[Artemisia] Swords Against Cancer

[Gene Mealey]

Greetings All!

I would like to invite you all to join a group and a fundraiser that I'm working on this summer called Swords Against Cancer.
Let me clarify that the following is not an SCA sponsored fundraiser, but is one that I as an individual developed and hope that many of you as individuals will consider participating in and spreading the word about it.  However, it can be used to help advertise the SCA (since you will need to explain to your sponsors what you are doing) and so it should give the SCA some good PR.

That said, here are the details:


Swords Against Cancer (SAC) is a fundraiser that allows
martial artists who practice the fundamentals of swordplay to raise funds to
help in the fight against cancer – all while doing something they enjoy
greatly.  None of us know who may be the
next to be struck with this awful disease, so our goal is simply to live the
art of bladed combat to its fullest and to use those arts to battle this
disease.  To that end, those wishing to
participate in the SAC campaign will be soliciting either lump sum donations
for the cause or pledges based on the number of individual fights they
accomplish within the six month period of the fundraiser – April 1 through September
30 2012.   For example, my official goal is 1500 fights, my personal goal is 3000 fights. 

This is important - no donations will be accepted by anyone in the SAC
fundraiser, but participants will sign sponsors up using the pledge form.  On October 1, 2012 sponsors will start
receiving copies of the pledge form with the number of fights documented,
showing the suggested donation and an address for the receiving branch of the
American Cancer Society to mail their donations to.  In this way all donations are assured to go
directly to the ACS and no money will exchange hands between sponsors and
participants.  Sponsors can also go to the Relay for Live website and donate to the participants group.


Martial Artists participating in this endeavor will be
marked by a light lavender/purple band or scarf tied about the right arm.  The color signifies that all cancers are
being fought for, but individual fighters may embroider or applique other
ribbons onto the scarf to show specific cancers they are fighting against (or
to honor those who have fought cancer that they are fighting for).  I will have five such ribbons on mine.


All fighters are asked to keep a written record of their
fights signed by those whom they have crossed blades or trained with in case
sponsors wish to confirm the number of fights completed.  Individual fights within practice or
competitions may count towards these numbers. You don't need a lot of details, but simply a name and a number of fights works. 

To get started, fighters need to either sign up for a Swords Against Cancer team on the Relay for Life website or start their own team.  I have started a team called Swords Against Cancer - SCA - Artemisia 1.  If you want to start your own team, go for it!  However, please contact me before doing so for details as to how to set your team up as I have a way of simplifying the process.  These details will be posted to the facebook page for this fundraiser in the next few days.
Pledge forms are available on the facebook page.  Additionally I have some Relay for Life scarfs and pledge envelopes that I can send to anyone who joins a group (or their team leaders).
Links to the various pages noted above will be posted below.
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/groups/160913367344497/Relay for Life - Swords Against Cancer - SCA-Artemisia Team 1:  http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY12GW?team_id=1072326&pg=team&fr_id=38660Relay for Life - Main Page:  http://www.relayforlife.org/index
Posting of this advertisement was prior approved by the site owner.
Please feel free to cross post, and if you are a rapier fighter, and see me this summer, please pick a fight with me - every fight counts!
Thank you for your time!
Gene Mealey (aka Baron Antoine)



"The fastest way to a man's heart is through his wrist..."

Thorian Thorsen

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence,
therefore, is not an act but a habit." 
Aristotle

"The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be."

Socrates