Dance-A-Thon '08 - Mahalo Nui!! (Wrap-Up Photos pg3)

UPDATE: Check out page two for information on prizes for The Biggest TC Giver!!
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To my TC Ohana,

A little bit of Haole’akamai (biological) family history: every female in my family, with exception of myself, has been touched by the fateful finger of cancer, both my Maternal and Paternal Grandmothers, my Aunt and her Daughter, two Great-Aunts, and my Mother, who is a two-time cancer survivor.

I’ve been given the opportunity to enmesh one of my passions, swing dancing, in the fight to find a cure and hope.

This March, my team and I will be lindy-hopping, shagging, and balboa-ing for 24 hours straight at a charity event, aptly named, the 24 Hour Cancer Dance-a-thon, taking place the second weekend in Orange County, CA (the SoCal Ohana can come cheer us on!). All profits from the event go directly to cancer research and treatment at The City of Hope Hospital.

**Please consider making a donation on my behalf to this worthy cause.

You can visit My Dance-A-Thon participant page at http://www.danceathon.org/index.php?loadbody=mip&mid=310 to make a donation (and learn what my middle name is!!)**

I hope to raise $3,600 (double chai!). I have currently raised $18 (Mahalo TofuJoe!)

Your donation is 100% tax deductible. All of the bands, teachers, dj's, performers, participants, board members, and venue are volunteers.

MAHALO NUI!!

*About the event:
The 24 Hour Cancer Dance-A-Thon is an annual swing dance event that raises funds for cancer research and treatment at The City of Hope. Its inaugural event in November 2005 succeeded in raising over $52,000 - an amazing figure for a first year fundraiser. Last year swing dancers raised over $100,000 to fight cancer! Participants in the Dance-a-thon form teams of 15 to 29 people. Throughout the 24 hour period of the event, each team is responsible for keeping at least one of its members on the floor and dancing at all times. Participants like me are responsible for raising funds for the event. The event features a variety of live swing bands, free dance lessons from world class swing dance instructors, performances, and social swing dancing!
Help out as much as you can, but a donation of at least $50 gets you entrance into the event as a spectator. Come enjoy the live bands and dance performances, participate in the dance lessons, and help save lives!
Interested in being more than a donor or spectator? Go to http://www.danceathon.org and register as a participant!
*

[ Edited by: Haole'akamai 2008-03-13 17:23 ]

a totally worthwhile cause - sounds like a lot of fun too!

http://www.danceathon.org/index.php?loadbody=mip&mid=302

is where you can find me, I to will be there raising money for a great cause as well...

Hey T! Sounds like a great event for a great cause. I made my donation on your page in honor of my father!

Thank you both for being amazingly generous! I promise to Balboa my butt off for you and your loved ones. :)

[ Edited by: Haole'akamai 2008-01-31 23:17 ]

A good question was asked to me, so I forwarded it on to one of the organizers, Shesha:

a potential sponsor was wondering what percentage of the money actually goes to city of hope and what percentage is used for admin cost.

Here's the answer I got back :

*Last year, 2006, 92% of donations were given to The City of Hope. The 8% used for the event went to things like stage rental, sound, t-shirts, printing.

It's important to know and tell your donors that ALL organizers, participants, bands, DJ's, teachers, and performers are 100 percent volunteers. This is an honest to goodness charity event.*

[ Edited by: Haole'akamai 2008-02-05 08:48 ]

Shake it!

The middle name is super cute, but to me you'll always be...

Let's move that tote board, people!
captain midnite

:lol: Hall Pass! :lol:

So!

I'm seeking items to raffle off at the event.

Yeah!! As a start, I will be submitting a couple mugs from MY OWN collection (perhaps even a coveted FI edition mug!) as prizes. If anyone else has something that they'd like to contribute, please know you have my humble gratitude.

Mahalo, y'all!

I'll dig something out for the cause. I pm'ed you.

Still lookin' and hopin' for help with my hoppin'! (cripes... what am I saying?)

