We are Mike and Jenny Egan. The folks at the National MS Society-Wisconsin Chapter invited us to compose a monthly Challenge Walk update. With this being the inaugural edition, we will kick things off by providing a little background on the two of us.
We live in Port Washington, WI with our three children: Emily (age 10), Elizabeth (age 9) and Aedan (age 6). Jenny was diagnosed with MS in 2005; this will be our third Challenge Walk.
By all accounts, last year’s event was a huge success, with an improved route, two course options (30 miles and 50 miles) and BEAUTIFUL weather. Last year 86 walkers, 16 super crew and 59 crew volunteers participated. Together, we topped the $250,000 fund-raising goal! And although it can’t be precisely measured, our efforts no-doubt increased awareness of the disease.
We expect this year’s walk will be better than ever. The goal this year is to raise $220,000, with 90 walkers, 10 super crew and 25 volunteers. If the past two years are any indication, the 2010 Challenge Walk will be a great success. We are off to a strong start with 16 “veterans” and one new recruit already committed to walk. This is ahead of last year’s pace, but we still have more work to do!
For those of you who have yet to register, we encourage you to do so now at challengewalkMSwi.org. Or better yet, form a team or recruit a friend to join in the effort. We have found that one of the best parts of training for and participating in the Challenge Walk is the social aspect.
We are confident our persuasive prose has convinced you to register. So look out for next month’s e-mail, wherein we will discuss strategies for recruitment and meeting your fundraising goal.
We would love to hear from you. Feel free to send us your questions or comments.
Hi Mike & Jenny: Well, I guess we're hooked cuz after doing the 2008 Walk & then being on Super Crew last year, we decided to do the 50 again as walkers. I decided to do it cuz I turn 50 in August & I'm so grateful to still have my legs, it's my B-Day present to myself! Yes! Fund-raising is challenging in this economy! We decided to CAN MS - by collection aluminum cans. It started by just picking them up along the way during training walks, but it's really taken off & we have many households & a few businesses saving them for us. AND the price of aluminum has doubled since last summer so it's making it more worth-while. Can't wait to see ya all up in Door County this Sept. Hugs, Challenge Woman & MO-tivator (Lori & Sally)
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