And today is RE-Commitment Day.
They might as well call it Are-You-Absolutely-Sure-You-Want-To-Do-This Day. It's the last chance to say you might not complete the program -- at least in terms of fundraising.
While I believe that the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society does care about whether I can complete the 13.1 miles in Disney, I think they're more concerned that I can make my fundraising commitment.
After all, let's not forget that the Team In Training program is largest fundraising program for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
The 75 people on my Disney Team alone will raise more than $260,000. That's one small team for one event. Multiply that out by the number of runners that raise money for events nationwide over the course of a year, and it's not hard to see that the TnT program is pretty valuable.
So what happens on RE-Commitment Day?
Basically, I sign pages of papers saying that, no matter what, I'll raise the $3,500 I pledged to raise as part of the program.
I'm lucky enough to have passed the RE- commitment minimum ($875), so I didn't have to dig into my own pockets. If I hadn't gotten to that point yet, they'd charge the balance to my credit card. (I'd get it back after meeting my fundraising goal.)
The next drop-dead date for fundraising is Dec. 5. That's the date by which I have to have $3,500 in my fundraising account. Otherwise, again, the balance gets charged to my credit card. (I'm committed to not letting that happen!)
I'm a little over half way to my goal, thanks to the many donations offered up by friends, family and colleagues. I can't thank them enough.
It seems like the running part has become the easier part of my commitment so far, but I'm hoping the second half of my fundraising will fall into place. It has to. I'm committed -- even if it means stepping up the gentle e-mail reminders and nudging a bit more for donations in person.
A friend of mine believes that you can add "re" to any word. (I learned this after hearing him use the word re-perfume. I'm still not convinced that this is a word.)
I don't think commitment is one of those words that ever needs a "re." A commitment is a commitment, plain and simple. No need to RE-commit.
REMEMBER, I'M DOING THIS FOR A GOOD CAUSE.
Have you donated to my fundraising campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society? If not, please consider doing so. You can donate online at http://www.active.com/donate/tntma/Teresa. Please pass this link to everyone you know. Every dollar helps me get a little closer to the Disney 13.1!
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Well according to my good friend Merriam-Webster recommit is indeed a word. As we discussed, I believe that some people do need to recommit. This is the case with many Boards of Directors, each year each board member is asked to recommit to the mission by signing a commitment form. We all need to reaffirm our commitments at times and by doing so we are recommitting ourselves to the cause.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who knows you will realize that once you commit you have no need to recommit. In the Robinson family once you say you will do something there is no going back without taking a lot of flack from the rest of the family. Your friend you thinks re-perfume is a word would be in trouble at family dinners where "discussions" over words and the English language often end in us pulling out the dictionary to verify who is correct. When you have a former teacher, an English teacher and a journalist at the table nobody is cut any slack on their verbal and grammatical usage.
ReplyDelete