My mom can walk!! That's a good enough reason to pledge us for The Arc's walk-a-thon this Saturday, don't you think?

Thank you for visiting Team Spiegel's fundraising page! If you're in touch with my mom, you may have already seen this photo of us to the left--or at least heard the story behind it. It's my mom and I with Rutgers head women's basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer, whom The Arc honored in May for her role as the parent of a child with developmental disabilities and for helping all people to stand tall. My wonderful mom always supports my work with The Arc, and I'm very grateful! But...

At the end of the tribute dinner I was helping Coach Stringer get into her car when all of a sudden I heard a commotion. I turned around and there was my mom, flat on the ground with not one but TWO sprained ankles!

It turns out my mom saw a perfect photo opportunity in her daughter with this famous woman and went running like the paparazzi to get a pic, not realizing there was a pretty big step underneath her. Coach Stringer, being the kind soul she is, ran over with me and helped me pick my mom up. My mom confessed to us "I was just trying to get your picture with Coach Stringer!" at which point Coach said "Well let's get you that picture, then!" hence the photo to the left (my mom was trying REALLY hard to smile with all that pain!) Ohhh it was ugly--her ankles were swollen beyond belief and she wound up out of work for a week and unable to completely walk for a good two months.  The things a mother does for her daughter!

Anyway, now that my mom is healed she's going to walk with me for 3.4 miles on the Ventnor boardwalk, once again helping to raise much needed funds for Arc programs. We hope you'll help us reach our goal of raising $1,000 to support The Arc!

Luckily, my mom was able to recuperate from her temporary disability, but for the 700 people The Arc supports, their disabilities are forever. Please consider making a gift of whatever you can manage, whether it's $5, $15 or $50...every bit helps!

With gratitude,

Beth Ann (and Mary Beth!)

PS. Your support will specifically benefit The Arc's Recreation and Family Support programs. Click the links to learn more!