Christmas. It's A Time for Giving...Right?...Right???

There's plenty to share from the holidays, but first, the unpleasantness...Nobody likes being blindsided and guilted into making a donation, particularly with Christmas just around the corner and money pretty tight.

That being said, I would like to compete in the Aspen Mountain "Storm the Stars" competition on Saturday night. This is a late-night race up the ski resort -- climbing 3200 feet in 2.5 miles -- with all the proceeds going towards the Chris Klug foundation to support organ transplants.

As you may or may not know, my wife's mother, Rosalie, and brother, Fred, know all about organ transplants. When Freddy was in his early twenties, his mother heroically donated a kidney to young Freddy so he could continue to pursue his dream of becoming a professional wrestler under the alias "Sir Hotbod Handsomeface." While the dream may have never come to fruition, it was no fault of the kidney's, which runs like clockwork. Freddy has enjoyed 10 years of good health since the surgery, and Rosalie, stunning medical experts worldwide, has regrown the transplanted organ. (OK, I made that last part up. But that would be pretty cool, wouldn't it?)

Anyhoo, in order to race, I need to raise $160 big ones for the American Transplant Foundation. And no, this isn't some fake George Costanza-esque charity like the "Human Fund" that I invented so I can take your money and spend it on rare collectible PEZ dispensers. If you don't believe me, you can check the link here.

Rare is the opportunity to don spandex and a headlamp and do a good deed in the process. Do you want to be responsible for seeing that opportunity lost? Do you want to open your bounty of presents on Christmas morning, racked with the guilt of knowing you cost the American Transplant Foundation $160 bucks. Do you? DO YOU?????

Sorry...that was uncalled for. This fundraising stuff is kind of hard, so I thought I'd take a page from the Catholic church and push the whole "guilt" angle. If it worked, let me know.

If you are interested in helping all those people awaiting transplants -- and yeah, indirectly, me -- please let me know by leaving a comment, and I will get back to you with a pledge form. The race is this Saturday, but I can always front the money and then chase you down for your pledge on the back end. And if you don't pay? That's when I make a call to Angelo "Big Ang'" Nitti. And trust me, he'll get that money one way or another.

Thanks in advance.

Tony

Addendum #1: Now that I am registered, you can make any pledges you like directly by going through this link. I'm listed under Tony, rather than Anthony, just to disappoint my mother. So go and give until it hurts. Or else Freddy Fares will personally come to your door and suplex you.