For a while now I've needed to share some really great stuff and haven'thadmade the time (for shame) to tell you about all the wonderful things going on with Emma's Hugs. We have had several, tons really, donations come through our website. Many came because of the work of our friend, John Mohr. He. is. AWESOME!! He just got back from Hawaii where he did the 1/2 Iron Man! The guy is incredible, I tell you. His training for the Iron Man included many marathons, 1/2 marathons, triathalons, and the like, all at which he promoted Emma's Hugs with his gear. If you're a runner, biker, workout enthusiast, or just like cool workout gear, we can hook you up! He also designed a fabulous jersey for his Iron Man. You can have one too if you would like to join Team Emma's Hugs or get a team of your own together. So with all of his training, and then finally going to Hawaii, he sent out a challenge for his friends and family to donate $73.03 to Emma's Hugs, the amount of miles he would go for the Iron Man. Over $2100 came in! (Scream and jump up and down!)
So now, for the post I was going to do today...
John has continued to share the vision for Emma's Hugs, and sent out the beautiful message below to his friends and family the other day. I thought I would share it with you too...
I set a goal about 1 year ago after finishing my first half-IronMan triathlon to complete a full IronMan before I turned 40. Just about 10 months before my 40th birthday and 1 week before the race, I have come to the realization that I am crazy! What would ever motivate someone to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and then run a full 26.2 mile marathon, and do it all in less than 17 hours? Two words…Emma’s Hugs. Emma’s Hugs is an organization that was started in September 2009 by our friends Kelvin and Christy Dunnam. It is named after their daughter Emma, who died February 1, 2010, 1 month shy of her 4 year old birthday, from Batten Disease. The mission of Emma’s Hugs is to offer random acts of kindness, as simple as paying for parking, for families with children or adults hospitalized in the Texas Medical Center. A very simple act that goes a long way for families who just want to park their car so they can be with their family member and not have to worry about the financial burden this can place on them. To date, Emma’s Hugs has provided over 16 1/2 years (that is right…6,029days!!!) of parking. But the impact is much greater than the value of the parking. To offer a non-selfish act of kindness offers a glimmer of hope to families who may be in financial crisis, or health, family or spiritual crisis. 1 John 3:17 says, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Last year we raised just over $3000 for Emma’s Hugs. But most importantly, we were able to make people aware of this awesome organization. During the Houston Triathlon last September, I spent 5 minutes of the run talking with another athlete about Emm a’s Hugs because he asked about my triathlon jersey (which has the Emma’s Hugs logo). When arriving at the bike to run transition in Hawaii 70.3, I was greeted by a HUGE Emma’s Hugs banner draping over our balcony at the hotel for everyone to see that my kids made with crayons and a sheet that they took from the bed in our room. Tri 4 Him, a Christian triathlon team, has chosen Emma’s Hugs as their “race for a reason” for the year. There have been groups who have run 5K’s to ½ marathons to marathons wearing Emma’s Hugs race gear to help raise money and awareness. Getting on board with this organization is contagious when one learns of what they are doing for others. Please consider supporting me this year in my IronMan quest with a charitable, tax deductible donation to Emma’s Hugs. These donations will allow them to continue to bless people through the legacy of Emma Dunnam. A $100 donation can provide a week of parking for a mom and dad that just want to be with their sick child or a wife or husband supporting a spouse in cancer treatment. In reality, some families have children or loved ones in the hospital for months. (That is $400/month…just to park their car!) The more money we can raise, the more people we can bless. If you can donate more, THANK YOU!! If you can only give a little, THANK YOU!! You can donate online at the Emma’s Hugs website by clicking the “DONATE” tab on the home page. Please put my name and Tri 4 Him in the Special Instructions box. You can also find Emma’s Hugs on Facebook (and you can follow Kelvin and Christy on their blog at, http://www.emmadunnam.blogspot.com/.
Thank You,
John Mohr
