LisaSpoAvonWalk

Mother's Day Cards Available! (And update on latest batch of auctions!)

Mother's Day is coming up fast! This year we'll be celebrating on May 11... and I want to help you by taking care of your card(s) for you!

Simply make a donation of $25 or $10 to The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and I'll take care of the rest.

Okay, you do have to send me an address and choose a card...

To see all the cards and learn how it works, simply go to my Project Mother's Day page!

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Thanks to everyone who bid, won and spread the word about the last wave of auctions I did. For the first time, every single bear had at least one bid... and every single winning bid was PAID!

With the total winning bids nearing $3,000, the average bid per bear was over $100! The two biggest bid getters were David Boreanaz and Kathy Griffin... with $405 each. :)

I'm walking in 2 walks this year!!

Okay... I don't usually make a post like this until around Mother's day... but, this year I'll be walking in two Avon walks (New York and Houston) and, as I realized in a panic a few days ago... Houston is just 2 months away! And while my goal for the year is another $25,000, I *have* to raise another $1,250 by April to walk in Texas.

As many of you know, the Avon Walk is a 2-day, marathon-and-a-half (39.3 miles) walk to raise money and awareness for breast cancer. Thanks to a lot of YOU I passed an important personal milestone in 2007--hitting the $100,000 mark in my fundraising!! So, I thank you... and, of course, ask you to give more. :)

To donate, please visit http://donate.lisawalks.com.

Think about this! If you can donate $25 now, please consider instead donating $10 each month for the next 5 months! You can set it up automatically when you go to make your donation and while your payments will be spread out, I'll get credit for the whole donation now. Of course, you can use my example with any multiples of those numbers. ;)

For updates on my fundraising efforts and events, you can always go to my website at http://www.lisawalks.com

Thanks so much for your ongoing support!
Lisa

Thank goodness I always carry a bear!

There's a good reason I *always* carry a bear and a bunch of tags with me... like today... I'm blowing my money at the roulette table and look up to see a guy who looks like David Boreanaz walking across the floor. Wait! It is David Boreanaz! With Emily Deschanel! I quickly ask the dealer if it's okay to leave my chips for a second and head over. Emily was actually walking away as I got there, but, when I approached David he was very nice. And sweetly ignored my stammering and my shaking hands. :P I told him I was a big fan and that I'd even seen him do Stories Left to Tell in NYC and then asked him if he'd sign something for me that I'd been wanting him to sign for a long time. He was totally cool about it.. including the picture... and even struck a cute pose. :) I went back to the table and about 10 minutes later noticed a bunch of texts from Melissa... "David Boreanaz is in the bar! Come with a bear!!" I laughed and headed over.... wanting to tell her that I'd already gotten him... and also hoping Emily Deschanel was there with him. When I got there, they were both indeed at the bar. :) I did my usual self-doubting and shy thing for awhile until Melissa convinced me to go over. Emily was very sweet as well.. turned out she'd done the 3-day breast cancer walk with her mother and was suitably impressed by my efforts. :) Signed the bear... took the pictures... a really great interaction all around. So excited! Of course, now I'm psyched to have a few Bones bears (I have Eric Millegan again, too)... and I'm also *very* curious to see whose bear does better... Boreanaz's or Marsters'. ;)

How much does Patty rock??

So, apparently, when I told Patty that I really wanted to get James Marsters (Spike from Buffy and Angel) to sign a bear, she made it her mission to get it done. AND SHE HAS! Imagine my shock opening email this morning and finding this picture staring back at me!! So freaking excited!! The Buffy bears tend to do pretty well for me in the auctions and I can't wait to see how bids go for this one! (She's sending me back the specific bear he kissed, too, to include in the auction. :))

She's working on some folks from Torchwood next... have to figure out who her next goal should be! ;)

Updates!

It's been a little while since I've posted... things have been crazy! First and foremost... THANK YOU to all of you... I reached my $20,000 fundraising goal for 2007... which means I hit my $100,000 mark for all-time fundraising. And there's no way I could have done it without all of your help and support.

The whole We Walk team kicked butt! Together, we surpassed our goal and raised more than $39,000! I'm so proud of everybody!

