We Did It!!!!!

June 9, 2009

For anybody who I haven't told, I have reached my fundraising goal of $5,500 for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. There is still a $40 check outstanding, but I have reached my goal.

I give God all the credit. I could not have reached this goal without him. Also, thank you to everyone who donated money and time, came to my events and offered me words of encouragement. They were all a big help.

I leave for Alaska June 18 and the race is June 20. Please pray that I do well and help bring awareness to blood cancer research.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

Laura

May 11, 2009

I am in the home stretch. My fundraising deadline is June 4 to raise $5,500 for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. As I write this, I still need to raise $1361.07 by that date. It is a lot of money, but God is my provider.

To help me reach the goal, I have two more fundraisers. Please consider coming to one of them.

• Makeovers on a Mission - Mary Kay party to benefit The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Thursday May 14 at 6:30 p.m. at Church on the Rise, room M100.

The hostess will NOT be making any profits, and I don't get any free make-up.

If you cannot make it but would like to order, call Angela or go online to www.marykay.com/albecker and put Laura McFarland in the comments section.

• Mudcats Game. I am selling General admission tickets for $5. They must be bought in advance from me.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009 7:15 p.m.

(Rain Date Thursday, May 28, 2009 at 7:15 p.m.)

Carolina Mudcats vs. Montgomery Biscuits

Five County Stadium

$5 General Admission Ticket

50 % of ticket sale ($2.50) donated to LLS

Plus Extra .25 for every ticket redeemed

Total: $2.75 of every ticket helps fight blood cancer

$1 Hot Dog Night!!!

To buy tickets, call Laura McFarland at 252-407-9946.

April 27, 2009

Congratulations Teresa Parker!!! She is the winner of the grand prize in the Twilight Raffle to fight blood cancer. Teresa won a poster signed by five of the cast members. Thank you again to Summit Entertainment for donating it. Teresa said she plans to give the poster to her daughter for her birthday next month.

Because of the generosity of several donors, everyone who entered the raffle will win a prize. I will be calling or e-mailing you in the next couple of days and mailing them as soon as I can get to the post office.

Other Fundraiser Announcements:

• I will have fundraiser Mary Kay party at 6:30 p.m. May 14 at Church on the Rise in Rocky Mount. Mary Kay consultant Angela Becker will host the party. Unlike other fundraisers, where a percentage goes to the host and some to the fundraiser, Angela is going to donate all the proceeds beyond the base costs of the products. Isn't that awesome?
• My other big fundraiser is a Mudcats game ticket sale. I am selling $5 general admission tickets for 7:15 p.m. May 26. For every ticket sold, $2.50 goes to my my fundraiser. If the ticket is redeemed, they donate an extra 25 cents. To top it off, the game is on a Tuesday, which means $1 hot dogs!!!!

For more details on either of these fundraisers, e-mail me at LauranBritain@yahoo.com or call me at 832-656-4475.

April 23, 2009

Just two days left to participate in my current fundraiser: a Twilight Raffle!!! 30 great prizes up for grabs!!!

To help my teammates and I raise money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the Team in Training coordinators suggested incorporating things we are passionate about into our fundraising. One of the things I am most passionate about right now is the Twilight book series and movie. So I thought, why not turn that passion into something productive, like fighting blood cancers? The result is the Twilight Raffle, which runs until 3 p.m. (EST) April 25.

The picture shows some of the items you can win. Here is a complete list:

• A framed Twilight movie poster signed by: Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen), Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan), Peter Facinelli (Carlisle Cullen), Cam Gigandet (James) and Edi Gathegi (Laurent) Donated by Summit Entertainment
• One Special Edition two-disc Twilight DVD Donated by Laura
• One Special Edition two-disc Twilight DVD Donated by Nick Thompson at the Rocky Mount Books-A-Million
• Eight Twilight charm bracelets with wolf and crystal heart charms Donated by yolanda7392
• Nine black Twilight T-shirts
• Six crystal heart and copper wolf bookmarks Donated by yolanda7392
• One crystal heart and copper wolf keychain Donated by yolanda7392
• One 3-pack of Twilight door hangers Donated by Nick Thompson at the Rocky Mount Books-A-Million
• Two Twilight slap bracelets Donated by Nick Thompson at the Rocky Mount Books-A-Million

Here is how the raffle works.

