I really want to meet Baby Witt...

You may have seen a blog post or two about our friends, the Witts. Jill is the founder of Pound the Pavement and has been selflessly serving so many when, she herself, still needs help in this journey.

Now, it is Allen and Jill's turn.. thanks to Cameron and Kristin - who have generously offered to put on an Online Auction called Go Team Witt! It will be held on June 24th and 25th and there are some wonderful items being auctioned. It's a great cause, isn't it? Here's how you can help:

1. If you are a business owner and would like to donate an item to be auctioned off, please click here for more information. They are also interested in finding a business that would be willing to match the total donation.....!

2. Bid on our online auctions starting June 24th! It's the best of both worlds! You get an item you love & 100% of the profits go toward the Witts' treatments!

3. If you are uninterested in either of these options, you can always go directly through the donate button and make a monetary donation.

4. Spread the word on your blog, facebook or twitter!

Thank you!

Pound the Pavement for Parenthood

On Saturday, we had our 2nd Pound the Pavement for Parenthood 5K! My good friend, Jill is the heart and soul of this organization. She is the driving force and I am so proud of her and the dream she has created. I am happy to be apart of this organization and it's been incredible to see it grow and continue. I can't wait for years to come and the many miracles we will see.

In Jill's words, here are some answers about Pound the Pavement for Parenthood from an interview done by, Kerstin Daynes. (Who is heaven sent, by the way.)
We are a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness to infertility and helping couples in their journey to parenthood. Each year we sponsor at least one couple whose next step is either In Vitro Fertilization or adoption.

Our mission is to help relieve the financial burden infertility can become. We dream of helping multiple couples each year around the state raise these funds to have the opportunity of being parents.

What motivated you to start the Pound the Pavement for Parenthood 5K?

We met with our reproductive specialist on October 15, 2011. When he advised us to move past IUI to IVF, I instantly felt the financial burden of the treatment. I felt like he was just giving us the grave prognosis; years more of the emotional monthly roller coaster of wanting pregnancy, and in addition, a huge financial mountain to climb along the way. I didn’t want to wait years in order to do one cycle of IVF. My mind instantly started turning to ways for us to save and raise money.
I came home and cried for hours before confiding in a couple of friends. That night they were sitting on my couch asking how they could help. I had been brainstorming since leaving the doctor’s office that day. Since I’m a runner, a 5K was at the forefront of my thinking. I had run in multiple charity races, but I had no clue where to start with this big idea. We set the date for November 13 hoping that the weather would remain cold, but dry. During the rapid planning of and preparation for our race, I knew that all of the work that was going into the 5K would someday have to benefit others. I knew if I could help relieve even a portion of the burden of IVF/adoption for someone else, I would. It was exciting! I set up the race as an organization so that I could continue planning each year. I suddenly felt it very important to not only help couples who struggle with infertility, but to bring awareness to a community where it is often overlooked and unrecognized.

After all was said and done, what did you see it accomplish?

More than anything, I think we were able to see our goals accomplished: bringing awareness to the struggle of infertility and raising money for my treatment. In only 3 short weeks, it was incredible.

Creating this 5K taught me a lot about the goodness of others. I was so amazed by the support we were able to get in just a few weeks of planning the race. Some amazing people came out of the woodwork as they were or had struggled with infertility. Some had family members who face fertility problems. And others had never struggled but were touched by my story and expressed support for the cause and realized even more the blessing that their children were to them.

What was the biggest obstacle to overcome?

I think the timeframe we had to work in was the biggest obstacle. A few weeks is a very short time to get through all of the logistics of creating not only a 5K run, but an organization. There were a lot of hoops I had to jump through in order to get this race where we wanted it, and in the right way.

What was a miracle you saw along the way?

There were so many small miracles that we saw during the 3 weeks we were planning. The city we planned the race was very accommodating, which could have easily been a deal-breaker. More than anything though, I think we saw miracles in the generosity of people. There are so many good people out there who want to help. Even if they didn’t understand on a personal level the struggle of infertility, many of them were touched by our goal of helping others. It was a miracle to see as people (mostly strangers) reached out to us and offered what they could to help our cause. It softened my heart as I watched the Lord work through people in order to accomplish good things. It is a feeling and an experience I will never forget. I remember as I watched the runners leave the starting line that cold, but dry morning on November 13, how emotional it was. They were running for us. They were running for infertility. And that was the most satisfying thing I had ever felt. Because of that, of course I will continue putting on this race, and hope it can benefit others like me who want so badly to have the opportunity of parenthood.

