Wins and Goals, how about that?!

Not only does it seem that the Caps and finally back on track--back in the win column--they're also scoring goals! Which is really helping the numbers, in addition to making Caps hockey a heck of a lot more fun to watch. Headed into tomorrow's showdown with the wounded Flyers, we've pledged $718.07, plus all the throw-ins I haven't calculated yet.

Just a reminder: pick-up hockey/fundraiser planning is still going on. Pop on over to Japers' and check out the planning conversation! I hope to see a lot of people there, on the ice and in the stands!

Back in the Win Column!

feels good! After the games against the Penguins and Senators,w e are now up to $631.76.

Interested in playing pick-up hockey for a good cause (or watching pick up hockey for a good cause)? Planning for the Japers' Rink Pick-up Game is underway! If you're interested in playing and/or helping us make arrangements for the game and the post-game party, we want you! We are also pulling together items to be raffled at the party, with all the money to support Carosn Kolzig Foundation. If you'd like to donate an item, please contact me.

Not-So-Awesome November round-up

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving (or a nice regular Thursday, for our Canadian pledgers)! That was pretty much the bright spot of  November--what an ugly month of hockey.

Caps are off today, which means they have completed the November portion of their schedule, bring us up to $592.66 in pledges for the season!

Tomorrow is one of the highlights of the season--Pittsburgh comes to town. This is a great game to offer up some bonus pledges for, or jump into pledge drive for the first time. Let's Go Caps!

All sorts of ugly, and an administrative note

I've been waiting very very patiently for the Caps to win before I posted an update. Apparently, the Caps have forgotten how to win, so now I get to post a sad update. No wins and no goals (and one 17-save night) means the numbers didn't climb all that high. Our mid-November total is $487.20. Tomorrow night Caps play in Toronto on Hockey Night in Canada--fingers crossed for a big Caps win!

Administrative note: I made a couple of back-end changes to the spreadsheet management to make things a little easier for me. It appears that everything went smooth and nothing was lost, but if you do spot anything wrong with you pledge, give me a heads up.

Dallas and Devils round 1

Let's just skip right over the Dallas game, eh?

Caps roared back last night to get another win and rack up the pledge numbers! This morning, we're up to $445.34! We have a couple a friendly wagers on tonight's game, so expect the numbers to skyrocket tomorrow. Let's go Caps!

Weekend round-up

Caps played Friday and Saturday. A split decision. Good news is lots of money pledged and a couple of friends jumped on the pledge drive bandwagon, bringing our season pledge total to $403.25!

On the schedule this week is a game vs. Dallas Tuesday, and then home-and-home with New Jersey Friday and Saturday. Let's Go Caps!

That was Ugly

A win is a win and they don't give style points in the NHL (although Nick Backstrom deserves a couple based on those incredible goals last night!), but yikes was that an ugly game. Eleven saves? EEK. But, hey, 5 goals and a win, that's nice.

We're up to $338.21! Which is a pretty awesome total, if I do say so myself.

October round-up

Well, that was a less than pleasant way to end the month. Let's juts skip those two rather disappointing games (I stayed up for that?!) and move on...

October's grand total in pledges is $281.70!

November will be a busy month with 14 games on the schedule.

Curious as to what you've pledged so far? Check out the pledge tracking sheet.

Remember, it's never too late to join!

7 goals for 7 wins

and $256.47 for pledge drive so far!

More goals, saves, wins! We've passed $200!

Any win over the Flyers is a great win. But 5 goals, 40 saves, and a win? That's all sorts of awesome, and helped us pass the $200 pledged mark. Tonight, we're up to $214.90! Onwards to Saturday and a date with the Red Wings. Let's Go Caps!

As always, you can join at any point during the season, for however many games you want. So if you just want to pledge for Saturday, or just games against the Penguins, or games played on nights with full moons, that's cool. The more the merrier.

10/18 vs. Florida

Last night's game brought the season total to $178.75! Quite the fun game, too. We would clear the $200 mark against Philly (hopefully) or the Red Wings. Is everyone ready for the next two games?

10/15 Ottawa update

Hardly the greatest game I've ever seen, but there were saves, goals, and a win, so we'll take it. Last night's game against Ottawa brought the season total up to $146.98. Wondering what your season total is? Pledge tracking sheet.

10/13 vs. Pens update

Heck of a game no? How is your heart doing? On to the good news!


Tomas Vokoun made somewhere around a billion saves (ok, "only" 39), which really went a long way to boosting tonight's pledge total. Over three games, we are now up to $122.00!  That includes me promised matching pledges for all goals scored.

