Our Role is Set!

First of all I want to thank everyone who has supported Alex and I as Team Motivated Motion!
The old and new friends who have come to support us is huge!
We worked really really hard because you all made such great efforts to encourage us this far.

We said we would use this blog as long as the team lasts and we are committed to the walk.

We have already signed our 2011 commitment to participate in the walk.

For those interested in joining the team and training with Lynn and/or Alex for the 2011 event will be able to register early, and we will pass on this info when it is available.

We are continuing the training through the fall and then the winter, with the strong training focus to be ramped up sometime near the end of February.

If you wish to join the team as a walker, or crew member(non walker) you can do that! We would love that!
In early 2011 Lynn will get commitment from corporate sponsors to match the team's fundraising efforts. So we will have some corporate back-up for our efforts.

Join the team early and start the fundraising in the New Year, begin the training this year, and prepare to have the biggest blast you could possibly have!

The team did not make its fundraising limit. We were close. But close does not count. We both had the opportunity to have another two day responsibility for our efforts so we could partake of the whole experience.

Alex made a decision this Wednesday to go home, as there was a pressing problem with his primer design program he wrote for Amber and the simple fix became quite difficult this week, as he tried to fix this remotely and it just could not come together. So I felt it was meant to be that he go home so he could easily deal with the problem there.

I (Lynn) am still confirmed as a media walker. But I just missed my goal to walk, so I am taking on another role. I will still be interviewed by the media, and then I will take on the crew role and be able to work at specific stations over the two days. I am thrilled with this!
When it was looking like I may have to walk alone without my team mate I was a bit nervous. Now I get to partake of the whole experience and be part of the big group and still talk to the news and represent Newmarket, and I get to support the walkers in a huge way!
My job will now actually start on Friday!
I will also have more opportunity to take photos and tweet and send Facebook messages about the experience! I will be armed with my trusty camera and video camera and extra batteries and chargers and memory cards to cover the event!

Lynn will be interviewed by the media on the event days, so please watch for her on the Toronto News stations!

I will have a really clear picture of the whole of the experience, as I will spend three days helping out instead of two and I will see the back end and participant end, and be able to share the experience to be even a better team leader for next year!

We so appreciate everything you all have done and the support you all have given us! Please follow the blog here, or Lynn Lundy Tucker on Facebook over the weekend! or @WitchAmy on Twitter to get the latest news about the weekend event!

Bless you all for getting us this far! Please remember us next year, as the Team Motivated Motion remains alive for 2011! Please consider joining us as a walker or crew for next year!

Thanks so much,

Lynn Tucker
and
Alex Tucker

Do You Want To Support Us With A Web Donation?

Alex and I really appreciate the efforts of everyone who is encouraging and supporting us in the walk.

If you are visiting here because you want to make a web donation, it is easy.

There are two boxes in the right margin of this blog. They are buttons that take you to the official site that is set to our licensed participation numbers.

There is one box for Lynn and one box for Alex. We need to have $1250 for our first goal and $2000 for the second goal. If we make it to two thousand we get to do two days.

If we are short we won't be able to participate. We would really like to participate after doing so much work in training.

Alex and I don't see all your private info. We get a way to link our email to the system so you can reply to our current thank you notes if you wish. We actually generate them through the official charity site.

You get an invoice immediately, and then for every donation $10.00 and over you get a tax receipt sent to you from the charity by email.

Thanks again in advance!

The Last Minute Canvassing

We have received lots of local donations and support. We are trying really hard to get our donation level up to commit to walk two days instead of one.
The more we raise the more km's we will be able to walk!
We are walking all over our neighbourhood going door-to-door to connect with the folks in our training area.
We have been received well by everyone! It is a wonderful experience to get so much encouragement from our town.
If you see us walking please say, "Hi" and ask us any questions you wish!

We really appreciate any value of support.
$10.00 is the minimum the charity requires to give an official receipt, but if you give less that is absolutely fine, and you will get an invoice for the donation from the charity. It gets sent by email.

If you don't have an email address to have the invoice sent to, Lynn will bring an invoice sent to her email on your behalf, right to your home!

If you want to make a credit card donation, we have forms for that too, or we can give you an info card so you can make a secure web donation right to the charity with our participation number attached!

Thanks to everyone in the neighbourhood who has supported us these last few weeks through our door-to-door canvassing.

Please watch the local news this weekend, and perhaps you will get to see us interviewed as media walkers for the event!

