I was a little unsure about chairing the event at first - never having been involved in a marathon or major fundraising event before. I'm really not a salesperson or one to ask people for money.
However, Dennis and I have wanted to contribute in some way, to support The Chromosome 18 Registry & Research Society. When I listened to Jason's fundraising presentation at the Utah conference in July, we saw the opportunity to give back! The RnR Marathon was coming to St. Louis, only 50 miles from our home.
Kelly helped create my fundraising page and we were off & running. Once I learned how to navigate the Classy (our fundraising) software, I began sharing my fundraising page on Facebook. I spoke to our school principals & a few teachers during school registration in early August and as a result the entire school body got involved! I placed an announcement about our fundraiser in our local church bulletin, which they ran for 8 weeks! A newspaper article was placed in 3 local newspapers and I shared copies of the article with every department at the hospital where I work. My daughter created fliers that I hung on bulletin boards and posted on Facebook. Before I knew it, we had 17 people join us with their own fundraising pages and had donations totaling $10,537!!
Once we built the foundation of our fundraising page & shared it on social media, it took on a life of its own! I never imagined reaching the goal of $10,000 set for us by the Registry.
But we surpassed it!
I learned that often times people want to help but don't know what they can do. This fundraiser was a great way for them to show their love & support! I'm grateful and humbled by the people who stepped forward to show their support! Friends, family, acquaintances, and complete strangers. It's really amazing!
We were joined by some of our own chromosome 18 families! Katie and Dan Schilly and their family came from Kansas to be at our side the whole weekend. They proved to be a huge help! Brian & Jennifer Wessman and their family came from St. Louis with Jenn's mom. Kristin Palmer, came all the way from Virginia, Scott Goddard and his family from Chicago, Suzanne Miller and her family & friends from Missouri, Amy O'Neal from Utah, Nichole McVicker from Maryland, and Kelly Collins from Chicago. Our own children, Natalie, Beth, Theresa, and their families & friends, and Michael, Jillian & Joey, were all instrumental in making the weekend a huge success!
We absolutely had a positive experience chairing the "Run For The Chrome" in St. Louis on October 17/18th, 2015, in conjunction with the RnR Marathon.
If you are wondering how you can contribute to our very own Chromosome 18 group, don't hesitate! You'll experience a very rewarding opportunity, meet more fantastic people, and help our kids!!!
JoAnn & Dennis Baum
