Friday, March 20, 2015

Finding My Voice On Kickstarter

"If you never risk to lose, You may never get to win" - Yusuf




When Dr. Beasley illness progressed to the point that he could no longer take care of his dog, Peaches, I adopted her and took her home. How could I not? She is the sweetest Cavalier King Charles rescue dog I have ever met and it also gave Dr. Beasley a chance to still spend time with her during our visits. Peaches quickly adapted to my home of rescues which consisted of a japanese chin, a cocker spaniel-poodle mix, a couple of cats, and an amazon parrot.

Several months later when Dr Beasley's illness progressed further to the point where he could no longer live on his own, I took him home to care for him. Peaches was very happy and quickly attached herself like velcro to her Daddy refusing to leave his side. While Dr. Beasley was very happy to be living in my home as part of the family and to be with his dog again, he was not happy that "I broke his dog" as she learnt how to bark.

Yes, Peaches at the age of six learnt how to bark after I adopted her. She now barked when she wanted to be lifted on the bed, when she wanted to be lifted off the bed, when she wanted her dinner, when she wanted a snack, when she wanted to go out and when she wanted to be petted. I remember explaining to Dr. Beasley that she was not "broken" that she simply found her voice and learnt to express her needs and wants.

Why am I telling you this story? It's because while our Kickstarter project was not 100% funded (I refuse to say it failed); I realized that my attempt at fundraising on Kickstarter caused me to find my fundraising "voice" as I learnt to express my needs and wants for the nonprofit. You see I too, just like Peaches, have found "my bark". 

What did my unsuccessful attempt at crowdfunding on Kickstarter teach me? It taught me that it was ok to try different things even if you might not succeed. I also learnt that even in "failure" there is a blessing. While the Kickstarter project was not funded, just being on Kickstarter did give our blog "Food For Recovery" visibility which resulted in spreading the word on how important nutrition is in recovery. That alone was a win and a blessing.

While Dr. Beasley sadly is no longer with us, Peaches is. And yes, she still rules the household with her mighty bark.

Would I try crowdfunding again for the nonprofit? Yes, And I have already started, as like Peaches, I have found my "bark" :-) .

Health and Happiness,

Mary P. Cheney, B.Sc., P.T.A.


P.S. Thank you to those that did back our project, I am so grateful for the support. While this project did not meet its goal, I promise I will keep writing Food For Recovery on my iPad :-)



Check out our current fundraiser at:  www.gofundme.com/AddictionEnd








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