The Fitlanthropist » Charity

Final Weigh-In Wednesday for Free Arts of AZ

John C. Ronquillo — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:19:54 +0000

Weigh-In Wednesday – Jan. 7, 2010 from The Fitlanthropist on Vimeo.

Well, friends, it’s over. I set a goal of 15 pounds and lost 10…and frankly, I’m pretty happy about that. I had a few doubters going into this, and rightfully so. It didn’t seem logical to some that I might actually be able to lose weight over the holidays, but miraculously, I did.

So, what does this mean? This means that I am in need of DONORS. $10 is all you have to commit, and you can pledge your donation by going HERE. That page details all the ways you can contribute. Once you pledge your support, I will contact you individually to solicit your donation. Once all of the donations have been collected, they will be sent to Free Arts of Arizona. However, time is of the essence. I need these donations in ONE WEEK, so that I can start building the next project, which will most likely last longer, and have a higher goal. So, again, please pledge your $10 donation HERE, and I’ll be in touch. Some of you have already done so, and one individual has made a sizable flat donation, and for that I am grateful to all of you…but we need more. Wednesday, January 14th is the last day I’ll accept any pledges for Free Arts of Arizona, so please sign up today…

All orgs have been notified: Voting extended to NOV. 9!

John C. Ronquillo — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:06:42 +0000

The word is out! I have contacted Free Arts of Arizona, Nuci’s Space, and the Andre Agassi Foundation to let them know they are in the running for the first fundraiser. I hope the response is positive, and I hope that more votes start to come in.

Speaking of votes, because of the slow start, and because I wasn’t able to notify the organizations until today, I am going to extend the voting until Monday, November 9th. Voting will cease at 6 p.m. EST (or EDT…or whatever the East Coast is on. Hey, I didn’t grow up with daylight savings time, sorry!)

A big thanks to those of you that have taken interest so far…it’s very inspiring, and more importantly, MOTIVATIONAL!

VIDEO: First Weigh-In Wednesday

John C. Ronquillo — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:38:17 +0000

Apologies for the length (5 minutes)! I promise that subsequent videos will not be as long!

First Weigh-In Wednesday – October 28, 2009 from The Fitlanthropist on Vimeo.

Who else is doing this? Are you losing weight for charity, too?

John C. Ronquillo — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:00:20 +0000

I have, on more than one occasion, seen individuals or organizations lose weight for charity. I definitely don’t claim the Fitlanthropist to be wholly original (of course, I’d like to think that certain aspects of it are ). If anyone out there is at all familiar with someone who is doing something similar to this, I am definitely interested in knowing. I’d love to get in touch, build a network, whatever…just to see how others are “getting healthy for a greater cause.” In fact, it might be nice to feature them here, too!

Seems to me that runners are often doing something along similar lines…raising money per mile run or something like that. And though it’s been quite some time since I’ve headed out to pound the pavement, I’m hoping I can get back in the swing of things…perhaps I’ll do the Couch-to-5k program again, as it seemed to be quite useful, not to mention pretty fun!

Slowly getting the word out

John C. Ronquillo — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:51:54 +0000

I know there isn’t much to look at here, and that will change. I made a post to my other blog to let readers (if there are any left) know that I’m here now. I’m hoping to incorporate some new things that I’ve always wanted to like guest posts and giveaways. Plus, I’ll be looking to readers for support and input on which charitable organization I’ll be “losing” for. Part of me wants to make it a local organization this time around so I can actually show my face, let them know I’m legit and perhaps make some sort of agreement. I think I will pick four or five organizations to profile and maybe use a poll to have readers vote? But in the meantime, I will have my first “Weigh-in Wednesday” the day after tomorrow to officially note the beginning mark.

Also, I’ve gotten some e-mails from a handful of people with some questions (this is a good thing) and I will be updating my FAQ page to get everyone current on how this is going to work. Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or e-mail me at john [at] fitlanthropist [dot] com!

A new, new beginning

John C. Ronquillo — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:38:29 +0000

This is most definitely not my first attempt at losing weight and improving my health. It is, however, the first time I have given myself the charge to do it for not only me, but for those who perhaps have even greater needs than I do.

I’m getting less shy and more candid about my life over the past couple of years. In that time, my wife and I quit our jobs and moved from Arizona to Georgia, I started a Ph.D., we had our son, I was challenged exponentially in my doctoral program (this will surely be strung out in other posts, so I’ll spare you here), I discovered relatively late in my education that I had a learning disability, I watched a loved one go through substance abuse issues, I discovered I had diabetes, and I summarily watched other areas of my health decline. Needless to say, it’s been a challenge.

So, I thought that I needed to get serious…and creative. I started a blog thinking that it would be a useful tool to help keep me accountable in my weightloss. And, in fact, the many readers of Fat Guy in a Little Coat did just that. They were warm and supportive. I, for the most part, was also relatively anonymous. I kept my ordeal to myself, a few others close to me, and to my new supporters. Then, I decided to go public and let all of my family and friends know. This time around, there’s no secrecy–I plan on being up front, honest and real. I had started running (I even ran a 5k and won an award in my age division) and in a matter of months, I lost 30 pounds. I was happy with my progress.

But then I stopped. And here I am with those 30 pounds back in tow.

So, I am here to start anew. This, as the title indicates, is my “new, new” beginning. I realize that I may be starting from scratch again, but I think that my health, my family, and my cause are all worth it. I hope you will explore this site and follow my endeavor. It’s not necessarily a new concept, but it is an experiment I’m excited to be involved in. And yes, I also hope that you will become a matching donor for my dollar-per-pound goal, or make an in-kind donation once I have settled on the organization I wish to donate to.

Here’s to a new beginning.