A fantastic ending to a great journey

Wow I can't believe how fast 10 weeks passed by. We had the LLS Man & Woman of the year grand finale last Thursday 6/10. What a fantastic event at the Marriott City Center downtown.

We had great food, drink, entertainment, silent as well as live auctions and the opportunity to celebrate with our team members and other candidates. Sally put together a bathroom remodeling package that was the biggest bid of the evening! WOW!

I would like to personally thank all of my fantastic team members for their time and fantastic effort given to this great cause. We as a group of 13 men & women raised a total of 277,000 dollars. Wow!!!

A special thanks goes to my wife Sally for being a great manager, wife and supporter. I couldn't have done this without her constant drive and passion for the cause. Your great Sally! and I love you very much.

Last Chance to Support Team Williams For A Cure

Dear Friends,

Thank you to everyone who has supported the Team Williams For A Cure 2010 Campaign. Your donations to LLS will truly make a difference!
If you haven’t had an opportunity to make a donation yet, please let me remind you that the deadline for donations via the Campaign is Wednesday, June 9th, at 5pm. It’s hard to believe that this fantastic experience is winding up. I look forward to sharing the Campaign results at the end of this week!

Please make a donation in honor of someone you know who has been touched by cancer.
Click here to donate: http://nce.mwoy.llsevent.org/pledge/index.cfm?mid=RICHARDWILLIAMS

Every dollar counts … you never know which dollar will be the one that funds the research that finds a cure!

Sincerely,

Richard Williams
Candidate for Man of the Year 2010, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
richardwilliams23@gmail.com cell: 919-414-6109 Leith Mercedes 5601 Capital Blvd. Raleigh NC 27616

Ping Pong For A Cure

The final event of the Team Williams For a Cure Campaign was this past Thursday. It was bittersweet. It was so nice to see friends that I hadn't seen in years, come out to support the cause and help raise money for the cure. Even though I may have won the ping pong tournament, the real winners are those who will benefit from the research that will be supported in part by the funds we have raised during this Campaign.
Congratulations to Samantha Van O. for winning the Novice division! Everyone played their hearts out, and had alot of fun making new friends and chilling out at Buck's.
Many thanks to Michael Buckner, for hosting the tournament, organizing the format and keeping us all in line. I'm glad to have found a local bar that has ping pong tables! I look forward to more fun times there.

Winding down the Campaign.

Wow it's hard to believe that 9 weeks has past since we started this fantastic journey. Our team has worked very hard to get to this point. It's amazing what you can do as a team. So thanks to my fantastic team members and to all of you who have supported our fight against cancer!

We have until Wednesday June 9th at 5PM. That's when the last contribution can be received and still count for the competition.

So please set aside some time to donate to this worthy cause. Every dollar counts! My site is www.nce.mwoy.llsevent.org/richardwilliams. Please act now so that those with cancer can have hope that there is a cure around the corner.

Thank you
Richard

More fun to come, as the Campaign countdown begins ...

With the cooperative efforts of an incredible group of friends, Team Williams For A Cure has accomplished so much in the Campaign so far. We've had three great events, and more to come! We have Chick-Fil-A promotions taking place at 4 area restaurants in the month of May. Please email sally@colorfulconcepts.net if you'd like to have the flyers for the May promotions at the RTP location, the 5/20th promotion at the Triangle Town Center location, and the 5/24th promotion at the Falls Village and Capital Crossings locations.

We have only 3 1/2 weeks remaining in the LLS Man and Woman of the Year Campaign. And we plan to make the most of them! We continue to seek auction donations for the Grand Finale June 10th. The deadline for auction donations is June 4th, 5 pm. And, the deadline for online and check donations via the Campaign is June 9th, 5 pm.

Stay tuned for details on our upcoming Ping Pong Tournament scheduled for June 3rd, 6pm, at Buck's Sports & Spirits on Creedmoor Road. Tournament play begins at 7 pm. Plan to come out and join us for a fun evening, at our last fund-raising event of the Team Williams For A Cure 2010 Campaign! Click on the event link at the top of the page for more details as they are available. Reservations will be taken in advance, and you can also register upon arrival on the 3rd. Hope to see you there!

