So if you're planning to come to NC this weekend, and specifically the Charlotte area, why not check out a wonderful event just fifteen short miles from downtown, in beautiful Weddington? drumSTRONG, a 26-hour drum-a-thon, will be held in the pastures of Misty Meadows Farm on Providence Road, beginning at 1:00 PM Saturday, May 3rd (although other activities begin at 11:00 AM). And just what's the point of all this drumming?
drumSTRONG™ is an event that encourages people of all ages to focus attention on cancer awareness, education, support and funding for cancer concerns.
One-half of the funds raised will benefit the Levine Children’s Hospital - Hematology/Oncology Center at Carolinas Medical Center. The other half will go to the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
Registration is $25 for individuals and $50 for families; it covers participation in the drum-a-thon and health fair both days. You may also camp in the fields of the farm for the entire weekend (beginning Saturday morning, that is)--a cheap yet safe alternative to hotels for those coming to Charlotte for things political. Yep, that $25 registration fee covers camping, too. Here's a link to register:
http://www.drumstrong.org/...
And here are links to the f.a.q.'s and event details pages (a quick warning: turn down your volume before opening up the event page if you're at work):
http://www.drumstrong.org/...
http://www.drumstrong.org/...
You'll find all the information you could possibly need to participate in this worthwhile and fun event. And no, you're not expected to drum for 26 hours straight... although drumming will be going on continuously for that amount of time. You can come and go as you please; go knock on some doors, go make phone calls, go spend some time in the candidate's headquarters. And when you grow weary of things political, come bang a drum for a couple hours. It's a terrific stress-reliever. Let Scott Swimmer explain it:
drumSTRONG brings more financial assistance and attention to cancer concerns, exhibits the local resources available to address cancer concerns and, at the same time, we are having a blast doing it...
We are making a sound impression on the health complexion of our community. Cancer will crumble to the beat of our drums, as we will continue in the coming years to speak up for proactive measures to defeat it. Knowing one's enemy is the classic model for survival.
In the famous words of Mason Swimmer, ‘cancer sucks!’
Cancer is not an easy fix! It takes great community effort and financial support to make the ‘c’ monster a thing of history and something no body need fear.
Drum to rekindle the fire of survivorship in you. Drum in honor of or in memory of or just out of the goodness of your hearts. Drum with hope of opening the eyes and hearts of more people to amplify efforts to find cures. Drum to respect and represent all the fighters and survivors who share this history
Be Heard :: Drum Long :: Drum Strong
Yes, the weather forecast looks a bit iffy for the weekend, but this is a rain or shine event; nothing will stop us.
Hope to see you there!
And as a quick aside, for those of you who live in the Charlotte area, Misty Meadows Farm is also the home to a wonderful therapeutic riding program, the Misty Meadows Mitey Riders:
http://www.miteyriders.com/
They're always looking for dedicated folks who can volunteer their time to work with the kids and horses. And while horse handling experience is a plus, there are many volunteer opportunities for folks not comfortable working with those four-legged critters--although I have to tell ya, therapeutic riding mounts are truly bombproof, and gentle as can be. My own 22-year-old mare, Jewel, is a perfect example. While she's retired now, due to her arthritis, she was a therapeutic mount for six years, and she was positively maternal to the kids in her charge.
http://pets.webshots.com/...