We Do It For Lou

This year, I'll be attempting to become an Iron Phi - a distinction given to a small percentage of members within my Fraternity. The mission of Iron Phi is to strengthen the Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity and the impact it has on the fight against Lou Gehrig's disease through the fundraising and athletic efforts of its members. Lou Gehrig was a member of Phi Delta Theta, and our organization has taken an active role in finding a cure.

The net proceeds will support ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) research, education, screening and treatment. It will also help strengthen an organization (Phi Delta Theta) that has had a lasting impact on my life.

I am excited to have a new challenge in my life and hope you are interested in helping me meet this goal.   I have the opportunity to work toward achieving the Phi Delta Theta Iron Man Designation.

To reach this goal I must work for and complete an athletic activity and also raise $1000 for awareness of Lou Gehrig?s disease (ALS).

To achieve the physical goal, I will be participating in the 24th Annual Bataan Memorial Death March held at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico on March 17, 2013.   This is a challenging, 26.2 mile march through the high desert terrain conducted in honor of the heroic service members who defended the Philippine Islands during World War II.  This march reenacts the long grueling road our prisoners of war were forced to endure 71 years ago.

I chose this March for two reasons.   The first is to honor my late father, Edwin Gillett, who served in the Navy in World War II.  This is a great way to remember him and the sacrifices and hard work that signified his entire life.    The second reason is to fulfill a personal benchmark I set for myself.  I have been walking for two years gradually building up to the 26.2 miles.   Physically, this journey has put me in the best physical shape that I have been in for a long, long time. I have walked at least 60 miles each month since August of 2012, and have recently walked from Cheney to Goddard and back again

My son, Matthew, a current pledge at the Kansas Epsilon chapter of Phi Delta Theta, is going to participate along with me walking the 26.2 miles, and we are so excited about this adventure.

According to The ALS Association's web site, approximately 5,600 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with ALS each year. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. That's why I'm becoming an Iron Phi. To do something bold about Lou Gehrig's disease.

I've set my personal goal at $1,000.  So I need your help. Would you please consider making a donation of $10, $25, or $50, though any amount small or large would be considered a blessing by the people it will help (donations by US residents are tax-deducitble)? You can make a donation on this page by clicking on the "Make a Gift" link below the thermometer. You can also send a check made out to Iron Phi to me, Jim Gillett, at 450 N. Quail Run, Cheney, Kansas 67025-8989 if you'd rather donate that way.

I hope that you'll share this incredible adventure with me - by supporting me in my fundraising efforts.

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Sincerely,
Jim Gillett