Blogathon Vancouver 2008: Fundraising Starting Now

Due to unforeseen circumstances my Blogathon Vancouver campaign will now be taking on a later shift instead of my original 5:00am to 5:00pm on Saturday. My “1 post every 30 minutes for 24 hours” will begin upon my return so I’ll pick up the Blogathon on the fly and go until Sunday.

My cause of choice is the Union Gospel Mission in the downtown Eastside. They have been so accommodating in terms of getting their online donation page setup for Blogathon so I’m starting my fundraising early (as of right now).

Union Gospel Mission is a non-profit urban relief organization serving the Lower Mainland, providing hope for the hungry, hurting and homeless since 1940. [UGM]

Here is a sample from a post on their blog (The Street) that is eye-opening and inspiring.

As we make our way through the park, Arnie stops the van and turns all the lights on. He opens the doors and yells, “Are you hungry? Come out! Union Gospel Mission, we have food!” In that moment it hits me. We are in the middle of a park, just steps away from the downtown core of one of the world’s most opulent cities. There are people here that are lost and sleeping in the woods.

A few seconds later, a gentleman stumbles out of the forest. He tells us he has been lost. He thanks us for lighting his path but refuses any help we offer.

From the middle of the park we wind over to the water. Our searchlight combs the beach looking for hungry people sleeping on logs. We find someone. Arnie hops out and goes to wake him up. “Wake up man, I have some food for you,” he says as he gently wakes him. A cart beside him holds all his worldly possessions. He is filled with gratitude when our volunteer offers him a new, clean pair of socks.

It is a very warm evening and the beach is full of people. Some people criticize us. Some people praise us. But everyone notices us. Everyone we help is full of thanks. [TheStreet – UGM Blog]

There are currently FOUR ways you can support my Blogathon campaign:

If you are ready to donate immediately before the Blogathon starts this weekend, you can head directly to the UGM’s online donation page. When you’re there please choose “Miss604 Blogathon” from the appropriate dropdown.

If you would like to pledge a Blogathon campaign, please fill out this form. At the end of Blogathon you will be sent an email to remind you to follow through on the pledge and donate.

If you are a business you can donate $50 for a sponsored blog post or time slot to promote your company. Please contact me if you would like to donate for ad space.

If you are a blogger, you could write about the campaign – there is also a list of all other participating bloggers on my Blogathon Page.

This week will be rough for many but I am still very proud to be a part of something that will do so much good for so many non-profits and charities out there. If you have enjoyed my content over the years or even if you are a new reader, it would be great if you could help support this cause or the causes of the other bloggers. Thanks so much to everyone in advance.