MaGerks FUNdraiser in Baltimore on 11-11-11
Thank you, together we can do great things!
Mike
Friday, September 23, 2011
A Special Autism Donation of $25.95
Hi everyone, thanks for checking in today. Did not lose any weight this week, but I did bring in another $145.95 in donations. Check out this weeks video for all the details. Don't forget to register for our next big event At MaGerks Pub on 11-11-11. Use this link to register as the guest list is limited to 100 people.
MaGerks FUNdraiser in Baltimore on 11-11-11
Thank you, together we can do great things!
Mike
MaGerks FUNdraiser in Baltimore on 11-11-11
Thank you, together we can do great things!
Mike
Friday, September 16, 2011
As Parents it is Important to Tell People About our Children with Autism
Welcome back everybody. Please check out the link for our next great event on 11-11-11 I hope to see you all there. This weeks topic is very important to please share this with the people that you know. Increased awareness is one of the best ways to help solve the puzzle that is Autism.
Our next great event, click here to register
Friday, September 9, 2011
A great week and Announcing our next big Event
Magerks FUNdraiser for "40 Miles for Autism" 11-11-11 7-10pm
Hi everyone and thank you for checking in this week. I am down to 235 so that means I have lost 31 pounds since May 19th. Also, we only had one donation this week but it was for $500! So that makes for a very good week. We have blown through $3,000.00 and are inching closer to $4,000.00 thank you to every body for your help and participation. As you can see from the link at the top we have our next event planned and we are giving you plenty or advance notice, so the only excuse for not being there is you waited too long to register. This event is limited to 100 people, so be sure to take care of your registration today!
Thank you all, Together we can do great things!
Mike S.
Hi everyone and thank you for checking in this week. I am down to 235 so that means I have lost 31 pounds since May 19th. Also, we only had one donation this week but it was for $500! So that makes for a very good week. We have blown through $3,000.00 and are inching closer to $4,000.00 thank you to every body for your help and participation. As you can see from the link at the top we have our next event planned and we are giving you plenty or advance notice, so the only excuse for not being there is you waited too long to register. This event is limited to 100 people, so be sure to take care of your registration today!
Thank you all, Together we can do great things!
Mike S.
Friday, September 2, 2011
A Great week, A Great Event and More Great Events Coming Up!
Hi Everybody, This was a great week all the way around. check out the video entry and share it with all of your friends
Thank you, Together we can do great things!
Mike Shelah
Thank you, Together we can do great things!
Mike Shelah
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Individualized Education Plan or "IEP"
Hi Everybody, thanks for checking in today. Did not lose any weight this week but I gave myself an easy week so I can't really complain. Sold a couple T-shirts which means another $24 raised for the cause. Monday night's event at the County Cork really should be a big catalyst for us. I hope to sell out the rest of the T-shirts from this run and get tons of new people out to one of my favorite restaurants in Carroll County. All the money goes to Pathfinders for Autism. we will be there from 5-9 so I hope you can join us, and please tell your friends.
We had our first IEP meeting for Mikey this week. For those of you not in "the know" that stands for "Individualized Education Plan." The Public school system, in an effort to provide my son with a "free and appropriate" education came up with this 45 page document detailing everything Mikey needs to learn and to hopefully overcome his disability. Now is a good time to make this point, Mikey's Autism is a "disability." looking at him you can't tell but after "watching" him people that don't know him would say "that kid is different." Yes, he is different, but that doesn't mean he is incapable of learning. When he is given the proper motivation he can do things like what you see in this picture below. Remember, Mikey is just 6 years old, but he is very bright, he just can't always communicate that to others.
Thank you for reading today, together we can do great things!
Mike S.
We had our first IEP meeting for Mikey this week. For those of you not in "the know" that stands for "Individualized Education Plan." The Public school system, in an effort to provide my son with a "free and appropriate" education came up with this 45 page document detailing everything Mikey needs to learn and to hopefully overcome his disability. Now is a good time to make this point, Mikey's Autism is a "disability." looking at him you can't tell but after "watching" him people that don't know him would say "that kid is different." Yes, he is different, but that doesn't mean he is incapable of learning. When he is given the proper motivation he can do things like what you see in this picture below. Remember, Mikey is just 6 years old, but he is very bright, he just can't always communicate that to others.
Thank you for reading today, together we can do great things!
Mike S.
Monday, August 22, 2011
A Great Networking Event for a Great Cause
Hello and thank you for Stopping by. Please come and visit us at the County Cork Wine Pub from 5-9 pm. 1716 Liberty Road Eldersburg Maryland. Check out the video for all the Details!
