May 06, 2009 Michael AugustineLisez en Francais
Once again the fundraising season is in full swing, and with that change of weather known as Spring time comes the annual “Bill and Andrea Bates BBQs” for the RONA MS Bike Tours. Every year these two incredible individuals raise tens of thousands of dollars to help the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada achieve its mission to be a leader in finding a cure for multiple sclerosis and enabling people affected by MS to enhance their quality of life.
It was a cold and early Saturday morning this past Easter Weekend, when a handful of us determined souls braved the freezing cold and blustery winds to raise money for a good cause while dealing out burgers, hotdogs and sausages to a shopping crowd eager to partake of sustenance that wasn’t chocolate based in nature.
Some 8 or 9 hours later, after everything had been packed away, and random splashes of ketchup had been wiped clean, we headed to the counting room of the Meadowvale, Ontario Wal-Mart store, where we have been an Easter fixture for these last 5 years and began the challenge of counting through thousands of coins and bills of ALL denominations. When all was said and done, $5,044 had been raised, which includes a most generous matching donation from Wal-Mart as recognition for our dedication and hard work.
And there are still over a dozen BBQs to go!
And all it took was 8 people who were willing to believe that our efforts were worth as much as our results! We may be a little “burnt-out” - a little “fried” - but we were warmed against the cold, and protected from the heat, by the shelter that is the knowledge that we are already closer than ever to being able to end MS!
So - let’s get cooking!
Irreverently Yours,
Aug, who might try to score some Sushi when burger season in finally over...
Technorati tags: endMS, multiple sclerosis, RONA MS Bike Tour