You can see pictures of the walk here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisaspo/sets/72157602833858228/

Next year, I'll be walking in 2 walks... New York (of course!) and the brand new Houston walk in April. I'm very excited to walk in a new city--especially at a new walk... there's just something very, very cool about participating the first time a walk happens in a new place. A couple of my friends will also be walking there, so, it should be a particular blast. Houston's in April, so, I'll actually have to kick fundraising into gear early... so, keep your eyes open for new auctions and fundraising stuff after the New Year. :)

Of course, the Project Teddy Bear and Knock Out Breast Cancer efforts continue. I've gotten a few people lately who I'm *really* excited about... you can see some of them in those photos above. And, I'll leave you with one more below... a glove signed by Nick Rhodes, Roger Taylor and John Taylor of Duran Duran! :)

It's Walk Week!!

*Sigh* I am woefully behind in updating this blog... BUT, I figure at this point, you're probably more interested in the fact that the Walk is THIS WEEKEND than what we've been doing on our training walks. And, I promise, I'll still go back soon and update that, too. :)

ANYway, as many of you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month... which is one of the reasons I'm glad the New York Avon Walk happens in October... October 6-7 this year, to be exact. :)

The "We Walk" team is 10 people strong and has been training for several months now... and we're ready to get going bright and early Saturday morning!

If you'd like to make a donation and help me reach this year's fundraising goal of $20,000, you can do so at http://donate.lisawalks.com.

October also means a lot of (finally) new TV... which may seem like a non-sequiter... until I point out that I have launched a big batch of 50+ teddy bear and boxing glove auctions to support our fundraising... many of them featuring people in some of our favorite TV shows: Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Joe Flanigan (Stargate: Atlantis), the cast of NUMB3RS, American Ferrera (Ugly Betty), Zach Braff (Scrubs), Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Hayden Panettiere (Heroes), Eric Millegan (Bones), T.R. Knight (Grey's Anatomy) and MANY more!

We've also got some great people who have nothing to do with new TV... like Ian McKellen, Henry Winkler, Simon Pegg and a bunch of comic and Buffy/Angel/Firefly folks.

Please check out all the auctions here: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZlisaspodak_avonwalker_771203

Bid early, bid often... and please help spread the word to anybody you think would be interested! (I'm putting my bets on Ian McKellen to give Viggo a run for his money!)

Another great way to give money if you're in the NYC area... we've got "Breast Cancer's a Drag!" coming up on 10/8. Team Member Chris Tuttle has decided to celebrate his birthday with a fundraiser that promises to be an *amazing* time! We've got Madame and Joe Kovacs, drag queens, DJ Brenda Black... all for a donation of just $20! The event is Monday, 10/8, at 8:00. It will be at Vlada (51st between 8th and 9th).

For more info, go here: http://www.fruitsformelons.com/

Note: Your $20 donation for the cover can be made through any member of the team... if you are friends with Chris or anybody else on the team in addition to me, I encourage you to make your donation through them rather than me (especially Chris since it's his birthday and his fundraiser and we want to get him to his minimum by the Walk!). Thanks. :)

Last but so very not least, the walk this weekend is a long one and it's always nice to see some friendly faces along the way. If you're local and want to come out say "hey" we'd love to see you!

Saturday Cheering Stations

Union Square (Mile 2.5)
14th and Union Sq. West.
Peak viewing times: 7:30 am - 8:30 am
Directions: By subway - N,R,Q,W and 4,5,6 trains to Union Square station. Walk to southeast corner of square.

Washington Square Park (Mile 3.3)
W. 4th Street between MacDougal Street and University Place
Peak viewing times: 8:00 am - 9:00 am
Directions: By subway - B,C,D,E, F, V trains to W 4th St. Follow W 4th Street. Park is one block East.

Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory (Mile 6.25)
Corner of Water Street and Old Fulton Street, Brooklyn Heights
Peak viewing times: 9:00 am - 11:00 am
Directions: By subway - A train to High Street (first stop in Brooklyn). Follow Cadman Plaza West down the hill about 4 blocks, veering left under the Brooklyn Bridge as it becomes Old Fulton Street, all the way to the river. Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory is on small pier at the river.

Covenant House (Mile 12.4)
Corner of 40th Street and 10th Avenue
Peak viewing times: 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Directions: By subway - A, C, E trains to 42nd Street Port Authority. Walk West on 42nd Street to 10th Avenue and then South to 40th Street.

