Planning Big Things

This morning, I headed over to USC's Lyon Center to check out the basketball courts. No, I wasn't trying to join yet another gym or play in another basketball league. I was in the midst of planning my first annual charity basketball tournament. The tournament, which I'm currently calling "WunderGlo's Beat Colon Cancer 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament," is my first big foray into fundraising, and I'm insanely excited about it. In addition to the basketball tournament (which will have separate men's and women's brackets -- yes, I'll be playing in it), there will be a silent auction which is bound to attract non-athletes and athletes alike. It'll take place in late September -- probably the 24th -- and will also probably take place at USC. I hope you're getting excited, because just writing about the tournament makes me smile. 

I'll be hitting up all my favorite institutions for sponsorships, and will welcome anyone and everyone who'd like to donate a silent auction item. This includes you, my dear readers. If you are at all interested in pitching in on this effort, drop me a comment or an email and join my team! I've got a feeling that the support I'll receive from family, friends, and all of you will be overwhelmingly wonderful. Your track record of overwhelming wonderful-ness is pretty strong.

Here's the little blurb I'll be including in my tournament fact sheet that I'll be distributing to potential sponsors:

On September 19, 2010, 28 year old Gloria Borges was diagnosed with Stage IV Colon Cancer. She started a blog, www.WunderGlo.com, to track her “cancer-killing adventures” as she planned to “thoroughly embarrass” the deadly disease with medical treatment, exercise, diet, acupuncture, meditation, and -- above all -- a positive, tenacious attitude. During her journey, she barrelled through 13 rounds of chemo and 2 surgeries (the first, a routine surgery to remove the tumor in her colon, the second, an 11-hour radical surgery to rid her of all the cancer in her body), and is now in remission. Her story has touched many, as her blog has over 25,000 unique visitors, 120,000 page views, and has been read in over 80 countries. 

Sensing a deep need to give back to her new community, a community she calls the “cancer warriors”, Gloria has embarked on this fundraising effort. The proceeds of this tournament and silent auction will go to the D.C.-based advocacy group Fight Colorectal Cancer as well as the stem-cell research project of her oncologist, the world-renowned Dr. Heinz-Josef Lenz of USC Norris Cancer Center.  

I've always believed that my diagnosis was a golden opportunity for me to help people -- by sharing my story, giving advice to others going through  similar circumstances, and now, by raising money for two incredibly worthy causes. This event has already been a beautiful and satisfying endeavor, and I know that it'll only get better as sponsors sign on, teams register to play, and the big day inches closer.