The Raising of Funds

I had to write a letter, a letter that will hopefully help me reach my fundraising goal.  Although it is very hard for me to ask people for things, especially money, I found this letter to be easy to write because it is for a cause that I truly believe in.  Hopefully it will stir emotion in the hearts of my friends and family and they will in turn believe that this is a cause that should be just as important to them. 

Dearest Family and Friends,

On July 10-11, 2010, I have signed up for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in San Francisco.  It is a 2-day walk that will total 39.3 miles ( a marathon and a half).  Did you know that every three minutes a woman gets diagnosed with breast cancer?  Every three minutes.  It is time that we worked together to change that number.  

It is likely that each of us has been affected by breast cancer in some way, whether it be a loved one, your neighbor, or even your best friend.  For me, it was my grandmother, Carmella Lombardo, which is why this cause is so very important to me.  For those of you who knew my grandmother, you know that she was a woman of strength, a fighter.  Unfortunately, even a woman with so much strength was unable to fight this horrible disease and on November 12, 2007, my dear grandmother lost her battle to breast cancer.  It is for this reason that I want to walk, that I need to walk.  On July 10, I plan on walking alongside my mother, Maureen Spiva, and my cousins, Christi Langstaff Villegas and Tami Langstaff, to honor the memory of my late grandmother, Carmella Lombardo.  However, I cannot do this alone.  I need your help.  I must raise $1800 for the Avon Foundation in order to walk for this incredible cause and I only have 9 weeks to do it.  So I am asking you, please help me, a person who has witnessed the effects of breast cancer firsthand, help you so that you may never have to bear witness to that yourself.

To help make the donation process easier, I have enclosed a self-addressed stamped envelope with the hopes that no matter how big or small, you would make a donation.  If you prefer to pay by credit/debit card, you can go to my personal page at www.avonwalk.org.  I know times have been hard on many of us and you may be unable to donate at this time.  If so, please pass this information along to others who may be better able to.  Just remember, every little bit helps.

I thank you in advance for your support for this cause and hopefully with your help, we will fight, and this time, we will win!

With Sincerest Thanks,

Carrie (Spiva) Murphy

To pay by check, please make the check payable to Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and please return to me in provided envelope.

To pay with credit/debit card, please do the following: 1.) Go to www.avonwalk.org  2.) Click on the purple “Donate Now” button 3.) Type in my first name (Carrie) and last name (Murphy) and click on the “Find a Walker/Crew Member” button 4.) Click on my name and when you come to my personal page, click on the pink “Donate Now” button and make your donation.  Thank you again!