Make Spalding Suffer

You know you want to.

Or, perhaps you just want to support the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels and the great work it does in Chicago's West Humboldt Park.

Or both, in which case you can kill two birds with one stone (without even needing a dexterity bonus).

The Chicago Marathon Team Our Lady of the Angels (Team OLA) is looking for support in the last week before the Marathon. And this runner is looking for sponsors to help him meet his fundraising goal.

For those of you who have already made a gift or who have spread the word,

Thank You.

In the bargain, I've made a number of new friends, which of course is great.

Two days ago, I made the first fundraising appeal here. But below are the pertinent links again:

Mission of Our Lady of the Angels

Team OLA page with cool Team OLA Motivational Video (emphasis on "cool")
Donate to Team Member Oakes Spalding (I know it says "to" but it's going to the Mission)

For the fun of it, I thought I would create some giving levels in the 'old school' style. The Marathon is 26.2 miles, so you can give x per mile translated out to the approximate values below. Interestingly, the gift amounts roughly approximate the experience point totals in some of the editions and clones.

MARATHON TEAM OLA GIFT MATRIX: 

Sponsorship Level	$ Per Mile		Gift Amount
Veteran	.50		10
Warrior	1		25
Swordsman	2		50
Hero	3		75
Swashbuckler	5		100
Myrmidon	10		250
Champion	20		500
Super Hero	50		1000
Lord	100		2500

I don't have specific benefits at each level, but I will commit to sending mint copies of the four Seven Voyages of Zylarthen booklets, to all donors of $75 or more. Or if you prefer, I'll zoom you a new DVD of the wonderful and inspirational bio-pic of the 1972 U.S. Olympian Steve Prefontaine, Without Limits.

If you make a major gift, I can't promise you a barony. But for better or worse, you'll have me as a devoted follower for the rest of your life. Or not, if you prefer. And to be serious, the Mission--including Father Lombardo, the nuns, postulants and lay supporters--will be blown away by your generosity.

We only have a week, so if you would like to help, time is of the essence. Pledges (without immediate payments) are welcome, but they would probably have to be done through me as the giving page only accepts credit cards (I think).

This will be my 9th marathon as a middle-aged geezer (or my 11th if you count the two I ran when I was fourteen). And though it won't be my fastest (that one will be next year if I remain injury free), it will certainly be the most important.

Cheers and thanks again!

Oakes