I would like to thank each of you who helped to make the 22nd Annual Greenbrier Trail Bike Trek (GTBT) an outstanding fundraising event for the American Lung Association of West Virginia (ALAWV). This year, about 80 riders participated in the ride, and to date, we have raised almost $70,000 (the total will be finalized at the end of this month). That's pretty phenomenal considering that 105 riders raised $79k in 2008.
This year, I reverted back to my old Slowspokes team, never to falter again. I much prefer being part of a family/friends team versus a corporate one. That isn't to say I didn't have a blast with the Columbia Gas team, because I did! But it feels like more of an accomplishment on the smaller scale somehow...
Team Slowspokes consisted of 6 riders; in addition to Kris and myself were included Pam and Larry Perkins and Marjorie and Dave Bolyard (my mama and step dad). All together, we raised a total of $4,176 - not too bad for a small team! The breakdown went as follows:
Pamela Perkins $450 Larry Perkins $625
Kris Clifford $470 Marjorie Bolyard $641*
David Bolyard $490 Ann Schoolcraft $1,460
*[Mom actually raised a lot more, but shared with Dave and Kris to help them reach their minimum.]
I had set my sights high with a $2,500 goal for the year, but given the current economic situation, I shooting for $1,500 by the end. Thank you all so much for helping me almost reach it! And thank you even more for putting up with my insanely incessant emails the last few days of fundraising. Your response was amazing!
I always send a little weather report with these Thank Yous, and they almost always consist of rain, rain, rain (and sometimes fog, sleet, and/or snow). This year I am elated to announce that we had 3 days with absolutely no precipitation whatsoever! Friday and Saturday were clear, sunny, and warm, and Sunday was cool and overcast, but Mother Nature held her wrath until we were safely (and dryly) off the trail.
The GTBT is the largest fundraising event the ALAWV hosts, and I’m proud to have been a part of it for the past 9 years. With next year being my 10th Anniversary, I am setting my fundraising goal higher than ever (but I'm keeping the number a secret for now), and have already looked into some large fundraising events to plan. If you have any ideas for successful fundraising, I would love to hear your thoughts.
I hope that I can count on your support in the following years, but better yet, I hope you’ll consider riding with us next year. If you're interested, let me know anytime!
Again and always, thank you for your support.
Happy Trails,
Ann :)
