Triple your votes!

Thanks, Janet, for sharing this info: 3 WAYS TO VOTE, EACH WAY GETS 1 VOTE!

1) Text 103447 to 73774
2) Visit Pepsi Refresh's FB page and click "go to application" to vote.
3) Go to http://www.refresheverything.com/kyriefoundation

I voted each way today and you can, too!

Also, feel free to grab the image below to use as your temporary Facebook profile pic or to place on your own blog.

Keep voting with me!!!!!!

A lesson from really incredible kids.

I've spent the last two days telling anybody and everybody about the chance to receive a grant that could change the trajectory of this small but mighty organization, which in turn will gain ground against cancer's terrorizing domination over these families. About 15 of  my 250 Facebook friends picked up the news and passed it on.  This is the prevailing struggle we have: to catch someone's attention enough to care. The silliest thing is that caring means curing. That's the connection; that's where this war will be won.

So when I saw this from Kyrie Foundation supporter Niki who just happened to be at Andover Central, I melted.

We ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT, and we especially love it when kids help other kids.  THANK YOU students and teachers of Andover Central High School. You set a fantastic example for all of us.

Stamina.

So day one of voting is done and we're in for another 30 more! The most difficult thing might just be remembering to vote, right? And then reminding your friends to keep voting, too, right? Here are some ideas:

• Write it on the calendar. whether it's in your planner, on the family calendar in the kitchen, the calendar in your office or on your e-mail system's calendar, this is a super easy way to remind ourselves this month.

• Set alarms. I can set a daily alarm on my cell phone for any time I want. You probably can, too, plus a little message pops up. Also, I can put a daily "meeting" on my e-mail systems calendar. It logs into my "daily tasks" app, and pops up with a reminder, too.

• Bookmark http://www.refresheverything.com/kyriefoundation. You can sometime pull your absolute favorite into your toolbar, too. Great that it's right there.

• Temporarily make http://www.refresheverything.com/kyriefoundation you home page. It will automatically be the first page that shows when you open your browser.


• Use the buddy system. This might be my favorite idea. Get a pal or two together and remind each other via phone, text or e-mail.

There have been some GREAT ideas come our way in the last 24 hours! People have forwarded an e-mail to everyone in their address book. Posted on Facebook. Posted on LinkedIn. Contacted our friends at KFDI, KAKE and KZSN. People are passing it to their HR departments for company support. A dear friend shared the info with the computer science teacher at the high school, who is allowing her kids to vote in class this month! Amazing! We LOVE it when kids help other kids!

And we been asked why our ranking hasn't moved yet. Here's an answer we found:

Yes, the leader board updates every 30 minutes. All ideas are updated based on the number of votes received. During the first two days of each month the leader board does not show much movement as votes are being accumulated. For this short timeframe, "ranking" is based on the timestamp of a submission. After the 3rd day if a user's idea does not receive any votes their ranking continues to be based on the timestamp of submission trailing all ideas that have received votes.

WE'RE IN!!!! WE'RE IN!!!

OKAY, EVERYBODY--IT'S GO-TIME!!!!

http://www.refresheverything.com/kyriefoundation

And if you're not near a computer, TEXT IN YOUR VOTE!!

Vote from your mobile phone

Text* 103447 to
Pepsi (73774)
*Standard text messaging rates apply.

I believe I was mistaken about getting to give your 10 votes per day to one choice. I think you can only vote for one idea, but you have another 9 votes to spread around to other ideas, too.

So once you register and cast your vote, then what? SPREAD THE WORD BIG TIME! Will you HR let you ask your fellow coworkers to vote? Are you part of a club? Work at a school? PTA? Hanging with friends tonight? Going to a game this weekend? ASK PEOPLE TO VOTE! That's how this thing works! And every day that we forget to vote is a missed day; we can't get that back, so the sooner you share this with people, the more potential votes we can earn!

All hands on deck!

Sometime today we should know if we're in the running to be a candidate for the October Pepsi Refresh Project!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS MEANS: Starting October 1 and going through October 31, you get 10 votes EVERY DAY to spend on a Pepsi Refresh candidate at http://www.refresheverything.com/kyriefoundation. We'll give you the direct link to The Kyrie Foundation's page as soon as we get it. Me? I'm giving my 10 votes every day to The Kyrie Foundation, and of course, I'd love for you to do the same!

We decided to dream BIG and go BIG with this one, so we're up for the $250K grant. Yep, THAT big! This would fund BIG growth. We could hire devoted full-time employees/experts to execute BIG initiatives that would bring awareness and new donors to the cause. We could start our parent/hospital outreach program nationwide. We could create so many more opportunities to gain donations for The Kyrie Foundation Tissue Bank Fund. We could do so much and we want to take you along!

