‘Dreams and reality collide!’ Laurie Sodomlak prepares to trek to Machu Picchu

I am one of those people who plan.  I plan holidays, craft projects, family functions, what to do on the weekend, what book to read next, etc.  I have been thinking about what big trip I was going to do the first year I retired.  I wanted it to be memorable…and after some thought I decided it would be Peru and a trek to Machu Picchu.  Then in May of this year, an email arrives in my inbox.  The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation was promoting a new venture…. a Charity Challenge program with destination Machu Picchu!  So….was someone reading my mind???

The timing was a bit off since I won’t be retired by May 2013, but all of the other pieces seem to fit.  I have volunteered, worked for and fundraised for the Foundation for many years, all through the Run for the Cure. This new fundraising challenge seemed to catch me on many different levels.

• I want to go to Peru,
• I could set a higher goal than I ever have before,
• I have been spending the last year talking to many survivors about their stories and reasons for fundraising,
• I liked the fundraising and fitness challenge aspects of this project,
• I could take all the best practices from the fundraisers I have spoken to and use these great ideas to reach my fundraising goal.
• And I love to be focused on a project and I love planning!

So that being said and after questioning Bryna Dilman from the Foundation I committed to being part of this amazing project.  I committed to the option of raising $4000!  I will be going to Peru in May 2013 and making the trek to the Inca Ruins at Machu Picchu!

A few weeks passed as I let the idea of this challenge settle in my mind. Then I began my planning. I needed to write something for the website….a story….words that would want to make people make a donation.  I thought about the cousin I lost to breast cancer many years ago, I thought about my first Run for the Cure and how emotional it was; I thought about the many survivors who shared their stories with me and how so many of them said, ‘You just need to put one foot in front of the other and keep going.”  After many attempts, I took those thoughts and wrote my message for my fundraising page.  No sooner was my message posted three donations came in, all from CBCF colleagues who were supporting this adventure.  I was totally in awe of that support!  I hope they know how much I appreciated that instant support.

If you would like to donate to my cause, then you can visit my fundraising page here. To find out more about the amazing charity i am fundraising for, you can visit the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation here.

If you’ve been inspired by to take on your own challenge of a lifetime whilst raising money for the charity of your choice, you can visit the charity challenge website at www.charitychallenge.ca where you can find lots of amazing challenges, including the Mt Kilimanjaro summit climb challenge, the Great Wall Discovery challenge – which takes place on China’s Great Wall! and of course the Trek to Machu Picchu Charity Challenge based in Peru!