Terp Thon @ UMD

Winter break boredom got the best of you?

As the New Year settles in, remember to make Terp Thon a part of your New Year’s resolution! While you may be at home, or in the College Park area, don’t let Terp Thon slip your mind. Now is the perfect time to raise your minimum or surpass that total if you’ve already reached it.  If you are at home try to reach out to your friends and family.  Explain the cause and what it means to you.  One easy way to get donations is to have your parents or any other family members forward the link to your fundraising page to their own friends.  If allowed, you can even write a blurb about Terp Thon and what it means to you and have your parents leave a donation jar at their job or at your own job.  Another even easier way to fundraise is to make the link your Facebook status one day.  You’d be surprised at the donations you’ll receive from friends and family.  Canning is another great way to fundraise.  Organize a canning trip in your hometown, DC or the College Park area.  Canning is a simple and fun way to raise your minimum and beyond.  Remember to keep in contact with your team members throughout break too! Currently, we are offering 6 courtside tickets, 3 sets with 2 courtside seats each, for the Maryland v. Duke home basketball game on January 25^th.  To win these seats, you must get half of your team’s members to raise their minimum by January 20^th, 50 days before the event! Of the teams that accomplish this, three will be chosen at random and members who have raised their minimum will be entered in the final drawing.  Throughout your fundraising efforts remember the real motivation for your hard work, the kids.  Though it may seem hard to fundraise, it is nothing in comparison to what our miracle children endured.  Keep in mind that every dollar you raise goes directly to helping these children live the lives they deserve.  FTK!  

http://www.helpmakemiracles.org/event/terpthon12

Meeting Jaiwen!

Terp Thon & Friends got to meet Jaiwen at the end of the semester. He is the newest miracle child addition to the Terp Thon family. He was diagnosed with bone cancer when he was twelve and has a part-prosthetic femur bone, with a 10 inch scar as proof. He had to learn how to walk all over again. He and his family came to talk at College Park to tell Jaiwen’s story. His mother was brought to tears. Jaiwen was one of the lucky ones—he survived. He has friends who are still in the hospital and don’t get to walk into school every day. Jaiwen was blessed with amazing friends along the process. Five of his best friends were able to raise $26,000 for his treatment. That was five 12 year olds. If these kids can raise $26,000, imagine was the entire Maryland community can do? Jaiwen’s maturity was outstanding, and he has a more worldly perspective than most of us ever will. His story reminded us to be thankful for all we have over this holiday season, because not all children will be home celebrating the holidays with their families. And as Maryland students, we were reminded that in reality, finals aren’t that bad compared to what so many have to go through. In this holiday season, let’s be thankful for our friends, family, health, and having the Maryland community to support us every day.