Mole hill, Mountain, mole hill

A week and a half ago, I started to panic.  We are having a fundraiser here in our town called Bunco.  (for those of you unfamiliar it is a fun dice game that really just lets us gossip and hang out with our friends).  A friend of mine, Maria, came up with the idea about a mouth ago that it would be a good fundraiser to start with here.

And it is!  We have almost 40 people signed up to come to our fundraiser which will take place next Friday, May 4th.  We were excited to be on our way.

But a week and a half ago, we were without a place to hold this fundraiser.  I had been turned down over and over again by sweet, "following the rules" people around our town.  Each person would say "we are sorry but we can't hold a fundraiser here" and give me an idea for the next move.

But I just kept getting a no.

Who knew it would be so hard for a registered 501(c)3 to have a fundraiser?  It apparently is very hard.

So.....

I panicked on Facebook.  And you know what?  My new friends here in town came to my aide.  Quickly.  Before I knew it, at least 8 people were on the phone making calls to various churches and town meeting places asking to help us out.  The reached out and found many places we could hold our venue.

Just.like.that.  My mole hill that became a mountain, slowly began to shrink again.

Today, I got the final word that a local church was going to waive their fee and let us hold the fundraiser there for no cost.  The person who got us this church has never met me in person.  The church doesn't know us at all.

It didn't matter.  They saw a little girl who was losing her site and her parents who were trying to raise money to save it.  They didn't look any further.  They saw a need, and they jumped.

And tonight, we breathe.

It is hard because not many people know us personally, and they don't know what we are doing.  The world is not as trusting as I would like to believe.  I could give them all the proof in the world that we are a legitimate non-profit, but at the end of the day, they still need to protect themselves.  I get it.

I am hoping this will be our chance to get started.  A chance to show people Finley and what we are trying to do.  It will give us a chance to talk and start to spread the word about LCA, RDH12, and our race for a cure.

So thank you, to Amy Kinne, and Maria Davis, and all the people who took that extra step for us this week.  That said come he** or high water, we were going to raise money for Finley.