So here is the skinny in 5 quick points...

1.  I am running a half marathon in Uganda!  seems nuts right?  feels that way to me too.  and yes, I know they have half marathons in chicago.  although I have NEVER run this far in my life, i am super excited for the physical challenge and, because that is not enough, I am also working to raise an ENORMOUS amount of money for charity...

2.  Every dollar donated will be matched....TWICE!!  all donations collected for The Gorilla Organization through this website will be matched TWICE...once for Casting for Recovery (a breast cancer charity that has my heart) and again for the Lakeview Pantry (my fabulous local food pantry).  so to clarify.  imagine that you donate $25.  that $25 will then magically turn into $75.  amazing right?  when could you last have the opportunity to save the gorillas, make the lives of breast cancer survivors richer, and feed those in need with one single donation?

3.  My ultimate fundraising goal is $30,000.  that is $10,000 from you that will then be matched TWICE!  in the end $10,000 will go to The Gorilla Organization, $10,000 for Casting for Recovery (north carolina chapter), and $10,000 for the Lakeview Pantry.  now this is a pretty tall order, so I am asking you to please pass this on to some people who you may know that might be interested in helping me meet this monumental goal.  no donation is too small. really.  even $1 turns into $3.

4.  This site is based in the UK so the donations are NOT in US$!  this means that you will need to convert the amount of money in US dollars that you want to donate into UK Pounds.  as of now, the conversion rate is $1 US=1.50 UK Pounds.  to make it easier, I have some conversions below to help you determine how much you can and want to contribute:

$5 US = 3 UK Pounds

$10 US = 7 UK Pounds

$25 US = 17 UK Pounds

$50 US = 33 UK Pounds

$100 US = 67 UK Pounds

$250 US = 166 UK Pounds

$500 US  = 333 UK Pounds

again, every bit of currency no matter how you look at it is going to make a huge difference!!  

5.  The details.

This Website JustGiving: Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

The Charities:  To learn more about the charities that I am running for please check out these links:

The Gorilla Organization: http://tempuri.org/tempuri.html or http://www.gorillas.org/

Casting for Recovery (north carolina chapter): http://tempuri.org/tempuri.html or http://www.castingforrecovery.org/ 

The Lakeview Pantry: http://tempuri.org/tempuri.html or http://www.lakeviewpantry.org/

The Run: http://tempuri.org/tempuri.html or http://www.209events.com/event.php?event=127# 

I know that was a lot.  But the sum up is.... I am crazy and I would love for you to tap into your crazy side as well and join me meeting this colossal goal!  Many thanks!

Warmly, Kate