I've often been beleaguered at what it takes to keep an organization like this going. Legally and logistically we have been lucky to have very generous board members who donate out of their own pockets the money to cover framing for the art auction, fees to rent a projector for a presentation, beads for our bracelets, ketchup & mustard for the concession stand, lunch for the krop, our very first event table, little extras to make our auction offerings look nice, event insurance and postage for sending out year-end tax receipts, just to name a scant few. You would not believe all of the little things that add up. And this is happening at the exact same time they are setting up tables and chairs for an event, calling for restaurant gift card donations, updating Facebook, creating art for our event t-shirts—you name it.

What happens when you have the funds to grow is that even bigger stuff starts to happen, like partnerships, corporate sponsors, endorsements, etc. And that? That's what creates BIG funds for research. Remember, we want the research to happen faster. There will be 10 new Kyries today and 10 more tomorrow. It's time to move, people! And, wow, are we going to move mountains with something like this! ;)

GoodSearch Toolbar Contest!

Would you take a minute to help The Kyrie Foundation win $1,000?

GoodSearch.com is sponsoring a contest that will give an extra $1,000 to each of the five organizations that have the most toolbar downloads (and $100 to each of the first 100 charities to reach 100 downloads!)  With the GoodSearch toolbar, every time you search online or shop at more than 1,500 stores (from Amazon to Zazzle!), a donation will be made to The Kyrie Foundation — all you have to do is add our toolbar to your computer.

Please help us be one of the lucky charities that will receive these much needed funds!

Here's how:
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1. Click http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/kyrie-foundation

2. Download the Kyrie Foundation (Overland Park KS) toolbar

3. "Share With Friends" on our toolbar download page so that others can get involved!

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The contest ends on Oct. 31 so please add the toolbar NOW and spread the word to as many people as you can!  For more information, click http://www.goodsearch.com/goodsearchgiveaway/.

Thank you for your support!

What a walk!

Each year, I'm left speechless by the amount of generosity that culminates in one spot. The sponsors who said "yes," the registrants who said "yes," the donors who said "yes,"the bidders who said "yes," the volunteers who said "yes" and the families in our video who said "yes." Affirmation is such a balm for this work. ;)

What a night, eh?! We had so many magical moments that night, answers to prayers, really. So each year, I feel more and more inept at describing how grateful we are that you're supporting The Kyrie Foundation so that we can all support our children.

We are so fortunate to have so many to thank, yet again, like our sponsors: KFDI, Maughan & Maughan Law Offices, Kruse Corporation, Wilkinson Construction, Pratt Industries, Cargill, Western Industries, Pepsi Americas, Rubbermaid, Farmland, Wired-Rite Electric, Art's & Mary's Homestyle Tater Chips, Kirk & Becky Rundle, E-Graf-X, CiCi's Pizza and of course, Bishop Carroll High School. So when I say it's wonderful when people work together, I mean when A LOT of people work together. :)

Thank you Andover Central softball girls and Coach Frakes for face painting, fish ponding and for raising over $2,000 to help save children so that they can grow up to play softball, too!

Thank you Tamera for being our great greeter and to the Weber and Wilkinson families for being our special guests.

Thank you to Tony Brueski for emceeing the entire evening!

Thank you to Bill will Accent Mobile Music for making everybody sound so good!

Thank you to Andi for heading up the races and being the world's best prize giver-outer.

Thank you to Lacy and Leah who helped organize and promote our FANTASTIC silent auction items.

Thank you to Robin, Michelle, Tanna, Wes, Samantha & Ryan who ran registration and then simply ran for whatever we needed!

Thank you M&M Kids for Kyrie, the WINNING FUNDRAISING TEAM!!!!! With over $1,200 in donations!!!!!!! What an inspiration these children are (and their parents!) to the rest of us.

Thank you Phil Ray for being our master photographer! There some great photos on his site for your family's Christmas card this year.

Thank you to the lovely Nina Jerke and Melanie Ryan for such heartfelt and talented vocal performances!

Thank you Susan, Anissa, Skylar, Nate, Craig, Manny, Lisa and Shelby for setting up, tearing down and smiling all the while.

Thank you Susan Jae for being the most beautiful Dorothy inside and out!

Thank you Major Shellie Harmon and the JROTC cadets for the lovely flag raising and for being over-the-moon helpful!

Thank you Amanda for the powerful national anthem and to Ann for being on deck as first aid!

Thank you Derek, Leah, Darcie, Branigan, Andrea, Todd and Becky for all of you incredible concessioning.

Thank you Sheri and Nana Norma for the gorgeous and delicious cookies!

Thank you Jodi and Heritage College for helping everybody r-e-l-a-x, and for staying late to massage me!

Thank you Donna for all of your time and talent put into creating the one-and-only Kyrie Foundation t-shirt quilt. Made of all of our event tees and embroidered with special phrases from The Kyrie Foundation cookbook, this quilt is an absolute treasure.

 Thank you Clearwater Dancers for your hip-happening performances!

Thank you Big Sky Party Rentals for the inflatables!

Thank you to the Twilight Walkers who walked for all the little ones who couldn't that day.

Thank you for watching what's tough to watch.

And thank to everyone, EVERYONE, who turned one Saturday evening into over $17K to save baby brains from cancer.