You have been incredibly generous in the past four year through the donations you've made to Runway, and so we hope that we can persuade you to continue to support the organization by donating an item to the Silent Auction. The proceeds of this year's event will support two hospitals, Massachusetts General Hospital and Tufts Medical Center, and our goal is to make the Silent Auction Table more expansive, offering as many items and packages as possible. Moving forward, Runway's mission is to generate enough support so that we can reach out to a new hospital every other year, providing services to children and families who have lost a loved one to breast cancer. With the funds raised at Runway during the last four years, Dr. Jack Erban started programs that have reached hundreds of families at MGH, and so we are confident that such work can continue at MGH as well as Tufts Medical Center where Dr. Erban was appointed Clinical Director of the Tufts Cancer Center.

Runway is a non-profit organization that works to raise funds for The Patient Care Giver Fund, a subset of the Cancer Center at The Massachusetts General Hospital. Runway for Recovery is an organization that creates a stage for those heroes among us who have battled Breast Cancer, both survivors themselves and the children of those who have passed away. Six years after losing my mother to Breast Cancer, I resolved to find an aspect of the battle against this disease where I could make a difference, while honoring my mother's memory and celebrating the kind of life she lived while sick. For the past four years, brave "survivors" have become models at the Runway for Recovery fashion show and helped me to raise funds to help children who have lost their mothers to the disease as well as provide opportunities for health care providers who care for such patients. The models are survivors themselves as well as sons and daughters who carry on the legacy of those who lost their battle to the disease.

The silent auction table raised over $15,000 last year, and it is because of your willingness to help that such a feat was reached. This year's event will be held on Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at the Nashawtuc Country Club in Concord, Massachusetts. Approximately two-hundred-and-seventy-five guests, most of whom come from the towns surrounding the Concord area, attend the event. During the winter, Runway officially became a 501c3, and so your donation is considered a "gift in kind" and can be claimed as such on your 2011 returns. Additionally, in exchange for your donation, you or your business will receive a listing in our program, and if you have a website for your business, a link to your website on the Runway website. Many of the businesses that have donated gifts in the past have seen this as an excellent marketing opportunity. Attached, you will find last year's catalog to give you a sense of the donations made in the past, as well as a form to fill-out and return--via email or regular mail-- if you choose to donate to this year's auction. We hope that you continue to find it rewarding to give to the cause, and we would be incredibly grateful for your support again this year. Please contact Olivia Achtmeyer with any questions, and if you know of others who may be interested in donating an item, please forward this email and attachments to them.

Thank you for your time and consideration, and enjoy the rest of the summer and early fall.

Olivia
Olivia Achtmeyer
5 Abbott Lane, No. 7
Concord, MA 01742
cell: 617.710.2172
RunwayForRecovery.com