Cause We Love – LZ Michigan & Alison Glowinski

Sometimes a cause is so compelling, so basic, that we are forced to share it with the community.  Here is your monthly nonprofit discovery post in the series of Cause We Love.
A few years ago I got involved on the ground floor of an organization through WGVU called Engage. WGVU has a long tradition of reaching out to audiences and a mission to serve the public both on-air and off. WGVU Engage works with our Outreach and Community Engagement programs to connect to the community. From Preview Screenings and Events to stimulating public discussion, WGVU Engage is there. Engage is comprised of volunteers from all walks of life who believe in local causes and local energy. The Mission of the Engage Committee is to extend the outreach of WGVU through local events and programs in an effort to better serve the community. Simple enough, right?
In June, 2010, WVGU hosted an event at Fifth Third Ballpark which served as a ‘welcome home’ for Vietnam veterans. My friend Alison Glowinski, a daughter of a Vietnam vet, served as a volunteer at that event and her life was changed drastically as a result of this experience. While the LZ Michigan event took place just one time, Alison [and others] wanted to keep that momentum of the day moving. The result: a scholarship. When the event was first planned it was decided that any profit would be put in an endowment fund that would provide a scholarship to a Veteran or their dependent for Grand Valley. The event itself did not raise enough funds for the endowment so over the past few years funding the scholarship became a main focus of the WGVU Engage Committee for 2013.
As the deadline quickly approaches for the completion of the fundraiser Alison took matters into her own hands and went all in. She’s running the 25K Riverbank Run in hopes of raising $10,000 for the endowment fund. No small endeavor! Alison knew if she wanted people to donate she was going have to do something BIG, actually, no-seemingly impossible to a first time runner to gain the attention of donors. When Alison began her training, she could barely make it to the end of her block. She’s been training since January to hit her fitness goal, now she needs some help with the financial part of this promise.
How you can help:
Donate: No amount is too small. We’ve always believed in the power of the collaborative. If all of our contacts were to donate, just $2.00 Allison would blow her goal of $10K out of the water. To donate online click here, to donate via check please make it out to WGVU and mail to: WGVU Public Media 301 Fulton Street West, Grand Rapids, MI 49504-please note that it is for LZ Michigan & Allison Glowinski.
Become a sponsor: If you own a business and want to be involved there are $500 and $1000 sponsorship opportunities that would involve some great advertising for your business. Please contact Alison for more information.
Spread the word: Let your fingers do the talking. Minimize that riveting game of Farmville and share this link: http://bit.ly/LZMichigan  – everywhere, frequently even.
Show up on race day: Come cheer Alison on!! She would be happy to hook you up with some LZ Michigan t-shirts or signs for the day of the race if you would like to show your support.
Thank you Alison for bringing attention to this important topic.