On August 1st, I officially made the decision to sign up to participate in the 2010 Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure. Yes, the name has had a slight change, but it’s still the same Breast Cancer 3-Day event that Nikki and I walked in last year. I am both nervous and excited about the challenge ahead.

You might be asking, why am I talking about this so early? Well… I’ll tell you. Fundraising is hard work. Raising $2300 (it’s up $100 from 2008) by yourself is even harder. Walking 60 miles is the easy part in comparison (and trust me, it’s not easy.) I know money is tight and times are hard for everyone. I spent quite a bit of time this year being unemployed, so I know what it is like to have to cut back and not have a whole lot of disposable income. I know that I am going to need quite a bit of extra time to raise the same amount of money as I was able to last year.

There is still not a cure for breast cancer. I know someone who is going through chemo right now. Just because we are in a recession doesn’t mean breast cancer is. I wish I could say there are fewer cases, but people out there are still suffering and families are having to deal with this every day. 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer. Scary, huh?

I want to do this because right now I am healthy, and someday I (or somebody I love) might need the help that Komen provides to the breast cancer community. I want to be able to say that I did everything I could to help find a cure. Nothing I can do will bring back David’s mother for him and his family, but hopefully in a small way this honors her and will help somebody else in the process.

So now that you know why it’s important to me, I hope you will consider making a donation to support me in this 60 mile 3-Day walk. Truly no amount is too small, and I appreciate every dollar that is donated. I love to keep my supporters updated on my journey, and I will even send you little gifts of thanks.

Thank you to ConnieFoggles and Heather in BC for being the first two to make a donation. Even if you cannot make a monetary donation, comments and words of support are unbelievably important and inspire me to keep going with my training and fundraising efforts.

Nikki and I after walking nearly 20 miles on the first day.

I have been focused on a few personal matters, and completely forgot to come back to update you on the On The Border fundraiser we held last month. We had a great turnout and made over $500 total from online donations and a portion of the restaurant’s proceeds that night. There was also a contest among several other bloggers and myself on who would get the most comments on their fundraiser post. I was lucky enough to win that extra $400 for my Race for the Cure team. I am very thankful to my friends and supporters who came out that night, and also my online friends (and strangers) who commented on my posts to earn more money for the charity. It was a really fun night for a great cause! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Read more about the fundraiser and find more photos on my personal blog.

Times are hard. Nobody knows that better than I do. It has been very tough fundraising for the Race for the Cure this year. Almost everyone I know has been impacted by the economy in one way or another. Even if you can’t make a monetary donation, everyone has to eat. Right? I am hosting a fundraiser at the On the Border in West McKinney (121 and Custer) on April 16. They have generously offered to donate a portion of the night’s proceeds from 5PM to close to my team.

I will also have swag bags for the first 25 diners who come in with my flyer. For more details, e-mail me: laurie_brosius(at)yahoo(dot)com.

If you have taken on the enormous task for fundraising and training for a breast cancer walk in 2009, I salute you. I know first hand that it is not easy, and it takes a lot of dedication and hard work. The AVON walk for Breast Cancer is still trying to recruit people to participate in Houston in April. I will not be able to go, but if you are interested believe it or not, it’s not too late to start fundraising and make it to the $1800 goal.

You are probably asking yourself how that is possible. For one, you can learn how to raise $1800 in 4 weeks by following their 4 Week Plan. It has all the information you need to be successful in your campaign.

You have to be determined. Some people will tell you no, others will forget, and some will respond positively right away. All you can do is not give up, and continue sharing the reasons you are participating. Your enthusiasm will be contagious, and people will want to help you.

Other big ways that Nikki and I made over $6500 last year? We asked everyone we knew, strangers included. People were more than generous. It was amazing. We set up a stand outside of a local Wal-Mart for two days and made over $1000. It’s hard work and sometimes frustrating, but the outcome is worth it. We also had several bake sales at our workplace, and a pretty successful garage sale in the cooler part of the year. We’re in Texas, and I know a summer garage/yard sale would never have gotten as big a turnout.

Good luck to all of you, keep your chins up, and you will make it. Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have, or share your own techniques in the comments.