My Goal

I came up with this idea, based on another charity event here in San Diego (except theirs is based on booze and partying, mine on a more healthy approach. But don't get me wrong, I'll definitely be participating in theirs as well. So I named my three charities:

1. The Moyer Foundation - Specifically Camp Erin, which is a grief camp designed for children ages 6-17 who have experienced the death of a loved one. It is a traditional, fun, high-energy camp combined with grief education and emotional support. Camp Erin is a weekend, overnight camp. Activities begin after school on Friday and finish early afternoon on Sunday.
2. The Kidney Foundation of Southern California - supports kidney transplants and assists families who have loved ones in need, along with a host of other initiatives. Contact me for a Donate Life bracelet if you want one (because nobody has ever made a bracelet like that).
3. Wounded Warrior Project - The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) was founded on the principle that veterans are our nation's greatest citizens. The WWP seeks to assist those men and women of our armed forces who have been severely injured during the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations around the world. Many of the injuries are traumatic amputations, gunshot wounds, burns and blast injuries that will retire these brave warriors from military service. As the brother of a serviceman, this is of great importance to me.

So there you have it, three events, three charities. I hope to raise $5 for each charity from 100 people (or any combination of $'s that will help me reach my goal of $500 per charity). So, if you would like, donate! You can give money directly to me (or I'll provide you with an account number, I'm just a little leery of putting that on the Internet), and I'll get it into the correct account, or you can use PayPal (the links are below). Your donation can be anonymous, or you can enter your information (or send it to me, whatever the case may be) and I'll make sure you receive recognition. Thanks in advance, and wish me luck!

My Story

My story is simple. I was raised a large portion of my life in a single parent home by my mother. My mother died on June 27, 2006, literally one day short of the age 54 and six months. In this blog, I hope to serve two purposes:

1. Shine some light on three charities that I have picked out, and hopefully convince you to donate some money toward their (read: my) cause.
2. Give a first hand account of the ills of kidney disease and losing a parent at a young age.

This blog will also serve as my training diary for a triathlon I will be performing in (read: attempting) on June 24, 2007, 362 days after my mothers untimely death. During training, I hope to raise $1500 ($500 for each charity I've picked: three events, three charities, get it) from personal donations. If I can get 100 people to donate $5 per charity, I will hit my $1500 goal, so tell your friends. Please feel free to contact me at any point regarding content on this blog or my journey.

Note:
This blog is not objective, some ideas presented will be slanted toward my opinion, because it's based on my personal experience. Deal with it.