Man on the Moon

Many times I've heard the story of John F. Kennedy and the janitor. He's the reason why when people ask me what I do, I typically reply, "I'm helping to cure cancer." If you haven't heard the story, here you go...

In 1962, while JKF was visiting NASA to give a speech, he ran into a janitor cleaning the bathrooms. He asked the janitor, "what do you do here" and the janitor replied, "I'm helping put a man on the moon".

So, I'm curious. What do YOU do? If your profession is fundraising, how do you answer this question? And I don't mean how do you answer it to others, but to yourself? Do any of these sound familiar?

"I organize ____ event"
"I ask people for money"
"I do marketing"
"I raise funds for___"
"I work at ____"

Do you ever find yourself complaining? As I write this post, it's Monday morning. It's cold and dark outside and I imagine that folks all around my neighborhood are hearing their alarms go off and thinking, "crap". I get it. But I also get the significance of what I do. For me, it's not just a job. It's a mission.

That janitor could have said, "well, Mr. President, I clean toilets". He could have complained on Mondays when his alarm sounded and said, "crap" (literally) and wished he didn't have to go to work. He could have belittled himself. After all, was he an all-important scientist or engineer or astronaut? What an amazing man he was though. He knew that each person on the team at NASA had a role and that whatever that role was, it was significant and leading toward the first moon landing.

I have been both the president of the board and the lowest fundraiser on a team, but no matter my role, I know that I am helping to cure cancer. And when I think of it that way, I can't complain and say, "ah crap, it's Monday and I have to go cure cancer all week." I can't say things like, "I can't wait for the weekend because I'm so sick of curing cancer." No! My job matters. And my position matters. I may or may not work for an organization that values me, but I value myself. I know that what I do every day is getting us closer to a world without cancer.

So, again, I ask you... what do you do? If what you do matters, then every day you must remind yourself that you are an important part of curing that disease or feeding the hungry or saving animals or building homes or whatever it is. Go out there and "put a man on the moon". You matter.

Going Gold

Help! I've been given a task that matters a great deal to me. It matters a great deal to the almost 16,000 American children diagnosed with cancer each year. And it really, really matters to their parents!

Children are more precious than gold. I'm honored to be going gold to conquer childhood cancer. My organization, the American Cancer Society, has created a restricted fund for pediatric cancers and a new team called "Gold Together" will lead the way in this year's Relay For Life events across the nation. My goal is only $5,000 for my team in Dallas, Texas. However, I would like to at least double this amount for my team.

I cannot do this alone. Childhood cancers have not received the attention they deserve. My voice can be loud, but it's not loud enough. I need many more loud, enthusiastic souls to join forces with me and bring an end to the suffering caused by childhood cancer.

If you're on this page, please consider joining the team, donating, or sponsoring. To join the team or donate, click HERE. To find out about how your company can become a sponsor, click HERE.

This blog is not here to raise money. It exists to help create ideas or share ideas. However, childhood cancer deserves the attention today. It screams out! It's way past time to save our kids. Help me and let's end childhood cancer.