We really appreciate the web donations sent in by friends too! Some friends have made multiple donations over the past months and we are so grateful for the support.

We have had a few supporters we met who are interested in joining our team next year! If you also would like to join us please let us know. You can contact Lynn at:
motivatedmotion [at] sympatico [dot] ca
We can begin prepping for next year in February!
We have been notified that our official pages will remain current to the end of this year, so folks can make donations through the pages and see what we are up to right until the end of this year.

Our donation metres are growing in leaps and bounds. They won't quite reflect what we have collected this week, as some donations are held back a few days for admin. Most donations show up on the metre within 48hours. If you donated and you got no receipt sent in email, please contact Lynn at the above email address and she will call the admin office and make a query on your behalf. Please give your email address and telephone number in the email so an official rep can call once Lynn makes the query.

Thanks again!

Lynn and Al

Our Door-To-Door Canvassing Has Begun

With the Starcraft 2 Tournament this weekend, and the BBQ out of the way, and our major training hump (to accomplish easily 10km/day) taken care of....we are now doing our door-to-door canvassing.

Tonight was our first experience with it. We had a great time. No one turned us down at the door, and most had money ready in hand to give.

It was great hearing everyone's personal story and their words of encouragement and support for Alex and I. We were only out for a short period of time this evening and got substantial donations to support us on our walk.

Tomorrow I will head out to visit some local businesses to drum up some more support.

Please check out the Starcraft 2 tournament this weekend. If you play please join up before Saturday at noon.

If you see us walking around town come and say "Hi!"

Thanks to all the folks who are making our canvassing such a great experience!

Lynn Gets Asked To Be A Media Walker For The September Event!

I am so excited!
I have been asked to be a Media Walker for the Weekend to End Women's Cancer Walk in Toronto, on September 11th and 12th.
I was contacted week-before-last. I thought about it for a couple of days, and then I accepted the offer.
On the Walk news agencies and TV stations will contact me via cell phone and find out where I am on the route and then make their way to me and walk with Alex and I and ask us questions, and I am to share my story.
My story is in the margin on the right side of this blog...just click my photo and you can read the story.

I will admit to everyone that I am training well! But my life is not back to normal by any means. I still have nurses every morning to help me get my day started. Once I am rolling I am fine, but I do need a bit of help getting showered, and getting dressed. Once I am done with that I only need help again at bedtime, and my family is home to help me then. Alex joined my team to keep me safe, and to be a support walker who knows my medical needs and everything to do with my medication and my limitations. He trains with me so we know I have someone with me at all times. I could not do the walk without him. Where I am strong and able to walk, I am contrasted by a crazy shoulder injury that happened before the cancer surgeries that has hampered my recovery. The training has kept up my morale while I have been lame to be able to accomplish anything else except the walking!

Obviously most folks would have not even tried to train for the walk. But for me something inside me was like a voice telling me that if I don't train to do this walk and make a serious effort with the training, my mind and emotions would not survive the sense of entrapment I have as a result of my frozen shoulder. I have never been so beat down by a physical injury and the recovery from surgeries in all of my days until now. So I grasp hard at my daily accomplishments in the training!

We are now doing 10kms a day in our training, and all of it is on residential streets in Newmarket, with impressive steep hills along the trek. We basically perimeter a major part of our town. You can find us walking the Perimeter of Yonge St to Main and boundaried between Green Lane and Eagle Streets on the North and South. This Saturday folks can find me walking all over downtown Toronto starting at Union Station around 11AM, while taking part in a social walk with some friends for the whole day..... I will FB and Tweet where I am walking to next on Saturday....

I am agile on my legs for sure, and my breathing is so amazing, and my heart rate is so even all the time. I have gone down two clothing sizes so far, and I am now losing weight at a fairly rapid rate! ....All positive ends. I am not so disappointed by not being able to use my right arm too well, and I am not saddened at all by my inability to do too many chores, or work in the studio much at all these past 10 months because I have the training. I have also been able to cut my pain medication doses in half. Plus my diabetes is quite under control too! This is exactly why this walk I am doing is FOR ME...with the benefit of raising money for a charity that has already funded research to help me stay well in my future.
It is not easy to juggle the recovery and the training and I feel very fortunate that I am well enough to do it, and I empathize with those who just cannot try because they did not luck out as well as me with their diagnosis, surgery and recovery. I will take you all in my heart with me on walk day and if you see me cheering on the news and walking and knitting my way through Toronto..Please know that on Walk day I am cheering for YOU.

