In early May when I started thinking about running the marathon with my sister and tried to decide if that was a horrible idea, I thought, "Huh, I wonder if I could raise some money somehow?" S0, I let that simmer a while.
Then I decided that $2,600 would be a good goal. That I could probably pull off running it even if it looked/felt sort of ugly and un-athletic. Then the matching donor idea came to mind. I told my parents and they thought it was a good idea. I started hoping for a grand total of $5,200. The next week two people agreed to $2,600 right away and shortly after a third came forward. All of a sudden we were dancing with big money!
From there I quickly realized that I was aiming too low and that people are very anxious to help and happy to get involved when the cause is solid.
I have no idea if this new goal is obnoxious or not ... I just know that I believe that something big can happen (and already has happened) when people work together. I know that I have changed the goal once already when the third match came in. I don't want to be annoying to anyone - I promise this is the last time you'll see the meter change.
This Meter reflects the BIG goal ... the corrected, final, and ambitious goal. The number $18,200 plus the $7,800 in matching grants that will be given once I run - and equals the total goal of $26,000.
I think it is funny that it is TEN TIMES the original number I had in mind. If this Chip-In meter reaches 100% by October 1 - it means I will be running for $1,000 per mile. That amount will treat a minimum of 260 kids with severe forms of malnutrition in Haiti. That feels pretty exciting to us.
Thanks for running this road with me.
Dreaming big,
Tara
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