WE DID IT: Breaking the $4,500 Barrier!

This post has been coming for a long time...
...and I apologize for the delay.

One wonderful thing keeping me going this final's week (which has been a long one, believe me) is watching the progress bar tick up towards the $4,500 minimum. Packing and studying were tired and draining. However, last night I arrived home and happily reported that

The $4,500 minimum has been reached!

WE DID IT!

I remember thinking last November "how am I ever going to raise $5,000? What if I never make it to the $4,500? What if I fail and I can't get a spot on the ride and all my effort and funds go to waste?" I was scared. I didn't know what I was doing--I had never fundraised before and I didn't know where to begin.

But I made a decision.

I decided to just go for it. I reached out to friends, family, bloggers, fellow riders, those who had been there and those who are going with me. I asked for advice and ideas. I kept moving, innovating, looking for the next step. And sometimes I was overwhelmed. I saw the thousands of dollars left to raise and I thought that it wouldn't be possible to close gap. I felt that I was headed right towards where I was afraid to go: failure.

I didn't enjoy this mindset, it went directly against my push to be positive and seize opportunities. I tried to think ahead, telling myself "I'm not sure how I will get there, but I will."

And now, seemingly in the blink of an eye, I'm here. The burden's been lifted, we're over the $4,500 mark, and whether we make it to $5,000 or not I will be setting out from Baltimore on May 27th. I can accept that.

But, I'm only here because of you and I will never forget that. Thank you everyone, especially those who have recently joined the mission: Bonni R., Amelia T., Jennifer Y., Arthur O., Meagan K., Marissa B., Alicia S., the Defalco family, Daris F., Amal M., Julio M., Steve E., Tim B., AU Methodists, Robert C., Noelle M., Anita M., Kevin B., Tiffany C., Barbara L., and Damianos T. I would not have reached this milestone without you.

Now that finals are over and the academic year has come to a close (I'm still trying to find out where the time went) I can focus on training, packing, and fundraising more than ever before. I'm very excited to continue full steam ahead.

Take a moment to appreciate how far we come and anticipate where we're headed. It's thrilling, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

We'll Be In Touch,

James

P.S. Check out what's been going on at the 4k headquarters: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150773269646687