A few weeks after the Walk in September I will have my 6month examination after surgery. I feel confident that I will screen clear of the cancer, as my post op pathology was clean.
*****************************************************************

To address something that has occurred in Toronto with fraud over cancer survival:

There has been a young woman arrested for frauding folks out of their money on the internet by saying she is a cancer patient. I am sure this all is making everyone wary, so I have taken scans of mine and Alex's official participation letters so you can see we are official numbered participants of an official numbered Canadian Charity event. The two photos below are shots of our official letters.

Also I just wanted to let you know that if you support us by clicking on the icons in the margin that donation goes directly to the charity through their official site, and you get a receipt in email right way, and I believe you get your official tax receipt in the email as well. Nothing goes into mine or Alex's personal account, and your privacy is protected, and we cannot see your credit card number etc.

The Starcraft 2 Tournament To End Cancer (August 14th and 15th)

This September 11th and 12th I am participating in The Weekend to End Women's Cancer (http://www.endcancer.ca/); walking 60 km over the weekend with my Mom to raise money and awareness for women’s cancers. In order to participate, we each need to raise $4000 dollars in donations. One of my fundraising efforts is going to be host a charity Star Craft II tournament.

How To Enter

A minimum $25 donation will be required to play in the tournament. Email me at tucker.al at gmail dot com and I will send you a link where you can make your donation. Once I get confirmation that you made a donation I will add you to the bracket. (Tax receipts will be issued for the donations)

When

August 14th and 15th (Starting 12PM EST each day)

Where

Battle.net (US Server)

Tournament Info

This is a 1v1 single elimination style tournament. There is a player cap of 32 filling on a fist come first serve basis. The Round of 32, 16 and 8 will be played on Saturday and will be Best of 3 games. The Semi Finals and Finals will be played on Sunday and be Best of 5 games. I will be playing in the tournament, but I will also be casting other games in the tournament for everyones enjoyment.

Map Pool

All Blizzard maps up to 4 players are sanctioned for this tournament. All matches will start on Lost Temple. After that, it is losers choice.

Prizes

I approached a bunch of businesses to sponsor this event, and sadly no one will. So I am putting $50 on the line as a prize for 1st place. If you would like to donate to the prize pool, let me know.

STARCRAFT II TOURNAMENT FUNDRAISER-AUG 14TH AND 15TH

Here is a fantastic opportunity! How would you like to take part in an online tournament for the New Starcraft 2 game, and your entry fee be a charitable donation? This is your chance!
Our Team member Alex has worked hard to set up this tournament which will be live streamed, and is open to international players! It is cheap to join and there will be prizes for the winners!
Click the pic below to go to the link. Make sure you share the link on your facebook too and Join this tournament. If you get an option to press LIKE please do that too. Tell your friends! It is for the best of causes!

Discoveries and Pride

Cam and Lynn Tucker Play Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah

SOL Band-Paul Pykala, Ian Hornsby, Eric Pykala

Late July-Indy Singer Songwriter Nicole Simone

On Saturday July 10th, 2010 we had our first major fundraiser to support our walk. When Alex and I committed to do the walk we had to commit to raise a specific amount to participate in the walk.

There was a choice for the one day or the two day event. When I asked for details on the responsibilities of the walk, the co-ordinator told me that the two day event was a $2500.00 commitment and the one day is $1000.00 commitment. There was no way to bump up to two day event if you raised more money. I also found out if you commit to the two day and you only raise enough for one day, you can walk one day. So I figured on committing for the two day event.

Radio Friendly Band-

No admin fees come out of the donations. The admin fees come from a $75.00 registration fee the walkers make to register. So when you send your money in, it goes to the work of the charity immediately. There is no waiting for the year to end or anything like that. Your money gets used right away to benefit someone or research NOW.

Devin of Radio Friendly

There are programs for long term research, education and rehab programs for patients currently in need and using the services, plus for education programs for awareness and prevention that are for the public. You can specify where you want your donation to focus.John Cornell







This is a brand new walk because it now covers Women's gynecological cancers as well. For years and years the program has brought in 10's of millions of dollars to cover the need, and it has gotten so big it was felt that women's gynecological cancers could be added to the development now as well.







