Amazing!

Just had to share - CZC  Runs Disney Marathon Team Member Laura O'Connor created this dish in honor of this incredible fundraiser for CZC!  

CZC Runs Disney Shirts!

Our shirts have arrived and they look fabulous!  All team members in the Richmond area are asked to find a few minutes to pick your shirt(s) up at the CZC Office sometime between now and close of business on Wednesday, January 5.  That will help the Planning Committee greatly in our efforts to distribute the shirts.  Thanks everyone - 

Wow, Wow, WOW

INCREDIBLE. 

THANK YOU to everyone who has supported this team along the way with a donation or with a high-five or supportive comment as we head out on a training run.  We truly are doing something extraordinary here.  

This team is doing amazing things!!  I feel so grateful for each and every member of this incredible team, and for the difference we are making in the lives of grieving children.  Every person you speak to about this event is now an ambassador for CZC and is now in a position to refer the grieving children in their life to a life-transforming weekend at CZC.

As of today...

  

THANK YOU, THANK YOU

THANK YOU

Thankful for this team!

Going into the Thanksgiving Holiday, I am so very THANKFUL for the 37 dedicated members of this incredible team who have committed to running the Disney World Marathon and Half Marathon in January 2011 to raise $50,000 to send grieving children to Comfort Zone Camp.  I am thankful for the CZC staff and volunteers who make CZC the magical place that it is.  I am thankful for all of the friends I have within my CZC family...which is basically everyone I have ever met at CZC because that's the warm dynamic of camp.  I am also tremendously thankful for the campers who come to camp and have the courage to let their guards down, grieve and heal.  


I am also indescribably thankful for the partnership between CZC and the Sheilah A. Doyle Foundation, which next fall in Chicago will provide a camp specifically for children who have lost a parent to homicide.  Given my line of work with victims of violent crime, words cannot describe the joy I feel knowing that these kids will be able to go to a camp where every single other kid there understands what it's like to be grieving the loss of their parent who was murdered.  It is a truly phenomenal partnership, and I feel so thankful for the partnership and to have had the chance to get to meet and know the Doyle siblings who made all of this happen. 


With coordinating this Team, it has been absolutely incredible to see this team grow from 4 of us who had this big idea back in June to now 37 team members representing 9 states.  It is amazing to think that we are inspiring others to accomplish things they never thought they would ever do, in running a Half or Full Marathon.  It is AMAZING to think about how many children who have suffered the devastating loss of their parent or sibling will have the opportunity to go to CZC because of the money we are raising.  And it has been so very exciting to celebrate the fundraising milestones we have hit: $1,000, $5,000, $10,000, $15,000.   


I am so thrilled to now celebrate our team reaching and surpassing the $20,000 milestone!!  


As of today, this incredible team has raised $21,143 to send grieving children to a life-transforming weekend at CZC.  That is AMAZING and definitely something to be thankful for. 

CZC VA November Camp + another fundraising milestone!

There was a strong showing by the CZC Runs Disney Marathon team at CZC VA November Camp!  What an incredible weekend.

(L-R:) Bernadette, Kate, Tammy, Abby, Erin, Maggie, Stephanie and Alex.

Also, our incredible team has passed the $15,000 fundraising milestone on our way to raising $50,000 for CZC! 

T H A N K    Y O U

to everyone who has donated for their support!

As of today we have raised...

A  M  A  Z  I  N  G . 

Our team is AMAZING.

Their family and friends who have donated 

are AMAZING.

And the healing that happens 

at Comfort Zone Camp 

is AMAZING.

DC Happy Hour!

Erin Love of the CZC Runs Disney Planning Committee and Marathon Team, along with Jaysen Lowry, also of the Marathon Team, hosted a Happy Hour Fundraiser at Tunnicliff's in D.C. on Friday, October 22, 2010.  Customers received drink and food specials by making a donation in any amount to CZC.  They raised an incredible $919 in three and a half hours to send grieving children to CZC!!  

Several members of the CZC Runs Disney Team came out to support: (Left to Right) 
Maggie, Erin, Matt, Jaysen, Allison and Ray 

Fundraising Resource + Update!

Here is an amazing website which has all sorts of information and ideas about fundraising: StepbyStepFundraising.com.  


Speaking of fundraising, the latest fundraising update for the CZC Runs Disney Team is...

If you have additional questions about fundraising, contact the CZC Runs Disney Planning Committee at CZCrunsDisney@gmail.com.

Fundraising update!

Our incredible team of 31 participants will travel to Walt Disney World from all over the country- Virginia, North Carolina, Washington DC, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Washington state and Texas!  With gratitude to everyone who has generously donated to our team, here is the latest fundraising update! 

Another fundraising milestone!

With overwhelming gratitude to the family and friends of our incredible team. 

Golf Tournament donates to CZC Runs Disney

CZC Runs Disney Half Marathon Team member Julie Rosson received a $560 donation from the 35 teams at the Kirby Cup Golf Tournament on October 1, 2010 in Richmond, VA.  What an incredibly generous donation from all involved.  The entire CZC Runs Disney Team would like to especially thank Matt Hines and Mike Wyatt who coordinated and ran the tournament.  Below are some pictures from the event. 

Julie sitting on one of the prizes - an oversized camping chair - holding her homemade CZC bucket 

Thank you so very much for supporting Comfort Zone Camp and the CZC Runs Disney Team. 

Team and Fundraising Updates!

Our Team is doing an amazing job with fundraising.  We are so close to the $10,000 fundraising milestone! 