What would you like this idea and dream to become?

I would love Pound the Pavement for Parenthood to become a well-known race that people look forward to and participate in every year. I want to eventually be able to help couples farther away in other areas of the state in order to raise awareness in their communities. I would love to someday have the option of a 10K, along with a 5K in order to get runners who simply want to run in a quality race interested. I want our organization to become a “well oiled machine” so that any stresses that come with planning a yearly charity race can be somewhat remedied by having great and generous sponsors in larger businesses. Bottom line: I want to be able to help people in a big way! I want to raise a substantial portion of the funds these couples need in order to realize their opportunity of becoming parents, whether it be medical treatment or adoption. I want to relieve for others the stress I feel as I face my financial mountain of infertility treatment costs.

Saturday was a great day. I even ran in the race this year! It nearly killed me. It's true, I'm not a runner but, I will definitely be working on it before Pound the Pavement Year 3. I can't wait! Here are some pictures from Saturday:

Oh, what a wonderful day

Yesterday was wonderful. Everything turned out so well and I can't believe everything came together like it did... and it all happened in three weeks. The Lord's hand was truly in this. All of this.

..and my goodness, did I cry grateful tears? Embarrassingly enough, yes.

I will miss working with Becky and Jill on this great project. But now, back to life. Back to cooking and being a better wife. Back to editing. Back to doing my hair. ;)

More posts to come.

facebook says that the 5K is tomorrow

Under my events section on Facebook, it says that Pound the Pavement for Parenthood is tomorrow! It's hard to believe, as sometimes the road to this 5K has been so long and yet, we've only had a month of planning. What others stamped as impossible, has been done. Perhaps it might seem amateur to some, perhaps some don't understand why, but I am so proud of it.

It has been an honor to be involved and to see the Lord's hand in every step of the way. I tell you, he cares about each and every one of us and even in the small aspects of our lives.

..and my goodness, have I seen him work through people I am associated with and people who I am not. Even perfect strangers to me.

This journey has left me often emotional. Nearly every time I log on to Facebook, in fact. I am so touched when someone writes me a message offering to help, or when they post the event on their status. Yes, that one gets me every time and my eyes fill with grateful tears.

I can't thank you enough.

.. for supporting my good friends, Allen and Jill.
.. for supporting me.

..and for showing me the Lord's graciousness work through you.

I hope to see you there. It will be a day of goodness and fun. I can't wait!

Pound the Pavement for Parenthood

Pound the Pavement for Parenthood 5K Run

Saturday, November 13 - 10:00 AM

Saratoga Springs, UT

We are still getting registration set up but, please mark your calenders!

pre-registration $15

same day registration $20

The run will end at a park in Saratoga Springs (Harvest Hills) where we will enjoy live entertainment and a raffle for gifts and services from local vendors.

A bake sale will also be held during this event so, come ready for some delicious treats. If you'd like to participate/donate to the bake sale, please email me at saboa3@aol.com.

Be looking for more details as well as a link for pre-registration. Please share with friends and family. It should be a lot of fun!

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Last night, I was filled with excitement. I felt like dancing and running and I couldn't stop smiling. We got news from the city that everything is set for the 5K for Allen and Jill, we don't need a permit and that is truly an answered prayer.

Everyday this week, I've gotten an e-mail from somebody willing to donate, in some way, to our friends.

There are amazing people in this world and I am privileged to know so many wonderful individuals.

Thank you for your help and support!

Donations.

Hello friends,

A year and a half ago, Jared and I moved into our first house. We have absolutely loved living where we do. We love this house that is now our home and we have been truly blessed with the people we've met. We love the many wonderful neighbors and dear friends that we have found here.

A few months after moving in, we met our neighbors, Allen and Jill. They have become dear friends who we love very much. We quickly learned that they had been trying to have a baby for sometime and we have been praying for this to happen ever since.

Recently, they found out that without In Vitro Fertilization, they have a very slim chance of getting pregnant. So, this is the next path to venture on for our friends except, this path comes at a high cost. $12, 000.

There will be a yard sale fundraiser held for our friends on Saturday, November 6th.
(Location will be announced at a later date.) I write this to ask for donations of any kind to sell at the yard sale for Allen & Jill. If you have anything that you would be willing to donate, please let me know and I would be happy to pick it up from your house.

Thank you.

See Jill's blog about their journey here.