94 days to make a difference

So, I am a week later on this post than I was last year and I am disappointed in myself for it.

It is that time of year to come together and make a BIG difference for our TINYEST miracles. I am so passionate about raising funds for the March of Dimes because 1) It is the one way we can honor Bennett and all of his angel friends year after year and 2) Their dedication to research and medical advancements is the reason women like me can bring premature babies home from the hospital. Any family that has spent even one day in a NICU with a baby has the March of Dimes to thank. This year was a huge year for the Texas chapter of the March of Dimes. In December 2009 Texas finally added CF testing to its existing 28 newborn screening tests. The mandatory CF screening was approved by the Texas legislature with advocacy from the local chapter of the March of Dimes and local pediatricians. This is HUGE, but I can’t help but think of how different our lives might be if Bennett and Ellie had been screened for CF at the time of their birth. This testing will better the lives of a family just like ours…and further fundraising and advocacy will continue to allow for such monumental advancements.

Currently, I am reaping the benefits of the March of dimes research in its efforts to reduce the risk of premature labor. If you read this article you are basically reading about my current life. Progesterone shots (17P), cerclage, tocolytics, bed rest and uterine monitoring are all preventative measures that have been studied with partial funding coming from the March of Dimes. While there is no sure fire way to prevent premature labor, at least we have these options and medications that in combination might give our little miracles a fighting chance at life if born early.

Now for the praising!!! We had the most unbelievable group of walkers and contributors EVER last year! Together we raised almost $6000.00 and Team Chunky Monkey ranked 6th in the city of Houston for top money raisers. This sum of money beat several of the larger corporations in donations collected and I am proud of every single member of our team and every contributor for making that possible. Our goal year after year is to continue to raise the bar for our team. We cannot do that without all of YOU.

April 25th is the date and you can count on another awesome team shirt this year…we actually received a personal compliment from the March of Dimes Houston organizers last year for our shirts! No skin tight mid-drift shirts for the guys this year…I promise! We were also recognized as being one of the largest family teams with friends and family walking at the march. I will not be able to walk this year, but Brandon, Ellie and our other friends and family members will be there as usual!

We would be beyond honored to have you join our team again this year…or join our team for the first time this year. You don’t have to walk to make a difference!
Here are your options:
1. Donate to Team Chunky Monkey (TCM) and help us reach our team goal. Simply click on the sidebar to donate today.
2. Donate to Team Chunky Monkey and pledge to walk with us on April 25th wearing your cool TCM shirt! Email your size to me.
3. Set an individual goal for yourself and have your friends and family sponsor you to walk with us on April 25th…still wearing the cool TCM shirt!

Whatever option you choose the money is donated to the March for Babies under Team Chunky Monkey and it all goes to the same wonderful cause.

How do I raise the money even if I don’t walk? Well my friends, that is simple. Last year, we had a teacher that made a deal with her principal to let teachers wear jeans for donating a given amount of money. Are you on a rodeo committee or in a family group at church? Will your boss allow you to leave a donation collection envelope in the break room or lunch room? We would love for you to share our story with all of those people and let them know exactly why we are so passionate about this cause. Encourage everyone you know to read our story at bennettandellie.blogspot.com and “get to know” us. If we can get 30 people to raise only $2.50/day until the day of the walk we can raise over $7000 this year. It is that simple!

We will be reserving Saturday, April 10th as our annual fundraising crawfish boil. This is open to all of our friends and family that raise money or dedicate themselves as walkers for our team. This will be the official pick up place for your TCM shirt, so plan on attending!

WE are counting on YOU and the future of preemie babies are counting on US…let’s make a difference TOGETHER!

Blessings,
Brandon, Angie, Ellie Grace, ~Bennett~ , and baby brother