Support your favorite Ironman... whose name is Mishele

If you're near Tempe April 15th, you should definitely come to the race. My 4th IM. K's first IM. That announcer guy's millionth IM. While I have yet to see an Ironman as a spectator, the recaps with inspirational music are very touching. And if my waterworks during the thing are any indication it's not the music that's pushing the buttons.

If you can't come to IM AZ then you should try to make it to one in your lifetime. I promise to do so as well (as a spectator). And if you want to be supportive cyber-friend without actually having to make eye contact with me--or book a flight to Arizona--please consider supporting my fundraising efforts. As some of you may know, I am fundraising for the Spay-Neuter Assistance Program through the Janus Charity Challenge for Ironman Arizona. Here's a little bit about SNAP and why I'm diggin on 'em for my race:

SNAP is a nonprofit organization committed to educating pet owners about the benefits of spaying and neutering their furry loved ones. SNAP also provides low-cost spay/neuter and immunization services for cats and dogs. My second cat, Gary, was neutered at 4 months at a SNAP location and it was a great decision; he recovered rapidly, required a less invasive surgery and less anesthetic, and was back to being a busy kitten in no time. His care there was exceptional, and the whole experience was convenient for me to boot.

I chose SNAP as the beneficiary of my fundraising for a couple of reasons, but primarily because of their commitment to preventing the euthanization of unwanted pets. SNAP locations will spay/neuter feral cats that folks bring in at low-to-no cost. SNAP will also spay/neuter at 12 weeks of age, before sex characteristics and the bad habits associated with them begin to develop. Some of SNAP's great events to
curb pet overpopulation include free spay/neuter days each year as
well as a "Neuter-Scooter for a Nickel" day in the spring, where
anyone can bring any male cat in for neutering for five cents.

Want some scary stats? Just one unspayed cat and her kittens can produce 420,000 kittens in just six years. What's more, every year $2 billion tax dollars are spent to impound, shelter, euthanize, and dispose of homeless animals. These are some of the reasons I think it's essential that pet owners prevent unwanted puppies and kittens from ultimately ending up in a shelter, and the first step to that is responsible spay/neutering. I love my cats more than most people (slight understatement), and the thought of so many cats and dogs that enter shelters ending up destroyed is a small tragedy. Would you help to prevent these deaths by supporting SNAP?

I would be honored if you could contribute to this cause with cash or other donation. Just $30 is enough to neuter a cat and perhaps save many future cat lives. If you have non-cash items you would like to donate, SNAP is looking for the following things:
* paper towels
* copy paper
* laundry soap
* postage stamps
* white copy paper
* large bath towels
* small cat carriers
* address labels
* flat screen monitors – 3
* executive office chairs - 3
* gift cards – Target, Home Depot, Office Max, Office Depot
* printing services


Folks sometimes ask me why I'm not fundraising again for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund in memory of my dead mom. There are a couple reasons. First, as clean as I think the OCRF's financials are, part of me doesn't feel comfortable giving money to medical non-profits-- the bigger they are, the less I want to give. I just start thinking about how my $50 is going to some grad student's Ramen noodles/living stipend and I get all pissed off. I like the immediate impact I can have by donating to a more urgent cause. Second, there are too many great non-profits doing things that are meaningful to be repeating fundraising. Maybe I'm a bleeding heart with a wandering eye, but I just can't commit for life to one 501(c)(3). Third, I love my cats. A lot. And finally (I'm a little ashamed of this one so lean in closer) I just don't want to elicit the xxtreme effort it took for little ol' me to drum up $6,000+ or whatever it was the last time I went down this road. My fundraising took way more time than, say, my weekly swim time. It was exhausting.

Basically, I think that if I'm going to take time away from my family and community each and every week of training that I should make up for that somehow. And if my spending a day rolling 140.6 inspires someone to give to something that matters to me, I'll shamelessly plug it.

So there it is. If you want to take a look-see at the cause, here's the website: http://www.snapus.org

And if you want to give (oh, come on... you want to give) you can do so through my fundraising site. As you should know from the rest of my blog, Gary's the adorable gray cat I mentioned above.
http://januscharitychallenge.kintera.org/az2007/mishelek

Anything you can give to help is greatly appreciated. If you're in the Houston area, I'd be more than willing to schedule a pickup of non-cash goods as well.

Help me help SNAP! Thanks folks.

P.S. AND if you want to give to K's Janus Charity Challenge cause, you can support her efforts for the American Cancer Society below. Come on! It's her first Ironman and she's already JCCing it up!
http://januscharitychallenge.kintera.org/az2007/kcwoodhead