The Walt Disney World half-marathon is now only one week away. I cannot thank enough everyone who donated to my fundraising goal. That I raised nearly $3,000 is truly something I never thought I would be able to do, and I could not have done it without you.

As promised in my donation request letter, I have written the names of all my $50+ donors on my TNT shirt, and the names of all my $100+ donors on my race hat. I will, in essence, be carrying you with me as I run 13.1 miles next weekend, and the knowledge that you donated to this cause through me will help motivate me with every step I take. Thank you all so very much!

During my Walt Disney World Information Session, one attendee donated not only cash, but something she told me to auction off for charity. She then presented me with gigantic Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse plush figures. Each of them measure 3 feet tall (from ears to feet), and are adorable. If it were not for a good cause, I would absolutely keep these myself.

Instead, however, I have created an eBay listing for these two items. 100% of the final sale price will be immediately donated to the L&LS. They would make a great Christmas gift for the Disney fan in your life! :-)

I have been raising funds for TNT through a variety of means. First and foremost, of course, are letters to my family and friends, asking for personal donations. Similarly, occasional requests via my Facebook account and email signatures have been made.

In addition to these personal donations, I have begun raising funds through two other means. UPAC Cinema, the club I was a part of while at RPI for so many years, has agreed to sell Chocolate bars during their movies, with the profits being donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Please stop by any of their showings to buy some delicious candy for a good cause.

Secondly, I am doing a weekly 50/50 Raffle at The Ruck on 3rd Ave in Troy, NY. I will be there every Monday Night during Monday Night Football. Tickets are $1/1 ticket, $2/3 tickets, or $5/10 tickets. Please stop by and buy some tickets for your chance to win, and donate to a good cause to boot!

50/50 Raffle Ticket winners:

September 27: Hope, $64.00

October 4: Christine, $33.00

October 11: <Name unknown, winner present>, $81.50

October 18: <Name unknown, winner present>, $31.00

October 25: Scott, $40.50

November 1: <Name unknown, winner present>, $24.50 (winner donated $9.50 back to TNT)

November 15: <Name unknown, winner present>, $20.00

On December 8, 2010, I held a 2-hour long information session about Walt Disney World, covering a variety of topics including hotels, transportation, ticket options, FastPass, Photopass, Hidden Mickeys, and more. The presentation slides are now available for you to peruse at your leisure. (You can also download the pdf version, if you'd prefer).

If you find the information on these slides useful, I would appreciate a small token of thanks by way of making a donation to my fundraising goal, which you can do right on this page, using the form to the right. Thank you, and have a magical vacation! :-)

As many of my fellow Team in Training teammates have never actually been to Walt Disney World before, I have decided to hold an information session. On Wednesday, December 8, I will be at the Mueller Center at RPI in Troy, NY starting at 8:15pm. We will discuss the size and scope of these 47 square miles that create the vacation kingdom of the world. There are 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, 2 shopping/nightlife districts, 5 full golf courses (2 of which are on the PGA tour), 2 mini-golf courses, 20+ hotels, hundreds of restaurants, and so much more.

Among the planning advice and tips that we will go over during this session: how to maximize your time in the parks to avoid standing in lines; using Disney's FastPass and PhotoPass services; transportation to and within Walt Disney World; the different ticket options (including length of stay, Water Park Fun & More, Park Hopper, and No Expiration); Restaurant types and locations, and how/when to book them; Disney trip planning resources; parades and nighttime spectaculars; and much much more.

The admission cost for this presentation will be a $5 donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In addition, I have several prizes donated by generous authors Lou Mongello, Len Testa, and Steve Barrett. All of these will be raffled off during the presentation as well.

I hope to see you at the Mueller Center of RPI on Wednesday December 8 at 8:15pm!!

(btw, if you would like to help me promote this event, you could print out a few of these fliers and hang them up anywhere you think people would notice them. Thanks!)