Thank you, Together we can do Great Things!
Mike
Thank you, Together we can do Great Things!
Mike
Saturday, August 20, 2011
A Great New Social Media Tool for fundraising
Hi Everybody, this was another productive week. I lost another pound so I am down to 240. That is 26 total pounds lost since May 19th. We also raised another $60 this week that put us over $2,100.00
It's the way I raised the $60 that is the best part. Trish Stone from Pathfinders suggested I check out www.crowdrise.com a new fundraising website. It's pretty simple, you load a picture add a description and then it allows you to mass invite people and notify via Twitter, Facebook and your email account. I set up my account in about 15 minutes and generated my first $50 donation in about 3 hours. The next day I generated another $10 donation, so it has been a very useful tool. It allows me to create a street team and people can "vote" for my fundraiser. The more fans I get the more points I get, the more votes I get the more points I get. The points have thresholds for additional donations and this website has a tracking bar on it to keep track of my total donations. So please go to www.crowdrise.com, become a fan, vote for my page and share this with all of your friends.
Thank you all so much for your help,
Together, we can do great things!
Mike S.
Stay tuned for a special video Blog on Monday!
It's the way I raised the $60 that is the best part. Trish Stone from Pathfinders suggested I check out www.crowdrise.com a new fundraising website. It's pretty simple, you load a picture add a description and then it allows you to mass invite people and notify via Twitter, Facebook and your email account. I set up my account in about 15 minutes and generated my first $50 donation in about 3 hours. The next day I generated another $10 donation, so it has been a very useful tool. It allows me to create a street team and people can "vote" for my fundraiser. The more fans I get the more points I get, the more votes I get the more points I get. The points have thresholds for additional donations and this website has a tracking bar on it to keep track of my total donations. So please go to www.crowdrise.com, become a fan, vote for my page and share this with all of your friends.
Thank you all so much for your help,
Together, we can do great things!
Mike S.
Stay tuned for a special video Blog on Monday!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
A Special Thank You to the Bowie United Methodist Church
This was another great week. I lost another pound so I am down to 241. And we finally broke the $2,000 mark in donations. check out the "Bags of Cash" below and watch the video to hear more about a very special donation this week.
Thank you, Together we can do great things!
Mike Shelah
Thank you, Together we can do great things!
Mike Shelah
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Twitter for Autism
This is a quick post. if you are on Twitter, please follow me @40miles4autism
Also, if we all add #autism to our tweets today or if we retweet anything we see with #autism in it, I think we cna make the twitter "trend" list
Let's Do this! Together we can do great things!
Mike S.
Also, if we all add #autism to our tweets today or if we retweet anything we see with #autism in it, I think we cna make the twitter "trend" list
Let's Do this! Together we can do great things!
Mike S.
Friday, August 5, 2011
I'm Doing This for My Son & For all Children Growing up with Autism
Welcome Back Everybody, This week I lost 2 more pounds so I am down to 242! We did raise a little money this week, between donations and shirt sales we brought in $55 this week. I just found out that our cost per shirt was a little less so once we sell this entire run we will make an additional $90 more than we thought!
I am sure there are many of you reading this blog for the first time wondering why I am going through all this trouble. My son has been my inspiration. When he was born in 2005, he was already behind the eight-ball. My son was a "super preemie." he was born 3 full months early and he weighed just over 2 pounds. My wife and I were terrified and 10 weeks later, we were relieved because he could come home. "It" was over. Really it had just begun. Mikey was a good and happy baby, but we started to notice around 9 months or so that he wasn't making the progress that a baby should. Now our Daughter was ahead of the curve of everything so we didn't want to unfairly compare them. But it became obvious that something was "different." Lots of Doctor visits, school visits and educators later, they told us he had a speech delay, and then that he had "sensory integration disorder," then he was PDD NOS, and finally he was diagnosed with Autism. Boy, that's a relief now we can work to help him.
To put it bluntly, that is an uphill fight. The school system wants to help, but the bureaucracy of it and their lack of funds puts them in the unfortunate position that they will do as little as possible to help your child unless you yell and scream for more services. When you do yell and scream their are several services that can really benefit your child, but because they are expensive and would cost the school system money, they flat out refuse to do them. They will site "free & appropriate" public education and typically the law is on their side. We consulted with THE BEST lawyer in Baltimore for this kind of case and he told us that there is only a 15% success rate for parents that "file for due process" against their respective school system. Ask yourself how that must feel?You know exactly what your child needs to give them the best chance to succeed, but the school wont provide it and you as a parent can spend Thousands of dollars each year, just to level the playing field for your Autistic child.
