I went to London yesterday for the first time since our little event took place. I met with the Business Association of London to bring them up to date and to hear any complaints that they may have had. Approximately 20 people in attendance and absolutely no complaints. Only requests that "we" come back once again.
It appears that many of you have written the Editor, Don Hartley of the Madison Press thanking the citizens and leaders of the community for allowing us to wake up this sleepy little town in central Ohio. If you have the time and the energy, please feel free to contact the Press at this link. They will print it!
http://www.madison-press.com/NF/omf/madison/contact.htm
I did tell the board about "your" comments. I filled them in about having the SCCA Autocross at OSU, I told them the "RipChords" demanded to be allowed to come back to London, but they would like a larger stage. At that point I was interrupted by one of the members and was advised that the City is in the process of making a huge portable stage for all downtown events and will be available to all groups on a first come basis! ( Oh the story behind getting a stage!)
I filled them in on the Airport events. I also told them about Jenny not being able to make it this year as she was in the hospital at the time. (Jenny is now home by the way!)
Of course the question of how many Cobras were there arised, and how much money did we raise for Jenny? I told them with London and Madison County's help we raised over $44,000.00 the weekend of the Fling. You could have heard a pin drop! Then the entire room burst into applause. I actually had to stop them, to tell them the rest of the story.
283 total Cobras in attendance--with that they said they needed to close of more streets for us!
I then told them that by the time the Fling was over we had raised over $95,000.00 for Jenny and CF. I then told them that I went back to the "well" on more time and pleaded my case, asking our Cobra family to somehow donate another $5000.00 over this last weekend.
No T-shirts, no tickets, no rewards, just send more money. I told them the credit card donations started coming in to our web site in a furious pace, my E-mail was twice what it was over the entire event, and come Monday morning our mail box was full of letters with checks in them.
I also told them about an
Anonymous Flinger, who shall, at his request, remain anonymous, wrote me the first night I posted my latest request for more money. He didn't care how much money, if any that we needed to make that impossible dream come true, he would gladly donate what ever it took to go over the top!
Monday, July 1st mail delivery time plus 5 was my cut off time. The letters were opened, the Internet donations were once again counted, and the calculator went to work.
Lady's and Gentlemen...I just have no words left to express my gratitude for what "our family" has done. Right now all I can give back to you is a simple Thank You.
DV----DVSF-III for Jenny and Cystic Fibrosis
$100,057.00