It was my incredibly ingenious Mother who came up with the idea of a garage sale for my first major fundraiser, and to be honest, I kind of groaned at the idea. Garage Sales encompassed all things I wasn’t a fan of: old junk, waking up early and dust. No thanks.
I saddled up and went along with it because raising 16 grand is no small task, and let’s face it, I’m desperate. I prayed that this event would be worth all the time and effort…
…and it totally was.
I received so many texts, emails and Facebook messages from people wanting to donate, and by the end of almost three weeks of collecting from friends and family, my garage could not hold one more item. My Dad was throwing a fit.
I was truly humbled by all the people that were willing to donate to my fundraiser, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you thank you for giving up your tidbits of treasures past to help me get one step closer to my goal, you guys are the real deal.
My family are the ones that get the extra special thanks for staying up until midnight making this thing happen, painting signs and getting the minor details are what made the garage sale such a huge success. Even the youngest of the Leal clan (and my favorite 17 year old) helped out by baking cookies for the donation jar. And here’s the proof:
By the end of it all I had raised a grand total of (drum roll please) $988.00 A- freaking- mazing. My Mom and I jumped all over the kitchen when the final amount came in, I guess dealing with dust and waking up at 4 in the morning does have major benefit to it!
This fundraiser taught me one major thing: I’m not in this alone. It can feel like and island out here, and the island that I’m currently sitting on is called The World Race- $15,000 or Bust, and it can be daunting. Yet the conversations I had with friends and family while collecting donations made me realize that people want to help, they want to give, they’re just looking for the opportunity.
So now I’m one grand, one step, and one month closer to my goal.
I’ll be sending out support letters this week and I’m excited to see what God has in store for me, and the people that will partner with me. Another way you can support me is by shopping for me! I’m going to be living out of a backpack for the next year of my life and camping stuff has never looked more appealing.
Please consider supporting me by checking out my gift registry on REI- link
Every time I strap on my day pack to walk the cobbled streets of Ireland or pass out on my sleeping pad on the dusty grounds of Zimbabwe, I’ll be thanking you!
Off to practice setting up my tent in less than 1 minute!
-M