And then there is the typical daily activities, like going to the store. How many times have you been at a grocery store or a department store and seen a child having an absolute meltdown and thought to yourself "wow, that is one bad kid!" or you thought "what terrible parents." I can tell you, I AM that parent and that is my son. He is not a bad kid and I am not a bad parent. Sometimes you have to go to the store and sometimes your autistic child just cannot be soothed, for a whole host of reasons.
So I am incredibly grateful for everything that Pathfinders for Autism does for families like mine. Now when I take my son to one of their events, I am in an environment where, if Mikey has a tantrum I don't have dozens of accusatory eyes staring at me, telling me I am a bad parent, Instead I am surrounded by people who look at me and say " I understand."
Thank you for reading today, please share this blog with your friends and please donate, remember $10 can go a long way.
Together, we can do great things!
Mike
I am sure there are many of you reading this blog for the first time wondering why I am going through all this trouble. My son has been my inspiration. When he was born in 2005, he was already behind the eight-ball. My son was a "super preemie." he was born 3 full months early and he weighed just over 2 pounds. My wife and I were terrified and 10 weeks later, we were relieved because he could come home. "It" was over. Really it had just begun. Mikey was a good and happy baby, but we started to notice around 9 months or so that he wasn't making the progress that a baby should. Now our Daughter was ahead of the curve of everything so we didn't want to unfairly compare them. But it became obvious that something was "different." Lots of Doctor visits, school visits and educators later, they told us he had a speech delay, and then that he had "sensory integration disorder," then he was PDD NOS, and finally he was diagnosed with Autism. Boy, that's a relief now we can work to help him.
To put it bluntly, that is an uphill fight. The school system wants to help, but the bureaucracy of it and their lack of funds puts them in the unfortunate position that they will do as little as possible to help your child unless you yell and scream for more services. When you do yell and scream their are several services that can really benefit your child, but because they are expensive and would cost the school system money, they flat out refuse to do them. They will site "free & appropriate" public education and typically the law is on their side. We consulted with THE BEST lawyer in Baltimore for this kind of case and he told us that there is only a 15% success rate for parents that "file for due process" against their respective school system. Ask yourself how that must feel?You know exactly what your child needs to give them the best chance to succeed, but the school wont provide it and you as a parent can spend Thousands of dollars each year, just to level the playing field for your Autistic child.
And then there is the typical daily activities, like going to the store. How many times have you been at a grocery store or a department store and seen a child having an absolute meltdown and thought to yourself "wow, that is one bad kid!" or you thought "what terrible parents." I can tell you, I AM that parent and that is my son. He is not a bad kid and I am not a bad parent. Sometimes you have to go to the store and sometimes your autistic child just cannot be soothed, for a whole host of reasons.
So I am incredibly grateful for everything that Pathfinders for Autism does for families like mine. Now when I take my son to one of their events, I am in an environment where, if Mikey has a tantrum I don't have dozens of accusatory eyes staring at me, telling me I am a bad parent, Instead I am surrounded by people who look at me and say " I understand."
Thank you for reading today, please share this blog with your friends and please donate, remember $10 can go a long way.
Together, we can do great things!
Mike
Friday, July 29, 2011
This has been a Great Week! thank you
Hello again and Thank you for stopping by today, What a Great Week. I broke the 20 pound barrier and I am down to 244 ( that's 22 lbs lost in case you are wondering). Between donations and T-shirt sales and the bar event at Bad Decisions in Baltimore we have raised over $1,600.00 now! Thank you Fila for the training Gear, Thank you Ben Caplan and GPC print solutions for the T-shirts and thank you to all of my friends and family that have supported me so far.
Our Next event is on August 29th at "The Cork Wine Pub" in Eldersburg from 5-9 pm. I will be guest bartending again and there will be drink specials all night. We raised $500 at Bad Decisions and I expect Carroll county to come out strong and help me Double that number.
T-shirts are just $20 , if you want one you can mail you check to Pathfinders for autism and notate "40 miles T-shirt" in the notes field and we can mail one out to you for just $2 shipping. or you can use the credit card link to pay and then send me a note that you paid that way. every Friday I will update the donation sheet and mail out shirts.
Remember, just a $10 donation goes a long way.
See you soon!
Mike Shelah
Thank you, together we can do great things!
BTW, the Carroll County times and "Carroll County Today" both posted articles about 40 miles. read them here!
carroll county times article
carroll county today article
Our Next event is on August 29th at "The Cork Wine Pub" in Eldersburg from 5-9 pm. I will be guest bartending again and there will be drink specials all night. We raised $500 at Bad Decisions and I expect Carroll county to come out strong and help me Double that number.