Anyhoo, I've only got less than three weeks before I shake my butt off, and I've only been able to collect 5% of my target goal (I do want to send out a big hearty Mahalo! to TikiJen, dangergirl, and Otto for digging deep!).

So, I'm down on bended knee, asking for you to help me out, with anything you can. Mahalo Nui!!

Good Luck Haole'akamai!! :)

It'd be hard to think of a more worthy cause. My two bits is on it's way.
Good Luck to all you dancers.

This is a great cause. Thanks for dedicating your time and efforts to it. :)

Woweeee!!

What a fabulous response of support and well-wishes. My TC Ohana has been coming through with Da Bones! I am humbled, and grateful, to the nth degree.

Mahalo mahalo mahalo!

Way to go Haole` Akamai. I'll make a donation in Andy's memory
( He loved Tiki ya know)

Well, it's official, and it's exciting!! You guys have been soooo generous, you've put me on The Dance-a-Thon '08 Top Ten Leader Board!!

Of course, I'm hanging on by only .02, but about 55% of my donations so far have come from TC Ohana!! You guys rock so very much.

Mahalo!

~T

p.s. you can donate here

Hopefully, we'll be able to keep you in the Top 10. Best of luck.

Best of luck Haole'akamai and TofuJoe...get ready to dance, dance, dance!

Well, I was able to spend FOUR whole days on the leader board, but alas... :)

Would it hurt to say I only need another $40 to be back up there?

.....Ohhh, I'm shameless! Shameless, do you hear me?!!

Good luck you two!

I will p.m. I would love to help you.
Here are some facts:

Please know the facts,

• If detected early, the five-year survival rate exceeds 95%.

• 13 million U.S. women 40 years of age or older have never had a mammogram.

• 1,300 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in MEN this year.

• Today, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with Breast Cancer

• Every 3 Minutes a Woman is diagnosed with Breast Cancer

• Every 13 minutes a woman dies of Breast Cancer.

This means in the time it took to write you these facts, 1 woman died of Breast Cancer. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Keep in Check!

MAHALO..... Donation made... R.I.P. Andree' Reilly

[ Edited by: Hiphipahula 2008-02-23 16:59 ]

Well, we're into the final week before the event. I'm 1/3 of the way to my goal and really appreciate all who have supported me thus far. In this last push over the next few days, I hope to get as close as I can to achieving my goal!

As inspiration to donate, here's a photo of Scott & I, tripping The Light Fantastic!

**Okay, if that's not enough, HOW ABOUT THIS?!

I'm offer a Tiki Farm Mai Kai Mystery Bowl to the BIGGEST GIVER! That's right, whoever has donated the most to my particpant page by next Thursday, March 6th, at noon, will receive this bowl from my private collection.

I am determined to reach my goal, so I'm getting crazy. Keep and eye on this thread, as I add things to The Winner's Circle.**

...p.s.. If you have something YOU would like to add to The Winner's Circle, pm me right away and we'll see if we can arrange it...

Mahalo!

This just in WierdUnkleTiki is throwing a Mai Kai Gents T-shirt into The Winner's Circle!

And can I have a huge mahalo for Jentiki! She's added her very collectable Munktiki Ka NuiPoka Mug to The Winner's Circle. It's #54 of 100. Cripes!

[ Edited by: Haole'akamai 2008-02-29 16:11 ]

Well I won't be the biggest donor but am happy to help out as I can!! Good cause...good luck!!

Sorry I am late to the party here. What a cool event. The next TCer to pledge $25.00 or more will receive the now retired Tiki Farm Tiki Goddess Mug. Get your pledge in and PM me with the shipping info.

Wowee! Mahalo, dibroc! And, amazingly, I believe the prize is still up for grabs!

I'm late to the party here as well. Good luck and win! I had a devil of a time logging into my PayPal Account!

Good news. Your team is #1 and you're in the Top#10.

[ Edited by: CheekyGirl 2008-03-04 18:45 ]

I appreciate all the support! I am humbled by the generosity of so many. Mahalo Nui to all who answered the call. May all the gifts you've given return to you in abundance.

