What a beautiful day!

Hi all! WOW what a day yesterday at the 3rd Annual NJ Sharing Network 5K Walk and USATF Certified Race!
   

Mr. Pumps and members of Rob’s Team, in memory of Roberto Perez

I don’t think we could have wished for a better day!

There were NEARLY 6,000 beautiful people in attendace: donor families, recipients and their families, living donors, people waiting for the gift of life, and the families of those who could no longer wait. We had over 150 volunteers throughout the day, and our wonderful commmunity members, hospital partners and sponsors were also in attendance, as they continue to support our life-saving work and our mission to save and enhance lives. Thanks to you, we have raised almost $650,000 so far and we’re still counting!

Mr. Pumps and I warming up on stage before the big walk!

Remember: Contributions are still being accepted online, by-mail, and over-the-phone until July 15th! So keep it coming – I know we will reach our goal of $750,000!

What was your favorite part of the day? (I might have a hard time choosing just one!)

The 5K is Only Five Days Away!

Happy 5 Days until the big 5K! What a busy and exciting week this is going to be! I hope you have all been training and spreading the word about the 5K Walk and USATF Certified Race – I know I have! Actually, as of this afternoon we have over 3,800 team members and individuals participating – that is SO awesome! We are way ahead of where we were last year, so keep up the great work. If you haven’t registered yet, take a few minutes and join my team, NJ Sharing Network.   Together we can save and enhance lives through organ and tissue donation!

I am SO excited about the 5K this weekend, but I also have a very special annoucement to make! I just can’t hold it in any longer… I am getting MARRIED!  Mr. Pumps, both a classy and stylish guy, stole my heart and popped the big question. Of course I said YES! We will be tying the knot this February 14th (which you all know is Valentine’s Day, my birthday, and National Donor Day). How perfect is that!? I know, I know, you can’t wait to meet him – but don’t worry, he will be at the 5K this weekend supporting me and all of you. :)

More wedding details to come, but first let’s keep our eyes on the prize… literally! Did you know NJ Sharing Network will be giving out prizes to our biggest 5K Fundraisers? So get out there and keep FUN-draising! I know you can do it!

Can’t wait to see you all this weekend!

XOXO,
 Future MRS. Pumps (Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?)

My handsome man sporting his blue and green. Thumbs up for organ and tissue donation!

Thank you for your participation!

So…how was everyone’s Donate Life Month? I know a lot of you were busy out there spreading our message and wearing your blue and green in support of organ and tissue donation! We received lots of great pictures and comments on our Facebook page. I hope all of you had a chance to read them. If you did not, make sure you check out our page. We are always posting interesting things that our friends are doing in the community. I am so excited to see such great participation from all of you, not to mention all the great support that we have been receiving for our upcoming 5K! We already have more than 230 teams signed up and we still have 5 weeks to go! This is an event that you simply cannot miss! I just got word that Greg T from Z100 has created a team and he’ll be running in the event this year…how cool is that?! If you have not signed up yet, you must join the Greg T Z100 Team! Or if you can’t be here on June 9th, you can support Greg T’s team by making a contribution.
Okay, I have to go for a run before the rain starts…I need to try to keep up with Greg T on June 9th!


TTYL!

XOXO,

Pumps

We’re thrilled to welcome back our friend Greg T to our 5K this year!

 
Heart-healthy tip of the day: Add heart-healthy foods to your diet, such as salmon, which is high in Omega 3 fatty acids, flaxseed, oatmeal, black and kidney beans and certain nuts such as almonds and walnuts. All these foods make me happy and strong, so you should eat them too. Your heart will thank you. :)

April is National Donate Life Month

Happy National Donate Life Month! During April, organizations, hospitals and community partners across the nation concentrate their efforts to promote awareness about the importance of organ and tissue donation and celebrate the heroes who saved and enhanced lives through the gift of donation. NJ Sharing Network’s calendar is full of awareness events and activities across the state and I’m very excited because I’ve been invited to participate in some of them!

 

One of the dates that we are most looking forward to is April 19th, which has been designated as National Donate Life Blue and Green Day! This is a day which we encourage legislators, corporations, hospital employees, schools, and community residents to wear blue and green to show their support of organ and tissue donation and National Donate Life Month. This is a fun and creative way to not only create awareness, but many 5K team captains are planning team-building and fundraising events on this day. How fun is that? I can’t wait to see everyone’s blue and green day pictures on Facebook and Twitter! You can also visit NJ Sharing Network’s website to find great ways to promote Donate Life Month in your local community.

Heart-healthy tip of the day: Monitor your alcohol. I enjoy a nice glass of red wine from time to time, but too much alcohol can damage the heart muscle, increase blood pressure and also lead to weight gain. Binge drinking will increase your risk of having a heart attack, so you should aim to limit your intake to one to two units a day…and by unit I mean one glass – not one bottle! :-)

Happy National Donate Life Month!

Only 12 Weeks Away!

