much to say right now, but I will keep you updated on the fundraising and the Run/Walkathon!  Only 12 more days!  Thanks for reading!

It's getting closer....

Hello!  Sorry it has been so long again!  I guess since the weather is getting nicer, I don't have a lot of time to sit down and blog:)  I'm definitely not complaining!  Well, last Saturday I successfully ran from my house in Grand Rapids, to my parents house in Hudsonville - a total of 18 miles!!  It was awesome, it was a sunny day and just a little chilly - the way I like it:)  I was very sore afterwards though!  This weekend will be 19 miles, I'm not sure about my route yet, but I might meet with the Riverbank group on Saturday at 8am at the Zoo.

Tomorrow is an exciting day!  At 10am I will be live on NPR with Shelley Irwin - you can check it out at wgvu.com.  I'm a little nervous, I'm not really a fan of being on the radio and/or television - but hopefully it will raise a little more awareness about what I am doing.

I received another donation of $75 in the mail this week!  Thank you!!!  I will add it to the total...I'm very pleased with how much money we are raising...it's a lot more than I thought I would be able to do.

A lot of people have been asking about how they can help with the Run/Walkathon, so here is the information:
Volunteers:
I still need 2 volunteers to run the aid station from 2-4pm; I need 3 volunteers to run the water station from 2-4pm; I need 2 volunteers to run the food station from 12-2, and another 2 volunteers for food station from 2-4.  I have split up the times for volunteering so that volunteers can also participate if they want to.  Let me know if you would like to volunteer by emailing me at ofoneheart@hotmail.com

Also - I am still in need of a few other things, they are:
double chafing dish - these are to help keep the hot dogs warm while they are being sold, I have 1 and it would be nice to have another.
Tents!!!  Not the kind you camp in:)  I am in need of some tents to add shade and protection from rain (if it rains) for the tables.
If you have either of these items and would not mind me borrowing them on Saturday, April 23, 2011, just email me at ofoneheart@hotmail.com

I have been going around to local businesses to find sponsors and donors for different items, this is what I have found so far:
Striders of Grandville - $25 Gift Card for prize winner
Branns of Grandville - 4 free 8 oz sizzler meals for prizes
Raap Signs of Coopersville - They are making all the signs we will need
Family Christian Bookstores - donated (5) 2011 Women's Daily Journal Devotionals for prizes
Papa's Dogs and More - selling hot dogs - $1 per hot dog going to Of One Heart
Dent - U - Center - Monetary donation

I am still looking for businesses and or companies that would like to be a part of this - if your business or company would like to help out, just email me at ofoneheart@hotmail.com

Thanks so much for reading!!! 

Spring is here!

Well, life is getting busier - I can tell Spring is here!  And only a month until the run/walkathon - I can't wait!  But I am also a little bit nervous!  I am starting to really buckle down and get everything organized and in place.  I am still working on getting some sponsors to donate bananas, apples, bagels, etc... and also some more sponsors to donate some prizes for the top participant:) 

This past Friday I had a Dr. appt and had a minor procedure done, but because of that I took Saturday off - BUMMER!! Saturday was beautiful and I SO wanted to get out there and run, but I knew that would probably not turn out well.  Sunday I attempted my 18 mile run to my parents house in Hudsonville, but only made it halfway, I think it was just a little too soon and a little too far after my procedure.  So that is fine, I still did 9 miles on Sunday and I will do the 18 this Saturday, so hopefully the weather is just as sunny as it was last Saturday:)

This week we received a few more donations, thank you to everyone who has donated!!  It is making a huge difference!  We received $175 in the mail, so I will add that to our total.  I also forgot to tell you that I visited Dr. Mann's office a week and a half ago to update him and also his RN that I have been keeping in touch with - Cathy.  They are both so excited about everything and they have both agreed to be at the Run/Walkathon!!!  That will be awesome:)  Cathy has already informed me that Dr. Mann is working hard at getting sponsors - he plans on running as long as he can:)

