giving

 

 

Miriam's Birthday Party Fundraiser

 

"As a Healing Circle Leader, I have seen firsthand what an enormous impact Comfort Zone Camp has on its campers. It made sense for me to try and raise money to send at least one child to camp. For my birthday this year, in lieu of gifts, I held a camp-themed fundraiser at my place, where there was a suggested donation, and everyone who donated would be entered in a raffle. There were three prizes, all of them camp-themed: care packages with trail mix, a flashlight, etc. One of the highlights of the party was making Smore's using my fireplace! My goal was to raise at least $500 in one night and we raised over $600! It proved that a simple house party can help to change the life of a grieving child. Everyone had a fantastic time, and it was a wonderful way to educate people about Comfort Zone and have them feel that they are contributing toward a great cause!"

 

Gary Lehmann Memorial Birthday Party

 

In honor of their dad, Christopher, David, and Katie hosted a memorial birthday party celebration as a fundraiser for Comfort Zone.  They celebrated by with their Dad's favorite activities: hiking, golfing, and eating cake and ice cream.  By asking each attendee to donate $5, they raised over $2,300!

 

High Fives for CZC

 

Asher Lipman ran in the New York City Marathon with a specially designed glove that counts the number of high fives he gets from spectators as he runs.  He did this several years ago and got 17,000 high fives. This year, he raised over $3,000 for Comfort Zone through pledges and donations. 

 

Pi Kappa Alpha Golf Tournament

 

"The Central Virginia Alumni Association of The Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity was pleased to host our first Annual Charity Golf Tournament to benefit The Comfort Zone Camp. We had over 30 participants and were able to raise $3,000, sending 6 kids to camp."

 

 

 

 

 

Mattsons' Marathons for CZC

 

"My wife and I discovered Comfort Zone when we were invited to a 'Casino Night' fundraising event. While we are fortunate enough to have not personally had to go through the experience of losing a parent or sibling, we know people who have. We help raise awareness by competing and soliciting donations for CZC in Half Marathon races with the goal of eventually running a full marathon. To date we have run the 'Rock and Roll' half marathon in VA beach as well as the 'Rex Healthcare City of Oaks' half marathon in Raleigh, NC."  - Stephen Mattson

 

 

 

 

 

St Mark's Vacation Bible School Fundraiser

 

"Every summer, St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, in Midlothian, VA, supports a week of vacation bible school (VBS) for the children of the church and local community. Each year, the VBS takes on a special mission project. For 2009, they decided to earn $500 to send a grieving child to Comfort Zone Camp. Each morning, money was collected from the children and recorded on the progress chart. At the end of the week, the children of St. Mark’s collected almost $700! Needless to say, the children were excited that their mission was such a huge success and thrilled that they can provide the opportunity for a child to attend Comfort Zone Camp!"

 

 

Carter and Vanessa's Chores for Charity

 

"As a member of the auction committee planning and preparing for the 10^th Anniversary Grief Relief Gala in Richmond, Va, we were faced with the challenge of a struggling economy at a time we hoped to raise more money than ever to send more grieving children to camp.

 

My son Carter, 9, and I decided we would invite 25 of his classmates from school as well as all the students from the karate school where he trains, to participate in a fundraiser to purchase items for the silent auction at the gala.

 

We sent a letter to his school friends explaining what CZC was and hoped everyone would ask their parents for an extra chore or two and receive a little bit more allowance for a six-week period. We provided an envelope for the money they earned and we invited them to our home one Friday after school for a pizza party and to drop off their envelopes.

 

We had such a great response! The children raised $650 in six weeks of doing extra chores!  We did the same fundraiser at the karate school and had enough money to buy a wii game system with games and accessories, and two brand new bikes with all the bells and whistles to be auctioned off at the Gala."  

 

 

Ryan Tully's School Spirit Day Fundraiser

 

"I live in Orlando, Florida, and am a sophomore in high school. I received tragic news on the way home from a baseball tournament in 2008; my sister, Christina, had been hit by a boat and had died. I was devastated and very angry. 

I attended CZC the following October in Virginia. After I attended the camp and talked with other campers and counselors, I was not as angry as I once was, and I learned that I was not alone in the world. The camp helped me cope with my sister’s death. I felt much better and wanted to help other kids deal with their feelings.

