FormerPokeCenter
July 19th, 2017, 03:57 PM
Okay, in addition to raising money for my ride, I generally try to help out the newer fundraisers on my team.
The social media thing seems to work, so toward the end, I end up making posts on pretty much everybody's Facebook pages when they get close to a milestone or jersey level. Kinda like I do on mine...
The difference is that I'll find out about their back story or connection to cancer and how hard they're working, etc., so about a week ago, me and three other guys who sorta taking the lead sat down and were talking about the fundraisers who hadn't yet met their minimum to ride, or who were closing in on the next fundraising levels.
We talked about the potential jersey winners first and then we were focusing on thsoe who weren't at the minimum yet. I was getting back stories on everybody and we got to two fundraisers with the same last name: Skipp and Buck Ranson.
My teammates were sorta pessimistic about their fundraising, noting that Buck is a 10-year old, who's riding for the first time with his Dad, Skipp.
Then they dropped this bomb.
Buck was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia when he was 18 months old. And he underwent treatment, including chemo for a number of years....they thought they'd beaten it only to find out that it came back when we was six or so...which meant another round of chemo and, this time, radiation.
As somebody who's been involved with fundraising for almost a decade now, I was floored at Buck's story...and at my teammates' failure to understand just how significant it was.
You guys have seen me get fired up on the political threads, so you can imaging how the coversation went. "Basically, lots of "WTF"s, with an emphasis on F, and lots of "Didn't you think it was RELEVANT to the cause to mention we had a freakin 10-year old on the team who's beaten leukemia? Holy Crap....I didn't know whether to laugh or cry...
And it gets better.
Then they told me that he actually LIVES on the Booty Loop in Charlotte, next to the start/finish line. So, everyday he watches people ride, jog and walk on the loop. Becasue of his treatment and suppressed immune system, he couldn't go out and do those things himself. He would sit for hours and watch people through a window, particularly when the ride would occur. He'd get really excited and watch it from the house.
Five years ago, he was doing well enough to kinda do some of his own volunteer work and he and his family set up a lemonade stand on the couse for the riders.
Then he relapsed and had to undergo more chemo and the radiation treament.
According to them, he's always wanted to do the ride and now that he's healthy he pestered his parents until his dad signed them up.
So, now, after years of watchig through a window, he gets to ride in the event himself.
After I picked my jaw up off the floor and exchanged a few more WTFs, We contacted Buck's family and got permission to talk up his ride and try to churn up some publicity. His mom had raised a nice chunk of change a few years ago for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society as her way of giving back.
This si Buck's way of giving back, because although at 10-years old, he doesn't understand a whole lot about money other than it helps kids who are in the same boat he was.
I found all that out late last Wednesday, and he was at about $300 in fundraising with a $400 ride minimum. After getting permission from his Dad, we started ramping up the fundraising and now he's almost $1700, with some corporate match still outstanding. If that comes in, plus some other pledges, we think he's a lock for the Red Jersey, and perhaps even gold.
Now, here's where it gets really good. The 24HOB staff saw the posts and read about his story. So...they've asked him to lead the survivor parade lap next Friday.
It would be really cool to have him in a Yellow Fundraising Jersey for that..
So, if you guys can spare some change, here's a worthy cause!
He's healthy now and he's doing well, and he's able to do normal kid things now. So, the money won't help defray medical expenses for him or anything like that, but it will help other kids who are in the predicament he was.
And, yes, we're totally going to pull on your heart strings with a picture of a pretty adorable little kid....with his puppy dog.....I'm not even gonna try to pretend I'm not trying to manipulate you, because we both know I'd be lying.
But...your donation can make a difference and this kid's not like me. He's not a prick online. He's a sweet kid who's kicked Pediatric Cancer's ass and he's trying to give back.
I hope that's a cause that EVERYBODY can get behind. Here's a recent pic of buck enjoying good health...
https://scontent-dft4-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t34.0-12/20030954_1604708072907201_1732272210_n.jpg?oh=1cb9 4288435f4312c675d7f197ca44d5&oe=59726012
And that's not ONE but two sets of puppy dog eyes you'll have to be able to ignore if you don't donate.
Here's a pic of Buck from 2012, in between bouts with Leukemia, manning the lemonade stand he set up on the course for the riders he's now going to emulate.
https://scontent-dft4-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t34.0-12/20187797_1611622448882430_13244932_n.jpg?oh=c88868 3ef9cede5a5f56e5ce23c7fe84&oe=597247E4
So...help me help Buck raise some money in a better FPC challenge.
This one, though, doesn't stand for Fomer Poke Center...it stands for **** Pediatric Cancer.
If you guys can donate, please put "FPC Challenge" and the name of the person you want to honr with your donation.
Since I don't have access to Buck's fundraising page, I'll check in daily and try to figure out who's donated what. Please put your screenname and I'll update the posts here.
We're working on some TV coverage for him and getting him in a Yellow Jersey for the Survivor Lap would be huge for his fundraising the first time out....and that'll help him raise even more money next year.
We've got 9 fundraising days left and he's roughly around $2K right now...he needs to be at $4K to get a gold jersey, so any little bit helps.
We probably missed $20 or $30K in fundraising by not getting his story out there earllier, but it is what it is...
Now it's a question of what we can do in the time we have left.
so...Please help as you're able and I really appreciate your support of the cause.
