STICKY DOORKNOBS

Gone today. Here tomorrow.

If the dates hold true, and they should, we are exactly as far from Blogathon 2007 as we are from this year's global fundraiser. Traditionally, or at least for the last 2 or 3 years, Blogathon has been conducted on the last Saturday of July. This year, the event would be scheduled for July 26, exactly six months from tomorrow.

Through Blogathon 2007 you guys -- both in West Texas and well beyond -- worked together to raise over $7,000 for Midland Fair Havens, a faith-based transitional housing facility for women and children. Almost $1,000 of your donations came after the close of Blogathon. Still, the $6,173 pledged before and during the 24-hour event and posted on the blogathon.org site was a generous enough amount to be the most raised out of all bloggers that participated in Blogathon worldwide.

We think we can do even better this year and we have much planned. We hope to be be bigger, better -- and maybe even higher.  I hope you'll be a part again this year and here's hoping we all have as much fun as we did last year. And once more, thank you for all you did in '07. Your gifts were well received by the women and children who need them so much.

One last Woo-Hoo!! Blogathon 2007 raises $6,353 --125 percent of announced goal

   Fundraising efforts for Midland Fair Havens have topped $6,353 as generous Midlanders and folks from points elsewhere continue to send checks and donations to the agency that helps women and children rebuild their lives together after a bad relationship.
   At the end of Blogathon 2007, a 24-hour blogging event to raise money for local charities, donations totaled $4,243, but gifts over the weekend and early into this week have put local fundraising effort at 125 percent of the original, announced goal of $5,001.
   Blogathon is a global fundraiser during which online journalers pledge to stay up 24 hours for their favorite charities. Over 525 bloggers started the event worldwide; 357 finished, combining to raise $123,695 for assorted charities. Of all participating bloggers, donors to MyWestTexas.com pledged more money than any other blogger in the world.
   Our Blogathon site can be found here.

Over the Top, Pt. 2

All that you just read ... add $250 and make your new total $6,328.

You guys are really great.

jp

BLOGATHON 2007 >> Over the top

Just a note to everyone who helped out with Blogathon 2007. Just because the 24 hours is over doesn't mean we've stopped having successes.

In the hours since Blogathon ended, you have donated an additional $1,600, putting us literally over the top AND, at least as of today, the top fundraiser through Blogathon in the entire world.

As of 6 p.m. Monday, our total is $$6,078 for Midland Fair Havens.

Thanks to all of you again. We'll be back in another dfay or two and fill in all the gaps.

Jimmy

Blogathon >> A minor detour to our 24-hour blogging page

To all of the great friends and readers who happen by Sticky Doorknobs on a regular basis, I need to direct your attention to our Blogathon 2007 site, where you can come from now until 8 a.m. Sunday to follow along with the fun, contests, prizes and worthy effort a lot of you guys are helping with us.

Until the end of Blogathon, please visit www.mrt.com/blogathon for all posts related to everything Blogathon and all else that may arise ...

Thanks to all of you for reading, stopping by and donating.

Here's the latest before you go over to the special page ...

As of 2 p.m. Friday:

29 donors

$2,450 raised to this point

49 percent of goal

18 hours until Blogathon begins.

Come see us.

Remember ... If we each help a little, we can all help a lot.

Blogathon >> 22 hours and counting ... OK so this is a little exciting

After days of worrying, no doubt handed down to me by my late, wonderful, loving mama, we have recorded $600 in pledges in just the last 90 minutes ... thrusting us near the 50 percent mark for Blogathon (all pledges benefiting these wonderful people).

Do consider giving. And please stop by and say hi ... but please no tomatoes, potatoes or squirt guns. Water balloons are fine as long as you miss your aim and miss my computer as well.

We're at $2,250 guys, which is about 48.67 percent or some such number en route to our goal for Fair Havens.

Later today, like turkeys flying south for the winter, we're going to migrate everyone over to our Blogathon blogging page for the weekend, so stay tuned ...

And remember: If we each help a little, we can all help a lot.

my humble thanks ...

2 Days till Blogathon >> If we each help a little, we can all help a lot

Within the last couple of weeks when the conversation has come around to Blogathon and being elevated 30 feet into the air on a Genie Scissor Lift for 24-hours non-stop, the first question people have for me invariably has been: "What are you going to do when, y'know, nature calls?"

Rest assured when I tell you .