T-shirts are just $20 , if you want one you can mail you check to Pathfinders for autism and notate "40 miles T-shirt" in the notes field and we can mail one out to you for just $2 shipping. or you can use the credit card link to pay and then send me a note that you paid that way. every Friday I will update the donation sheet and mail out shirts.
Remember, just a $10 donation goes a long way.
See you soon!
Mike Shelah
Thank you, together we can do great things!
BTW, the Carroll County times and "Carroll County Today" both posted articles about 40 miles. read them here!
carroll county times article
carroll county today article
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Great event in Baltimore Last night, Thank you!
Great event last night, thank you John Reusing and Bad Decisions for hosting our event. We raised $387 dollars and sold 11 T-shirts. Thank you also to my boys from Phi Delta Zeta and UMBC for representin. See you all in Eldersburg on August 29th!
Mike Shelah
Together we can do great things!
Mike Shelah
Together we can do great things!
Friday, July 22, 2011
The T-Shirts are Here, Ready for the Party Monday Night!!!
Hi Everybody. So the bad news is no new donations this week. The good news is I lost two more pounds and I am down to 247. The T-shirts are here and I already sold me first one ( SO I guess we did raise a little money this week). Come down to Bad Decisions Bar on Fleet Street in Baltimore Monday night between 5 and 10pm and get your very own shirt. Drinks will be flowing, there will be lots of people having a good time and raising money for a great cause AND your truly will be pourin the drinks and workin the crowd.
Special Thanks to my friend Ben Caplan with GPC print solutions. He got the shirts at a great price and in time for the event.
As always, please share this page with others. If everyone that sees my blog donates just $10 we will reach our record in no time!
Thank you, Together we can do great things!
Mike S.
Special Thanks to my friend Ben Caplan with GPC print solutions. He got the shirts at a great price and in time for the event.
As always, please share this page with others. If everyone that sees my blog donates just $10 we will reach our record in no time!
Thank you, Together we can do great things!
Mike S.
Friday, July 15, 2011
40 Miles for autism, anybody have good exercise tips?
Hi Everyone, The donation total is $865 right now. I am still at 249 this week. I figure that my exercise activity needs to go up plus i am sure that I have added a pound or two of muscle over the last couple weeks. In addition to my normal donation request, I would welcome good exercise tips.
Thanks for viewing this week. Please post this on your social media pages and please donate. If everyone that watches this donate's just $10 we will blow out the goal.
Thank you, together we can do great things!
Mike S.
Thanks for viewing this week. Please post this on your social media pages and please donate. If everyone that watches this donate's just $10 we will blow out the goal.
Thank you, together we can do great things!
Mike S.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
40 Miles for Autism: The Logo
It occured to me that I haven't posted my logo on the blog. This is what the front of the T-shirt will look like and it is the current Avatar for the Facebook Page, what do you think? Bev Ginter, a very good friend of the family created the design for me, I love it and would appreciate your feedback
Thank you, together we can do great things!
Mike S.
Thank you, together we can do great things!
Mike S.
Friday, July 8, 2011
40 Miles for Autism I need some creative ideas
Hi everybody and thank you for reading this week. I made a mistake on the total donations recently. Our total is up to $815.00 Thank you to everyone that has helped so far. I have lost 17 lbs so far and I am down to 249 lbs. Making great progress there.
Today I want to ask people for advice on fundraising. Frankly, I really did think more people would be willing to help me along the way and I've had many people say they will but have yet to do so. It's time to start swinging for the fences. I know over the next 2 months that the guest bartending events and the T-shirt sales will help, but It was brought to my attention that many companies have annual "giving" budgets that really start to become active this time of year. If your employer has such a budget or you think they might just be willing to contribute, please let me know. I should be able to post images of the T-shirt next week. We made a couple changes to the design and I think they are going to turn out great. Thanks again to Bev Ginter for creating the logo for me, she did a great job.
Till next week
Thank You! Together we can do great things
Mike S.
Today I want to ask people for advice on fundraising. Frankly, I really did think more people would be willing to help me along the way and I've had many people say they will but have yet to do so. It's time to start swinging for the fences. I know over the next 2 months that the guest bartending events and the T-shirt sales will help, but It was brought to my attention that many companies have annual "giving" budgets that really start to become active this time of year. If your employer has such a budget or you think they might just be willing to contribute, please let me know. I should be able to post images of the T-shirt next week. We made a couple changes to the design and I think they are going to turn out great. Thanks again to Bev Ginter for creating the logo for me, she did a great job.
