TRC Foundation works to improve the lives of people with disabilities and other challenges in Chautauqua County, NY. Through this Firstgiving web site, you can create your own fund-raising web page and raise money online to help us make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities. You can create a web page in honor of a family member, a friend, a co-worker, or someone with a disability who you support in your daily work.
To create your personal fund-raising web page, simply click the "Start Fundraising" button. When setting up your page, you'll notice there is space to share your personal story about why you're raising money. You also can include a photo, and it's easy to link your fund-raising web page to your Facebook and Twitter accounts. Once you're set up, you can e-mail your fund-raising web page to your family members and friends.
WHY RAISE MONEY?
TRC Foundation awards more than $70,000 in grants each year to projects that improve the lives of individuals with disabilities and other challenges. But more money always is needed in order to enable people with disabilities to enjoy a full life.
HOW TO RAISE MONEY
People can raise money for any reason, but most people create fund-raising pages to support one of our annual special events. Currently, Steve Waterson is raising money for our 16th annual Laurel Run/Walk by allowing donors to vote for the costume he'll wear when he runs the "Princess Half Marathon" in Disney World at the end of February. Steve follows on the heels of Paul Silzle (pictured at right), who raised more than $1,000 at last year's Laurel Run by running the 8-kilometer race while wearing a kilt. The Laurel Run/Walk was created by Wayne and Elaine Hotelling of Silver Creek, NY, in honor of their oldest daughter, who has Down syndrome. Proceeds are used in two ways: to support disability awareness and prevention initiatives, and to provide employment and work training opportunities for individuals with disabilities. The 2012 event takes place July 20-21, so now is the perfect time to create a fund-raising page and start collecting donations.
Our other popular fund-raising event is our Step Up for Autism walk. Last year, Aaron and Crystal Peelman raised more than $1,500 in hornor of their son Mason (that's them pictured at right), while Melissa Moore and her "Oliver's Travels" team raised more than $700. Money raised through Step Up for Autism provides social skills training for children and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder so that they can learn to better interact with others. The 2012 event takes place Sept. 22, but it's not too early to create a fund-raising page and start collecting money.
People who participate in our Street JAM basketball tournament (June 2-3) and our TRC Golf Classic (Aug. 13) also are encouraged to raise money.
You can raise money for things other than our special events. Last fall, a group of women (and a few men) calling themselves the Flying Flamingos, raised more than $4,500 for our Kathy Seastedt "Dream On" Fund, which provides urgently needed items and services for people with disabilities. The Flamingos dressed in pink and ran the Turkey Trot race in Buffalo on Thanksgiving morning.
ANYONE CAN CREATE HIS OR HER OWN FUND-RAISING WEB PAGE AND GENERATE FUNDS FOR TRC FOUNDATION! You're only limited by your creativity! If you're involved in a special event, or if you need motivation for a fitness or weight-loss program, you can create a fund-raising page and start raising money for TRC Foundation. You'll be helping people with disabilities while also helping yourself. If you have questions or want more information, contact Steve Waterson at (716) 661-4735 or steve.waterson@resourcecenter.org.