Within the last couple of weeks when the conversation has come around to Blogathon and being elevated 30 feet into the air on a Genie Scissor Lift for 24-hours non-stop, the first question people have for me invariably has been: "What are you going to do when, y'know, nature calls?"

Rest assured when I tell you ... it's taken care of. It's handled. If anyone needs anymore information, you'll have to drop by the H-E-B parking lot between 8 a.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. Sunday.

(Believe it or not there was even an online poll taken to see if I would be able to go the entire 24-hours without having to come down and go on a nature break. Note to self: Don't even think about it.)

All kidding aside, our top priority with Blogathon is most certainly this: raising $5,001 for Midland Fair Havens, a charitable organization which helps moms and their children transition from bad relationships to a successful new start in life. Moms in the residential program have their housing costs covered for up to 24 months and are encouraged to attend college so that their fresh start can be all that more valuable. Moms in the non-residential program receive assistance with utilities and rent. Also included is budgeting advice to help prevent homelessness, life-skills training, emotional support, Bible study, basic needs and community-based resource referrals.

The opportunity to raise a few dollars for this charitable effort in such a unique fashion is being made possible by the grassroots effort called Blogathon.

This year, some 527 bloggers, or online journal writers, have signed up and Blogathon.org has so far taken more than $61,000 in pledges. It's a global effort whose benefits fall back to the blogger's chosen charity, often one in his or her hometown. Of those 527 bloggers, only four have so far collected more pledges than we have here in Midland. Obviously, we'd like to collect a little more not so we can claim the top spot, but so we can fulfill a pledge we gave to Fair Havens that on July 29, we blogged in a 30-foot high Genie Lift for 24-hour straight and raised $5,001.

Every 30 minutes Saturday and Sunday I'll be writing about something, although it's not clear just what yet. Hopefully, the entries will have something to do with you stopping by and dropping off a little gift for Fair Havens.

I did some complicated math on the back of a sticky note Wednesday and figured that if we can collect $145 every hour for 24 hours on Saturday, we'll be able to make our goal. That's about six people each hour who'll need to come by and say, "Hi, here's $25."

The big benefit will not be some crazy guy screaming, "We did it!" from the H-E-B parking lot and it's not claiming a top spot in a global fundraising effort. The benefit is for the children and moms who depend on Fair Havens; whose dreams for a better life become reality because you took a few minutes to stop by. Knowing that you have made even just a little contribution to a family's journey to a better life is maybe all you'll need to make this weekend a good one, for you, and for people you may never know or see but have most certainly touched.

If we each help a little, we can all help a lot.

To help, you have two options:

How to donate before Blogathon: Donate either in lump sum or pledge-by-the-hour anytime between now and the end of Blogathon by visiting www.blogathon.org. Select "Find a blogger to sponsor here." Select the MyWestTexas/Midland Fair Havens button. Select "Sign Up" and after a very brief registration process, fill in your pledge amount by hour or lump sum.

How to donate at Blogathon: Come by the H-E-B parking lot at the Midkiff entrance, between Starbucks and Pinkies, pull up, look up and say "hi."

Don't run off till we take your picture or get a little video of you and get your name so we can give you a couple of freebies and the chance to win a few nice prizes.

Most of the bigger prizes will be distributed through our Blogathon Web site to people who have made a pledge or donation; all video and even a live streaming Web cast for the entire 24-hours can be viewed at www.mrt.com/blogathon. (Which, trust me, could get a little interesting around 4 or 5 o'clock Sunday morning.) You can also access the MyWestTexas Blogathon Web site by going through www.MyWestTexas.com and clicking on the Blogathon logo.

We'll have more details in Friday and Saturday's Reporter-Telegram and online at the above address.

WEDNESDAY >> Three days to go and we're at $1,565 for BLOGATHON 2007

Dang, getting ready for BLOGATHON is a LOT of work. Most of it is being done by the good peope at Midland Fair Havens. But still, the last minute stuff can really add up, which is why the posts have been down for a few days.

We're at $1,565, which puts us a little under $3,500 needed to achieve our $5,001 goal. My hope is that plenty of people will walk up to where we are, 30-feet up in the air on a Genie scissor lift in the east parking lot at H-E-B. We'll be right there at the main entrance/exit off Midkiff. I figure we need to average $145 an hour on the day of the event to make our goal. That's about 6 people an hour making $25 contributions. That's certainly doable!

We'll hopefully have a story in Friday's Midland Reporter-Telegram with a mom who has benefited from Fair Havens. That story will hopefully make you want to come down to HEB and make a donation.