• You can donate securely here on the Web site. Entries into the raffle are $3 each, so you get as many entries as your donation covers. For example, a person who donates $24 will receive 8 entries into the drawing.
• When you are making your donation, make sure to put in the comments section that you want to be entered in the raffle. Also make sure to include a valid phone number, address and e-mail in case you are one of the winners.
• Prizes will only be shipped to addresses in the United States.
• Only one prize may be won per person.
• A random drawing will take place at 3 p.m. on April 25 and winners will be notified by May 1.

Questions or concerns? E-mail me at lauranbritain@yahoo.com.

March 16, 2009

Hello everyone. March is halfway over and my April 9 recommitment date is just weeks away. (That is the day I reaffirm my dedication to fundraising $5,500 for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and doing my half marathon). Thanks to the support of friends, family and strangers, I am almost halfway to my fundraising goal.

Before the new stuff, I have to give some thanks. First to God, who has shown such favor on me in my fundraising efforts. I gave this fundraiser to him, and he is doing mighty works.

I had my book sale on Saturday at Via Cappuccino in Rocky Mount. When I left my house, I had about 890 books. The thing is, people kept coming into the coffee shop and dropping off more books. This means my living room is still full of books, even though the event went wonderfully and I raised $390.03 (Some of that was checks, so the total will be different on the right-hand side donation tally). Thanks again to John and Gayle Fatheree, who were so generous to let me come out and have this book sale, and who agreed to let me come out on April 4 to try to sell some more.

It is not showing yet, but I received the check from the spirit night at Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q. The event raised $344.81. Thank you to John Averitte, who helped me set it all up, and to all the people at the Rocky Mount store. I have never had better service in my life. (Seriously, they are the most welcoming and attentive staff ever.)

Thank you also to Nash Health Care Systems for your $200 donation. I really appreciate it.

Now on to new stuff. This week I have to fundraisers going:

• Spirit night from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Cobb Corners Chick-fil-A. Bring a flyer you can get from me or mention my fundraiser and 15 percent of the sale will go to my fundraising efforts.
• Parents Night Out. Babysitting services available from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday in M100 at Church on the Rise. Cost is $5 per hour 1st child, $7.50 per hour for 2 kids and $10 per hour for 3 or more kids. No meal provided, just light snack.

I am having so much fun doing all of this, even though it sometimes feels like I have a second job. For those of you who pray, feel free to send a few my way.

More news about the "Twilight" raffle coming soon. I am setting it up now and expect it to run through most of April. The DVD comes out Saturday, which I am quite excited about.

Have a great day and thanks for tuning in.

March 4, 2009

March is here, and with it comes a whirl of fundraising events and stepping it up in training. I cannot wait.

As I have mentioned before, I am originally from Houston, Texas. That means all this snow we are getting in North Carolina is a big experience for me each time it happens. Driving in it is not the problem, no matter what the school systems say. Walking in this weather is almost impossible. Our roads are clear, but wow is it cold. This means I am jogging as much as I can, which is increasing, just to get my body temperature up to the point I don't freeze.

In fundraising news, I have two fundraisers coming up.

*Dining Out: On Monday, March 9, I am having a Spirit Night at Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q. The restaurant is going to donate 25 percent of the profits from 5 to 8 p.m. to my fundraising efforts. You do not have to bring a flyer. Just come and eat. (I personally like the Brunswick stew.)

*Book Sale: As you can see from the picture, my living room is getting quite full of books that have been donated for my big book sale. The sale will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 14 at Via Cappuccino in Rocky Mount. Come out and buy some good used books (I have been surprised at the quality of donations I have been getting) and drink some coffee to support a local coffee shop. Actually I think it is now the only local coffee shop, so we definitely need to support it. I do not drink coffee, but they make a mean chai latte.

Big news: I have not told many people about this, but I am hoping it will all come together soon, so I will go ahead. I am putting together a raffle for the Web site. The prizes will all be "Twilight" merchandise for people who love the books and movie. Summit Entertainment, who made the movie, has agreed to donate a signed movie poster. When I get that in my hands and a photo on the Web site, the raffle will be official. Until then, I am working on getting other "Twilight" merchandise so as many people as possible can win something. Contact me at lauranbritain@yahoo.com if you have any ideas or "Twilight" items you want to donate.