Booker T. Washington Junior High School (Mile 16.1)
108th Street between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenue
Peak viewing times: 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Directions: By subway - B, C trains to 110th St Cathedral Parkway. Walk West on Cathedral Parkway for 2 blocks to Columbus Avenue and walk south to 107th Street.

Cathedral of St. John the Divine (Mile 16.4)
Amsterdam at 112th Street
Peak viewing times: 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Directions: By subway - 1 train to 116th Street or C to 110th.

New-York Presbyterian Hospital (Mile 19.9)
165th and Ft. Washington Avenue
Peak viewing times: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Directions: By subway - 1 train to 168th Street.

George Washington Bridge Pedestrian Path (Mile 21.5)
Hudson Terrace at Bridge Plaza South/Bruce Reynolds Blvd., Fort Lee, NJ
Peak viewing times: 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Directions: By car - from Manhattan, take GW Bridge and exit at Hudson Terrace. From New Jersey, take 95 North to Ft. Lee, last exit before GW Bridge

Leonia Middle School (Mile 23.35)
Corner of Broad Avenue and Christie Heights Street, Leonia, NJ
Peak viewing times: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Directions: By car - From GW Bridge, take 4W

Sunday Cheering Stations

First Presbyterian Church (Mile 0.6)
East Palisades Ave between Lydecket Street and Dwight Place, Englewood, NJ
Peak viewing times: 7:30 am- 8:30 am
Directions: By car - Palisades Parkway to Palisades Avenue Exit (Englewood) - follow Palisades Avenue downhill about 1.5 miles.

Plaza Lafayette (Mile 5.5)
181st Street & Cabrini Boulevard
Peak viewing times: 9:00 am - 10:30 am
Directions: By subway - A train to 181st Street. Walk west two blocks to Cabrini (down hill, towards water). By car - Easily accessible via the George Washington Bridge; exit off bridge at West 181stStreet.

Riverside Park (Mile 8.6)
Riverside Drive at 116th Street
Peak viewing times: 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Directions: By subway - 1 train to 116th Street. Walk West on 116th Street to Riverside Drive.

Soldiers & Sailors Monument (Mile 11)
Riverside Drive & 89th Street
Peak viewing times: 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Directions: By subway - 1/9 train to 86th Street. Walk north 3 blocks and west 2 blocks to Riverside Drive

The end! Mile 13.1... 43rd Street and the Hudson River.

As always, thank you all for your ongoing support... I'm closing in on my $100,000 total fundraising goal and I could never have done it without all of you!!

xo,
lisa

(One last note: I'm postponing this year's fundraiser at Fred's. It was originally set for October, but, I'm pushing it back to November... sorry for any inconvenience!)

Training Walk: 3.87 miles

Walkers: Chris, Sandra, Bill, Jessica and Me
Route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1293912

Did a great little training walk on Roosevelt Island tonight. We took the tram over and just walked the perimeter of the island. Tuttle kept walking all the way back to Astoria! Everyone else took the F train home... I took the tram back. I have a feeling we'll be doing that one again... and/or incorporating it into other walks... it was pretty, quiet, uncrowded, unstopped by traffic... so great!

Training Walk: 12.85 miles

Walkers: Chad, Jessica, Mary, Sandra, Me
Route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1281164

We met at South Ferry with the plan of doing a walk up the west side to 110th Street, over to the east side, and back down to Union Square. But, there were only a few of us at that point and we changed our minds on a whim... and headed to Coney Island instead! We were joined by Jessica's friend, Mary, who is also doing the walk and who she just randomly ran into at South Ferry. Mary had already done 9 miles (!) so she understandably cut out a little bit before we actually reached the beach. We had an *awesome* lunch at Nathan's to reward ourselves. :)

More pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisaspo/sets/72157601819746768/

Training Walk: 6.2 miles

Walkers: Sandra, Jessica, Chris, Me
Route: The Big Loop in Central Park

Training Walk: 8.43 miles

Walkers: Chris, Jessica, Bill, Christian, Sandra, Danny, Me
Route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1262609

We had the best intentions of doing 14 or 15 miles today, but, it was HOT, HOT, HOT so we played it smart and cut things short. Had a nice lunch in the food court at the mall at the South Street Seaport, too. :)