A Request From Carson

UPDATE FROM CARSON AT THE BOTTOM - Monday night

I thought long and hard when she asked me about possibly doing this, but then I finally decided that since she and her sisters allow me to share their lives with you on a regular basis, you may be willing to share back a little. ~ Linda

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Hi everybody,

Carson here.  My sisters and I are fans of my Mom's blog like so many other people and we always smile at the comments everybody leaves when she writes about us.  (Please tell her to shut up if the bragging gets to be too much ok?  She won't listen to us.)  What we love the most is seeing how many people from all over the world come here to hang out, see what she is writing about, and to make friends.  Right now our friends Kat and Ben are really meeting some of you and that is so legit.  (My Mom hates when I use that word all the time, but I like it.)

I love when Christmas comes around because of Yes Virginia.  I am just as amazed as everyone else at how many kids DGMS is able to help have Christmas.  When everybody helped buy BEDS last year it was so cool.

I know Christmas is just around the corner and my Mom is starting to ask for donations for Virginia again, but I am hoping you might be able to help me, too.

In July of 2011 I have the opportunity to go to Germany with my soccer team.  We will play their girls' developmental teams, visit historical places like a concentration camp, and even get to watch some of the Women's World Cup which will be going on in Germany while we are there.

REALLY LEGIT.  (Take that, Mom.)

The cost is $2700 per player.  That's a lot of money.  Our trainer has challenged us all.  If our parents put down the deposit (and I am chipping in $100 of that from my reffing), we have to raise the rest on our own.  My team mates and I are doing fundraising events here in Austin for the team fund, but each of us is also fundraising on our own reaching out to friends and family to help make this dream come true.  (And yes I am reffing every day I am not playing so I can help as much as possible!)

I know my Mom goes on and on about how much I love soccer.  It's true.  I love to draw, cook, write stories, and act, but my first love is soccer.  I work very hard to stay strong and get stronger and reach my goal of playing for a college team four years from now.  It is a lot of time and sweat and effort, but I hope my Mom is one day able to write a blog about what college I have been asked to play for.

I started playing this game when I was six years old.  I am 14 now.  If you would have told me eight years ago that I would have a chance to go to Germany because of the sport I love I would have laughed and probably said What's a Germany? 

I have watched as DGMS has bought those beds, tons of Christmas presents, helped with Bitsy's vet bill, sent Mae to college and saved Boo Radly.  I hope you can help me reach my goal.  If you would like to donate, my Mom said you can use the Yes, Virginia link but make sure you put a note FOR GERMANY or FOR CARSON so she can keep it separate from Yes, Virginia donations. 

This is a big goal and any help you can give me would be seriously (here it comes Mom) LEGIT.

When I go I promise to take the Travel Gnome with me and have my team pose with him at the Women's World Cup!

You guys rock!

Carson Sharp

(Link to Paypal.  Donations may be sent via [email protected])

In case you wonder what eight years difference can make, my Mom put this together.  You know how much she likes to play with Photoshop.

 

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To everybody who has left comments and sent donations today - YOU ARE ALL LEGIT!  Thank you for all the fund raising ideas too.  I will talk about them with my team at training Tuesday night!  I could not go to CATZ tonight because I need to stay off my ankle after this weekend's game so I drew this for you instead.  I hope you like it!!!

 

 

Comments

[Michelle from VA]

Carson, I hope you have fun. Germany is an awesome country. :) I remember all the trips that I wasn't able to go on, so I'm more than happy to give.

Oh, and thanks for causing "Too Legit To Quit" to start rattling around in my brain. My very first concert was to see M.C.Hammer. :D

[DeDe]

Carson and Linda, I'm so excited to be able to give this year to both Yes, Virginia and to help with Carson's trip. It means the world to me especially since I was one of the Yes, Virginia recipients last year. [Deja loves her bike.]
FYI, my donation will be coming from my legal name [I neglected to put DeDe in the message, but the subject says "For Carson's dream."] I hope you have a blast in Germany! I hope to be in the Austin area soon [I'm 2 hours south in Victoria] visiting my family & friends. So be sure to post when/where your team is doing fundraisers so if I'm in town, I can go by. At the very least, I'll harass my friends & fam to go support you. :)

[Another Lori in TX]

Carson, good luck with the fund-raising. It sounds like a wonderful opportunity for you and your team!
I hope to be able to donate to your fund with my next paycheck.

[lizzieb]

Soon as we can put it together we'll donate a few bills because there is nothing better than a kid who is LEGIT about exceling in a sport and at life.( i probably didn't use that right, but hey I grew up a long time ago and we would have said "too cool for sohool"

But more importantly, LOVE YOUR CARTOON!!! You have a talent there too. As my son who also cartoons would say, "it's epic"

I'd say EPICALLY LEGIT!

[Jamie in WI to Chicky - Kathy!]

Aww Chicky - that makes you like a Fairy GodPimp! =)

[ChickyPimp (Kathy)]

Carson - if anyone deserves this, it's you. We are all so proud of you and love it when your mom brags on you. I wish I could help now, but I've been out of work since May, 09 - ugh. Phil has been told there will be a layoff on Friday, and is scared he will be on the chopping block. (Keep your fingers crossed for us!!)

