We decided (somewhat last-minute) to be a part of the 17th Annual Stroll for Strong Kids Walk and 5K that took place on Saturday, June 1st. We thought it'd be a great way to give back to the hospital that has taken such great care of Jackson since the very beginning.
So, Team Jumpin' Jax Flash was created and fundraising began. This event was right around Jackson's birthday so we asked that if anyone would rather donate to this instead of buying him a present, it would be greatly appreciated. Besides, have you seen our house? This kid has enough toys and clothes. ;)
I wasn't sure how much we would be able to raise in such a short amount of time nor was I sure how many people would want to participate with us so I made a modest team goal of $200 in donations. And our friends and family greatly surpassed that goal! We raised over $740 for Golisano Children's Hospital. This money will be used for many of the wonderful services that Jackson has used in the past and continues to use today. Services such as the NICU, PICU and Kirch Center.
The team consisted of Jackson, Daddy and myself as well as Grandpa and Grandma King, Aunt Amanda and Aunt Erin. We had a blast at the stroll, even if it was a bajillion degrees out. There were soooo many people there and so many fun things to do. There were several bounce houses, carnival games, face painting, craft activities, dunk tanks and a whole bunch of heavy equipment to look at (Daddy and Grandpa's favorite part!). They also served food after the walk. Score!
Overall, there were over 5,500 participants who raised a record-breaking amount $415,000. I'm thinking next year we can triple our number of team members and raise our goal to $2000. Maybe even a sponsor or two to help us make some awesome team shirts? What do you think? Wanna join us! Lace of your sneakers and come have a fun time with Jumpin' Jax Flash!
After the Stroll we swung over to the Ronald McDonald House to drop off several gallon-sized baggies of pop tabs. The Ronald McDonald House collects pop tabs as one of their ongoing fundraising efforts. We've got a lot of people saving pop tabs for us and we're so happy that you do so. In addition to Strong, the Ronald McDonald House is another great organization that helped us so much when Jackson was born. We were able to stay there and be close to Jackson while he was in the NICU and again when he was in the PICU after his shunt placement surgery. It's so easy to save these pop tabs, so why not, right?!
Here's a pic of Daddy and Jackson emptying our baggies into the Pop Tab House:
Overall, it was a great day with family and we look forward to doing it again next year. Special thanks again to everyone that donated to the Stroll for Strong and also to those that have been saving pop tabs for us. You guys rock!
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