Say Ms. Lady, can you spare a dime?

Some of you may know I am walking in the AIDS Run & Walk Chicago 2010 this Saturday. Let me tell you, fundraising can be fun, but it is a real b*tch! You would be surprised how many 'friends' have avoided me like the black plague. People I can get on the phone at anytime, now do not answer their phone or call me back. I had an ex-boyfriend promise me he would donate, but has since fallen off the face of the planet. Another guy who said yes to donating, has disappeared as well. Then there are those who avoid the topic period. If they contact me, it's about everything but my walk or that text message they know they got! My favorite was an ex co-worker who commented 'Awesome!' on my Facebook page after I posted how much money I had raised, but it took about 1-2 days to reply to my response asking if this meant she too would donate. She said she would see what she could do. Trust me, I know people are on a budget, hell I am! But when it comes to money, you really get to see people. Not to say anyone is bad or not a friend, but money can make people weird and uneasy. For this reason, I give props to fundraisers who make this their career. My father's friend, who makes a living this way (writing for grants and fundraising- essentially asking for money) told me the hardest part is just simply asking. She could not have spoken anything closer to the truth. I really take my hat off to her, because this can be humiliating, annoying and absolutely uncomfortable. But it's for a good cause, so that's what keeps me motivated. That and my penchant for self-challenging competition. So far I have raised $1656! My goal is $2500. But I am so geeked about what I have collected, you cannot tell I'm about $900 away from it. If you should decide to donate, my page is: http://afc.aidschicago.org/netcommunity/maya.