Latest contributors of goods and prizes for those who come by or compete in the contests we'll have through the day and night:

• Murray and the Frenchman, two $15 gift certificates.
• Michaels, $15 gift card
• Zach Taylor, camoflauge picture frame

DONORS

Thanks to our donors at this point:

• Anonymous, $5
• Anonymous, $150
• Dennis and Ellen Hopkins, $100
• Trish Hamilton, $50
• Jane Wolf, $50
• Eric Siegmund, $100
• Linda Cowden, $200
• Teri Carter, $50
• George Johns $120 *
• Joe Dominey, $50
• Bob Leibrecht, $50
• Briley Mitchell, $25
• Linda Hamblin, $100
• Diocese of San Angelo, $75
• Alice Freidline, $50
• Cindy Benson, $100
• Leigh Ann Lane, $25
• Joyce Silverman, $25
• Linda Bond, $50
• Craig Hubbard, $240 *

* Based on per hour contribution and the assumption we'll go the full 24 hours.

How to donate before Blogathon: Donate either in lump sum or pledge by the hour anytime between now and the end of Blogathon by visiting www.blogathon.org. Select “Find a blogger to sponsor here.” Select the MyWestTexas/Midland Fair Havens button. Select “Sign Up” and after a very brief registration process, fill in your pledge amount by hour or lump sum.

Or, you can come by and see us SATURDAY, JULY 28, from 8 a.m. until 8 a.m., SUNDAY, JULY 29 on the HEB parking lot.

Blogathon 2007: We cross the $1,300 mark

(Blogathon is this Saturday from 8 a.m. until Sunday at 8 .m. on the east parking lot of H-E-B. look for Jimmy in a 30-foot high genie lift, blogging, for the entire 24 hours)

We've crossed the $1,300 mark and with it we're at about 26 percent of our $5,001 goal for Blogathon 2007, benefitting Midland Fair Havens.

I always get a little nervous about posting goals (it's the United Way in me) and then coming up short, but more so, I remember distinctly that most people don't donate until the last minute anyway.

If you've not heard of Midland Fair Havens, they're worth a few minutes of your time. The faith-based transitional home for women and their children houses moms trying to make a new life for themselves and their children. Their rent and utilities are met during their stay, and the moms also attend college while in the program. It has provided many needed kick starts along the way for mothers looking to separate themselve and their kids from a bad situation.

If you're on the fence about whether to help, I can assure you without reservation that a contribution to Fair Havens made through blogathon is a donation well made.

ABOUT BLOGATHON

We need to thank so many people in the community who are coming together for this cause Saturday from 8 a.m. until Sunday at 8 a.m. I am privileged enough to be able to climb up a 30-foot Genie Scissor lift and stay there, blogging every 30 minutes for the entire 24-hour period. You can donate to the cause by visiting blogathon.org.

We've had some great prizes donated to  Blogathon 2007 which will be awarded to folks who stop by and make a pledge or who have pledged online and stop by to play one of our fun-filled online contests.

Those prizes include: four free tickets to Schlitterbahn (thanks Laura and KPEJ), Midland Park Lanes (free bowling coupons), Putt Putt Fun Center (miniature golf coupons), Chilis (discount meal coupons), Rock the Desert (free concert tickets), Chic-fil-A (discount meal coupons), Harvest Cafe ($20 gift card), Mardels ($25 gift card), Escents (scented candle) and Bahama Bucks (shaved ice coupons). I feel certain there'll be even more because Lorri at Fair Havens is flat workin' it.

Thanks also to the following individuals and companies who have made the 24-hour Blogathon a more comfortable and bearable day in the West Texas sun:

• H-E-B
• Midland Reporter-Telegram
• Rainbow Water Company
• Metro Equipment and Rental
• Starbucks
• Joe Hopkins
• Permian Basin office Products

Finally, thanks to our donors, who we will recognize in full in the coming days. Fair Havens, its women and children will benefit greatly from your generosity.

Now, here's how you can make a donation if you haven't already ...

How to donate before Blogathon: Donate either in lump sum or pledge by the hour anytime between now and the end of Blogathon by visiting www.blogathon.org. Select “Find a blogger to sponsor here.” Select the MyWestTexas/Midland Fair Havens button. Select “Sign Up” and after a very brief registration process, fill in your pledge amount by hour or lump sum.

5 days till Blogathon ... Monday a.m. update

We're at 17 donors and $1,250 dollars, almost 30 percent of our goal of $5,001 for Midland Fair Havens. More later today ...