On November 24th, the Meso Foundation presented the community with a mesothelioma fundraising challenge: raise $10,000 by the end of 2013. The Peace. Joy. Cure Holiday Fundraising Challenge, as it was called, had a big catch. A long-time, individual Meso Foundation donor with the wish of remaining anonymous would match every dollar donated to the fundraiser. By December 20th, we were very close to our goal, having reached $9,892. However, this is when the game changed. Hanne Mintz, another long-time Foundation supporter, stepped up to match an additional $10,000 raised through the Peace. Joy. Cure Holiday Fundraising Challenge. This brought the goal up to $20,000 with only 12 days left to reach it, and every dollar was to be matched.
We reached out to our community through Facebook, Twitter, email, and our blog to spread the word about our fundraising challenge, and we were met with huge success. The meso community did not simply reach the $20,000 goal, but they surpassed it. When the fundraising challenge ended on December 31st, we had raised $32,876 in donations from a total of 60 generous supporters.
The Meso Foundation’s community put in a huge effort to meet our challenge. Not only did they submit donations, but they also encouraged friends and family to do the same. Ivana Mihajlovic, a 4-year mesothelioma survivor and Foundation community member and volunteer, started her own email campaign to promote our fundraising challenge. We shared Ivana’s efforts with the rest of the community and encouraged them to follow in her lead.
With the match, the $32,876 raised through the Peace. Joy Cure Holiday Fundraising Challenge has now become a total of $52,876! These donations will go towards funding peer-reviewed mesothelioma research; providing patient support services and education; and advocating Congress for increased federal funding for mesothelioma research.
The Meso Foundation is extremely grateful for the community’s participation in the Peace. Joy. Cure Holiday Fundraising Challenge. We would like to sincerely thank Hanne Mintz and the anonymous donor who matched these gifts, as well as everyone who has donated and participated in our general year-end appeal. It is with your generosity and support that the Meso Foundation continues to do its work to advance mesothelioma treatments and provide patient support.
Mesothelioma fundraising efforts never stop. Donate today and help find a cure to mesothelioma.
