For those who read this blog regularly, you know about our "One Day, One Dollar, One Goal...to Find a Cure" campaign recently held in bakeries all across the country in memory of a former Great Harvest owner, Mauri Booton. This campaign focused on raising funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through their Team in Training program to support Mauri's wife, Mary, in her efforts for the San Diego Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon.
The "One Day, One Dollar, One Goal" campaign was a huge success on every level. We sailed past the original goal of $35,000 to help Mary cross the $50,000 mark. In addition, $5000 dollars was also raised to fund two memorial scholarships in honor of Mauri.
The generosity was overwhelming and Mary was the number two 
fundraiser in the nation for this event. The accomplishment was acknowledged at the Top Fundraising Dinner on the Friday night before the event, and of all things, the award was in the form of a gold record! It couldn't have been more perfect to honor Mauri, who inspired us all with his passion for music.
Along this journey, we learned that if Mary crossed the $50,000 mark there would also be a research grant designated in honor of Mauri, so that became a goal as well. At the Inspiration Dinner the night before the race, Mary was presented with another beautiful award and information about the research grant. It was an extremely proud moment that she shares with everyone who contributed to the campaign.
Mike Ferretti (Great Harvest's CEO), Jill Morrill, Mary and I had an 
amazing day together during the race. I've never participated in anything like this in my life, and at age 50, I'm still in a bit of shock that I committed to do something so out of my comfort zone. But there were so many good friends who supported me during my training and who believed I could...and that made all the difference.
I can't begin to describe the emotions as we crossed the finish line. This event raised $12,000,000 for cancer research. And, the importance of that was never more obvious than the morning of the race as we took off through the neighborhoods of San Diego. Along the course, we were met by cheering crowds and all the encouragement we needed, but what stood out the most were the simple hand-made signs that said "Thank you! From a cancer survivor."
I wanted to share their thanks with each of you... because it 
belongs to every customer, bakery owner, employee, and vendor that supported this campaign. As our friend Jill says, "It takes a village." Well, this is a pretty amazing village we have here and, we can be so proud of what we've done together.
Have you ever focused on a fundraising effort yourself that was met with overwhelming generosity?
