This here may require some 'splainin.
There really is no season for ALS. But in my house there is. And it's fall.
In the fall of 2005, my Dad was diagnosed with ALS
In the fall of 2008, my Dad passed away from ALS
In the fall of 2009, the 1st Cedar Rapids Walk to Defeat ALS
And each fall following, we have the Walk and we also have the Anniversary.
And also if you are familiar with my job, you will remember that end of year is also in the fall.
STRESS CENTRAL
I am the Walk Committee Chair for the Cedar Rapids VOLUNTEER Walk to Defeat ALS. I work with a wonderful group of women and 1 lonely but lovely man to put this shin dig together. It is a lot of work. There is absolutely no down time when it gets to be crunch time, and guess what time it is now!
The 2011 Walk is coming up on Sunday, September 25. This will be a spectacular day! It gets bigger and better every year and this year I am especially looking forward to the entertainment that has been lined up. We have a fantastic logistics team that has really exploded us into a Fun Filled Family Entertainment Bash!
Check out these links....
http://www.sheltered-reality.org/test/index.html - Sheltered Reality Drumline
http://www.christ-rocks.com/ - Bobby Colquhoun
and much much more! We will also be welcoming Mr. Schucks, Ricochet, Linn County Royalty, and many more special guests and activities.
Walk Day is a great time, and it's usually an emotional day, not gonna lie!
In 2009, for our first walk, it was A LOT of work. Like seriously, we had no idea what we were doing. As walk day approached, we started to get pretty nervous. It had been raining all week. My Grandma and Grandpa Kelly had come down to be a part of the walk started in honor of their son, and they had brought Eden with. We had all of Dad's GrandGirls (well, at the time, there are 3 more now) there to cut the ribbon during the Opening Ceremony. And wouldn't you know it, on Sunday morning, the skies parted and we had SUN! It was chilly, don't get me wrong, it was October, it was definitely chilly. But, we had sunshine all day long. Thanks to Dad and another committee members Mom. They were probably up there in Heaven hi-fiving each other over what awesome daughters they have. Watching the families that were there and the people laughing and having a good time, it was pretty amazing. But, I did spend a major part of the Walking Portion of the day curled up in Deron's armpit crying. Couldn't help it. It was a beautiful day. And it was a beautiful occasion. We had made it happen. And know what, it rained the whole next week too. We just got that 1 day of sunshine. But it was a good day. We were able to raise $25,000 that first year. It was a pretty amazing feat to raise that much for the first year of a volunteer walk. We're RockStars!
Last year, in 2010, the walk blossomed into something even bigger and better than 2009. I guess everything gets better with practice...hmmm....wonder where I heard that before! Again, we had an amazing day. We moved the Pre-Walk Festivities inside the stadium and had all kinds of entertainment, vendors, guests all along the concourse. We had live entertainment to watch, we had raffle baskets to peruse (including some pretty awesome contents - airplane and race car ride alongs, salsa dancing lessons, wine tasting parties, just to name a few!) And as far as an emotional day, it was alright. I was doing great, and then Dad's Video Tribute started playing on the big screen. I said good bye to the friend I was chatting with and turned to walk back towards the main area of the concourse, stopping here and there to check out the big screen. And then I saw Addie. She was running towards me, full speed, tears streaming down her cheeks. And then I couldn't hold it in anymore. We sat down right there in the middle of the concourse and cried together. And when it was over, we went and got some balloon animals, and all was right with the world again. In 2010, we ended our fundraising season at just over $48,000!!! Almost double the first year, it was a blessing to have that many people so dedicated to helping those living with ALS! The CR Volunteer group played a part in a lot of great things that happened to the ALS Community in 2010.
*Support Group - was established and now meets on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. It is a great place for anyone touched by ALS to go and just be ok with ALS, or mad at ALS, or get gardening tips or make friends. This group has helped me cope tremendously. And at first, I thought it would be hard to see other people as they progressed with the disease. But it's not. Well, it's hard in a way. But it's not dragging me down to complete sadness about the fact that I was robbed of a Dad. It's actually nice to meet these folks, and to be able to help them and just be there for them. I have learned a lot from these folks about bravery and determination.
*The ALS Association, Iowa Chapter - named Chapter of the Year!! They are Awesome all on their own. With our help, the Iowa Walks were a HUGE success and they earned this honor!
*The Assn, was also able to hire an additional Patient Services Coordinator. Having another body on hand to go and meet with these families. And advocate for them. And help them understand what's coming. And help them understand that there is help. There are now 3 wonderful women who travel to meet these families. And there could be no better thing!
2011 is looking like its shaping up to be quite a Rendavoux! We have challenged walkers to raise an absurd amount of money, and have even bribed them with an iPad. In the end, it will all be worth it. With an official fundraising goal of $40,000, I think that southeastern Iowa is ready to blow the pants off that goal and surprise everyone with how much they are willing to help!!
2011 is also a great time to start attending if you haven't. Think about it. Join my team, or start your own, or just show up and volunteer. I even have the Friday before and Monday after off, so come on down, make a vacation of it. We can all do our part.
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