Jul
29
Sponsor Our Legs
by Emily in Boston to Austin, Sponsor Our Legs
As we gear up for Boston to Austin, we are pushing a new fundraising opportunity called “Sponsor Our Legs”. Max and I whipped up a fun video to explain this concept. Pasted below the video is the email we’ve sent out to our network, which is more explicit and addresses our urgent needs.
Dear friends of Spoke Your Mind,
We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported Spoke Your Mind and helped to make it a reality. We returned on July 1 as scheduled from our first section of the bicycle tour, Seattle to San Francisco, and it was more successful than we imagined.
As you know, we aimed to connect and support COYOD (Children Of those with Young Onset Dementia) in three ways: on film, by personally linking individuals, and via our online community. Thanks to others willing to share their experiences, we were able to capture 12 COYOD stories in detail on film, as well as 5 interviews with professionals in the field. We’ve produced 4 documentary shorts of these stories which can be seen on Spoke Tube, and with which we’ll ultimately compile our end-product documentary. Because those we’ve met thus far found a need for resources and community, our online network for COYOD is nearing 50 registered individuals; family members of those with young onset are actively using it as a space to ask questions, share stories and exchange information. Needless to say, we are excited about Spoke Your Mind’s initial success and extend our gratitude to you for making it possible.
We receive emails weekly from those diagnosed with Young Onset Dementia or their family members. Though the notes come from all across the country, we see common themes of frustration with a lack of available resources and thankfulness for knowing that they are not the only ones struggling with this illness. As an example, a Texas woman recently wrote us:
“I was seriously having a terrible caregiver day with my dad who was diagnosed at age 59 in September of 2006 with Lewy Body Dementia and ran across this site. I am a 36 year old wife and mother of a 14 and 6 year old. If you are interested in hearing my story, I would love to tell it. As well as to read others, I think it would help so much. The day I listened to my dad plead and cry on the phone, begging me for his car keys, is the day that I grew up. Maybe our experiences can help someone, because on all of the forums, all you hear about are 70-somethings and their spouses. Even if I don’t hear from you, good luck and God Bless.”
Though we’d like to share all of those stories, we’ve anonymously excerpted a few at the end of this letter so we can share with you a more developed sense of COYOD needs.
Although Spoke Your Mind’s first leg generated many stories and continues to link COYOD, this was only possible because we met our fund raising goal. There are thousands out there who are caregiving for those with young onset and suffering in silence and isolation. As we begin our second section of the bicycle tour, Boston to Austin, we begin energized with the ambitious goal of reaching these people. Already, we are slated to speak at an Alzheimer’s event in Boston, have COYOD who’ve offered us interviews along the way, and have supporters scheduled to greet us in Austin.
Unfortunately, though, we only have enough funds to provide for the very first section the east coast tour, Boston to New York. We have skinnied our budget wherever possible to hit $3.20 per mile in overall expenses (documentary supplies & maintenance, food, emergency insurance, etc.), but we sincerely ask for your help in funding the remaining 6 legs of the tour and firmly believe that every $3.20 is valuable. Donations can be made here: http://www.mindseries.org/donate/
As an alternative to individual mileage contributions at $3.20 per mile, please consider participating with friends or as a team to Sponsor Our Legs. Sponsor Our Legs is a new effort that prices out each leg along the Boston to Austin route according to its mileage. Please contact us ASAP if you are willing to captain a group (your company, friends, cousins, family, etc.) to make our skinny legs possible. For instance, a group of 20 friends contributing $48 each would cover NYC to DC. Together, we can leave no leg uncovered on our way to Austin in support of COYOD!
As if that isn’t enough, we also ask that you consider spreading the word about Spoke Your Mind to others with whom we would not be able to connect if it were not for you. Thank you for all of your support.
Respectfully,
Max and Emily