With September peering its head out from around the corner, we’re all looking forward to a fun Fall — filled with activities and excitement. Without a doubt, our most exciting event on the calendar right now is the CJ Strides for Babies “walk event” we will be hosting in 3 locations (NJ, NY, MD) just a few weeks from now. As the event nears, many of our sponsored walkers are wondering how best they can raise funds for their teams to meet and even surpass their donation goals. We’ve fielded so many inquiries into this matter that we thought it might be helpful to get some extra special input. So we asked NJ Marathon runner Aliyah Cox, who successfully raised over $6,000 for her baby Jaden in May 2009, if she wouldn’t mind writing us a small piece for us to pass on to our registrants. This was her response:
Dear Linda (Executive Director of the CJ Foundation for SIDS),
There are so many ways that you can fundraise for SIDS, you can be as creative as you like. Fundraising allows you to channel your grief into something positive. I decided to run The NJ Marathon on May 3, 2009 in memory of my son Jaden Omar Cox and raised over $6,000 dollars. Never did I imagine that I would raise these sort of funds. To be honest I feel extremely humbled and deeply touched by everyone’s generosity. I became motivated to fundraise because I didn’t want anyone to forget about Jaden and to stop talking about him as if he never existed. What is so profound is that it has not just been about people donating money. I have been inundated with support and inquiries about people wanting to run with me. I was so fulfilled when I got to display pictures of Jaden and our family on my fundraising page. I wanted everyone to know that this was not just some baby that passed away from SIDS. I wanted people to see his picture and for a fraction of a second identify with us this devastating tragedy. I wanted everyone to know that Jaden had a family that loved him dearly and misses him terribly. My ultimate goal was to let everyone know that Jaden lives in our heart forever and will never be forgotten.
Sincerely,
Jaden’s Mom
Aliyah
Thanks so much to Aliyah and all of our fundraisers looking to participate in this year’s event. We’re supremely confident that you’ll all be able to meet your fundraising goals and that we’ll have a fun, memorable occasion to enjoy together when the day finally comes. In case you’re reading this and still haven’t quite found a strategy that works for you, here’s a short list of some of our favorite ideas
- Join a Team – More Faces = More Exposure
- Color-Code Everything – Colors are easier for people to remember
- Dress It Up – T-Shirts and Hats add an element of fun
- Use The Internet – Facebook/E-mail are two of the quickest ways to spread the word
CJ Strides for Babies 2009 Information Page
Tags: CJ Strides For Babies, Fun, Fund Raising, Parenting, SIDS
