Why the ALA you may ask?

The ALA's mission is:

The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease, through research, education and advocacy. The work of the American Lung Association is focused on four strategic imperatives: to defeat lung cancer; to improve the air we breathe; to reduce the burden of lung disease on individuals and their families; and to eliminate tobacco use and tobacco-related diseases. The American Lung Association has many programs and initiatives to fight lung disease. Among these are: LUNG FORCE, Freedom From Smoking, Asthma Basics, Better Breathers Clubs, Lung HelpLine, Open Airways For Schools, the Healthy Air Campaign, the Airways Clinical Research Centers Network and other programs encompassing research, healthy air, tobacco control and cessation, public/professional education and lung health advocacy.

This directly helps the 234,030 people in the United States who will be diagnosed with lung cancer in 2018, including 121,680 men and 112,350 women. It also helps prevent another 154,050 people in the United States dying each year.

Don't take my word for it though, how about some testimonials:

"They gave me a quit date. I did everything they told me to do and I have never smoked again. They gave me the tools that showed me when I smoked and why I was smoking. It was like a miracle, truly like a miracle. I just kept going - and I'm still going. [Freedom From Smoking] saved my life. I am eternally grateful to the American Lung Association. They just work miracles, they really do. Kept me alive this many years. It was highly unlikely I was going to survive the winter and here I am, 10 years later. And I am so grateful that I met my two great-granddaughters—they wouldn't have met me if I hadn't had found this program." —Glady

"What helped me quit was knowing that the minute I craved for a cigarette, I was prepared. Plus knowing how much I smoked by doing Pack Tracks was a pain in the butt, excuse me, but it really helped! The other big thing was the group support. I never felt alone when I was quitting. I tried everything to quit before—I wish I had gone through [Freedom From Smoking] sooner." —Cathy

With ALA you also know your donation is truly serving the populations they say they are. CharityNavigator gives them a score of 83.94 out of 100. They spend 93.5% of donations directly on their mission, not overhead. They also get 89% of their funds from gifts, donations, and grants. That means that without your support, they cannot provide the services that compose their mission.

What's in it for me?

Previous years I would have a long list of donation tiers, but I have come to realize that people generally weren’t even reading it. So, this year I plan to send out thank you cards and a few additional swag items to donors without getting into all the confusion of tiers and such. That means you definitely get my undying love and gratitude, as well as the knowledge that you are helping to make the world a better and healthier place. If you require something specific in exchange for a donation, let me know and we can make a deal. I’m pretty good at Origami Pigs and I will clean windows in exchange for donations.

Want to go further? Go to the beach with us!

If you want to ride, join the Power Pedalers!

To help support my efforts, and to change lives, please click on the Donate button.

Thank you for your support!