OMG!  I can’t believe we’re less than 12 weeks away from the biggest, most exciting event of the year!!  (No, it is not the return of Lord  & Taylor’s Shoe Event, although like every respectable fashionista, I do love a nice pair of pumps :-) ) Our 5K Walk and USATF Certified Race is rapidly approaching and I am well on my way to being on tip-top shape!  I’ve been training hard, eating right and spreading the word to all my friends and family.  I’ve been doing such a great job that we have close to 120 teams already registered for the 5K!!  I actually had the pleasure of meeting some of our amazing team captains at our Team Captains Kickoff event, which was held at Forest Lodge on March 16^th.  Over 100 people joined me to hear some of the top team captains from prior years share their fundraising and team building tips.  We rallied, we shared stories and most importantly, we honored those who gave, paid tribute to those who received, offered hope to those who continue to wait and remembered the lives lost while waiting for the gift of life.  It was an unforgettable day and it was just a preview of what’s to come on June 9^th!


Click on the picture below to view all the pictures from our Team Captains Kickoff!

XOXO, Ms. Pumps

Ooops…did I just photo bomb our Team Captain Kickoff guests? LOL

 

Heart-healthy tip of the day: Spring is here and with it comes…spring cleaning! As much as you may hate cleaning, think of housework as an extra chance to exercise. Vacuuming briskly can be a real workout!

Calling all 2013 5K Team Captains!!

Save the Date – on Saturday, March 16th, NJ Sharing Network is hosting their 2nd Annual 5K Team Captains Kickoff! This is an event that you cannot miss, especially if you are a new team captain this year. All team captains will receive important information about the 5K Walk/Race, a packet containing resources for your team-building and fundraising and most importantly, you will be able to meet the wonderful NJ Sharing Network staff and share tips and ideas with other team captains!

 

Oh, and as an added bonus…you’ll get to meet me! :-)

This is an invitation-only event, so if you want to come and join the fun, make sure you create and
register your team at 5K.NJSharingNetwork.org by March 16th! Hope to see you all there!

Here I am welcoming my friends Lisa and Steve Meyers at last year’s Team Captains Kickoff!

Heart-healthy tip of the day: If you work behind a desk most of the day, get up and walk around for at least 5 minutes every hour. Sitting for an extended period of time can ultimately bring about health concerns such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease. I love to visit my friends and co-workers in different departments. Gives me a chance to catch up and I get to take a break from the computer!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

This Valentine’s Day is three times as special for me because today happens to be National Donor Day and today is also my birthday! I am so excited to celebrate with my friends and family later today. This year, they’ve surprised me by making contributions to my 5K team in lieu of birthday gifts! BTW…my team name is NJ Sharing Network, in case you’d like to join our team or contribute to my personal fundraising page! :-) I can’t think of a better birthday gift or way to celebrate National Donor Day! I also think this is a wonderful idea for those of you who are looking for fun and creative ways to raise money for your teams. For more fun ideas, make sure you check back often! If you haven’t registered, what are you waiting for?? Go to 5K.NJSharing Network.org today!

Heart-healthy tip of the day: I LOVE birthday cake, but cake is not good for my heart (or my hips) so do as I did and “bypass” that sugary snack and grab some fresh fruit instead! But if you simply can’t resist that yummy dessert, cut the piece into thirds and share it with your friends!

Wishing all of you a wonderful Valentine’s Day!

Let’s Get Physical!!

Love my color-coordinated workout gear! :-)

I can’t believe that January is over already!  Time flies when you’re having fun and I am having a blast!  I’ve started off this year running…literally!!  As you know, I’ve decided to be healthier this year so I’ve been walking and jogging to get myself ready for this year’s 5K Walk/Race on June 9^th!  It hasn’t been easy…I think I overindulged a bit too much over the holidays, but the 5K is about 20-weeks away so I am confident I will be in shape by then.  By the way, I hope you’ve started your 5K teams and registered already!  The registration website is up and running and it is super easy to use!  Simply go to 5K.NJSharingNetwork.org and start your FUN-draising! J

Heart-healthy tip of the day: Park your car at the far end of the parking lot. The short walk to and from the building helps your heart. And if you’re at the mall, it may save you money as well.  Who wants to carry all those bags anyway? J

Are you wearing Red today?

Today is National Wear Red Day for Women’s Heart Health and I am super giddy with excitement!  Not only is red my favorite color, as you all know, but having a healthy heart is very important to me. I don’t like to feel sick, so I wouldn’t want any of my girlfriends to be ill either.  Did you know that currently an estimated 43 million women in the United States are affected by heart disease?  That’s 43 million too many in my book!  That’s why I’ve decided that this year I am going to focus on having a healthier lifestyle and I hope you will join me!  We can start off small and work our way up and the best part is that we have our 5K Walk/Race on June 9^th to look forward to and we can make it our goal to be in the best shape we can by then.  I can’t think of a better goal, can you?  So let’s start our healthy lifestyle with my first heart-healthy tip: Take the stairs instead of an elevator or escalator at work, school or the mall. Just start with one flight. Soon, you’ll be ready for two!

Ms. Pumps XOXO

Me and my friends at NJ Sharing Network sporting our red today! We’re also gearing up for our biggest heart-healthy event – our 5K Walk/Race on June 9th!

Guess who’s back?

It’s me, your favorite NJ Sharing Network mascot, and I’m back to start training for this year’s 5K Walk/Race. Did you save the date yet? If not, mark your calendars: Sunday, June 9th! Keep checking my 2013 blog to follow my training regimen and hear about fun ways to encourage your family, friends and co-workers to join your 5K team. See you on the treadmill!

XOXO!

Pumps