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A Note from Loree Lipstein September 9, 2008 Hello fabulous sailors & supporters!! I would like to thank each of you for participating in the 15th Annual Leukemia Cup Regatta! Hanna tested our resilience... but the Leukemia Cup prevailed!! Thank you ALL for being so supportive of our decision to change the day and flexible with your personal schedules to still join us for all festivities. What a fantastic day Sunday turned out to be - perfect for being outside & on the water! I know you are waiting on the edge of your seats to hear our grand total for the 2008 Leukemia Cup Series! It is with extreme pride in all of you that I announce our grand total is more than $170,000 right now and still climbing!! This amount is $10,000 more than last year.... $5,000 more than what we set as our goal this year... and very much in sight of our stretch goal of $175,000!! These numbers are absolutely AMAZING and all of us here at LLS are extremely excited by the results of this year's campaign. This was a record breaking year in so many ways -- the Jr. Regatta and the Poker Run both raised record amounts of money. The raffle & auction Sunday raised the most they ever have. And, overall, we had the most successful fundraising efforts by sailors ever! With more people participating and more of you breaking the $500 and $1000 marks, you literally blew last year's fundraising out of the water! This money will be used to support blood cancers patients right here in the National Capital Area through patient education, financial assistance and support group programs. Funds also provide the opportunity for health care professionals who are treating patients to participate in ongoing education about various issues facing this special group. And finally, funds will be used to advance research, leading to new therapies and procedures that will cure many who are affected by blood cancers, such as our friends Tyler, Andrew and Leah who were able to join us this weekend thanks to funds raised in the past by people as generous and caring as yourselves. They join me in my heartfelt thanks to you all! It's been such a pleasure to meet more and more of you as I'm completing my 2nd sailing season here!! I can hardly believe we've had 2 Leukemia Cups together! I want to thank again everyone who has continued to help me to understand the world of sailing and history/traditions of the Leukemia Cup. To all the clubs who encourage your members to participate each year (and who welcome me into your club activities!) - thank you for your support! To the race committees who ran the on water logistics, there truly would not be a Regatta without you! I may be able to throw you a party... but on the water all I know how to do is get a suntan! With the way the Leukemia Cup has been growing I am already excited to see what 2009 will bring! I can just see the $200K mark being met! Any feedback you have for me about this year please be in touch to share. We can only continue to improve your experience if you help us identify where we can grow. Other than the wind factor (I got it for you on Saturday... not my fault that you were prohibited by the Coast Gaud from enjoying it!!), I am happy to work on any aspect of the event to make it better. I know our committee would welcome more participation with planning and recruiting participants as well... we usually start in March... let me know if you are interested in joining us in planning for next year! Sincerely, Loree
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