Why ?

Most who know me know that physical activity isn't exactly my idea of "fun". So what am I doing thinking that I can hike the canyon in the middle of summer.... surely I must be crazy.. maybe I am.

The idea of wanting to do something about cancer has been an itch since 1999 when Judy's dad C.L. Gilbert succumbed to Leukemia.

Last spring one of our friends - Joyce Piatt trained to hike the canyon and in the process raised money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society who fund research into all kinds of Blood Cancers. I was inspired.

I felt that this fund-raising would be a meaningful contribution to the world-wide efforts against cancer.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

A shot of inspiration

Stone Mountain, GA.

We started our training on February 10th with a hike up Stone Mountain. Several hikers had returned for mid-week hikes to Stone Mountain. This past Saturday, we returned for a group hike to close out the training. It was a relaxed walk up to the top. We had several guests who joined us. The kids were a lot of fun and the ease with which they were running up and down the trail was enviable. One of the kids was also a survivor. Caleb Kight was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma when he was 18 months sold. He underwent successful treatment and has been in remission for 6 years. It was great seeing him have fun. Here's Caleb with a magnolia he found....

Stone Mountain, GA.

More pictures from Stone Mountain are here.

Last week we all received a note from our honored hero Elijah Cox. I wrote about Elijah back in March. Here is Elijah's note.


Elijah Cox
5/15/07

Hike For The Fight

Thank you so much for letting me be the honored hero for the Hike for Discovery team. I know it's hard to train and do all the other things you have to do each day. Your time and energy you put into this cause... it means a lot to me and patients around the world. Hang in there during your walk and I will be praying for the team while you are there. Thanks for walking for me.

Sincerely,
Elijah Cox


It was pretty cool to receive this note. Speaking of Elijah, I learned last week that he is done with his once a month chemo regimen. He will have the port removed shortly and will be on maintenance for a while. Go Elijah.

Hike for Discovery:
... and so this hike will end on Saturday... but, the hike goes on for the millions of cancer patients. Atlanta LLS will be kicking of fall hikes to the Grand Canyon and Kauai, HI.

I hope you will consider joining this worthwhile cause. You can find more information about the GC and HI hikes at the Atlanta HFD site. The kickoff for these hikes is on June 9. Now is the time to step up.

If you do not live in the Atlanta area, you can find your local chapter at the HFD website - http://www.hikefordiscovery.org.

Perhaps you are a little more athletic and would like to run a marathon or complete a 100 mile bike ride, then Team in Training - http://www.teamintraining.org/ is for you.

regardless of whether you choose to Hike, Marathon or Ride, remember that no prior experience is needed. You will get professional training. A will to fight and make a difference is the only requirement. Hope you will consider this.
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Raffle

Every donor was entered into a raffle with one entry for every $10 donated. There are five prizes that can be one. Each donor can win no more than one prize. The first winner gets to choose any one of the five prizes, The second winner gets to choose any one of the remaining four and so on and so forth.

1. Flora

24" x 24" poster. all photographs by Albert Thomas. See larger image.
2. Sun and Water

24" x 24" poster. all photographs by Albert Thomas. See larger image.

3. Super Bowl I - XXX

A football lovers dream. Collectors set of DVDs of all the Superbowls from I to XXX by NFL films.

4. TaylorMade Golf Balls

A dozen TaylorMade Distance Plus golf balls. According to TaylorMade, these balls are "built to maximize distance and improve scoring for the committed player".

5. Maxfli Golf Balls

A dozen Maxfli Noodle Golf Balls.

... and the winners are

  1. Bill McGregor - Roswell, GA.
  2. Joyce Piatt - Mableton, GA.
  3. Frank Jakse - St. Louis, MO.
  4. Senthil Mukunthan - Indianapolis, IN.
  5. Push Venkat - Chicago, IL.

Options to spend money and feel good about it..

Help bridge the chasm by purchasing one or more of the following unique services. Some of these have a material cost component. This will not count as a tax-deductible contribution. Please send me an email if you would like to commission one of the following. Thank You.
1. Scan and Create Web Album from photos – 75 Photos.

Got a lot of pictures from your pre-digital days? I will scan those and create a slideshow CD. If needed, I can also upload them online and create a web album for you. I can scan up to 75 pictures. If you have more ( I hope you do), please see the next item.

Sponsorship Amount: $75 (entire amount is tax-deductible) Material Cost: $0

2. Scan and Create Web Album from photos – 150 Photos.

Got a lot of pictures from your pre-digital days? I will scan those and create a slideshow CD. If needed, I can also upload them online and create a web album for you. I can scan up to 150 pictures.

Sponsorship Amount: $100 (entire amount is tax-deductible) Material Cost: $0

3. Your own Photo Poster.

How about a photo mosaic of your favorite pictures and/or your favorite people. This will make a great gift for all those times when you have no clue what to buy (Hint: Mother’s Day is 5/13/07 and Father’s Day is 6/17/07).

  • Make poster from Digital images or Prints (up to 30 prints).
  • Poster Size - 24” x 24”.
  • Poster shown here is a sample. Click here for larger samples - Flora : Sun and Water.

Sponsorship Amount: $100 Material Cost: $30 (24” x 24” poster)

4. Painted Wall Mural.

Planning a birthday party? How about a set for the party? The mural will be painted on poster paper and affixed to the wall using push pins so you can remove after the event. No need to repaint.

  • Poster Size – 10’ x 8’.
  • The pictures shown here are from Ashley’s 6th Birthday. Click here to see larger photos of the mural - Photo1 : Photo 2.
  • My painting skills are pretty rudimentary (to say the least) and so we have to stick to cartoons. For your sake, please don’t ask me to paint someone you know
Sponsorship Amount: $200 (entire amount is tax-deductible) Material Cost: $0 ( I already bought way too much paper and paint)

5. Mondrian Coffee Table.

So what does a $500 coffee table look like? Like the dining table pictured here. This is a one of a kind, contemporary coffee table that is also a piece of art. The coffee table is hand-crafted and consists of a Piet Mondrian reproduction using acrylic on canvas, framed by wood with a metallic finish. I don’t have a picture of the coffee table itself, because it hasn’t been made yet. Click here for a larger photo of the dining table. Coffee table will be 48” x 36”.

Sponsorship Amount: $500 Material Cost: $100

6. Warhol at the Georgia Aquarium – Poster.

Warhol never visited the Georgia Aquarium. What if he had? What if he had seen the anemones at the Cold Water Quest? The poster was created using a photo I took of the anemones recently.

Sponsorship Amount: $100 Material Cost: $30 (24” x 24” poster)