cure crew 2007- dc style

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if you can squint your eyes juuuust a bit, until the objects in front of you begin to blur, then the two photos might just mesh together enough to create the 2007 Cure Crew. why 2 photos? the Cure Crew was SO FREAKIN' HUGE with over 40 team members- that the cameras couldn't fit us all in one frame! how awesome is that?!? we pretty much kicked MS ass.

Dad (sign holder) & Mom (sign maker)

to get serious for just a *quick* moment (promise), i want to make sure you understand the gravity of this endeavor. there is no cure for ms. research is the only lifeline those of us have. we may not picture the process, we may not understand it, but the scientists and doctors working behind the scenes? without the funding, they do not exist. so each year inspires me, and the inspiration comes from the 40 people you see in the photos above. and the 40 more that joined us in year 1 or year 2. they're not movie stars, or billionaires, or human rights activists, or networking politicians.

kate gives bryan the DL; steve, tom & john warm up; karen with mom peggy & jeff

jeff & mike; maggie brings kelly to post-walk party; kate, lauren, kathryn, meg, karen & holly

look- you can see for yourself that these ordinary people- lori is a marketing manager for Marriott. kate works in communications at a credit union agency. my mom is an art teacher. daniel works at a bank. lindsay is in media sales. marylee is studying to be a doctor. karen works for a govt. contractor. bryan's in a band. holly works at an advertising agency. matthew is in 1st grade. fran works on the Hill. i could keep going, but you get the picture. no one got up that morning and said "you know what? i'm going to change a life today." but they did. to me, our yearly Cure Crew, is all about this quote:

"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." (john wesley)

to give credit where it's due, kate's the one who brought up participating in the ms walk 3 years ago. ehhh, i wasn't so sure. many people- coworkers, friends, neighbors- didn't know about my diagnosis, and i wanted to keep it that way. hello! that was so selfish! the walk is an outlet anyone who otherwise feels helpless and powerless in the face of this disease. and as far as protecting this "big secret" of mine- that was selfish too. what was i so embarressed about? so i wasn't perfect- no one is. if anyone had a problem with it, they weren't my friends in the first place.

so we put a few feelers out... it was unbelieveable! everyone had been touched by ms in some way. and everyone wanted to walk. and those who couldn't walk, they still wanted to help. this part was a bit trickier, but only briefly. being in your early 20s, not to mention living and working in dc, isn't exactly cheap. and we didn't want to break our friends' banks in the fundraising process. so what 24 year-old doesn't live for that 6o'clock beer and bitchfest about their boss? bingo. and the hour closer to the cure happy hour was born. now that you know the basics, on to the '07 results specifically!

3rd Annual Hour Closer to a Cure
the party kicked off thursday evening at 6pm, in the swanky upstairs lounge of Gua Rapo, a tapas restaurant/bar on wilson blvd. in arlington. (*meg excuse: the unemployment budget can't fund the private jet anymore- trust me, i could have used a drink.) the reigns were officially in the hands of team captains kate and karen, who met our guests at the door (and sweetly convinced them to purchase $1 raffle tickets.) we banked on our yearly motto that who can pass up a happy hour that's for a good cause? i definitely would have joined the toast, since a dollar added to the price of sangria, mojitos and miller lites went directly to the team fundraising pot. alas, all things have to come to an end, including this one- and everyone (hopefully) had a 10pm curfew in order to rest up for the upcoming walk on saturday. i didn't get too much from my team captain reporters, but rumor had it...

- by the end of the night, julio had emptied his pockets for the cause (literally. he lost his wallet on the way home.)
- as always, candy drank in style- her beverages were mere accessories to the haute couture gloves grasping them
- a random joe donated 100 big ones!!! (he cited a good heart and the charity cause- all good reasons, but i think kate's "striking" good looks might have had something to do with it)
- final tally: $902!

Cure Crew & the 2007 MS Walk
the weather was typical of spring in dc- random and freezing cold. despite my inability to currently walk long distances, i was about to join in simply to warm up. i think that cure crew veterans account for over 50%! they're probably going to turn Pro on me next year and join another team. jk! i mean, 3 years in a row! i'm speechless. but a few highlights include:

Yolanda & Denise with Yolanda's Fan Club; Yolanda crossing the finish line

one of our 3 yr veterans, AND my fellow sister in MS, Yolanda, came in 3rd place among our team! this woman who wasn't sure she'd be able to walk in the years past, sped past all of our 37 other red walkers! everyone should be inspired by Yolanda. next year, my goal is to join with her and beat ALL the other cure crew-ers to the finish line!

I feel like theme music should be playing here...

Team Burlingham burst on the scene this year- Lori raised over $350 AND came in 1st place for the crew!! coach Paul (aka drill sargeant) placed 2nd, and rumor has it that he allowed NO rest stops- fuel could be consumed ONLY if it could be swiped from a volunteer as they speed walked by.

Ashlee Droscher & Meg at MS Walk start (DC Waterfront)

schmoozing with the big wigs ashleeeeeeeeee droscher has been with us since the beginning, esp in year 1 when we had NO clue what in the hell we were doing. i had to contribute somehow on the big day (besides ordering dad & jeff to hold signs) so i took the photo opp.

Peggy Lunardini (aka rockstar quilt maker) with Meg

"the" quilt i bragged about this hot pink wonder in an earlier posting, but i won't turn down the opportunity to brag again. the quilt was made by peggy (karen's mom)... i'm just stunned, whose friends do this for them? i think you guys totally rock. i nap alot (trust me, this is relevant, just stay with me.) and many times i've been upstairs the entire day- haven't gone outside or have any contact with "the outside world." (the stairs can be too much) and i'll curl up for a nap, and wrap this quilt around me. instantly, i remember you guys and the more than fun times we've had. in fact, many of those times involve me doing stupid things, and i'm ok with that! i'm incredibly blessed.

the photos dc girls at the ww2 memorial, new years eve '05 with the lam sisters & kimmie d, new years eve '04 (if i'm not mistaken, this was where karen & jeff embarked on their journey of love), elle & dt's rehearsal dinner, summertime at john's pool, goofing off in elle & kate's kitchen and beers at dremo's.

the squares martini glass/cheers! (karen), fish (i L-O-V-E this one fran), the dc skyline (lindsay), MEG starburst (karen), k8 luvs m3 (kate), unc (lauren, right?), lady g/maddie/beau (elle), music (kathryn)

final plug the walk may have ended saturday afternoon on april 14th, but the deadline for donations does not end until may 24th. this year, the Cure Crew goal was $10,000- and we're soooooo close. i'm 99% sure that we're going to make it, if not BEAT it! but at press time (hee hee), we have raised $8,898.00.