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“Mom, I want to do something big for next year’s walk,” she said to me one day last winter. “I’m going to shave my head to raise money for PWS.”
It wasn’t a question or a request. It was a determined and heartfelt statement from my then-11-year-old daughter, Annelise. She wanted to help. She wanted to make a difference in her big sister’s life, in our family’s life, and in the lives of all those with Prader Willi Syndrome. The walk she was referring to is the annual One Small Step Walk in support of the Foundation for Prader Willi Research (FPWR). This was its eighth year, and the fourth year I've hosted it.
I told her she should keep the idea to herself and think about it for a while… the walk was still months away and I didn’t want her to commit to something and then decide she didn’t want to do it. But every time I checked in with her, she would tell me she was still going to do it. She never wavered.
A couple days before the walk, I asked if she wanted to have a bit of fuzz left on her head so that she could get a cool design trimmed into her hair right away, and she was rather annoyed by the suggestion.
“Mom!” she replied shortly, “I said I was going to shave my head, so I’m going to shave my head. Bald!”
I’m just a wee bit proud of her.
By the numbers
The walk took place last week on Sunday, September 10. We had perfect weather, an impressive turnout (approximately 200 people), and a lot of fun. Here is the story of Annelise’s fundraising “by the numbers”:
5,000: The ambitious fundraising goal Annelise set to shave her head for PWS research.
40: The number of personalized posters she delivered door-to-door to people in our neighbourhood.*
65: The unprecedented number of individual donations made to her (our family’s) fundraising page!*
3: The number of people who walked up to her at the park moments before she shaved her head and handed her a cash donation to add to her fundraising pot.
1,000,000: The number of butterflies in her stomach as the clippers turned on and came towards her head.
12 and 7: Annelise’s age and the grade she’s in. (Yes, my baby is in junior high now!)
6,375: The amount of money this amazing kid and wonderful sister raised for PWS research!
* The sharing of information about the walk and PWS, and the increase in the number of donations are exciting – and important to note – because the One Small Step walk is not just about raising money; it’s also about increasing awareness of PWS.
The overall results are equally impressive. This year’s target for Calgary’s 2017 One Small Step Walk was $30,000, and I am thrilled to announce that we raised a total of $42,745!
The struggle is real. And so is the fatigue.
I know that after eight years of this event and after eight years of me asking for your donations, there is such a thing as donor fatigue. So please know that I am deeply grateful for the ongoing generosity of our regular supporters.
It’s difficult to articulate how much it means to me, but, in an attempt to try, I will share this story. Each year on the morning of the walk, there’s a lot of hubbub and excitement and energy. I get up early, review my checklist of supplies, get my latte, and head to the park to meet the set-up crew (and every year, I guess just because I am Stephanie, I manage to arrive about 10 minutes late!).
But before I jump into any of that, every year I sit down for a quiet moment before all the craziness begins, to review my speaking notes one last time. And every year tears well up in my eyes. I get emotional because I’m trying to come up with a way to communicate to the crowd what PWS has meant for our lives. I get emotional because I’m so deeply grateful for the support of our “village”. I get emotional because it’s impossible to adequately explain what a difference they are making.
We rely heavily on our network of friends and family to help spread the word, along with the use of social media and whatever traditional media coverage we’re able to drum up. But it has been very challenging to grow our “asking circle”. That is why I’m SO excited by the increase in the overall number of donors this year!
I want to give a special thank you and welcome to our first-time supporters. Your contributions buoyed our fundraising spirits because it can be difficult to attract new donors for such a rare and unknown thing as PWS.
Well, the banners and signage are back up on the garage shelf. The pledge sheets and cheques have been mailed to FPWR. Annelise’s hair has already visibly grown. That’s a wrap on the 2017 One Small Step walk. Until next year, my friends. And once again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Click on the photos below to enlarge and read the captions.