Till next week
Thank You! Together we can do great things
Mike S.
Friday, July 1, 2011
40 Miles for Autism: Holidays and Children with Autism
Welcome Back! I have lost a total of 16 pounds and I am down to 252 pounds! We have raised over $835 dollars so far. We have several events coming up where you can donate in a more "entertaining fashion" and the t-shirts are being ordered and will debut on the blog in the next week or two.
Don't Forget! July 25th 2011 guest bartending night At "Bad Decisions" in Baltimore from 5-10 pm
August 29th 2011 guest bartending at "The Cork" in Eldersburg from 5-9 pm.
This weeks video is about how holidays can really be a problem for families of children with autism.
Please watch, Please Share, Please Donate. Even $5 means a lot to this cause,
Thank You!
Mike Shelah
Don't Forget! July 25th 2011 guest bartending night At "Bad Decisions" in Baltimore from 5-10 pm
August 29th 2011 guest bartending at "The Cork" in Eldersburg from 5-9 pm.
This weeks video is about how holidays can really be a problem for families of children with autism.
Please watch, Please Share, Please Donate. Even $5 means a lot to this cause,
Thank You!
Mike Shelah
Friday, June 24, 2011
Check out my Fantastic new Sponsors! 6-24-11
Today I am very excited to announce my three new sponsors for 40 Milers for Autism.
Fila The sports apparel company has kindly agreed to provide me with training clothing in preparation for my 40 mile run. Thank you Fila for your kind and immediate offer. I asked several companies to sponsor me and Fila did it without hesitation.
Bad Decisions is a bar in Baltimore owned by my Fraternity Brother John Reusing. On Monday July 25th 2011 I will guest bar tend there from 5-10 pm. John is donating a big chunk of money from some of the bar Drinks that night. Thanks John, it is truly appreciated
Bad Decisions
1928 Fleet Street
Baltimore MD 21231
410-979-5161
The County Cork Wine Pub in Eldersburg Maryland is a fantastic restaurant in Carroll County. On Monday August 29th Arlene the owner kindly agreed to open up just for my fundraiser. We will be there from 5-9pm and all Natty Boh Pints will contribute a $1 to the cause along with our special drink of the night.
The County Cork Wine Pub
1716 Liberty Road
Eldersburg MD 21784
Thank you to all of my new sponsors.
PLEASE BE SURE TO CLICK ON THERE WEB PAGES ON OUR SITE AND PATRONIZE THESE FANTASTIC ORGANIZATIONS.
BTW, I will update with the video later. I totally botched it up this morning and I need to get it right.
I will also update the weight loss and money raised at that time too.
Thank you for reading today
Mike S.
Fila The sports apparel company has kindly agreed to provide me with training clothing in preparation for my 40 mile run. Thank you Fila for your kind and immediate offer. I asked several companies to sponsor me and Fila did it without hesitation.
Bad Decisions is a bar in Baltimore owned by my Fraternity Brother John Reusing. On Monday July 25th 2011 I will guest bar tend there from 5-10 pm. John is donating a big chunk of money from some of the bar Drinks that night. Thanks John, it is truly appreciated
Bad Decisions
1928 Fleet Street
Baltimore MD 21231
410-979-5161
The County Cork Wine Pub in Eldersburg Maryland is a fantastic restaurant in Carroll County. On Monday August 29th Arlene the owner kindly agreed to open up just for my fundraiser. We will be there from 5-9pm and all Natty Boh Pints will contribute a $1 to the cause along with our special drink of the night.
The County Cork Wine Pub
1716 Liberty Road
Eldersburg MD 21784
Thank you to all of my new sponsors.
PLEASE BE SURE TO CLICK ON THERE WEB PAGES ON OUR SITE AND PATRONIZE THESE FANTASTIC ORGANIZATIONS.
BTW, I will update with the video later. I totally botched it up this morning and I need to get it right.
I will also update the weight loss and money raised at that time too.
Thank you for reading today
Mike S.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Happy Father's Day to all my fellow dads of children with autism
May we all survive the day!
Mike S.
Mike S.
Friday, June 17, 2011
40 miles for autism blog update 6-17-11
Hi everyone, another week, some more donations and I lost another pound. Check out the video for a great experience we had last night courtesy of Pathfinders for Autism. Also stay tuned because I will be announcing my first major sponsor for this program, in just a couple days. Please share this blog with your friends and please donate if you can.
Together we can do great things,
Thanks
Mike Shelah
Together we can do great things,
Thanks
Mike Shelah
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