DC Happy Hour Fundraiser

The 4 DC-area members of the CZC Runs Disney Planning Committee recently had a Happy Hour Fundraiser at Mister Days in Clarendon, VA.  We had a table with information about CZC and CZC Runs Disney, and accepted donations.  We raised nearly $200 to go toward our $50,000 fundraising goal :)

Fundraising Update!

WOW 

Fundraising update

The CZC Runs Disney Team is incredible...

Our family and friends are incredible...

The true miracle

The Road is not always smooth or flat. There are times when it may seem as though you are running away from who you are much more than running toward who you want to be.  There may be times when your body betrays you and your spirit abandons you.  The path to enlightenment is not clearly marked.

But millions of runners have gone before you.  Each of them has faced the same fear and uncertainty.  Each of them has learned, as you will, the truth in the Penguin Credo.

For all of us, the miracle isn’t that we finish, the miracle is that we have the courage to start.

-John “The Penguin” Bingham, 
The Courage to Start

Wow

With overwhelming gratitude to our family and friends who have donated to help send grieving children to camp. 

Another fundraising milestone!

Thanks to amazing support from family and friends, the CZC Runs Disney team has raised over $6,ooo to send grieving children to Comfort Zone Camp! :)

Fundraising update

THANK YOU to everyone who has donated to help send grieving children to CZC 

30 Participants!

We have 30 confirmed participants!!  
6 for the Full Marathon
19 for the Half Marathon 
5 Cheerleaders
And our amazing team has pledged to raise $33,750 and has actually raised just under $5,000!! 


Our top 3 fundraisers are Julie ($1,945 raised so far), Erin ($1,525 raised so far) and Gayle ($1,315).  Great job everyone!


A big THANK YOU to everyone on the team and to those who are supporting the Team.  We are doing something extraordinary here. 

CZC in the Boston Globe and NC's News & Observer

The Boston Globe visited CZC Boston Camp this past weekend, and featured CZC in an article on the front page today. View the article here. 

Also, NC’s News and Observer newspaper featured CZC in an article in advance of the first CZC NC camp which is to be held September 25-26, 2010. View the article here. 


CNN was out at CZC NJ this past weekend for an upcoming segment.  

Go CZC!

Look How Far We've Come!

Look How Far We've Come!

As I sit here, I am amazed at how far we've come.  This whole idea began with a conversation over dinner between 4 CZC volunteers in June (see picture below from that night).  Not sure how, but somehow the 4 of us decided it would be fun to run the Disney Marathon/Half Marathon.  Then we decided it would be fun to  run and raise money for Comfort Zone. And then we decided it would be fun to recruit other CZC volunteers, families and supporters to run/walk and raise money with us.  We brought two other incredible CZC volunteers on board to be a part of the Planning Committee, and look how far we've come.

Now we have 28 confirmed participants who have pledged to raise $29,750.

Unbelievable!!! We have CZC volunteers, camper parents and people who have only heard about CZC but whose hearts have been touched by the lives that are transformed at CZC.  They have all committed to travel to Orlando, Florida and to run/walk a Half Marathon or Full Marathon to raise money for Comfort Zone. 

That, my friends, is a testament to the magic of Comfort Zone Camp.  CZC isn’t just another charity.  Grief eventually touches us all.  If we are fortunate enough not to have lost someone close to us ourselves, we all know someone who has tragically lost a parent, sibling, child or friend.  CZC is a game-changer in the world of those living with grief and loss.  We are doing this for all of the people and especially for all of the children, who have suffered unimaginable losses and who desperately need the CZC community to help them understand that they are not alone. 

Almost $30,000 pledged!

So our 27 participants have pledged to raise $27,750!! Way to go CZC Runs Disney Team!

Latest numbers are:

6 for the Full Marathon

16 for the Half Marathon

5 Cheerleaders

$2,080 raised so far!

Also, The Planning Committee came across this Ad for the Disney Half/Full Marathon Race Weekend in a magazine...

...and decided to create one for CZC Runs Disney! :)

Email the Planning Committee at CZCrunsDisney@gmail.com if you have any questions.  Go Team CZC Runs Disney!!

Enough for 4 campers!

As of this morning, we have 26 people signed up (6 for the full marathon, 16 for the half marathon and 4 cheerleaders) who have pledged to raise $28,500!!  And so far, with 6 participants having begun fundraising, we have raised $2,080!! That is enough to send 4 grieving children to camp! 

The full marathon is currently 65% full, the half marathon is 77% full, so if you know of people who are thinking about signing up, encourage them to do it soon!

Go CZC Runs Disney Team!

Enough for 2 campers!!

So only 6 of our 25 confirmed participants have started fundraising, and already we have raised $1,285!!  Which is enough to send 2 kids to camp!  Great job everyone. Our $50,000 goal will send 100 kids to camp, and with our incredible participants having pledged to raise $28,500 already, we are well on our way!!

One of the things that makes the Disney Races different is that we get to run THROUGH Disney World!! I did a Google Image search and found these pictures. 

CZC on the Today Show again!

So the Today Show re-aired the amazing segment about CZC in the 8 o'clock hour with Meredith Viera doing the lead-in with the fabulous Sara Haines.  View the incredible segment here: http://ow.ly/2od4L.  CZC NJ volunteers showed up again and did a marvelous job representing CZC. Here are some of the pictures from both days.

The whole group

CZC NJ Volunteer Krista with the Today Show's Sara Haines the first time the segment aired

The Planning Committee's Maria Cruz 

CZC Volunteer Krista with the Today Show's Sara Haines the second time the segment aired