Two Down, One to Go

As many of you know (since I hit you up for donations) it seems to be fundraising season, at least in my neck of the woods. I serve on the Board of Directors for an organization called Friends of Infant Toddler Services of Johnson County, which supports our local early intervention program. We held our 6th Annual Stepping Stones Gala on April 12th, which included dinner, drinks, DJ, and silent and live auctions. It was a lot of work (mostly by board members other than I) but was also loads of fun and a great success.

This morning was the Trolley Run, a 4 mile run/walk down the old streetcar/trolley tracks (actually the largest timed 4-mile run in the US), that benefits the Children's Center for the Visually Impaired. I haven't posted much about it, because eventually I want to do a Super-Long NICU Summary here, but Fletcher has vision processing difficulties and receives services from CCVI. It was nearly a record cold morning in KC, but we had a great turn out for team Smallest Smykay (thanks to all who participated and donated!), and I for one finished the 4 mile course in a record time of just under 2 hours (stoping to placate babies takes time, you know). Fletcher was picture perfect the entire walk (in large part because he took his morning nap from start to finish). Here are a couple pics from the run (including one of Fletcher this morning before the race... pretty chipper for a little guy who decided he wanted to get up at 5:15 this morning, guess the anticipation was too much for him).

Our Family Team Shirt

Partial Team Picture of Team Smallest Smykay

(the runners were long gone by the time the stroller crew crossed the finish line)

My Brother and Niece at the Finish Line

My Aunt, Sister and Nephew Enjoying the Band

Our Inspiration!

Our third and final fundraiser is the March for Babies next weekend. There is still time to help me reach my goal. Just click on the link in the right hand margin to learn more about the March of Dimes, how research funded by the organization helped to save Fletcher's life, and to pledge your support. Hopefully the weather will be a bit warmer for this walk. Check back in a week or so for pictures and an update. Until then, here is a little preview of the team shirts I designed. They look great on paper, if I do say so myself. I just hope they get in on time!