25Jan 2010 by Bob Cargill

I’m Running the Boston Marathon for Christopher’s Haven

Boston Marathon, Fundraising
          On April 19, 2010, I'll be pounding the pavement once again from Hopkinton to Boston, determinedly putting one foot in front of the other for more than 26 long, arduous miles. It'll be the 10th time I've taken this same exhausting journey.  And I'll be tired and sore most of the way.  But as I've said before, it doesn't get any more exciting than to cross the finish line of what is arguably the most prestigious road race in the world, the Boston Marathon. And given the fact that I'm running to help kids -- and their families -- who are fighting cancer, it doesn't get any more important. [caption id="attachment_2009" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Dan Durkin and Bob Cargill, the two members of the Christopher's Haven Boston…
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02Jan 2009 by Bob Cargill

Running the Boston Marathon for Charity (Yes, Again)

Boston Marathon, Cause-Related Marketing, Fundraising
"I’m lucky. You’re lucky. So how can we take some of our good luck and give it to kids fighting cancer?" Okay. So I haven't written anything here in a long, long time, but that doesn't mean I've been away from the blogosphere. Far from it. In fact, I have written quite a few articles lately that have been posted on the blog, Internet Marketing Strategies and Secrets, which I invite you to read at your convenience. But what brings me back to A New Marketing Commentator is my latest project, training to run the Boston Marathon (yes, again) as a member of the MassGeneral Marathon Team Fighting Kids' Cancer...One Step at a Time. This will be my 12th marathon, my 9th Boston and the 6th time I have run…
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19Apr 2006 by Bob Cargill

A Memorable Boston Marathon Experience for More Reasons Than One

Advertising, Boston Marathon, Branding, Cause-Related Marketing, Direct Marketing, Fundraising, Marketing
Thank you once again to those of you who sponsored my participation in the Boston Marathon this year. You helped me raise a personal record total of $3,550 – and counting – for Children’s Hospital Boston. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for your support. I’m sure I’ll be writing more about this fundraising campaign in the near future, but while the marathon memories are still fresh in my mind, I thought I would at least give you the latest tally now and also let you know how I did as a runner. Not only did I exceed my previous fundraising high this time around, but I also had a very good day on the course. My finishing time was 3:52:49, my best time in a marathon since…
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06Apr 2006 by Bob Cargill

Please Sponsor Bob’s Boston Marathon Run for Children’s Hospital Boston

Boston Marathon, Cause-Related Marketing, Direct Marketing, Fundraising, Marketing, Public Relations
Less than two weeks from now (April 17), I’ll be running yet another Boston Marathon (it’ll be the eighth time I’ve made the same journey, the fifth time for charity), and I can’t tell you how much I'm looking forward to this very special day. I’ve enjoyed running since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, so for me, no matter how many times I’ve gone the distance, running Boston is still the thrill of a lifetime, a childhood dream come remarkably true. I’m lucky, though. Some children’s dreams are mercilessly dashed due to dread, debilitating diseases and disorders that you and I can’t even begin to imagine. Their challenge isn’t a marathon – it’s life itself, one difficult day at a time, courageously contending with poor health, waiting for a…
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14Mar 2006 by Bob Cargill

Boston Marathon Runner Up for Bid on eBay for Children’s Hospital Boston

Advertising, Boston Marathon, Branding, Cause-Related Marketing, Fundraising, Marketing, Public Relations
If you've been reading A New Marketing Commentator over the course of the last few months, you know that in less than five weeks, I’ll be running the Boston Marathon once again for one of the best pediatric hospitals in the country, Children’s Hospital Boston. This year I have pledged to raise a minimum of $3,500 for Children’s, and I still have a little way to go. So if you would like to contribute to this cause, I certainly would appreciate it. To make a secure, online donation, simply click here or write a check – payable to Children’s Hospital Boston – and return it to my attention at 33 Oakwood Avenue, Sudbury, MA 01776. To be honest with you, I thought I was conducting a fairly ambitious fundraising campaign…
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30Jan 2006 by Bob Cargill

Running the Boston Marathon for Children’s Hospital Boston — Update

Boston Marathon, Cause-Related Marketing, Direct Marketing, Fundraising, Marketing
As I first wrote in this space about three months ago, on April 17, I’ll be pounding the pavement once again from Hopkinton to Boston, determinedly putting one foot in front of another for more than 26 long, arduous miles. It’ll be the 8th time I’ve taken the same exhausting journey. And I’ll be tired and sore most of the way. But it doesn’t get any better than crossing the finish line of what is arguably the most prestigious road race in the world, the Boston Marathon, especially when you’re running as a member of Children’s Hospital’s Miles for Miracles Team Boston, raising funds for one of the best pediatric hospitals in the country, located right here in my home state of Massachusetts. This time around, I have committed to…
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05Dec 2005 by Bob Cargill

Children’s Hospital Boston’s “26 Steps” is a Giant Leap in Family Philanthropy

Boston Marathon, Cause-Related Marketing, Direct Marketing, Fundraising, Marketing
Many nonprofit organizations are concerned about winning over the hearts of a new, younger generation of donors and instilling in them a sense of altruism and benevolence that will last a lifetime. But not all of these organizations are doing what Children's Hospital Boston is doing, going to great lengths to help parents introduce their children to the joy of giving and the satisfaction of making a difference with a brilliant, new family philanthropy program called 26 Steps. Named in memory of Katie Lynch, a lifelong Children's patient who undertook an enormous physical challenge - walking 26 feet at the 2001 Boston Marathon - to raise money for the hospital she loved, 26 Steps promises to provide tools for the next generation of philanthropists, helping young people develop habits of…
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31Oct 2005 by Bob Cargill

Running the Boston Marathon for Children’s Hospital Boston — and Hailey

Boston Marathon, Cause-Related Marketing, Direct Marketing, Fundraising
Less than six months from now, on April 17, 2006, I’ll be pounding the pavement once again from Hopkinton to Boston, determinedly putting one foot in front of another for more than 26 long, arduous miles. It’ll be the 8th time I’ve taken the same exhausting journey. And I’ll be tired and sore most of the way. But as I’ve said before, it doesn’t get any better than crossing the finish line of what is arguably the most prestigious road race in the world, the Boston Marathon. I’ve enjoyed running since I was just a little boy, so for me, running Boston is still the thrill of a lifetime, a childhood dream come remarkably true. I’m lucky, though. Some children’s dreams are mercilessly dashed due to dread, debilitating diseases and…
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21Apr 2005 by Bob Cargill

26 Tales of Triumph, One Winning Campaign

Advertising, Boston Marathon, Cause-Related Marketing, Public Relations
Some 20,000 people ran the Boston Marathon just a few days ago (I was one of them, plodding my way along the legendary, 26.2 mile course – all the way from Hopkinton to Boston – in a painful, interminable 4:24:51), but only 26 of them had been selected to tell their stories prior to the mother of all road races and heralded as one of the Saucony 26. For the chosen few, it must have been a tremendous honor to be able to personify the marathon as such pillars of inspiration. From a marketing standpoint, of course, putting a warm, identifiable face on the company and its products was a brilliant way for Saucony to connect with its constituency. “While each person will have a very real and very intense…
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