I recently raised $2,000 for Comfort Zone because the camp and the people there have helped me so much. I worked with my school to coordinate a spirit day fundraiser. The school administration was kind enough to help me with scheduling the event, and the students were very supportive. My baseball team and teachers also made donations to help this cause. I will be attending CZC camp again this fall, and I sincerely hope any child with a loss will somehow, someday be able to attend this camp!"

 

 

Christ Church Episcopal Preschool

 

In August of 2001 I lost my brother Ryan to cancer. He was 26, I was 29 and my youngest brother was 22 years old.  The loss of a sibling as an adult was (and still is) challenging on many levels, the same for those who have lost a parent, primary caregiver, friend or anyone close to them. As a child, I can only imagine the pain, confusion and multiple other challenges that come down the pike after a loss. Shortly after my brother’s passing I became involved with Comfort Zone Camp as a volunteer and serve on the Jr. Board as well. What an amazing camp for kids, CZC truly changes the lives of those they touch. I am so very proud to be a part of this awesome organization.

 

On April 18, 2009 the precious children of Christ Church Episcopal Preschool participated in the 2^nd Annual CCEP Bike-A-Thon. The wonderful board of Christ Church selected Comfort Zone Camp as the beneficiary of this year’s event.  With almost 70 students CCEP raised  $700 which will send a child to camp (for free)…and some left over! Thanks CCEP, parents and staff for your generous donations to such an amazing cause!!

 

University of Richmond

 

On May 1, current students and alumni of University of Richmond’s MBA program participated in a happy hour social at the Capital Ale in the West End to raise money for Comfort Zone Camp.  The goal was to raise $500, enough to send 1 kid to camp. The University of Richmond's MBA Leadership Council provided a free drink for each donation made. The event successfully raised awareness of the camp as well as enough money to meet the goal.

 

 

 

 

Cooper's "Tennis Tournament" Fundraiser

 

"In 2006 my sister, Meredith, attended Comfort Zone Camp. She had been having a great amount of difficulty coping with the death of my father and everything my mother tried to do to help was not successful. When she came back from camp she seemed so much better. I sat down and talked with her about her experience and she told me that it was nice to be around children who were in the same situation and who could understand her.

 

I vowed that I would be proactive and do something to raise money for this camp because of my sister’s experience. The camp is totally free to all of the campers. That it is why I hope that in some small way I have helped because I am so grateful to them. This year Cooper held his Third Annual tennis tournament and auction to benefit Comfort Zone Camp and commemorate his father. He has raised $20,000 in three years, $8,000 in 2009."

 

Rob Dearmon's "Wear Yellow to Work" Challenge

 

"My daughter, Sarah died in a car accident 5 years ago. Comfort Zone Camp was so pivotal in helping our family during the grieving process with their free bereavement camp for children.

 

Sarah’s favorite color was yellow and every year, on her birthday, we wear yellow to honor her. My family extended an invitation for my co-workers at Snag-a-Job to do the same on the Friday before what would have been her 13th birthday. For every Snagger that wore yellow that day, my family donated $10 to Comfort Zone Camp.

 

On that day, 82 Snaggers wore yellow. Some co-workers also contributed additional money, including Eric Harrigan and his family who matched the $10 'per yellow' contribution. When all is said and done, we raised more than $2,000 which is enough to send 4 precious children to Comfort Zone Camp at no cost."

 

Bob & Donna Delonti's Backyard BBQ

 

"Having volunteered at several camps with CZC, I was privy to the life changing affect these weekends have on grieving children and their families. I knew in my heart I had found a way to serve others. Along with the highs experienced at each camp came the lows that followed after returning home. I always felt that there was more that I could and should be doing to serve these children and help the cause.

 

Donna and I set a goal to raise $5,000 by hosting a BBQ in our small backyard for 50 friends. Well 50 quickly turned into 100 plus and we expanded into our neighbor's yard. Soon family, friends, and co-workers got involved and it quickly became an event. Not only did we raise close to $20,000, but we also succeeded in raising awareness about Comfort Zone Camp and the incredible impact it has on the lives of grieving families."