Smiling For a Good Cause - St. Jude

Sunday was a BUSY day for me! I was going as soon as I got out of bed and didn't stop until about 8:00pm when I put the little ones to bed. It ended up being a really great day though. One of those days where you look at the time and wonder where the day went but then you think back about your day and smile.

I am going to be participating in a St. Jude run this summer. St. Jude is a children's hospital that treats children with cancer and other serious diseases. My goal is to raise $750 before I run on July 21st.
I am currently at $455 raised. Less than $300 to go!

The St. Jude patients and their families are never asked to pay a dime for any of the treatments received. Ever. So, yeah, it's a really good cause. Good enough to make me go stand in front of Wal-Mart and collect donations for 2 hours on a warm Sunday afternoon. Let me just insert here that you see some pretty crazy things standing in front of Wal-Mart for two hours...

Shopping at Wal-Mart does not even make my list of things I'd like to do on a Sunday afternoon. However, standing out front, collecting donations was pretty rewarding. So many people stopped to drop change or a dollar or even more into the collection can. By the end of the two hours my can was stuffed full. It was awesome. It was hot. I got a sunburn on my arms and let me tell you it looks pretty goofy considering they were bent to hold a sign and a can the whole time. What is it with me and goofy sunburns?!?! I just kept thinking of who I was helping though, why I was doing this and how much it would mean to the children and families who need it. So, I kept smiling and greeting as many people as I could.

Really, that was a pretty simple thing to do anyway. Standing, smiling, and hoping you can make a even the smallest difference.

My friend, Kristen, showed up with her hubby and older son to take my place. It was neat to see the three of them take over and immediately take donations.

Before heading to Wal-Mart, I baked cupcakes with my two little ones. When I got home we decorated the cupcakes, spent time with family, played outside and just had a great day. The kind that I looked back on with a big smile on my face.

If you would like to make a donation to St. Jude and help me reach my fundraising goal, you can click on the link below. Thank you!

www.stjudepeoriaruns.org/bekahd

Peace, Love, Happiness!
~Bekah