Day 1: "Even if I knew tomorrow that the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree."

January 10th: Thirty-five days left.

First thing to note: I decided to start training -- and actually began my training -- yesterday (five miles). I didn't have time to start the blog until today, so I will double-up before the end of January 11th and be on track from there on out.

What am I talking about? Let me explain!

Since summer, I had been planning on running the New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon. My strategy would be to train five months in advance and to fundraise during the final portion of that training period. As you will see, I have failed miserably! Thirty-five days away from said marathon and I have run no more than five miles and raised not a dime.

Rather than make excuses, I have decided to look my failure in the face, see it as a minor setback, and make the decision to change course. This blog will keep me honest. It will also, I hope, inspire you to join me in supporting an incredible school.

Akili Academy is a New Orleans charter school that has some of the best scores in the city. Incredibly, they're achieving these results while serving some of the city's poorest children in one of the city's poorest communities. More on this in posts to come.

I would love -- with your help -- to fundraise for these children and their school. Why do we have to fundraise for a school? Well...since Akili is striving to provide such a strong education for their students -- an education so many inner-city kids don't have the opportunity to pursue -- government funding for the school doesn't cover its costs. That funding gap is something that many charter schools face.

Our contribution won't eliminate the gap by any stretch of the imagination, but we don't have to eliminate it to be successful. We just have to close it a little further.

I'm not asking for any one person to give a lot (though I'm not asking you NOT to :-)! ), but if everyone that sees this blog, or a similar message on facebook, donates $1, $2, $5, or $10, we'll have made it a very long way!

$5 is the cost of a beer! I'm asking you to drink one less beer, or one less skim-frappa-latte-whatever for the kids at Akili Academy! And -- here's where it gets crazy: For every beer or tall-mocha-cappathing you don't drink, I will match you by taking an equivalent amount from the money I would normally set aside for booze booze each week, and donating it to Akili. It will be like a "non-cheers" for a great cause.

Finally: The marathon is on February 13th, just a few days after -- what would have been my Dad's 60th birthday. After the marathon, I'll take the money and donate what we all raised to Akili Academy in my Dad's name. A great, belated birthday present that I think he we would have enjoyed more than the bag of peanuts I normally bought him.

I'll have the fundraising site up by the end of tonight, and then we can begin our modest effort at making a difference.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Even if I knew tomorrow that the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree." For the next 35 days, this is my apple tree. I hope it will be, at least, a branch on yours as well.