Remember this doesn't affect my fundraising totals, you'll be helping out a litle kid who wants to give back and raise money for the cause. He's not an arrogant online asshole like me,
So dig deep!
https://events.24foundation.org/fundraise?fcid=922068
The social media thing seems to work, so toward the end, I end up making posts on pretty much everybody's Facebook pages when they get close to a milestone or jersey level. Kinda like I do on mine...
The difference is that I'll find out about their back story or connection to cancer and how hard they're working, etc., so about a week ago, me and three other guys who sorta taking the lead sat down and were talking about the fundraisers who hadn't yet met their minimum to ride, or who were closing in on the next fundraising levels.
We talked about the potential jersey winners first and then we were focusing on thsoe who weren't at the minimum yet. I was getting back stories on everybody and we got to two fundraisers with the same last name: Skipp and Buck Ranson.
My teammates were sorta pessimistic about their fundraising, noting that Buck is a 10-year old, who's riding for the first time with his Dad, Skipp.
Then they dropped this bomb.
Buck was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia when he was 18 months old. And he underwent treatment, including chemo for a number of years....they thought they'd beaten it only to find out that it came back when we was six or so...which meant another round of chemo and, this time, radiation.
As somebody who's been involved with fundraising for almost a decade now, I was floored at Buck's story...and at my teammates' failure to understand just how significant it was.
You guys have seen me get fired up on the political threads, so you can imaging how the coversation went. "Basically, lots of "WTF"s, with an emphasis on F, and lots of "Didn't you think it was RELEVANT to the cause to mention we had a freakin 10-year old on the team who's beaten leukemia? Holy Crap....I didn't know whether to laugh or cry...
And it gets better.
Then they told me that he actually LIVES on the Booty Loop in Charlotte, next to the start/finish line. So, everyday he watches people ride, jog and walk on the loop. Becasue of his treatment and suppressed immune system, he couldn't go out and do those things himself. He would sit for hours and watch people through a window, particularly when the ride would occur. He'd get really excited and watch it from the house.
Five years ago, he was doing well enough to kinda do some of his own volunteer work and he and his family set up a lemonade stand on the couse for the riders.
Then he relapsed and had to undergo more chemo and the radiation treament.
According to them, he's always wanted to do the ride and now that he's healthy he pestered his parents until his dad signed them up.
So, now, after years of watchig through a window, he gets to ride in the event himself.
After I picked my jaw up off the floor and exchanged a few more WTFs, We contacted Buck's family and got permission to talk up his ride and try to churn up some publicity. His mom had raised a nice chunk of change a few years ago for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society as her way of giving back.
This si Buck's way of giving back, because although at 10-years old, he doesn't understand a whole lot about money other than it helps kids who are in the same boat he was.
I found all that out late last Wednesday, and he was at about $300 in fundraising with a $400 ride minimum. After getting permission from his Dad, we started ramping up the fundraising and now he's almost $1700, with some corporate match still outstanding. If that comes in, plus some other pledges, we think he's a lock for the Red Jersey, and perhaps even gold.
Now, here's where it gets really good. The 24HOB staff saw the posts and read about his story. So...they've asked him to lead the survivor parade lap next Friday.
It would be really cool to have him in a Yellow Fundraising Jersey for that..
So, if you guys can spare some change, here's a worthy cause!
He's healthy now and he's doing well, and he's able to do normal kid things now. So, the money won't help defray medical expenses for him or anything like that, but it will help other kids who are in the predicament he was.
And, yes, we're totally going to pull on your heart strings with a picture of a pretty adorable little kid....with his puppy dog.....I'm not even gonna try to pretend I'm not trying to manipulate you, because we both know I'd be lying.
But...your donation can make a difference and this kid's not like me. He's not a prick online. He's a sweet kid who's kicked Pediatric Cancer's ass and he's trying to give back.
I hope that's a cause that EVERYBODY can get behind. Here's a recent pic of buck enjoying good health...
https://scontent-dft4-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t34.0-12/20030954_1604708072907201_1732272210_n.jpg?oh=1cb9 4288435f4312c675d7f197ca44d5&oe=59726012
And that's not ONE but two sets of puppy dog eyes you'll have to be able to ignore if you don't donate.
Here's a pic of Buck from 2012, in between bouts with Leukemia, manning the lemonade stand he set up on the course for the riders he's now going to emulate.
https://scontent-dft4-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t34.0-12/20187797_1611622448882430_13244932_n.jpg?oh=c88868 3ef9cede5a5f56e5ce23c7fe84&oe=597247E4
So...help me help Buck raise some money in a better FPC challenge.
This one, though, doesn't stand for Fomer Poke Center...it stands for **** Pediatric Cancer.
If you guys can donate, please put "FPC Challenge" and the name of the person you want to honr with your donation.
Since I don't have access to Buck's fundraising page, I'll check in daily and try to figure out who's donated what. Please put your screenname and I'll update the posts here.
We're working on some TV coverage for him and getting him in a Yellow Jersey for the Survivor Lap would be huge for his fundraising the first time out....and that'll help him raise even more money next year.
We've got 9 fundraising days left and he's roughly around $2K right now...he needs to be at $4K to get a gold jersey, so any little bit helps.
We probably missed $20 or $30K in fundraising by not getting his story out there earllier, but it is what it is...
Now it's a question of what we can do in the time we have left.
so...Please help as you're able and I really appreciate your support of the cause.
Remember this doesn't affect my fundraising totals, you'll be helping out a litle kid who wants to give back and raise money for the cause. He's not an arrogant online asshole like me,
So dig deep!
https://events.24foundation.org/fundraise?fcid=922068