... Make Lemonade!

It's amazing how a little gesture can go a long way. This past weekend we hosted a lemonade stand as a fundraiser for Alex's Lemonade Foundation, as a way of supporting one of my Ironman charities, and as a way to celebrate my wife's birthday. First off, let me just say how lucky I am to be married to a woman who chooses to give of herself on "her day". She is wise beyond her years, as she has come to realize that there is no greater gift to give yourself than to give freely of yourself. This weekend was no exception.

Through the generosity of many anonymous and thirsty passers by, along with loved ones coming out for support and donating online, we were able to raise nearly $300. Not too shabby for a few hours work selling lemonade (I certainly couldn't have imagined making that kind of coin when I was a kid). Thank you to everyone who came out to support the cause and gave generously. With these donations we have made it almost halfway to our goal for this charity with a few months to go, and this has strengthened my spirit and commitment to the goals of all three charities.

It makes the training and the racing so much more enjoyable and fulfilling to know that at least a small amount of money is being donated to charity. The support of the people who read this blog and contribute to these fundraisers helps me to renew my commitment daily to work hard to achieve the goal of finishing an ironman. I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to live a fulfilling life to set an extreme and achievable goal for themselves and find a way to be in service while achieving that goal. The service will be the most fulfilling part of the journey.

See some of the pictures from the event below:

This was the setup for our lemonade stand; modest, yet effective, and the lemonade (prepared by my lovely wife) was delicious!

Zack & Sarah are natural salespeople (unlike their daddy). They were fearless (almost too much so) at approaching people and telling them about our cause. It makes me beam with pride to know that they are learning early how to give freely of their time.

Here, Sarah promotes the stand while a thirsty patron enjoys refreshment in the shade.

Thanks again to all those who came by to support the cause or donated online. If you couldn't make it, you can still donate to the fundraiser by clicking here.

When Life Gives you Lemons...

As important as it is to train and prepare for these races in this little adventure of mine, it is equally important, if not more so, to shed light on the charities for which I am racing. For each of these charities, I have a goal of raising $1,000 before race day (March 30, 2014), and I am committed to achieving that goal. It is my hope that those of you reading this will be touched in some way by one or more of these charities and donate to the fundraiser (all of them are open now).

In addition to actively promoting these fundraisers on this website (you can donate to these causes by clicking here and clicking on the charity you would like to donate to), my family and I have been thinking of ways to further promote the causes. Up until this point (within the last few months), we have had very, very few donations, which has led us to consider if we have gone about this the right way. Asking people to part with some of their hard earned money is by no means a talent of mine, even if it is for a good cause. I have never heard of anyone who has said they have regretted donating their money to those in need. Nor have I heard of anyone going bankrupt doing so. On the contrary, I have found that when I give freely of myself without expecting anything in return, that is when life is most fulfilling and joyous. And it is this joy that has led me to want to share this opportunity with all of you.

In an effort to expand our fundraising reach, my wife Marie came up with a great idea. This coming Sunday we are going old school. We are doing a good ol' fashioned Lemonade Stand to benefit Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, a charity which raises money for research and treatments of childhood cancer.

We will be on the corner of Camino La Pedriza and Calle Altea in San Clemente. If you would like to stop by and grab a glass of refreshment and inner peace, come on by! If you can't make it, please visit our donation page and make a donation. Every little bit counts, and it is most certainly a cause we can all get behind. It will be absolutely amazing if we can reach our goals before the race in March. Thank you all for your support!