In almost exactly two months, I’ll be riding 30 miles with the Ride for Roswell, a fundraiser to support the Roswell Park Cancer Institute. It’s a cause near and dear to my heart – as I suspect it is to so many – and this year, it’s closer than ever before.

About this time last year, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Let’s take a second to look at how cute she is. Isn’t she adorable?

Moving right along.

While she caught it early and responded very well to treatment, it was a year in which we got to know Roswell Park far too well. Roswell isn’t just one of the best cancer treatment and research centers in the world, it’s also a place of boundless caring. At Roswell, mom was never just a number; she was a person. Her oncologist took the time to meet with her every time she visited, and the only time he was unable to be there, he sent word with his replacement that she could call him on his cell phone after her appointment if she had any questions afterward. Volunteers roam the infusion wards and waiting rooms offering (Ok, practically forcing!) snacks and drinks on those receiving treatment, always with a smile and a friendly word. To a one, everyone we encountered behaved as though mom was the most important patient they had to worry about that day, and that made a difficult, painful process just a tiny bit easier.

This year, I’m dragging out my dusty, 20-year-old Trek 700 to ride with a team I started for my workplace, Resurgence Brewing Company. I’ll be riding alongside my mom and the rest of my family, coworkers and some friends (local readers, you’re welcome to join in the fun!) in support of her, our friends and other family members who have survived or are battling cancer and this amazing research facility which takes such great care of our most precious people.

But we need your help. I have pledged to raise $500 personally, but that’s just a starting point. The sky’s the limit and really, is any amount enough to thank the people who helped us through this year? It’s not, but we can try. I can’t sing or dance, and one-woman shows don’t bring in much dough these days, so I’m offering up my one resource to sweeten the pot.

Fellow writers: Do you have an essay, short story, poem, screenplay, late-night Tumblr post that needs a second pair of eyes? I’d love to take a gander, for a donation.

$25 – one level-one manuscript revision (grammar/syntax, style, if applicable, efficacy/message overview), up to 10 pages.

$50 – one level-one manuscript revision, up to 20 pages.

$100 – one level-two manuscript revision (level one, plus line edits), up to 20 pages.

$200 – one level-three manuscript revision (level two, plus suggested rewrites), up to 20 pages.

Friends and family: Does your middle or high school student need help with English skills, SAT/ACT prep or college application essays? I’ve worked for established companies and freelance tutored for all of these, and would love to lend you my services, for a donation.

NOTE: I will read over your students’ papers and provide feedback on grammar/syntax, adherence to the assignment and projected efficacy (in the case of college applications) but I will not write them for you. Let’s play fair here, folks.

$25 – one essay/paper review, up to 10 pages.

$50 – one, 1-hour tutoring session with your student on the topic of your choice OR one essay/paper review, up to 20 pages.

$100 – two, 1-hour sessions with your student on the topic of your choice OR one essay/paper review and one resubmission after edits are made OR one college search consultation session. I can help your student figure out how to prepare his or her application to give him or her the best shot at the best school.

$200 – three, one-hour sessions with your student on the topic of your choice OR two essays/paper reviews OR two college search consultation sessions, with essay prep included.

References for tutoring/editing services are available upon request. 

So, what do you say? Let’s help find a cure for cancer, friends. Please share this post with anyone you think may be interested, and please submit your donations to my Ride for Roswell fundraising page. Please make a note of which service you’re interested in and leave me your email if I don’t already have it, so we can coordinate.

If you’re interested in riding with us, we’ll be having T-shirts made and an after-party for all participants at the brewery. You didn’t hear this from me, but there may be a free drink or two involved for those who ride, as well as some pretty great swag. You can join my team via my page as well.

Thank you for your support, all. Even if you can’t reach up to the levels above, or you’re not interested or in need of my writerly services, every little bit helps. Think of it this way: You can spend $10 on a fancy-pants cocktail or you can send it to a cancer patient for whom that $10 may be literally mean the difference between life or death. Not a tough choice, huh?

Let’s crush cancer, together. It takes a village, and I’m so thankful for all of you who are part of mine.