My Half-Marathon Appeal

Hi All,
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Running has been a part of my life for the past three years; sort of on and off, but a constant all the same. As most other people, I have been running on the treadmill, purely for personal fitness and health reasons. It was' nt until the beginning of 2006 when I thought, that maybe it was time to put all these years of running to good use and give philanthropy a chance. In my quest, for a worthwhile cause, I zeroed in on ASHA.
ASHA (meaning ‘Hope’ in Hindi) is a Non-Profit organization that works towards providing basic education for under-privileged children in India.
Running for ASHA, involves fund-raising $100/ per mile of the chosen marathon; i. e the NYC Half-Marathon (13.10 miles), in my case, which I will be running on the 27th of August 2006.
This is the first time ever, that I am running a Half Marathon and simultaneously fund-raising for a charity. The Half-Marathon, I can take care of, with my training and newly acquired running discipline; the fund-raising is where I need your help!
Please help me raise $1310 to achieve my target; a substantial sum of money which when directed towards the appropriate cause can create an impressionable difference in the lives of children in India.
All donations are tax-free and will be highly appreciated. So if you are in the habit of giving to charity, you may as well direct your funds towards this one; if not, then this could be a start. A sum of $1310, albeit small, can help educate 5 children for a year and set the ball rolling towards transforming their future, through education.
So please aid my noble fundraising endeavour.
Suggested donation: $10 or more/ per person!
Thank you!
For the slightly more difficult to convince, here’s my list of:
Ten reasons you should give your Ten Dollars here!
1. It’s a little more than what you spend on lunch everyday. I could bring you home-cooked lunch one day, if you want.
(Offer available only in Manhattan, at the moment)
2. It’s the price of a drink at an expensive upscale lounge or a decent chunk of your Friday night’s Happy hour quota; eitherways, since when did alcohol stand more ground than education?
3. It’s the price of a movie ticket that you won’t even feel the pinch of. Just assume it was a movie “you had to watch” because the girlfriend said so.
4. I am your friend/ acquaintance/ fellow blogger and I am training hard to push myself to run the 13 mile distance. Small price to pay, to applaud my determination, don’t you think?
5. Assume it’s my birthday and you’re buying me a drink! That way, you don’t have to remember my birthday and I can forgive you if you forget!
6. Give, to this charity instead of giving to Starbucks, and thus, spare your body, all that Seattle caffeine.
7. It’s the meager sum; you spend on car gas or cab fare, when you could so easily have walked the same distance.
8. For most of us, it’s a small part of what we make per hour and so not a big deal to part with.
9. I am your catalyst for charity; if you’ve never given before, now’s your chance to make up for all the times you should have given, but did not, for some reason.
10. Lastly and most importantly, consider that your money is going to play the role of a beacon in illuminating someone’s life and possibly changing it forever.

If you’re reaching out for your credit card already; please click on the 'Donate' button on the following webpage:
http://www.ashanet.org/nycnj/lib/marathon/publicmypage.php?1647
If you're still not, here’s my last pitch; “It’s only ten bucks, C’mon!”