Wage Hope My Way, Winter Style

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LKA Polar Plunge participants celebrate on New Year’s Day, 2016, post-icy dip.

For eight years, Pam Kemper has been organizing a New Year’s Day Polar Plunge in her Mineral, Va., community to raise funds for charity. The event started with four jumpers but has grown significantly. In 2016, the Polar Plunge had 21 jumpers and they raised more than $13,000.

Several years into the plunge, Anne Graves, an original jumper, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and the Polar Plunge refocused its donations to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. In Anne’s honor, her husband, granddaughter and son-in-law join in each year. In 2017, (the Polar Plunge’s eighth year) new jumpers will join those who have been personally affected by pancreatic cancer, including Pam herself – who will be jumping for family members including her cousin, who was recently diagnosed.

The Polar Plunge is a winter Wage Hope My Way fundraising challenge. How can you Wage Hope Your Way this winter? Try out one of these!

1. For coastal dwellers, have a sandcastle or snowman-building contest! Create a Wage Hope My Way page to collect donations to participate and ask local businesses to donate prizes.

2. Planning a traditional office holiday party? Make it a party with a purpose – add a fundraising challenge for each department. Ask management about making a matching gift, too.

3. Throw an Ugly Holiday Sweater party! Have guests vote on a winner with donations – whoever raises the most for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network wins!

4. Are you crafty? Start a gift-wrapping service and ask for donations. You can do this with a Wage Hope My Way page, too!

5. Have a December or January birthday? Create your own celebration page – donate the day to raising funds in lieu of presents. And for the holidays, give (and ask for) donations instead of gifts.

Keep your eye on the calendar: If you’re planning a Super Bowl Party, that’s a festive opportunity to bring family and friends together for football and fundraising. Or with Valentine’s Day approaching, maybe you’ll want to celebrate with a tribute page to honor a loved one.

That’s the beauty of Wage Hope My Way – whatever the season, whatever the occasion, you can make a personal impact, helping us move toward our vision of doubling survival by 2020.

We can’t do it without you. See how easy it is! Make and Impact and get started today!