Rachel's Race

Next Saturday, my friend Stacy's non-profit Baby Rachel's Legacy will be putting on Rachel's Race.  It is both a fundraiser and a way to spread awareness of anencephaly.  (Which is technically a slightly different diagnosis than acrania, mostly related to suspected causes, but same end result.)  There will be four different anencephaly/acrania families represented at the race, including Team Naomi.

I have been very negligent in preparing for this event!  There are 16 members right now, with 12 adults and 4 kids.  I've had one donation come in from a family member.  But I didn't get t-shirts designed, haven't gotten any donations from local businesses, haven't done fundraising, etc.  So now?  Now of course I am going to see how many of those things I can get done in six days.

If you are a local friend who wants to join in the race and haven't registered, you can do so here.  You can join Team Naomi as either a runner or walker.  The paths for each are different and the walkers will actually come right by Naomi's grave.  Naomi's grave is a few rows away from Rachel's grave and I will be manning a table in that area with pictures of our babies and other info and mementos.  If you aren't local, there is also the option of joining as a "virtual walker."  It's basically a way to donate and intended for those unable to join due to geographical distance.

Right now Naomi's grave is decorated with a ladybug theme and some yellow accent garden stakes.  Instead of doing official team t-shirts, I am asking everyone on Team Naomi to wear a red shirt.  I have also made a Facebook group for Team Naomi members to connect with each other for planning logistics.  If you aren't in there already, it's because I don't see you on the event list for the team.

Now for the fundraising...  Baby Rachel's Legacy has officially gotten their 501(c)3 approval!  So all donations are tax deductible.  If you are able and willing to donate, you can either do it through the paypal tab here or you can give it to me directly.  Giving it to me directly means nothing will be lost in paypal fees, but do whatever works better for you.  I just ask that if you pay online, let me know so that I can track it as part of total funds raised for the team.  We will not be able to access online donations the morning of the race to account for it.

I think that covers it, but let me know if you have any questions.  See you Saturday!

This was taken in the middle of May, which is the beginning of spring here.  The grass has grown in nicely since then.  I have a new kissing ball made by Stacy that will be hanging on the shepherd's hook the day of the race.