For charity, of course.

You can read details of the upcoming Relay for Life by clicking on the link and searching the ACS events database on that page for Auburn, Calif. (The information isn't directly linkable, unfortunately.)

The relay is a big community event, with hundreds of people participating. Apparently Auburn's is done yearly, and several are done each week nationwide. The newspaper I work at has assembled a team. They were scrounging for people to walk in the middle of the night, and it seemed like a natural idea, what with me working that evening and getting out of the office around midnight and all.

Let me address a few hypothetical questions about my participation and fund-raising:

So you just go out there and walk?
There's more to it than that; from what I've heard and seen it's almost more like a street fair than an athletic event. Of course, in the middle of the night, it's down to pretty much just the hard-core walkers, but the evening beforehand there's musical entertainment and community events (which I'll miss), and the morning after there's a community breakfast (which I'll try to attend). So the events are designed to unite a community around the cause, and not incidentally to raise funds for the American Cancer Society's primary missions.

Are there similar events in my commmunity?
Probably. Check the Relay for Life website linked above.

If I donate money to you, where does it go?
One hundred percent to ACS. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent of the law. Their tax ID # is 94-1170350. I'm just doing this to be a good guy.

What's your fundraising goal?
It would be lovely to collect a total of $100, although $50 is a more realistic goal, and I'll be happy if I can hit that plateau. That's just ten donations of $5, or five donations of $10. (If you're the sort who gives to charity anyway, $10 is quite a reasonable sum. If you're broke, $1 pushes me toward my goal by a significant fraction.) As of this writing, on August 18, I've collected $47 -- so if you haven't yet donated, helping me get that last $3 would be appreciated now more than ever.

When would I have to donate by?
The event itself is Saturday, Aug. 23. If I don't get a donation by the morning of Friday, Aug. 22, I probably won't have it in time to turn it in. If you want to support the American Cancer Society after that date, you can go to their web site and give independently, and I'm certain they will be just as grateful.

Can I get funds to you electronically?
Certainly! (PAYPAL LINK DISABLED) (Please let me know if you want a receipt.)

NOTICE: PayPal gives you the option to donate by credit card. Please do not do this; I will have to reject the payment and ask for you to send it to me another way. Due to the way PayPal operates, I don't think that I can disable that option -- but only their upgraded "business-class" accounts can take credit card donations, and for the amounts I'm taking in, an upgrade would not be cost-effective. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I'm as annoyed by it as you are.

Can I get funds to you non-electronically?
Certainly -- e-mail me, or fill out my contact form, and I'll give you an address to send (U.S.) funds to. If you would like to do this, please commit to an amount up front so that I can get the pledges turned in by my deadline. (And please let me know if you want a receipt.)

If you're soliciting for charity then why do I PayPal funds straight to you?
Because I turn collected donations in to my team leader to be grouped with our team contributions. The easiest way to do that if I get e-donations is to get the funds myself and then write a check to ACS myself for the total. If, gods forbid, you don't trust me with your $10, please feel free to donate straight to the American Cancer Society instead of helping me out (we're now close enough to the race that to make alternate arrangements, such as sending me a check made out to them by mail, would put me past the solicitation deadline).

When are your forums going to be back up?
Soon! Soon. I promise.

Any more questions? ... No? Great! Donate! (PAYPAL LINK DISABLED)

Or, if you do have questions, drop me a line. I'll be happy to answer them.