Susan Black-Beth chose the occurrence of her approaching 36th birthday to support Cystic Fibrosis in an interactive, social-media format. May is Cystic Fibrosis Awareness month. On her Facebook page she posted the following message on Monday, May 20, 2013. Incredible responses followed!
“Tomorrow [Tuesday, May 21,] I will celebrate my 36th birthday. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but I am really grateful for my birthday this year. Here’s why: Many of my friends are right now wishing for just one more birthday with a loved one…they’ve lost, or who is failing, or for themselves, because they are fighting a health battle of their own. So you see, EVERY birthday deserves to be celebrated, because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.”
“This year, I am going to dedicate my birthday to a special friend; his name is Trevor. While Trevor and I have not yet met, I was introduced to him by my buddy, Eric Stites. Trevor is 14 and has Cystic Fibrosis. For those who don’t know what CF is, it is a genetic disorder whereby a defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce super-sticky, thick mucus that clogs the lungs. That can lead to life-threatening lung infections. A shorter synopsis is that CF sucks!”
“So, here’s what’s gonna go down. We’re going to have some fun and do a good thing along the way. For every Facebook Friend of mine (there [are] only 255 of you, right?) who wishes me a “Happy Birthday” tomorrow, I will donate $1 to Team Trevor, to help support CF Research. Eric and his company, Franchise Business Review, will match whatever I raise! Additionally, I will make the donation in the name of whoever writes me the most CREATIVE birthday wish! So, get those creative juices flowing tonight, so you can be ready for tomorrow! Please go to www.facebook.com/CFTeamTrevor or www.teamtrevor.org to learn more about Trevor and CF and/or to make a donation. Thank you, and please wish me a happy birthday tomorrow, so we can help those with CF celebrate many, many more birthdays!”
Black-Beth stated, during an interview about her inspiring birthday fundraiser, she initially wondered, “How can we make that [personal donation] count?” Turns out, it was easy. Soon, others offered to match her donation. Rose Shiflett agreed to match each dollar. Tim Evankovich–CF Board of Directors member in Maryland–likewise agreed.
“It went viral! There were independent donations [being made, not merely wishes.] Five of the Undercover Bosses cast wishes, and some made independent donations.”
On May 21, donations came quickly, but slowed from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central Time. As an incentive, Stites offered to match $5 for every birthday wish Black-Beth received the rest of the afternoon. This meant that each wish now generated $8. There were 63 birthday wishes posted during that time.
Her effort raised a total of $5500 for Cystic Fibrosis/Team Trevor!