Also, they told me about what they have been working on lately - they are working on rolling Of One Heart into a bigger organization called Healing The Children.  This made me really excited, my family has supported this organization for a long time by being a host family.  Healing the Children helps international children who need surgeries by bringing them to America, finding a family for them to live with while they have surgeries, and then Doctors give their time and resources to help them.  Once they are done with their surgeries, they are sent back home to their families.  My parents were the host family for 2 different children.  The first one, Khadejah, was from St. Kitts - and island in the West Indies.  She was here for a few months while Dr. Mann closed her cleft palate.  The second child is now my little brother, he came here from Haiti for a short time when he was 4 for some surgeries.  His parents realized that he would have a better lifestyle if he were living in America - so they asked my parents to adopt him.  They said yes, AJ (my little brother) is also a twin, and in Haiti the law says that if you adopt one twin, you have to adopt them both.  So Amos is also my brother!  I think my parents would not have wanted to split the two of them up anyway - no matter what Haiti's laws say! 

So, Of One Heart will be the local division for this organization - so all of the money will stay here in West Michigan!  Also - Dr. Mann asked me if I would be interested in being on the board for Of One Heart when this happens!  Of course I said yes!  So keep this all in your prayers - this would be a very good thing!

Let me know if you have any questions about anything - my email is ofoneheart@hotmail.com
Thanks for reading!

Busted...

Hello all!  Sorry I have taken so long to write in here about the Euchre Tournament!  Well, you might have heard the news already, but The Venue apparently did not have the right type of license to hold a tournament like that, and we were "busted" by the State of Michigan Liquor Commission.  I say "busted" because we were not trying to go against any laws, so we were not actually "caught" or "busted".  About halfway through the tournament a man and woman came up and showed me their badges and told me that what I was doing was illegal - so we had to stop.  The really bad part that made me start crying, was they had to take all the money we had raised up to that point.  They ended up with somewhere between $350-$400!  I was pretty upset - this money was donated by good people to give to children with health needs, and it was taken away by the state.  I realize they are doing their jobs and rules are rules, but it still sucks.  The part that really confused me and also hurt my feelings, was that the detectives had seen our posters around town, with all my contact information on them, so they could have easily emailed me and told me that The Venue did not have the correct license.

The detectives were not allowed to take the checks that people had written to Of One Heart, so they were given back to me.  After they left, numerous people starting coming up to me and giving me donations.  One guy, who was just there for lunch and a beer, had bought a 50/50 raffle ticket earlier and won $62.  He came up and gave it all back!  What a nice guy!  Another 50/50 raffle winner gave his winnings back as well.  After all of the extra donations were given - we ended up with $614!!  I was floored!  That is more than I could have asked for, and even though we ran into some trouble, we are still able to help a lot of children out!  Thank you to everyone who participated!!! 

Before the detectives showed up we had lunch, we rounded up a total of 16 people to play - so there were 4 Euchre tables.  Everyone seemed to be having a blast!  I think there were some friendships made and we raised a lot of awareness for our organization!  (Maybe not the way we had planned but...)  I am definitely looking forward to the Run/Walkathon on April 23, if it goes as well as the first half of the Euchre Tournament, I will be very happy:)

I do want to add that The Venue was very sorry about what happened and unfortunately they did not know about the licenses they needed.  They said they were definitely going to look into getting the right type of licenses and their lesson was learned:)

Saturday morning I woke up at the awesome hour of 5:30am to get my long run in.  I ran 16 miles, it started out really bad, my legs felt like lead.  But after about 4 miles, I was in my groove and for once I felt like I could run farther when I was done.  That is a good thing, because this Saturday is 18 miles!  I also received another donation aside from the Euchre Tournament for $100, so all together, the total will go up by $714!  That is awesome!

If you would like to sign up for the Run/Walkathon, or if you have any questions - you can email me at ofoneheart@hotmail.com. Thanks for reading!