Well!! I know you've all been wondering who the Biggest donor is. Drum roll, please...

Our own little Miss CHEEKYGIRL donated her way into The Winner's Circle!

I will add that I am incredibly grateful to all who put out (proverbially speaking), right down to the fives and tens. The wave of generosity I have been riding is astounding to me and I can't give enough heartfelt MAHALOS to all.

We're driving down tomorrow evening (I couldn't get my travel mates to leave early enough to sneek a quicky in at Tiki Ti on Friday, darn it!), and we're looking to see if we can set up at webbcam at the event. If nothing else, I post pics when I return.

:D

Dear Ohana,

I'm not home yet, but am sufficiently awake (or so I believe; we'll see...) to write a preliminary update. More indepth update when I'm actually home (Still in the OC, crashing at a friends), but I wanted to let everyone know just how successful the event was in the funraising department. The Dance-a-thon raised more than $170, 000 (exact numbers are still been tabulated)!!!

Photos will be up in the next couple of days. We've got some good ones, including the 50s-styled cocktail dress we made (on-site, in two hours) that won the t-shirt cutting contest. That's right, a cocktail dress....

Mahalo, mahalo, mahalo.

Love and Aloha,

~Thayer

Well, something up with my Photoshop, so it may be a bit longer before I have photo. In the meantime, here's a video of us (that me and TofuJoe on the right) dancing at the very end of the event, at about 9:20 Sunday morning.

whew what an event

I have to thank Tiki Farm, Cult of the Eye (yes I am a member), Tiki Ti and Purple Orchid for donating gifts for the silent auction I won the Tiki basket in a last minute snipe....hehehe

Over 170,000 was raised and donated to the City of Hope and I am so happy to see all of the TCers who donated $$$ to help the cause

First, Let me thank a few (okay, a TON) of individuals who opened their wallets and gave graciously and with impunity! [Please email your snailmail so I can send you a "thank you" all proper-like, will ya?] In no particular order, Mahalo Nui to:

**Martiki
RikiTikiTavi
Paul C. (I've forgotten your TC name - You need to post more!)
The Jab
midnite_tiki
JenTiki
DangerGirl
BoraBoris
Tikitastic
Grog
Ojaitimo
Chongolio
Hanford Lamoore
CheekyGirl
Hiphipahula
Tiki-Kate
BettyBleu
Tai Won On
Otto
***and last, but not least, *
Princess_P

If I've somehow missed you, my apologies. PM me and I'll revise. :)

Also, I would like to thank dibroc, JenTiki (again!) and weirduncletiki for supplying goodies for The Winner's Circle. Mahalo!!

So, my Photoshop still is sick, but I went and spent time to get a couple of photos together:

This one is the FRESH, ready-to-roll Thayer. It was taken at 9:45am on Saturday morning; I'm putting on my dance shoes for the first time that weekend.

We had several costume changes throughout the event. When we were brainstorming about themes, I insisted we have Aloha Wear (Wasn't a hard sell with fellow culties). Here's TofuJoe and I in matching Ui-Maikai, brown with orange hibiscus. It was taken about 9 hours into the event.

This one is of TofuJoe and I holding "the check" that Dance-a-thon reps gave to The City of Hope at the end of the event. It reads $170,000.00, but as the totals are finishing up, it looks like the actual total is closer to $183k. You can kinda see I'm wearing the cocktail dress we made from event shirts (it won the t-shirt cutting contest).

More photos are on the CotE Dance-a-thon web page.

All in all, we had a super time and I think I'd like to do it again next year. I hope y'all won't mind if I call on ya again when the time rolls around. :)

Much Love,
~T

p.s. Oh, and here's a photo of the booth of one of the other teams with their cancer info-board (every team had to choose a cancer and give information about it). Funny, MrSmiley wasn't anywhere in sight. Or was he?.....

[ Edited by: Haole'akamai 2008-03-13 17:55 ]