CCFA Take Steps 2009 – Team GottaGo!

Well, the day finally arrived when it was time to walk for a cause. I’ve always thought the idea of a fundraising walk was pretty cool, so I admit I jumped at the chance to be involved with one that was related to Crohn’s. I actually signed up before Skye was born, so my participation in the fundraising part was limited due to my skewed expectation of how much time being a new mom would take. But, my mom really took off with a passion soliciting everyone we knew. She was even diligent about follow-up when checks weren’t promptly submitted. I admire her passion about the whole thing and now see that she has a natural ability to raise capital when necessary. My strategy was just to send out an email and then hope people would reciprocate with a donation. At the end of the day, we did raise over $700. And, sincere appreciation goes out to those who helped us out.

Team GottaGo! included my mom, dad, Aunt Wanda, Cousin Ryan and friends Danielle and Karen. I decided to have Luke stay home with Skye, since she doesn’t do too well past 6pm. My mom and I had tie dyed some shirts for the team, which made us stand out quite nicely. No one will argue that I like to make an appropriate entrance! The walk took place in North Shore Park, in downtown St. Pete. The view of the water is really quite stunning there. When we arrived, they took our donations and gave us some tickets for food and t-shirts. Unfortunately, they didn’t plan very well and only had one size left. Aidan enjoyed the free light-up shaking things that stuck in my peripheral for most of the way home. My cousin pointed out something interesting about the food choices, in the sense that they were not exactly “digestive friendly”, if you know what I mean. And, the walk was in fact all about digestive issues. But, I guess free food is what it is, and I did eat my fair share.

The walk itself was really very easy, much to my delight. We were able to kind of stroll along and talk. The whole distance took less than an hour, and I was home by 10pm. It was definitely fun and well worth the experience. So, to conclude, I think it’s important to thank again all those that helped us out with their donations. And, an even larger appreciation goes out to those that dedicated both their time and money as part of Team GottaGo!. It certainly meant a lot that my aunt and cousin would drive all the way over from Tallahassee just to show their support. Ryan… you better get that colonoscopy!