As we prepare for the upcoming JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes, I'm reminded of a conversation I had with Charlie when he was 3, just prior to our second walk.

"We walk and we raise money so that there can be a cure for diabetes," I explained to him. He looked at me blankly, clearly confused.

"Can you buy me something at Toys 'R Us with the money?"

"No. The money is for a cure."

"What's a cure?" he asked.

"We raise money so that maybe someday the doctors will be able to take diabetes away. Maybe someday you won't have diabetes anymore. That would mean no shots and no more testing your blood sugar."

I thought my little pep talk would make Charlie excited and hopeful. Instead, a wave of panic washed over him. Not the reaction I was expecting.

He got very upset at the thought of no longer having diabetes and even cried when I suggested he wouldn't have to test his blood sugar if there was a cure.

"Keep testing!," he sobbed. (READ MORE)

Championship teams begin with good scouting. You always have to look to the future of the organization.

It's no coincidence that Charlie's Angels has won the Mid-Jersey JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes three years consecutively, breaking all sorts of records along the way. Sure, we get some odd looks from people as we dart past them in full sprint in our matching black running shorts to the finish line, high-fiving each other and calculating our heart rates. We're so fast, it almost seems like everyone else is walking. Must be jealousy. We train year-round for this. They should be jealous.

But to remain an elite team year after year, you've got to bring in new blood and drop some dead weight. We've got a nice-looking team heading into the big race on Sunday. We've made a few changes - some very difficult - but all for the good of the team. (READ MORE)

After a full week, my kids have finally emerged from their swine caves and have re-entered society, going back to school today.

My germaphobic wife’s biggest fear in the world (aside from a potential delay in the production of the latest Twilight series movie – New Moon) was getting swine flu. She made this startling comment while shivering on the couch last week.

"I better have the swine flu."

To think that this was just a precursor to something worse was unimaginable.

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You should have seen it! It was THIS big! [arms outstretched]. I swear!

When I’m in fundraising mode (typically July through October), I take the "hey, ya never know" and the "can’t hurt to ask" approach ad nauseam. With both email and social networking, potential targets are more accessible than they’ve ever been.

Sure it comes with a 99.8 percent rejection rate, but I try not to let that deter me. Like I said, ya never know. Maybe someone will be moved by Charlie’s story from this "desperate dad doing everything I can to bring about a cure for this dreadful disease." Yes, I’ve written that in countless emails. Barf!

And this …

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Most of us who have been around the diabetes community, or any running, cycling, or charity-event community, have had the opportunity to participate in a large event — either as a participant or as a volunteer. Most volunteers come in the day of the event, check in participants or hand out food or beverages for a few hours, and go home. Participants sign up, solicit donations (if it's a charity event), show up, burn some calories, maybe eat some food, and go home. Very few of us get to see how much work, and how many people, it takes to put on an event. If you've ever wondered why the fundraising bar for charity cycling rides is set at $200, $500, $3000, or more... this is why.

Let's start at the beginning. Most of the real work of an event starts months before the day of the race, ride, or walk.

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[This post follows "A Day At the Races (I) — Before the Event", where I discussed some of the work that goes into setting up a fundraising walk, run, or ride.]

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