Countdown 205 Days: Thank You Far East !

Today is the best day in my life.

I wanna dedicate this post to Far East Grocery in Champaign (2 minute walk from my house). So I have been walking around C-U area, trying to look for business sponsors. For those of you who have not already know, I need to achieve an individual goal of $3500 by May 2015. So, yesterday (Oct. 27th) I went to Far East Grocery and talk to Vivia about Illini 4000. I did not get to talk much to her since there were quite a number of customers in line. She told me to come back today.

Right after my class, I took a bus back and went to Far East again. Vivia was not in when I reached. I got to talk to her mom for awhile, and while I said, "I'm here to let you know about Illini 4000, a non-profit organization, aiming to raise fund for cancer research and patient services. We also.." I haven't even finished my sentence, she has already taken out her huge check book, saying "Oh so it's for Breast Cancer Society?" I replied, "Not Breast Cancer Society, but American Cancer Society and other organizations, 75% for research purposes and 25% for clinical services/family support programs."

Then she asked me to wait for her daughter, Vivia, to come.

When Vivia arrived, I explained to her again, what Illini 4000 is, what do we do, and how could Far East help us with our mission--monetary donation or goods donation. And we went a little further, talking about the recognition our team gives to sponsors:
--> Saddle level (Company's logo will appear on Illini 4000 official website): $300-$649.99
--> Wheel level (Company's logo will appear on our support vehicle that follows us throughout the journey): $650-$999.99
--> Jersey level (Company's logo will appear on our team jersey): $1000 and above

After we finished talking, she said give her a minute, she needs to talk to her mum for awhile. It was just like less than a minute later, Vivia came back and yelled, "Jane, we gotcha at the Jersey level!"

I don't know how to react for that moment. I was toooooooo surprised! I honestly don't know what to say at that moment, but I gave her a big hug.

I'm really touched by how supportive Vivia and her family are. Vivia wrote a check for me, and while I have her fill out the donation form, there's a line:

I would NOT like to receive Illini 4000 & Portraits Project Newsletter ____

So if you DON'T WANT it, you tick the box. But Vivia was like, "I want to receive updates for Illini 4000!" She also asked whether she could buy our team jersey, then I was like, "It's free for you! Sponsor gets a free team jersey!" Even if our team don't give out free jersey, I would use my own money to buy for Vivia.

Words couldn't describe how thankful I am to have such supportive people in my lives. What did I do to deserve such huge help from Vivia and her family. Honestly, they are just running a family business, imagine how many groceries they have to sell to earn that amount of money. All I could say is, I am really really really really thankful for their kind donation, and I wish I could do something personal to return the favor. In them, I see pure happiness and kindness. There are so many things I need to learn from them. They show me the true meaning of "It is better to give than to receive".

Once again, thank you so much, Far East! I don't ask for more, I wish that they will always be blessed by the best things, stay happy and be in good health forever!

For now, the least I could do, probably is to promote their business to as many people as possible (P/S: this is completely voluntary, they didn't ask me to do so to return the favor, I do this just because I want to do it). Well the groceries they have there are sold at very reasonable prices and there is a wide variety of groceries, including Milo! :D #bestthingever

Visit their FB page for more information!

Sincerely,
thank you Vivia and family!
thank you Far East Grocery!

Countdown 207 Days: Fundraising starts now!

I4K UIUC 
It has been about 5 days since I typed out my very first status to promote Illini 4000 (I4K). I have received a total of $299 throughout the 5 days, and would like to thank everyone for the kind donations. Apart from meeting my target, each donation has helped me to boost my confident. Honestly, I am worried about many things-academic, grades, pressure from research lab, training, ASB fundraising + trip, and Rotaract Club. I want to improve myself, push myself out of my comfort zone, and live with no regrets in life. I'm definitely not a good English speaker--which is my biggest hindrance when trying to talk to people. I'm trying to improve, and would go all out to improve my speaking skills. Besides, a lot of people seem to ignore my donation message. Well, I don't blame anyone, cause it's completely voluntary. I just wanted to say, people who help, are people who have been helpless, or people who understand the situation. And to these people, big hugs for you guys! Every donation means a lot to me, whenever I see donation comes in, I'm fueled with energy. Every single "good luck", "it's an amazing thing", and every single encouragement, makes me know that I made the right choice to join this team. Words couldn't describe how much you guys have supported me and I truly appreciate it. :')

Malaysia
I was talking to Tee yesterday and he was so excited about this program! Wow dude, you made my day! *brohug* *brofist* Ever since I joined I4K, I have been thinking of doing the same thing in Malaysia too. However I couldn't find anyone of the same interest. But right now, after a brief survey, I have received Yes-es from Tee, Heng, Kit Siang, Marcus, Sam & 3 or more friends, Yong Wei, Munish, and Nanin (Marketing). That's about 10 of us! Awesome guys! So, rough plan: July 2016, before everyone starts work (prioritize people of my batch), a week of ride, 100 km per day, probably from Malacca to Penang. :D