Successful events and rally for the final 4 weeks!

Wow, what a great weekend we had with the Margarita party last Saturday and a fantastic Golf outing on Monday! It was wonderful to have my brother and friends come down from Connecticut to support the Campaign. We'd also like to thank Mother Nature for cooperating with us for the Golf outing. As many of you know, Monday started off as a very stormy day, and cleared up nicely before the start of the event.

Great fun was had by all! Check out the photos at the link at the top of the blog page to see Team members and Campaign supporters bowling, mingling at Somerhill, and golfing.

A big thank you to all of our Team Members, and to all those who have given their time unselfishly to the Campaign. A special thanks goes out to Linda Zoffer, for her tireless efforts in working with the Somerhill Gallery to make the Margarita event a success. And, to Jim Battista and Linda Botzum for all their hard work in pulling off a successful Golf Tournament in 5 short weeks! Amazing!!

This past week has been a great time to reflect on the success to date, and to regroup and focus on the final push to meet our fund-raising goal of $15,000. Everyone has been touched by cancer. Please encourage your friends, family, and business associates to donate, and join us in the fight for a cure. The deadline for donations via the Campaign is June 9th.

Authentic Margaritas!

I'm happy to announce that my good friend Joel Ibarra, co-owner of El Rodeo Grille, El Rodeo, and Jibarra Restaurants in Raleigh, will be providing the Classic Margaritas for our Somerhill event! How much better can it be, than to have authentic Margaritas?!

Team Williams Bowling For A Cure

A big THANK YOU to Lisa and Gary Stewart for their effort in hosting the bowling event last night! We had great fun, raised money, made new friends, and increased awareness for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

We had big red LLS banners posted in the main entrance where you couldn't miss it. We were encouraged by the show of support from the young NC State college students who were bowling that evening. What a great time!

Tomorrow evening is our last Team Williams meeting before our two major events. I'm humbled by the enthusiasm and commitment shown by our Team, in the effort to raise funds for this great cause. Hope to see you for Margaritas 5/1 or golf on 5/3!!

Last call for Golfers! and More raffle prizes!!

We are ten days away from the big day at Crooked Creek! Final RSVP's will be accepted on Monday, as we work to wrap up the details of the event. There are hole sponsorship signs to have printed, large banners to be made, and food to be ordered. The raffle prizes, goody bags and auction items are definitely under control! The beer and wings are on order. Add the following great prizes to the previous fantastic list: 6-month membership at Fitness 19, $25 gift certificates to Wild Wings, Home Depot, Duffy's, Sports Page, Blinco's and O'Mulligans. And, a grand prize of a Mercedes golf bag!

Next weekend is sure to be unbelievable. I'm getting chills just thinking about it. The Connecticut contingency will arrive on Friday, honoring my brother Mark. Rodney, Greg, Kevin, and Kevin's son will join us for Margaritas Saturday, and Golf on Monday. Friday night is also the mid-point celebration, hosted by LLS, for all the Man and Woman of the Year candidates.

I can't wait to see all the wonderful folks coming out to support the campaign, and the cause. On behalf of Team William for A Cure, we look forward to seeing old friends, and making new ones! Next weekend will be a time to remember.

Golf Outing at Crooked Creek - latest door prizes!

The list of raffle prizes and goodie bag items is growing! Not to mention the fantastic silent auction items too. A short list of raffle prizes to date: gift certificates to Pipers Tavern and Sawmill Taproom, rounds of golf at Crooked Creek, Crooked Creek Pro Shop credit, and more! Goodie bags will include: Mercedes hats, koozies, and coupons for Quizno's, Goodberries, Massage Envy, Healthtrax, and more!! The "Golf Outing at Crooked Creek" chairs, Jim Battista and Linda Botzum, have been working hard! This is going to be an awesome event!! Join us in support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Their research teams have made break throughs that have advanced treatments for not only blood cancers, but all forms of cancer. Thank you for your support!

