Team-building time!

As my post from a few days ago indicated, I have started raising funds, planning events, and generally getting excited about my annual Light the Night Walk to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Add another thing to that list: team building.

Instead of walking as individuals this year, Dave and I have registered as a team - the Shermaniacs - to raise money collectively in honor of my dad's multi-year, multi-battle fight against AML, as well as Dave's uncle's successful fight against lymphoma. I was thinking about it recently, and I realized that, for me, helping to fund patient services and research for other leukemia patients is my karmic way of paying back the universe for my dad's success.

Right now, my team fund-raising goal is $2,000, $1,000 of which is my individual goal. Hopefully we will exceed that amount, but it will be easier (and more fun!) with more people! That's where you all come in.

The walk is a short jaunt around Grant Park and the Museum Campus and takes less than an hour. (A lot of survivors participate in the walk, so they don't make it super long or strenuous.) There are not really fundraising minimums required, but if you gather $100, you get a t-shirt, and prizes go upwards from there.

And speaking of which, this year, the first ten people who join my team will get a complimentary plush blood cell, courtesy of the generous people at Giant Microbes!


There's a white blood cell, red blood cell, and platelet to choose from. (They are pretty cute, and I figured it was on theme for leukemia, which is a cancer of the blood cells!) I have ten to give away, so claim yours today! And thanks to the wonderful folks at Giant Microbes for donating them.

And, of course, if you don't want to walk or can't make it, you can always make a donation through my page directly. Any amount - even $1 - is generous and is always MORE than welcome. However, I should remind everyone that if you donate $50 or more to my walk, I will throw in a recipe booklet that I'm putting together as a collection of my favorite recipes of all time. (List of recipes to follow when it is complete).

Leukemia is a tough disease, but coming together like this to fight against it, in both real and symbolic ways, is a wonderful feeling that I love sharing with friends and family every year. So please, join my team or donate for the cause!