Over 3 games, we're averaging $40 per game. That work out to $3200+ over the season. Awesome!

And it's never too late to join in all the fun! You can always leave a comment letting me know you want to start pledging, or shoot me an e-mail.

next game is Saturday night vs. Ottawa. Let's Go Caps!

DJ's story, and Penguins Game Bonus!

Bernadette sent me her son's story today, to share what the Crason Kolzig Foundation has done for them.

Without the donations my son would not be able to do the Social Skills classes at the Responding to Autism Center which is funded by the Carson Kolzig Foundation. Thanks to these classes my son DJ has been able to join Cub Scouts and participate with the other kids. 3 years ago, we never dreamed we would be able to do this. He LOVES it. I got to hang out at Cub Scout Camp with him (1st time parents are suppose to hang out), he played, did projects, etc just like the other kids. COULDN'T tell a difference. He was just a "normal" boy. Didn't run and hide, loved his buddy for the day, played football, baseball, etc. I was bursting with pride! 

DJ is in Religious Education class at our church. I got to witness him get up in front of the class and do a presentation! He sings and participates in his music class. He is also in Chess Club at his school. I could go on and on but I think you have an idea now. :) 

DJ was a boy that would hide under tables, behind doors, if he was to sit on a carpet square he would hide behind that also. We fully believe in the classes and are extremely grateful for the scholarships so he can get the help he needs. I can never say this enough but I love the Carson Kolzig Foundation. We are very appreciative for all the help and support we have received for DJ. The social skills classes have made a HUGE difference.

ALSO: TONIGHT! CAPS! PENS! Let's Go Caps!
And to make tonight extra super worthwhile, I will be matching pledges for every goal scored. So, if you pledged $1 for every goal scored, I'll match you. So get those pledges in!

Spectrum Blend

Can't wait for the season to be over to make your donation? The Carson Kolzig Foundation as a limited number of bottles of Spectrum Blend available! Fromm Kellee Balcom, Executive Director of the Carson Kolzig Foundation:

If folks are willing to contribute $250 or more, we have an incredible wine that was

especially blended by CKF donors.  I know folks say, "IT IS GREAT" but this

is really good. It is a blend of 65% malbec, 30 syrah and 5% merlot and is

truly amazing.  I think we only have about 6-10 bottles left in varying

sizes, but thought it might be interesting to see if folks in the DC market

were interested in making a contribution if this was an added benefit.  The

bottles are hand painted with a logo designed specifically to benefit autism

programs via the Carson Kolzig Foundation.

 The bottles look really awesome:

To order check out the Spectrum Blend page. If you order, I'll mark you down as paid up for this season! Or, it can be in addition to go per-game pledge total, your choice!

Pledge Tracker is Live!

The 2011-2012 pledge tracking sheet is up!

The tracking sheet is typically updated within 2 hours of a road game, and by noon the next day following a home game. If I know in advance of a significant delay in getting updated numbers, I'll post it--sometime, real life likes to intervene.

If you spot an error, please let me know and I'll correct it as soon as possible.

2011-2012 Pledge Drive: Carson Kolzig Foundation

To celebrate the return of Olie Kolzig and recognize all the great work he has done over the years on behalf of autism awareness, our 2011-2012 Pledge Drive will support the Carson Kolzig Foundation!

The Carson Kolzig Foundation is a non-profit charity that is "dedicated to education and resources for individuals with autism spectrum disorders and their families." It's Responding to Autism Center has been open since March 2010 and has provided nearly 3000 hours of treatment to families in Washington State's Tri-Cities area.

I am incredibly excited to be working with the Carson Kolzig Foundation, and want to thank executive director Kellee Balcom for her support so far and permission to use the logo!

And now to the ultra important details: how do you pledge?

This season, you can pledge for Capitals wins, saves, and goals scored. You can choose to do, one, two, or all three; you will just need to indicate which ones you are doing and what your per-game pledge is.
As always, flat donations are also welcome! You can also do player or stat-specific pledges, but I won't calculate those until the end of the season. I know several friendly wagers have already been made.
No pledge is too small. Every dollar counts, and every dollar is equally important.

To start pledging, post your pledge in the comments, or e-mail it to me at the nifty new e-mail address: japerspledgedrive@gmail.com!

Want to keep your pledge anonymous? No problem. Drop me an e-mail and I'll add your anonymous pledge to the list!

Once the pledges come in, I'll create a google document so you can watch your pledge grow through the season.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? E-mail me at japerspledgedrive@gmail.com!