Raising Funds and Awareness

As we are intensifying efforts to encourage our members to become more involved in fundraising for the TMA, we have asked Lori Biehler to serve as an advisor for those seeking support and information on their activities. If you are looking for some creative ideas or guidance in planning and carrying out a fundraiser, please feel free to get in touch with Lori.

Lori Biehler
44 Morris Lake Road
Sparta, NJ 07871
(973) 726-5591
lostinwoods[AT SIGN]earthlink.net

Reading For Rachel How You Can Help

When Rachel first got sick on October 9, 1999, we were in such a state of shock and sadness for our baby girl. She was only 6 ½ months old when TM struck, right when she was just beginning to become mobile. Life had been so good, and overnight all that changed. Now that two years have passed, we have come to the realization that this is something that unfortunately isn't just going to "go away." Two years ago, as a 1st birthday present for their sister, our sons Matthew and Kevin (ages 6 and 4 at the time of Rachel's illness) thought of Reading for Rachel, where all funds collected would go towards research to find a cure for TM. This continues to be our gift to her since this has become our annual fund-raising event for The Transverse Myelitis Association.

We won't stop until we have a cure - it is the least we can do for our dear, sweet Rachel as she struggles daily with the effects of TM.

The Reading for Rachel program works like this. Children are challenged to read as many books as they can during a certain time period (week, weekend, month, etc.). They then get sponsors who pledge and pay a certain amount of money for each book they read during this period. When they are done, they collect the tax-deductible contributions from their sponsors and send it directly to The Transverse Myelitis Association, referencing Reading for Rachel. It is that easy and it is such a wonderful learning experience in so many ways!

All of the material to learn about and participate in the Reading for Rachel program is located on our website: www.ReadingForRachel.org or via a link from the TMA website at www.myelitis.org. It includes a letter from Matthew and Kevin that talks about Transverse Myelitis and how it affected Rachel from the beginning to where she is today. In addition, children will be able to print off pledge and sponsor forms, reminder notices/receipts describing the tax-exempt status of contributions, and bookmarks to help them keep track of the books they read. They will also see pictures of Matthew, Kevin and Rachel and they can even watch a short video clip of Rachel in action!

Here's how you can help! We would like to get as many children affected by TM in some way to get involved. They can have TM or they can be the child, grandchild, sibling, niece, nephew, neighbor or friend, etc. of someone who has TM. You get the picture…we just need your help in spreading the word about this very worthwhile fundraising activity. It is amazing how many people you can reach if you simply send an e-mail to everyone in your address book or include a short note in your holiday cards, for example.

In addition, we would like as many school systems to get involved in this. It is particularly effective if students can relate to this illness, because TM affects a family in their school. Now is the time to talk with teachers, school administrators and PTA's regarding this activity. Many school systems have "Right to Read" weeks and this is a good activity to tie into the events of that week.

In our particular school system, we have designated March as "Reading for Rachel month" since it is Rachel's birth month. Please note, however, that contributions for Reading for Rachel are gladly accepted throughout the year. In addition, Reading for Rachel contributions have come from a number of other sources and I would like to share a few of those with you. The possibilities are endless, but the end result is the same…

• Monetary contributions (not tied directly to any reading activity) have been received from individuals and organizations, including PTA units.
• Contributions from pre-schools were made for every book that was read to students during a particular time period.
• Individuals have sponsored our own children's reading efforts from around the world. This year, we will read a total of 93 books - (one book for Matthew, Kevin and Rachel for each of the 31 days in March).
• School Book Fairs - A percentage of the profits have been donated to "Reading for Rachel."
• Heart Grams - During Valentine's week last year, children purchased paper hearts for 25 cents each. They wrote messages on them and they were delivered to students/teachers throughout the school.
• Penny War - This was during "Disabilities Awareness Week" and was a very fun activity. Each grade level had a container in the lunchroom. Students brought in as many pennies as they could and they put these into their own grade level's container. Students brought in silver coins and they put these into the other grade level's containers since the value of the silver coins was subtracted from the value of the pennies. They loved sabotaging each other and the grade with the highest net penny value won! They won a pizza party, but the actual value of all the silver coins, in addition to all the pennies, more than made up for that!

Thank you in advance for helping us promote Reading for Rachel in whatever way you can. Please contact me if you have any questions or need help in any way. Remember, together - we can and will make a difference!

Cathy Dorocak
Cathy[AT SIGN]ReadingforRachel.org
(440) 572-5574