We started out with two goals: to get at least 75 walkers and runners in this year’s Puget Sound Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and to raise at least $7,500. When we got to the starting line on June 7, we had 90 participants and had raised over $10,500. It was an amazing experience to see everyone pull together and work so hard to not only meet but far exceed both of our goals.

In a troubled economy, you have to be creative if you want to separate your collegues, friends and family from their money, even if it’s for a very worthwhile cause. I’d like to share some of the ways my colleagues devised to get us to that amazing $10,500 mark:

1. Bake sales. Granted, these have been a money-raiser of choice since fire first met brownie mix, I know, but our Tukwila branch went even further by getting most of the materials donated by the very generous folks at Continental Mills.

2. Silent auction. Our team’s talents aren’t limited to financial products and services. Original artwork, handmade jewelry, beautiful home decorations were all snapped up in a hurry. There was some good-natured competition for the prizes, and we raised over $550 in that event alone!

3. Garage sale. Our Capitol Hill branch put it together and pulled it off in a hurry. And it says a lot about the Capitol Hill neighborhood that lots of passers-by spent more and stayed longer when they found out it was for the Race for the Cure.

4. Ice cream socials. We had two of these. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen members of your senior team get genuinely excited about sprinkles.

5. Pot luck. One of our internal teams cooked an enormous amount of wonderful food (and made a real effort to feed the veggies among us) and charged $5 for an all-you-can-eat extravaganza.

6. Remembrance ribbons. All of our branches had pink ribbons available for sale. Seeing so many ribbons hanging in the branches, with the names of loved ones who had struggled with the disease written on them–well, it doesn’t get much more touching than that.

7. BBQ. Nothing says commitment like firing up the grill for the cause. Not only did our Capitol Hill branch feed the folks who were walking by, they also made deliveries to our other branches!

There were other activities too: a book sale, and a very fun day of bowling at Lucky Strikes Lanes in Bellevue (to whom we say “Thank you!” for very generous donations of lanes and discounts on food and drink!), and probably others I never heard about. The energy and creativity that went into this year’s Race for the Cure fundraising, well, it was inspiring.

It’s never too late to contribute to the Puget Sound Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Finally, an enormous “Thank You!” to all our members and others who contributed time and money to support Team GHCU and the Race for the Cure!

Filed under: GHCU News by Shannon