Why We Walk

Getting people to walk in the Great Strides walk is like getting a really athletic kid out in dodge ball--really hard unless you make a concerted effort at just that one kid, instead of blindly throwing balls across the line. So I've been working on reaching out to individuals to ask them personally to walk. That, as we say at Google, isn't 'scalable,' so I'm hoping to make a personal connection with you, my reader, here.

I thought I would write a bit about how important it is for me to have people come out and walk, and why it's so important in the grand scheme of things to walk, not just for me.

1) Great Strides is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's largest national fundraiser. Your participation, and your being there makes it even bigger. It says, 'Hey world, we care about this disease, and we aren't going to stop caring until it's cured.' Think how great it is to have a big crowd of people showing their support and raising money to fight this disease. Means a lot, and every person counts.

2) Walking and doing active things is something I've done my whole life to keep myself healthy. Active fundraisers remind me how lucky I was to be able to participate in activities like this. Remember, for a lot of kids and adults with CF, this 5k walk in the park is too much activity for their diseased lungs. Do it for them! Walk for those who can't walk, use your healthy lungs to breathe in that fresh ocean air!

3) You walking, just showing your smiling face, more even than you giving money (although I will not turn that down) makes little ol' me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I know most of my friends don't think of me as 'the sick girl with CF' and I am happy for that. However, when it comes time to come out and support CF, it means so much when my friends support me, and recognize the hard work I put in every day to make sure I am not 'the sick girl with CF.'

Lastly, number 4) My mom is coming out for that weekend. I thought it would be great for her to meet my friends and see the time commitment and investment I've made in my community. Plus, I'd love for her to meet you all. 'Oh my goodness, Aly, look at how many people you got out to walk!' That's what I want my mom to say :)

So, in short, your presence means the world to me. If you are scared to ask people for money, it's understandable. But just tell them all the stuff I just said. Tell them there are kids with CF who want to live healthy normal lives and their money can help that. Tell them 90 cents of every dollar they donate goes straight to research. Tell them $5 is enough.

Thanks for reading, now go sign up!