Dear all – apologies for missing the round-up last Saturday. I am currently on a streak of visitors who are visiting back-to-back, and so I did not have time to compile the round-up. I’ll probably miss the coming two Saturdays as well, apologies in advance. However, I *must* come on today to pass on a very important message to you.
LOROS very kindly sent us a long thank you card, and I want to pass it on to *you* as the real addressees of the acknowledgment. LOROS’s fundraising manager Laura took the trouble of sending a long hand-written card. You can see the card further down, but for easier reading I have transcribed the message. Replace “Sonja” with your own name!
Dear Sonja,
*Little correction from Sonja: The tribute page was of course set up by Richard, so credit to him!
On behalf of everyone at LOROS, I wanted write & thank you and all those who have contributed to the bi-annual Richard Armitage Birthday Fundraiser. The RA fandom really do seem a magnificent group of people and we are beyond touched and grateful to you all for the support you have shown to LOROS over the years. This year you and your friends raised an amazing GBP 4,525 via the online fundraising page you kindly set up* in memory of Margaret, Richard’s mother. This online tribute to Margaret now stands at a truly remarkable GBP 66,579!!!
To give you an idea of how this incredible sum of money can support our patients and their families, it costs GBP 50,392 to fund our Social Work Team for an entire year.
Our Social Work Team supports patients, to live better within their community. This may include referrals to other services or an assessment of a person’s home or lifestyle to ensure that they are able to live safely, independently and as they choose!
Thank you again for supporting our charity in such a valuable and worthwhile way. Thanks also for your kind words about LOROS & what we do. It’s so lovely to hear.
Best wishes, Laura.
It is so kind of LOROS to take the time and write such a personal message of thanks to us. I know that they are very appreciative of their donors, but this goes above and beyond what I would’ve expected them to do. The information re. use of our funds not only goes to show that LOROS is a very worthy recipient of our donation, but the note also proves the care they put into their work – extending to donor relations. Personally I am extremely happy and proud to continue supporting them, knowing that our combined donations are making quite an impact. And if our accompanying good wishes and thanks are received so gratefully by LOROS, too, it makes me even more eager to let them know how much we appreciate their amazing work.
In any case, the thank you goes to everyone who has supported the fundraisers in the past, be it by donating items, crafting items, bidding and winning in the auctions, buying items in the sale, donating money and adding their voices to the fundraiser by commenting, tweeting, posting and liking. A big thank you to all of you!
The annual December Fundraiser is only four weeks away (roughly), so I know that we will continue to support LOROS in their sterling work. If you happen to have some fan items that you would like to contribute, now would be a good time to send them off to me. Or to get in touch with me to discuss participation (unless you already have done so). Short of a sneak preview I can already tell you that we will have some very special and unique items on offer this year, from “new” contributors, i.e. fellow fans who are donating items for the first time. That always brings new and original items into our auctions and makes the fundraiser all new and all shining 😉. The fundraiser remains an informal community effort that is not an obligation but an opportunity to engage. You do not have to contribute financially in order to participate. This fundraiser is open to all and appreciates your support in the shape of spreading the word – for the actual fundraiser as much as for LOROS. More info to come in early November!
But for now I hope the thank you message has cheered you up as much as it did me when I received it this morning. It is good to know that we are supporting a great cause, and that our contribution is so much appreciated. Thank you!
Guylty Pleasure 
How lovely of them to write a hand-written note! I my humble opinion you are the ‘primus motor’ that makes the auction accessible and possible for all of us so thank you, Sonja ❤
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So nice of them to take the time for a long message. It’s nice to feel so appreciated! ❤️
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Great acknowledgement. I’m really glad that we continue to support them with the fundraisers. This message certainly improved my day. ❤️
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Great – it really cheered me up, too, and I wanted all other stakeholders to bask in the same glory, too 😉
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This indeed cheered me up: the letter is full of kind words and appreciation for the fandom. And I am happy our fundraising is making that much difference for their work.
Thank you, Sonja, for the post.
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You are absolutely welcome – it is really nice to know how much our contributions have been appreciated.
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Thank you, Sonja, for posting Laura’s letter — this indeed cheered me, too. Being a small part of this fandom and able to do a small part, and getting a lot in return!
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You are welcome. And I feel the same – by giving, we are getting so much in return…
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What a wonderful letter! I’m very happy I was a part of the fundraising in the past (not this year though 😭). Thank you for sharing the letter and thank you so much for the efforts you put in this fundraising. Much love ❤️
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As far as I remember, you were part of it this year, too, Olga! Tweeting, commenting, cheering! It all counts! As do all the previous years, too 😍
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My heart swells with pride for the small part I played in this generous donation and what our contribution means to those whose lives are changed for the better thru LOROS. It brought to mind the video LOROS sent March 16th last and Richard’s reaction to it. TY, Sonja, for sharing this heartwarming message.
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Lots of small individual parts, maybe, but it goes to show that together we can make a difference. Thanks for the reminder of that video. I must have a look at that again!
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This is a really lovely gesture that made me smile, thanks for sharing. I´m really happy we can make such big difference with our fundraising activities. Thank you for sharing so much for always organizing them so well, I always enjoy taking part in them 💗👍😊.
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You are welcome. And I am very glad if the fundraisers are also seen as a fun, communal party, so to speak.
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Wow, what a lovely letter, it really is great to know that our small contributions add up to such a lot! Bravo Sonja as ever, you make all this happen! Helen
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Without all of you, it wouldn’t happen, either. We are very lucky to have this fandom to tap into.
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That very lovely. So nice to know it can make such a difference. Thank you, Sonja.
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Yep, I really appreciated that Laura gave us an insight into how the donations are used. It’s great to know that we are making a big contribution to their work…
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What a lovely letter and a lovely thank you!
And eek, the next fundraiser is only a month away? I’ve been so busy, I must have missed the dates announcement (or forgotten it). Time flies. 🙂
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Hehe, no, you haven’t missed it, Esther. I haven’t posted a separate blog post on it yet but only mentioned it in passing. But yeah, aiming for end of November so that we have time to get everything in the mail in time for Christmas.
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What a lovely reply. It is a wonderful place, it is local to where I grew up and family members have benefitted from their very special service. It is lovely to support them in this way.
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Thank you for this comment, Rosie. Coming from someone who has got a real life connection to LOROS in that way, makes it very important and special. I am very glad to hear that you can tell from your own experience how much needed LOROS’s services are.
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Such a wonderful acknowledgement. It is staggering to see how much has been raised by the RA community (no small thanks to you!) and that this amount could fund a team for a year, that really shows that it is worthwhile . Have fun with the visitors!
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Seeing their costs makes me wonder how these charities can survive at all! All the more important that we continue supporting them…
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