Anyway, you don't know this about me, but in my last job, I was the charitable donation manager. Working for a hotel, we received lots of requests for donations that we honored by giving away cash, rooms or meal certificates. It was a way for the company to get involved locally and also get a tax write-off. Since I did this for 7 years, I witnessed a lot of requests and got an insight as to what worked and what didn't. I've also been involved with the planning and execution of a couple fund-raisers, so I have some suggestions for you, that I will send to your mom in an email.

Earlier this month, we held a benefit for a friend that was dying from cancer (he ultimately died right before the event), but through the requests we made, we were able to raise more than $18,000 in one afternoon. If you and your teammates are willing to do the work (and it does involve work), then with my help, I think you could have a successful fund-raiser. I can help on my end with advice and tips (it would actually give me something fun to do with all my spare time). Let me get to work on that email, and I will send it later today.

Good luck to all of you - you DO make us proud!

[Carrie (Quik)]

Tracy, that's hilarious and amazing. I am going to have to remember that!

Carson, you're awesome. That's all for now lol.

[Tracy]

Carson, a local football team here had a great fundraiser they did this summer. They purchased a "flock" of pink yard flamingos and went to neighborhoods for $15 you could "flock your neighbor" with a dozen pink flamingos and for $25 you got to "flock" them with 24. Members of the team would come in the night and do the flocking and you would wake in the morning to a find the flamingos in your yard and a note on the door explaining you had been flocked, and how you could get in on the fun. The note laid out the price and what the money was going towards. The lucky "flocked" now had the opportunity to become the "flocker" of someone else in their neighborhood. More members of the organization would come back that afternoon/evening and get the payment and address of the next house to be flocked. The beauty of this is that you can have more than 1 neighborhood going at a time and I know from experience that it goes around the same neighborhood more than once. My parents were flocked 4 times in a 2 week time span. People were excited to get up in the morning and see who had been flocked. Also, the start up costs are minimal. Hope this helps! Have a great time in Germany because of what I have read of you, you will succeed at whatever you put your mind to and I know that you are going.

[Monikka]

A super Legit fundraiser is Butter Braids. OMG these things are so good and my daughter's soccer team sells them and people are usually begging for more.

Or do a thing where people donate per goal that you score or lap that you run around the field (this is one the little kids do; at a buck a lap they usually make out pretty good).

[Monikka]

2 LEGIT 2 QUIT!

Expect a donation from Bitsy and her Soccer loving humans!

I love Germany and hope to vacation there again someday soon!

[Judy]

Carson....I was your age when my Dad was awarded a prize to go to a school anywhere in the world,he chose Berlin University.and so I spent a year in Berlin and saw Europe..Not only was it legit.it was magical and unforgetable.it was 1969 and the Wall was still up...and I would love to help you out...thanks for asking and sharing....

[Amy in CT]

@ Jamie Yum!!! Rocky Rococo...Used to love their whole wheat, veggie pizza!!!

Will be happy to add to the fund. Good luck Carson!

[Jamie in WI]

Our schools also do fundraising through (ugh - I know) McDonalds & Rocky Rococo. They set aside a certain night & a percentage of the sales from the evening goes back to the school. I would check out all avenues!
Good luck Carson!

[Carrie (Quik)]

Thanks Linda! That gives me some time, then. Things are starting to look up for us moneywise, but it hasn't quite happened yet.

I'm not sure what, exactly, Best Buy might be able to do, but they are really big on local community involvement, so it might be worth a call as well - it may just turn up in the form of an outright donation, or their employees might help stage a fundraiser, something like that.

[Shawn - Lakewood CA to Carson]

Carson, what a LEGIT opportunity for you and your teammates. I also look forward to reading a blog entry one day indicating what colleges have come calling to have you play for them and which one was the lucky choice! As I don't follow college soccer, what college or colleges are ones you would want to play for?

Count me in as helping! Will submit something after I get paid on Friday.

[Liz in CT]

Legit....and sent...with a special request for Carson <3

[Nikki]

You are too legit, Carson dear.

I am currently unemployed but will send something asap... even if it comes a little late you will be able to use it for spending money which you will so definitely need for souvenirs and other stuff.

If I were your mom I would brag too, but I know how it is... I would go scarlet whenever my mother started in about us. But since she went through 1 million hours of labor.... ya gotta let them.

The Outback idea is great...

You might also consider holding a two day soccer clinic for little girls who are on the cusp of being old enough to join teams -- $75-100 a pop -- the team would have great fun and the kidlets would see some role models in action.

[Diane]

Suggestion: Contact your local Outback Steakhouse and ask them if they do fundraisers. Ours opened early on a Sunday and had the lacrosse team invite their friends and families to lunch. We made all of their profit as they just wrote the whole thing off as a charitable donation. Might be worth a phone call to check to see if they'll do that kind of thing for your team to help out.
Good luck!!!!

[Katy]

too legit to quit! Carson, You can count on us - - Friday's payday, so $$ coming your way then! :-)

[Linda S to Carrie]

Hey Carrie - she is off to school now...

We put the deposits down by this Thursday and then there are payment dates between now and May to pay it all off. That's why the team is brainstorming all kinds of fundraisers for the months ahead, but each girl is charged with raising her own funds for her trip as well.

[Carrie (Quik)]

Carson, I am guessing it has to be booked in advance, so do you know when the cutoff date is? I can't help right now but I really hope to be able to in the next couple of months.

[audreyf]

Carson! That is SOOOOO friggin' awesome! Look for my donation in the morning!