February 24, 2009

With March just around the corner, I thought I would put a post on here about the events I have coming up to raise money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. All are open to the public.

March

*Dining Out - Restaurant night from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. March 9 at Smithfield?'s Chicken ??N Bar-B-Q in front of Lowe?'s. During those hours, 25 percent of all sales will go to my fundraising efforts.

*Books Needed - I am collecting gently used books of all kinds to sell at a book sale on March 14. I will be accepting book donations at Sunday and Wednesday night services through March 11, or you can drop them off to me at work at the Rocky Mount Telegram.

*Book Sale - Used book sale from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 14 at Via Cappuccino 3002 Sunset Ave., Rocky Mount.

*Dining Out - Spirit night from 5 to 8 p.m. March 19 at Cobb Corners Chick-fil-A. Bring the flyer and 15 percent of the sale will go to my fundraising efforts.

*Parents Night Out - Babysitting services available from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. March 20 in M100 at Church on the Rise. Cost is $5 per hour 1st child, $7.50 per hour for 2 kids and $10 per hour for 3 or more kids. No meal provided, just light snack.

Questions or want to help? E-mail me at lauranbritain@yahoo.com or call 832-656-4475.

February 20, 2009

Howdy y'all. (Yes, I am a Texan by birth.) Today marks the end of the third week of fundraising, and I am quite pleased with it all.

Training is going well. I will go out with the Raleigh group tomorrow, and we will do 4 miles. I am really looking forward to it, just not the extremely early wake-up time it takes to get to Raleigh on time.

I did my first full fundraiser outside of the bake sales at work on Wednesday night. On Monday, Lee Long, the owner of Gator?"s Sports Pub, 1171 Jeffreys Road, Rocky Mount, gave me permission to sell beaded necklaces during his annual Mardi Gras Party. I came in, sat on a stool at the side of the room behind the DJ and let people come to me to buy the necklaces. It was a long night and I was a little out of my element, but everyone was incredibly nice and supportive. Thank you for that. By the end of the night I had raised $375!

To top it off, John Faircloth, who owns A & J Golf Cars, Inc., 2441 N. Wesleyan Blvd., Rocky Mount, was at the party. When I announced how much had been raised that night (at the time I thought it was $350), he offered to match it. I went in today, and he wrote me a check for $350! So a big thank you to John.

Other news in fundraising:

*I am going to have a used book sale from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 14 at Via Cappuccino, 3002 Sunset Ave., Rocky Mount. I am seeking book donations right now, so if you have any you don?"t want, please think about donating them to the book sale.

*I will be having a Chick-fil-A Spirit Night from 5 to 8 p.m. March 19. If you come in with these little flyers I have during that time, 15 percent of your bill goes toward my fundraising efforts.

There are several other events planned, and I will update the Web site as I go.

Thank you again to everyone who has donated or bought baked goods or beads. I really appreciate how generous everyone has been.

February 10, 2009

Hey everyone. I hope you are having a great week. Fundraising is off to a slow but steady start. I am so thankful to people who have already given.

The weekly bake sales at work are going well, but people are complaining I am trying to make them fat while I lose weight training. Seven more pounds off according to my nutritionist.

Training is going great. I couldn't get to Raleigh for the group training session last Saturday, but I did the 3 miles here!!! Yeah. If all goes well, I will be back with the team this weekend for the 4-mile stretch. I am having a great time with the training. For anyone who has ever struggled to get on a regular exercise program, I recommend participating in Team in Training. It is a great motivator. Who knows, by the end of this event I may even have a picture on the site that does not have me hiding behind a tree. Here's hoping.

God bless you and thank you for your support.

January 29, 2009

Welcome to my Team In Training home page.

My name is Laura McFarland, and I am training to participate in an endurance event as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training. I will be participating in the Mayor's Half Marathon on June 20 in Anchorage, Alaska.

All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I am completing this event in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission.

I hope you will visit my web site often. Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress. Thanks for your support!