GIVE TO GARY

I'm a lousy fundraiser.  Years ago when I participated in the March of Dimes, my Big Sister did all the work running around her office getting people to donate 25¢ per mile.  It's been so long I don't even remember how long the walk was.  This past weekend, I put in a lot of mileage, mostly on bicycle, to raise fund for the Michael J Fox Foundation.  I did it all with the smartphone app Charity Miles.  Normally it's 10¢ per mile for cycling and 25¢ per mile for running or walking, this past Saturday and Sunday, thanks to Medtronic, it was $3 per mile for any of the three activities.  Charity Miles already did the running around getting sponsors like Medtronic.  My part was just run, walk, or bike, something I already enjoy doing.  Easy as pie!

It's much harder to get people to donate money but I'm giving it a shot.  Maybe all this new-fangled social media thingy can make a difference.  I would like you to consider giving to Gary, as explained below:

https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/mk73/give-so-gary-can-get-a-new-heart

Although I am usually charitable, I'm doing this fundraising work for Gary partly for personal reason.  Shell Marz, the Lead Organizer and Gary's cousin, is an old friend from an old job who helped me land my current job.  It's only proper that I donated some money to the cause, but the goal of $5,000 is still elusive.  If you enjoyed my blog, whether it be the GPS art, the occasional portrait, the sonobes, some witty puns, or whatever, may I suggest donating something for Gary?  It does not have to be a lot, a lot of something small will add up.  Of course, if you can afford it, by all means give a lot.

MILES FOR MICHAEL!

The business world seems to highly value multitasking.  I love efficiency too but most of the times multitasking just doesn't work.  Like walking or driving while texting.  Just plain stupid, sometimes even deadly.  But I make an exception for Charity Miles, the smartphone app that tracks distance for walkers, runners, or cyclists, and get sponsors to donate money to charities x cents or dollars per mile.  Sometimes I walk with Charity Miles while listening to audioCD - walking, fundraising, and "reading" done simultaneously.  The standard fundraising rate is 25¢ per mile for runners and walkers, or 10¢ per mile for cyclists.  However, through a wonderful arrangement with MichaelJFox.org and Medtronic, for most of the month of October, and into early November, it's $1 per mile for all three categories of long-distance exercises.  Even better, for Saturday 26 October and Sunder 27 October, it's $3 per mile whether you walk, run, or bike!  If you are like me, love long-distance workout but a bit tight on money yet want to donate to charities, Charity Miles is the app to have.

For my part, I've been logging many miles on behalf of MichaelJFox.org via my daily runs.  During the week, it's only a few miles each early mornings, but on weekends I had more time to log five or six miles each day.  I even made the GPS art below, although I must say that the path was drawn with my Garmin GPS watch and not with Charity Miles app.  Thank you, Medtronic, for sponsoring the challenge to raise $100,000 for MichaelJFox.org by November 3!