From Free Lunch to Half Marathon
By Sara Craft
I started my journey with DetermiNation one day while working at Angie’s List. An email went out at lunch announcing there would be a FREE LUNCH and an informative talk about the Indianapolis Mini Marathon. Well, I needed lunch that day and was sort of interested in running the Mini so I decided to go last minute. Jennifer, one of the directors from American Cancer Society, spoke from the heart and at that time I teared up. I was thinking to myself, “Man, I thought I was just signing up to run a race.” At that point, it hit me: This is so much more than that.
Two days later, I was still a little sketchy on whether or not I should sign up. 1 – I had never run more than a mile before, and let’s be honest, I get winded running to the end of my driveway, and 2 – What happens if I can’t raise all the money that I need to? On day three, I decided to send out a little Facebook status with my doubts and concerns, asking others if they thought I could do it. Right away I was backed up with loving friends and family telling me they would support me all the way!
Fundraising was the most nerve-wracking part, I believe. But, I was very surprised at the response. I did 85% of my fundraising on Facebook. At first, I was getting $20 donations, then $50 and $100 donations. I was shocked at how many people were so generous and how many people had been affected by cancer in some way. When I would thank the donors, I would offer them cupcakes for their generosity. They would tell me why their donation meant so much to them; usually the loss of a family member or friend. I had one friend who donated, then had a birthday donation made in her honor.
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