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ST. GERARD WALKATHON 2008

Celebrating Five Years

Spring 2008 Newsle= tter

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= THE BIG DAY

Sunday, June 8, 2008 at 12 Noon

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This year, we hope to raise $5,000 for pregnant girls and women in need.

Based on proceeds from the past four years (click here), this should be feasible.

Anything you can= do to help will be greatly appreciated.

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5th ANNIVERSARY KICKOFF FUNDRAISER<= span style=3D'font-family:"Comic Sans MS";mso-bidi-font-family:Arial'>

This effort brought in $223 of net proceeds.  Various mag= nets and desk pens were sold. Desk calendars with photos of past youth gro= ups, families, and friends were also sold. All items are still availa= ble. Click here fo= r the order form.

T-SHIRTS

Special anniversary t-shirts will be given out this year.  They will have multiple colors. The approximate designs can be seen&nbs= p;in the attached pdf files -- Set your viewing to 40 or 5= 0%. Thank you to our generous t-shirt donor.

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YOUTH GROUPS ARE COMING, AGAIN

1) If the turnout is like last year's, we will be blessed= to have five to ten or more teenagers from = Immaculate Conception's Confirmation Program in Marlboro.  Some of us attended their 2008 Community Service Night, and several teenagers stopped by to pick up information. We look forward to their supp= ort.

2) If there is enough interest, a new group will be coming from the Westboro= YMCA. Betsy Moquin, Community Rela= tions Coordinator, and other staff, met with us this week to discuss collaboration opportunities. They invited us to set up a table at their Healthy Kids Fair in April. They also said they will help publicize the walkathon beyond that, and if possible, arrang= e a bus for their teens to travel to and from Gates Pond. Thank you to the YMCA.

3) We also expect some of the youth groups from other local churches&= nbsp;to accept our invitations and lift us with their lively spirits.

ADULT GROUPS ARE COMING, TOO

Many singles and parents are coming with friends and family. We hope the local women's and men's groups and mixed adult groups will come as well.&n= bsp; All kinds of teams are possible. Look here.

INIVITATIONS TO CLERGY<= /span>

The&nb= sp;bishop of Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Marl= boro will be in the area on June 8, and Father Michael McKinnon, who will be wal= king with his family, hopes to convince the bishop to attend. Cardinal O'Malley, the Catholic Archbishop of = Boston, and Bishop McManus, of Worcester, were invited. Unfortunately, both had previous commitments. They did wish us t= he best and said they will be praying for our effort. Other local clergy have been invited an= d are welcome to bring others with them.=

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PUBLICITY

1) In February, a = ;newspaper article about the St. Gerard Walkathon appeared in the National Catholic Register. Several people were interviewed. Someone from as far away as Wisconsin called to applaud the effort= and suggest a way to boost proceeds. <= span style=3D'font-family:Arial;color:#BF00BF'>Click here fo= r my interview with the reporter. Click here&nb= sp;to read the article; to magnify the print, click on it when you see it.

2) Notices are up on several web site calendars, Cable TV in Hudson and Marlboro, Action Unlimited, and church bulletins and newsletters. Thank you to all these organizations.

3) This year's 8-1/2" x 11" flyer is complete. It will be emailed under sepa= rate cover.

4) Invitational postcards w= ill be mailed late April, early May.

And let's not forget....<= o:p>

THE WEB SITE

It has history about the walkathon and information about Birthr= ight and Spring House. The yearly tally of proceeds is also on the web sit= e, along with in-depth practical information, like answers to:

"To whom should checks be made out?"

"Where can I get a pledge sheet?"

"What do I do with the money I've collected?",&nb= sp;and

"How do I get to Gates Pond?"

www.stge= rardwalkathon.org - click on it

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If you= have other ideas for publicizing, please let me know.

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FORMALITIES

On a more legalistic note, there is a new waiver for everyone to read and sign = at the bottom of this year's pledge sheet. Click here Please do this for yoursel= f and all children under 18.

Early Reminder: <= span style=3D'font-family:Arial;color:#00007F;background:#DFBFFF'> The Town of <= st1:place w:st=3D"on">Hudson does n= ot allow dogs or pets of any kind to participate in the walkathon.<= span style=3D'font-family:Arial;color:#00007F;background:white'> Thank you= for honoring their rules.

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APPRECIATION

My gratitude runs deep. Thank you for all that you do.

Regards,

Kathleen