Madison participated in her first Trike-A-Thon at her Preschool this month! We weren't so sure she was going to get to as the three weeks prior were spent sick with the stomach flu, then pneumonia and rounding off the time with two rip roaring ear infections. I was pleased when she woke up on Friday morning ready to go with no fever for the second day and some energy.
Mom started off the month asking for donations from friends on Facebook and via email. Within a day we had raised our goal of $500 and increased our goal and kept asking. I set up an online donation site through the St. Jude and immediately received donations from Texas, the Bay Area, Elk Grove and even one from OKLAHOMA! Grandma sent the email to her friends and within a few days over $200 in checks arrived in my mailbox!
With a few hundred to go I decided to bring some famous Mr. T's donuts to work and had a "Donuts for Dollars" fundraiser. This alone brought in $40 for the donuts and two additional $20 checks from individuals.
Dad did his part by bribing his coworkers with donuts too and I even made a "Support your Little Knight" flyer for him to take to his Blue Knights Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club meeting. He brought in another $60!
With one day to go, amazingly from the donut announcement I did at work a coworker contacted me because she had been meaning to donate to St. Jude for some time and hadn't decided how to get them the money. Madison's Trike-A-Thon provided the perfect opportunity! I was pleasantly shocked when she presented me with a check for $300, from her generous mother, and this took us well over our new $1000 goal!
We were excited for the Trike-A-Thon for MANY reasons. Not only did we raise a lot of money, but Madison spent time with Papa waxing her retro trike she got for her 2nd birthday in preparation of her ride. She had an accident in the fall at school where she got run over by a child riding a trike and she for a long time was fearful of them and wanted nothing to do with pedaling one! She gradually got more confident and over time began riding her trike all over Mamo's house (INSIDE). Soon she was asking to ride her big girl bike (16' bike with training wheels) so we went and she picked out a helmet and has been riding every since. She said she wanted to take her pink trike to the Trike-a-Thon because it wasn't a "Bike-a-Thon" (After asking me "What's a Thon?").
Mommy and Mad painted a St. Jude shirt with 27 hand prints representing the 27 donations (ranging from $5 to $300) we received. The hand prints on the front her HERS and the ones on the back are Mommy's because after about 8 hand prints she was "all done crafting".
On the day of the event Cousin Judy and Uncle Shad drove over to watch and Papa drove down from Jamestown to be a part of it too. Mamo wasn't able to attend but was there in spirit and it was a great day! Madison watched the last educational Bike Safety Video with her friends and then listened intently to the instructions explained by Mrs. de. They all mounted up and off they went.
Madison did 10 laps at full speed and I heard her a few times as she rounded the corner "THIS IS FUN!" She had never ridden this trike on the asphalt and it was bumpy and funny. Papa said he would have to tighten up the fenders after this ride!
She stopped and asked me to come over and said "I'm done." I was so proud of her. She had been so sick for such a long time, I was surprised she was able to do it for as long as she did. She came over and rested a bit and then at the last lap before it was over, she mounted up again and gave it one last go 'round.
Afterwards she enjoyed a Popsicle with her friends and then off to home we went.
This weekend we will be doing the drawing for the gift bag as promised (Every $20 donation gets a ticket for a chance to win a bag with goodies valued at over $100.) I will be posting video of that as well.
Her first few laps are shown in the video below.
Click Here for video: Miss Mad's two laps of eleven
THANK YOU to all the DONORS! Every single dollar COUNTED toward our AMAZING accomplishment.
Madison was also recognized in the Preschool Newsletter:
UPDATE:
The Preschool Raised $2625 total for St Jude! Way to GO! Preschoolers ROCK!
