4th Annual GP Walk & Ride!

The last few months have been busy and though I've been a bit absent on the blog there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes.  Aside from the advocacy work I do with ThriveRx (supporting others with living on enteral and parenteral nutrition support), the next GP walk has been in the making.  

This year will mark our 4th annual event, it's hard to believe how far we have come since the first walk, small but immensely effective, in 2012. Due to personal plans in August and September the walk will be held on July 25th, again here in Bellingham, WA.  We've added bike riding as an options so the official name of the event is now: 4th annual Walk & Ride for Gastroparesis and Digestive Health.  Now that's a mouthful but pretty much covers our intentions!  

As before, 100% proceeds will go directly towards research specifically for gastroparesis through the non-profit Digestive Health Alliance (DHA), the grassroots arm of the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD).  You might recall from last year's update, with the help of fundraisers like ours and other donations, they awarded three $40,000 grants to support innovative research into idiopathic gastroparesis.  You can read more about the grants here. 

Now for the 2015 event, there are four ways we hope to reach our goal of $5000 raised...

1) Sponsorship - Companies can choose specific levels to sponsor the walk depending on amount donated and receive logo placement on promo items, web links, and so on.  So far our sponsors include Orgain (for the 4th year!), ThriveRx, Hoagland Pharmacy, People's Bank, and BioBug.  Funds = $1300

2) A-Wear-Ness Items - This is where you come in!  Last year we sold over 200 shirts and hoping to reach that at the minimum. Not only does the money go towards research, but the shirts help us spread awareness everywhere we wear them.  I know of parents that bought them for their entire family (kids included) and others who love to wear them to doctors appointments, showing how dedicated we all are to finding answers.  

The logo remains the same with the fun and funky foot with inscription: "Walk and ride for gastroparesis and digestive health 2015. Make a difference one step at a time."  Tank tops, t-shirts, and hoodies are all available for sale NOW - end of JUNE, ready to go to print and ship in July.  Jewelry available as well!  

Please check out our shop, make a purchase/donation and help spread the word in person and through social media when possible!

Go to www.gpwalk.bigcartel.com

3) Donate directly to the cause on our event website.

4) If you are able to make it to the event in person we will be hosting an Auction to bid on items donated.  So far there are some fun prizes including gift certificates for massage, pedicures, and shops, a brand new croquet set, photo sessions, artwork, gift packages from Starbucks, Fairhaven Runners and the Tennis Club,  Trader Joe's, and tickets to the Woodland Park Zoo and Bellingham Bells games.  Sure there will be more to come and some I'm forgetting!  

If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.  Looking forward to keeping you updated on the progress and shipping out our Walk & Ride GP shirts all over the country again soon!