This weekend, August 14th through August 16th, I will be volunteering at the Palo Alto Relay for Life event. This event is the annual fundraiser for the American Cancer Society that also plays a role in trying to spread awareness about cancer, it's symptoms, as well as the free services that the American Cancer Society provides. It brings the community together in a very rewarding and powerful way.
I am not blessed with wealth of money to donate, but I am blessed by my health and my ability to volunteer to help and to make the small difference that will make people's lives out there possible. I have prepared eight prints, two taken specifically at Relay for Life events, and others throughout my travels and general photography runs. The prints are 100% donated by the awesome Photoworks San Francisco print company. They also gave me a discount for mounting the prints for 50% off on some simple displayable "frames". Eight of them cost about $64, so at $128 actual price, they are giving me a gigantic discount. I also stopped by the store Michael's today to buy eight matching picture stands for $7 a piece. Not too shabby. Friday morning I'll head over on MUNI to Photoworks to pick up the prints. I've always gotten my prints there, and have always been happy.
My plans for the weekend will be helping logistics set things up on Friday evening in Palo Alto, then helping all the setup Saturday morning. I'll put my tent together and display the eight prints, accompanied by cards that tell a little bit about each print. The prints will be sold in a silent auction type setting, starting at $45 a piece. Too cheap you say? Well hopefully it won't just sell for the $45.
My goal is to sell every single print! And absolutely 100% of my time, my expenses, and the proceeds from the print sales are going to the American Cancer Society and the lives they help.
In this economy (don't you just love paragraphs that start with those three words?) all organizations are hit hard, including the American Cancer Society. There just aren't that many resources anymore. The Palo Alto Relay for Life has been struggling for awhile now, and we really really need volunteers to help with the event. If anyone out there is able to come out Friday evening, anytime Saturday, or anytime Sunday before 2pm, please let me know! It would be amazing, and you would be so awesome to come help out. For those who can't stay long, please come participate as well, it's an incredible experience.
Lastly, I'm also part of a team that will be taking part in the actual Relay part of it all, and we're trying to fundraise through donations as well. If you have some ability and interest, donations will go a long way. And again, even though we do have donations, the things that really help (other than a million dollar check =) are the awesome volunteers that come out and help. The huge committees that start strenuous organization a year in advance are all volunteers, and 99% of the people you see at the events are volunteers organizing it all. They are supported by the staff of ACS who are also running around crazily getting every loose end tied up. It's motivating and inspirational, I'd highly suggest participating and/or educating yourself on this good cause.
Donations are accepted here. More information on the Palo Alto, California Relay for Life event can be found here. And below are the prints to be auctioned at the event:
And big warm thank you's to all the people who have been very supportive, who help donate, who help volunteer, and make this cause that much better. Hope to see you guys at the event =)