It is obvious that the gynecological cancers group is lacking on public awareness. The folks supporting the HPV vaccine are educating, but there is a huge group of parimenopausal and menopausal women who have missed some education. It is really important for these women to have regular screening by a gynecologist. It is not over when the organs are out or not working any longer, as the VIN3 cancer that I had is considered an "Old Lady" disease and is usually discovered in patients who are in there geriatric years. I am is living proof that the VIN3 can happen to younger women too and is quite possibly a throw-back to original cervical cancer I had had in 1993. VIN3 has no symptoms in its early and treatable stages, but when it becomes crazy itchy or lumpy and noticeable it has a great chance of being deadly. Early detection through visual screening with a culpascope is necessary to prevent this from being a killer.













There is so little known about vulver cancers. Dr's don't even know how long they incubate because they get to see so very few in the early stages like mine. My cancer was discovered in a routine examination.





The BBQ:

We had a medium sized turn out for the day. We had great musicians join us for an acoustic jam.
We had the following bands and performers:





Late July-Nicole Simone playing her newest songs from her album

Radio Friendly- Entertained us with their polished sound.

Amber Olson and Alex Tucker(Team Participant)

SOL- played mini sets of country and blues between all the players sets.





Cam and Lynn Tucker-kicked off the event with an acoustic duet of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah












John Cornell surprised the audience with his haunting guitar solos





We had lots of friends attend the BBQ as spectators, and a record number of tickets were sold for the door prize draws which made for some great entertainment, just to watch the winners all pick a prize. There were enough prizes that everyone who bought a door prize ticket got a prize and many went home with armfuls of prizes.







We raised $473.00 in donations, and $203.00 in ticket money and there are more donations coming in from folks who were invited and who could not attend!





So far Team Motivated Motion has raised $708.00 dollars towards their $5,000.00 goal. We need to raise our funds by the first week in September, as the walk is September 11th and 12th in Toronto.



We want to thank everyone who participated and who donated, and who bought the tons of draw tickets. You made our day!






















Lynn and Carl Tucker

Lynn

The Beginning

Saturday was our kick-off event.

Team Motivated Motion-Toronto Walk For Womens Cancers BBQ And Acoustic Jam. We raised $543.00, so far, in Donations related to this event. The Team Goal for this year is $5,000.00. The Team Walks 60km in two days on Saturday September 11th and 12th.

Lynn started this project, and asked if Alex could join her as she needed a training partner who could help her be safe as she began the training between recoveries of her own Cancer- back-to-back gynecological surgeries.

The Focus: To watch the team grow, and follow the progress for as long as it lasts. To give recognition to everyone who helps us work towards our goal. Plus to encourage folks to join us in the walk.

It is hard on a family when a loved-one is stricken with an illness that could potentially take their life. The person who is ill must recover, yet life still goes on, and the recovery must blend into the cadence of the family life. The hardest thing is Finding A New Normal. We represent all those who are struggling with this task. We walk for YOU.

Do You Want Your Business Link On The Sidebar Of This Blog?

If you would like your business link posted on the sidebar of this blog as a supporter of the team it will require a donation.
Please go to the email at the end of this sentence with the bracket word replaced with its proper email symbol to reveal the proper address. motivatedmotion(at)gmail(dot)com
Please tell Lynn you wish to have your business as a link in the sidebar.

To get a link a minimum $50.00 donation to the Team will be required. The reply email instructions will tell you how to do this specifically. Lynn will send you a Url to the official charity site that is also attached to the official charitable ID's of the Team. Please do not jump the gun and just make a donation to the donation bars as Lynn's goal is to see that each member of the team reaches their minimum donation required of $2500.00 to participate in the walk, so she will send some donations to one url and some to another to keep everyone on track.

It is really important that you email Lynn with the same email you will use when you fill out the charity form fields to make your donation. You must enter the email address on the form so the team can see it in the admin section of the donation area, and to ensure that you get a tax receipt.
We have to match the email address you send us to the email address in the fields of the charitable donation, or we cannot put your link up.
When filling out the form the necessary fields to fill out is your name (then note if you want to have your name public or anonymous), and your email address. Then for the credit card portion you need to fill out your address, and credit card number and details. The Address and Credit Card info cannot be seen by us. We get a system flag with your name and email address so we can send a thank you note through email within the charity's system.
When you fill out the donation form and have successfully filled in the required fields you can print off the tracking info file sheet with your specific tracking ID number on it. Once you have a tracking number you have ensured that you will get an email receipt from the Walk For Women's Cancers.

Directing you in this way ensures two things.

1)that your private information remains private, and that you get a choice of whether to make your donation anonymous or public
2)that you get an official receipt for your whole donation directly from the official charity, and the team does not have to handle your money or your private credit card info.

Thanks

Lynn