Fundraising

Five months...five little months, and so much is planned in such a short amount of time!! We have 2 fundraisers planned for May, a craft fair in June and maybe one in July. I travel to Africa in August, a fundraiser hopefully the week after I return and then I leave for the Big Ride the week after that!!! Exciting, exhausting....but mostly exciting. The Board members have been working really hard and are doing an awesome job spreading the word and raising funds. I couldn't be more thrilled. Our most recent pen pal has been a tremendous success and very exciting. I have developed a training journal to help me prepare for the Big ride...I have some materials to study to help me learn about food and hydration and how all that works to keep my muscles fed properly. That is all in addition to some work and school!! But I love it!!! I have developed a firstgiving page for donations that is in addition to this blog and the website...leaving all the options open for people and doing what we can do to raise the funds! In case you haven't seen that page here's the link: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/malawi/karens-ride-for-malawi Ciao for now!!

April 1, 2011

It's April Fool's day...snow on the ground. That's ok, because I believe it will be gone soon. I got my bike tuned up and Stephen and I went for a ride yesterday...17 miles, it felt really good. I am starting to look into some more equipment for the ride and will soon be starting some serious training - got some good tips from the bike shop, Competetive Edge, in Holyoke... He encouraged me to get a new helmet because mine is in really bad shape, and I didn't know it. He said my bike isn't the most ideal for this type of ride...tires too large and it's a more mountain bike style, but it's what i have for now!! I will do it. We talked about GPS's and what our plans are for that. My goal really is to do this ride, spend as little as possible so we can raise as much as possible!! I am hoping to have my plane ticket by the end of this week so I can really set the goals for that trip in August and accomplish as much as possible!!

LOOKING FOR 460 PEOPLE TO DONATE $20 TO REACH MY GOAL!!!

PLEASE HELP PLEASE HELP PLEASE HELP PLEASE HELP PLEASE HELP PLEASE HELP!!!

THANK YOU!!!!!!!

More later....

March 27, 2011

Progress of our project looks like this: This picture was taken when our friend Abraham was in Malawi in Dec. and Jan. We are now working on the roof of this building!!

So, I guess I'm not much of a blogger...this is how my journals get written; every couple month I write a page or 2. I hope to increase writing as the Big ride gets closer!

We have updated the website with a whole new look, so if you haven't seen it, check it out! Here's the link to my Big Ride page: www.educate-malawi.org/karens_ride_for_malawi .

Winter is nearing an end, I have retired from my full time job, and have begun training for the Big ride! We (Stephen and I) ran our first 10k road race on my 46th birthday this month! We have run on a regular basis for this past month and a little in February. My bike is at the shop now for a tune up and I will soon start riding outside in addition to running.

Shannon, Stephen and I are planning to participate in a triathalon in June, and are all training for that. I will start swimming this week and try to work that in at least one day a week!

We have begun to get riders signing up for our annual bike-a-thon and as the weather improves we really hope to have a boom in registrants for that ride!

Anyone who might be interested, and wants to gather your own donations for the ride, to to http://www.firstgiving.com/ and you can create your own page for the ride! I plan to create one for myself as another means of gathering donations....even though we have donate buttons on the website it seems like there are other ways to get the word out...thought I could post that on Facebook or something.

So...the babble continues...I am planning my next trip, to be in August. It looks like I will be traveling alone this time which is a first. There are many people who have done it and I don't have any doubt it will be just fine!!