<em>“Think of your worst day of running. Think about your hard training. Think about your blisters, your black toes and your aching muscles. Now think of how lucky you are that you're able to run because right now there is a child who can't because they are dying of cancer. You can do something about this.” </em>The Snowdrop Foundation

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In 2007 at the age of 62, I was encouraged (challenged) to run the Houston Half Marathon by my son-in-law.  One of the programs associated with the Houston Marathon is named Run For A Reason.  It is comprised of various, selected charities which provide an incentive for runners by being fundraisers for the charity.  Based on a personal experience with Brianna Garza (who was diagnosed with Leukemia at the age of three months), I decided to help raise funds for the Snowdrop Foundation.  The Snowdrop Foundation is a pediatric cancer charity that provides funds for pediatric cancer research, family assistance and college scholarships for cancer survivors.  It was founded in 2006 by a local radio DJ, Kevin Kline.

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Since that first year, I have completed three half marathons and one full marathon while raising nearly $35,000 for the Snowdrop Foundation, but I wanted to do more.  I heard about an organization named Medals for Mettle that collected “recycled” finisher medals from half marathons and marathons, put new ribbons on the medals and then donated them to patients in cancer hospitals.  Although it is a nationwide organization, it was not represented in Houston!  I liked the idea so much, however, that after discussing with them how their program was structured, I decided to attempt to start a similar program through the Snowdrop foundation.  The name I selected was <strong><em>Bling for Bravery</em></strong>.

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<strong><em>Bling for Bravery</em> </strong>is a program developed through the Snowdrop Foundation to celebrate and reward the bravery of the pediatric cancer patients at Texas Children’s Cancer Center in Houston, TX.  The mission is to distribute finisher’s medals from races from Half Marathons through Ultra Marathons including Triathlons to the children at the hospital to recognize and celebrate their bravery in dealing with cancer.  The common thread of dedication and bravery of training for long distance races and triathlons is mirrored by the patients at the hospital.

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I have been surprised at the generosity of the runners and the medals they have donated, e.g. the Boston Marathon Finisher’s medal in the picture!  What I also learned in this first year is that athletes in other sports such as swimming are also willing to donate medals and exhibit the same threads of dedication as runners.

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In the first year I have collected over 200 medals and have visited the Texas Children’s Cancer Center once.  We are scheduled for our second visit on December 10.  In addition, one of the races run last year had a finisher’s medal in the shape of a snowflake!  I thought, how apropos!  So not only did we distribute the snowflake medals to the children at the hospital, we also awarded them to scholarship recipients as a reminder of what they had accomplished and what they could accomplish in the future.

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2010-2011 was a big year for the Snowdrop Foundation in several areas.  It was the 5<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the organization and it received an award from the Houston Marathon Run for A Reason program for exceeding its goal by the largest amount.  The goal is set by the Run for A Reason committee based on past performance and the goals of similar sized organizations, and Snowdrop exceeded that goal by 204%!  That allowed us to award a record setting 35 scholarships totaling $82,000 this year!  Also, the Snowdrop Foundation was selected by the American Cancer Society as the organization to provide college scholarships for college bound cancer survivors.  And last but not least, the founder of the Snowdrop Foundation, Kevin Kline was nominated for the Energizer Keep Going Hall of Fame.  He made the cut of the top 100 across the country, then the top 10 and was notified on June 14 that he was the winner.  He was inducted into the Hall of Fame by Cal Ripken, Jr. (the first inductee) on June 22.   What a year!

I will be running the 2012 Aramco Half Marathon on January 15, 2012.  My goal is to raise $13,100 for two reasons.  First, it mirrors the length of the Half Marathon (13.1 miles), and second, in my 5<sup>th</sup> year it will bring the total that I have raised to over $50,000.  As a side note, I have never raised this amount in the past, so it will be a challenge.

As a novel contribution plan, I thought it would be interesting to receive donations in increments of 13.1; e.g. $13.10, $26.20, $39.30, $52.40, $65.50, $78.60, $91.70, $117.90, $131.00 ………., etc.  If this is too complicated, however, normal amounts are acceptable!  J

If you would like to help me reach my goal , challenge me in my running and support the Snowdrop Foundation, you can access my personal fundraising page by clicking on the link below;

<a href="http://www.ChevronHoustonMarathon.com/Donate/PersonalPage.cfm?MID=7326&amp;CRID=33&amp;CID=329" target="_blank"><strong>http://www.ChevronHoustonMarathon.com/Donate/PersonalPage.cfm?MID=7326&amp;CRID=33&amp;CID=329</strong></a>

If you would like more information on the history and activities of the Snowdrop Foundation, their website is www.snowdropfoundation.org.

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