Holy Shit, We Did It?

When I clicked publish on the original post about the donation giveaway, I immediately felt ill. What if I fail at raising any money? What if people vote over and over for one charity and totally throw off the recipient results? There were a lot more panic induced questions but I’ll spare you the drama. It’s bad enough I had to live through it all.

I’m happy to say all of my fear was for naught. Over the course of the last week, you guys collectively contributed $270 and I have rounded off the pot to be an even $300. Based on the voting results, the winning non-profit is Make-a-Wish Foundation. And personally, I think that’s a great choice. All of that being said, here’s confirmation of the donation:

Dear Ms. Paige Jennifer ,

Thank you for your recent gift of $300.00 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America . Your gift will have a profound, positive impact on the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

Your generous support helps us grant the wishes of children at a time when they need inspiration. Your compassion brings hope, strength and joy into their lives and into the lives of their families.

We deeply appreciate your personal commitment to the Make-A-Wish Foundation's work. You have truly made a difference to the children we serve. If you have any questions about your donation, please contact our Donor Care specialists toll-free at 1 (866) 880-1382, or via e-mail at customerservice@wish.org. Please include your transaction number with any correspondence.

Sincerely,
David Williams
President & Chief Executive Officer

Your Receipt
Transaction number: xxxxxxxxx
Date: December 22, 2008

I've already gone onto the Gap Foundation site to register the donation for matching. The end result is $600 being donated Make-A-Wish Foundation. To everyone who contributed, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Now for the prizes. My coworker Debbie did the drawing out of a really tacky decorative urn that sits at the entry of the office. The only thing I did was hold the urn as she fished around for winners. Okay, and in advance of the drawing, I dumped out the dead bugs and dust bunnies that had collected in the urn.

Drum roll please!

First place, $50 Banana Republic Gift Card: Theresa M.

Second place, $25 Banana Republic Gift Card: Bess C.

Third place, $10 Starbucks Gift Card: Del V

I have your addresses from the donation records and I'll be mailing everything tomorrow. Plus, because I'm feeling cheery, the rest of the donors - Leslie, Richard, Crist, Mamalujo, Sara, Chris and Ish - will all be receiving something too. Be sure to check your mailboxes in the next few days. And don't worry, it isn't an autographed photograph of me.

Thanks again everyone.