What's going on y'all? The title is pretty self explanatory, but I will cliffnote the adventure thus far. This coming November, I will turn forty. Around this November, after 7 months or so back at an employer who let me go in 2020 from a management job, I had a bit of a mental breakdown and a video on youtube was shoved into my feed algorithmically. It was "Live Before I Die" by Mike Posner, chronicling his walk across America in 2019. I decided right then, that this was a journey I wanted to undertake, to hopefully bring about some type of better change in my life.
A few weeks in, I started thinking that "I" wasn't "enough". I would give up on myself way too easily. I needed something more. I happened to be watching the film "Dear Evan Hansen" (caught the stage version in Columbus a couple years ago) and it generated a conversation between a friend of mine, whose son took his own life almost two years ago. I decided then that I would walk for mental health awareness/suicide prevention, and to raise funds for Children's Hospital for the fundraiser they have in his name. A local business group here in Dayton said if the family could reach $50k, they'd match the donation to Chidren's Behavioral Health Unit.
I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder a while ago, and in 2020, after losing the above mentioned job, I was in a pretty serious motorcycle wreck. I was on the verge of trying to take my own life in the hospital. It was the first time things had hit that level of "dark" for me. Now we've seen and heard about the tragedies at Stanford with Katie Meyer as well as our own Harry Miller's struggles. I just want to try to help get people talking more, and luckily enough for me I don't have anything important like a family, kids or significant other to worry about, so I am giving this a go.
The reason I posted this was to get some ideas to generate funds and a "presence". I currently have all forms of social media, as well as a website a friend is running for me, that has links for everything on it, as well as explaining my (our) mission, but how would you any of you (who may be in sales) try to approach potential donors or sponsors? I literally sat outside Runners Plus here in town for two hours trying to get the nerve up to go in and shoot the shot, because along with depression, the good lord has gifted me with an ability to see myself in the lowest light humanly possible, and I have literally zero confidence in myself. The shot managed to work, as they are going to donate a pair of shoes and some footcare items to keep my feet in the game as long as possible.
I will link the website below, and if anyone has any relatively easy tweaks they'd make feel free to contact me and let me know. Keep in mind we're (the guys helping me with different aspects of this) all pretty much rank amateurs at this.
Thanks guys.
Go Bucks!