More updates next week, on "Margaritas at Somerhill", with an equally impressive and enticing list of items. Join us on 5/1 for Margaritas, or 5/3 for Golf!

Week One Campaign contest winners!

Looks like more CT folks will be coming down to support our fundraising events scheduled for May 1st and May 3rd.

All you golfers will be happy to know that Hooters of Raleigh has agreed to provide beer, wings, and servers for the Golf Outing on May 3rd. You do not want to miss this fun-filled event!!!

Thanks to the team members who have already sent emotional emails to their family and friends. This means a lot coming from you, and should certainly encourage donations for this great cause.

I’m excited that we are the first Man and Woman of the Year Campaign team to have a Corporate Sponsor for the grand finale, which will allow us to have an additional live auction item at the Grand Finale of the Campaign! LSG, the sponsor for our Golf Outing, will also be given a table sponsorship at the Grand Finale. This is a reward for our Team winning the contest for week one of the Campaign. Go Team Williams!!

There are a lot of corporate sponsorships remaining, ranging from $100 for a hole sponsorship at the golf outing to $25,000 for the top sponsorship for the grand finale celebration. There are great marketing opportunities available for small businesses and large corporations too. Please consider a sponsorship, and encourage your business contacts to take advantage of these great opportunities too. Contact me for details!

I spoke with my mother in CT, and she is so happy and proud that I am running for Man of the Year and dedicating my campaign to my younger brother Mark, who lost his valiant battle to cancer. This is another step in helping my mother and father heal from our terrible loss!

Again, anything you can do to contribute, get involved, and, spread the word will be greatly appreciated. Stayed tuned in for more exciting news as Team Williams continues down the Campaign trail!

News from Connecticut

I’m very happy that my brother Rodney will be coming down from Connecticut for the weekend festivities in May. My good friend Kevin, from my hometown of Wallingford, CT, will be my point man back home. Kevin was my brother Mark’s best friend, and they were like brothers. Kevin will be supporting the Campaign by placing posters in his various drycleaning stores, and encouraging his friends, clients, and associates to contribute.

Final details for our events will be announced this week! Check back for the updates, and register right away! And, encourage your friends and contacts to do the same!

Kickoff Event and First Sponsor!

What an incredible evening, meeting the little girl and boy of the year, and hearing about their family's struggles during their battles against blood cancer. The experience made me realize how important this Campaign is to so many people, young and old.

Today was the second full day of our Campaign, and I'm very excited with the warm reception I have experienced from others who have noticed my Man of the Year lapel pin. I have secured our first corporate sponsor, and am very confident that others will follow, especially with the help of such a great Team!

Great team planning in the works!

Team Williams has had two fantastic planning meetings, and a third is on our calendars. As well as and email and letter-writing campaign, we have decided to focus on two large fundraising events. We're planning "Margaritas at Somerhill" for the evening of Saturday, May 1st; and "Golf Outing at Crooked Creek" for Monday, May 3rd. We hope you'll join us for both of these great events!

You don't want to miss the opportunity to sip Margaritas in the beautiful Somerhill Gallery in Durham. We will have light appetizers, as well as an amazing jazz trio for your entertainment. We hope to also have a silent auction for your shopping pleasure!

And for you golfers, Crooked Creek Golf Course in Fuquay Varina is as beautiful as it is challenging. The day will be include golf, cart, range balls, lunch, beverages (including unlimited beer), and more!

We're working on the details, and will post them as soon as they are available. Until then, please save the dates!

We will have a number of sponsorship opportunities available for the Golf Outing as well as at "Margaritas at Somerhill". We are also seeking live and silent auction items. Please let me know if you're able to help us out, or have a great connection.

There are 12 candidates competing in the Triangle, for the titles of Man of the Year, and Woman of the Year. We are not allowed to reveal our fundraising totals throughout the Campaign, and so the announcement of the winner will be a surprise to everyone on June 10th!

Please become a follower of our Team Williams blog! We'd love to keep you posted on event details as they become finalized.