Autism Speaks Fundraiser + Awesome 31 Bag GIVEAWAY!!!

Did the word "giveaway" catch your attention?  It's probably because I shouted it at you in all caps.  Sorry for being noisy, but I am super excited.  As you are probably already sick of hearing, I am training for my very FIRST full marathon--the Chicago Marathon on Oct. 13th. Yes, exactly ONE MONTH from now.  Eep! I knew when I started thinking about running a marathon that if I were going to get through 26.2 miles, it would need to be for a cause bigger than myself.  That's why I decided to sign up for Team Up!, the Autism Speaks charity team.  I am so pumped to be running for Autism Speaks, a cause near and dear to my heart.  I've worked with children on the autism spectrum for the past 8+ years as a behavioral therapist, and these unique and amazing children have completely captured my heart along the way.  Here's a picture of me and one of my kiddos:

We started working together when he was just 5 years old.  Now he's a teenager and in eighth grade!

I have worked tirelessly to put in my miles on the pavement, but I've also been working to fundraise as much as I possibly can for this charity that I believe in.  Last weekend I was able to host a Thirty-One party fundraiser!  Are you familiar with Thirty-One bags?  If you're a teacher, you should be!!  These bags are perfect for school, but they are really perfect for anyone who ever has to carry anything anywhere!  Great for moms, travel, work, shopping, anything.  

Now the fun part--the giveaway!  I will be raffling off two amazing gifts from Thirty-One's collection to wonderful readers who would like to support my fundraising efforts by making a donation to Autism Speaks.  

One lucky donor will be able to win...

The Deluxe Beauty Bag in Big Dot (valued at $60)

From the Thirty-One website: This is the perfect style to carry all of your toiletries for a family trip. Lots of pockets make it easy to store all of your items. It comes with a matching pouch and travel bottles that are airport compliant.
This bag is seriously awesome.  There weren't any pictures of the inside of the bag on the site, but I found this youtube video showing all of the compartments and how it unzips all the way open and things.

A second lucky donor will be able to win...

The Organizing Utility Tote Gift Bundle  in Sea Plaid and Brown Woodblock Floral (valued at $63)

Included are the popular Organizing Utility Tote, the Medium Thermal ZIpper Pouch, and the Perfect Bottle Thermal!  An amazing deal.  The Utility Tote has all of these pockets that are great for organizing, and the thermal pouch is the perfect size to stash a snack or something on your way to school, the gym, wherever.  I love this plaid print, too.

How it works:

1. To enter the giveaway, first visit my personal fundraising page here.  Make a donation of whatever amount you'd like.
2. After donating, leave a comment on my blog letting me know your first name and last initial (so I can match you to my donors roster!) and how many dollars you donated.  (Ex. Jane D, $20)
3. For every $5 you donate, I will enter your name into a drawing to win one of these prizes.  For example, if you donate $25, that's FIVE entries!  
4. If you donate and share this giveaway on your blog, facebook, or twitter, you can earn an additional entry as a thank you for helping me spread the word!  Just leave another comment letting me know how you shared.  (Just one, not one for each share.)  
5. When the giveaway closes, I will choose two winners, one for each prize.  Winners will be posted on the blog and will need to contact me to provide their shipping information.  Prizes will be shipped right to you as soon as they are claimed!

To be eligible to win, all donations must be made by midnight on Friday, September 27th.  I will choose two winners and post them to my blog on Saturday, September 28th using random.org.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy!  The best part is, even if you DON'T win, you can feel great about supporting a terrific cause!  And if you do win, you supported a great cause AND have a great new bag.  See, everybody wins here!! :)  

You guys, it would mean so, so much to me if you could spare just $5 to help this worthy cause.  Autism affects millions of individuals worldwide, and Autism Speaks charity does amazing work to help and support those touched by autism and their families, conduct important biomedical research, and create autism awareness in communities.  I am blessed to have the opportunity to run for a cause that means so much to me, and any donation you can make would be so, so appreciated!  Every single dollar makes a difference!  Please consider sharing this giveaway on your blog, facebook, or twitter!

Disclaimer: I was provided both of these gifts free of charge as a hostess exclusive for hosting my Thirty-One Fundraiser/Party.