Breaking School Records, 1st Place Winners and Fundraising Updates

It was a very busy weekend for Dontay, but that means lots of fantastic news to share with all of you. Friday night was the Noblesville Prom. It was a beautiful day for prom and Dontay and his date looked amazing for the event as evidenced below.

So after a night of dancing and bonfires with friends, Saturday morning was the Southport High School Relays event. Dontay was up early to catch the bus with the team and had a very full day of events at the track. Noblesville High School came in first place for the 800m Distance Medley Relay and broke the Noblesville school record with a time of 1:33.47. Great job Millers!

After the track meet, it was on to our fundraising event at Pinheads Bowling and Entertainment Center. I can't thank the folks at Pinheads enough for a wonderful night! We made close to $500.00 (exact totals are still pending) and we couldn't have done it without the help of Kevin Walter, the owner- and Jerry the amazing DJ with Wright Entertainment at Pinheads. Thank you so much guys!

We still have close to $2500.00 to raise though, and the deadline is fast approaching. If you're able to help, we'd really appreciate it. We need to have everything paid for by the end of May. Even if everyone gave just $10, that would help us immensely. This blog goes out to over 400 people, so just $5.00 from each one of those people would help us come so close to reaching our goal. Even if you're unable to give, if you would just share the info with your friends and family, we would really appreciate it. You can give by clicking on the GoFundMe image below. If there are ever any questions about how to donate, you can reach me any time at marlietta@gmail.com. Thank you to everyone who has helped in some way so far. Every bit has helped us get over the half way mark and that means so much to us.

Three Hot Topics for Today

Today we have three hot topics for Dontay's Big Australian Fundraiser!

Number one is a reminder that on this Wednesday, April 2nd from noon to 8:00 PM is our Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt Fundraiser. Join us at the Orange Leaf on Mundy Drive in Noblesville, at the intersection of US 37 and 141st Streets and bring your family and friends. Orange Leaf will be donating 10% of all sales from Wednesday to Dontay's Big Australian Fundraiser so we hope you can make it! Noblesville High School be hosting their first outdoor track meet of the season on Wednesday too, so come out, watch Dontay race and show your support!

Announcement number two is that our Fundzing fundraiser is now up and running. It works similar to Groupon. Get 50% off bowling at Pinheads Bowling and Entertainment Center. Just click on the "BUY" option of your choice then in the drop down menu be sure to select DOWN UNDER SPORTS as your organization/charity of choice. We will get 20% of all sales AND you can use the voucher to join us on April 26th for our Bowl-A-Thon and Silent Auction at Pinheads. So please tell your friends and get your voucher today. The sale is for the next two weeks. So click this Fundzing link now!

And finally, I am now an Origami Owl Independent Designer. That means more money for Dontay's trip and it also means you can buy your Living Lockets directly from me or schedule a party for big discounts and free jewelry. So check out my Origami Owl Site and like me on Facebook. Purchases now earn us 40%, up from 20%, towards #DontaysBigAustralianTrip.

Relay Video at University of Indianapolis and more!

Last weekend, the Noblesville High School relay team qualified for the Indoor State Track meet that will be held this weekend, in the 4x200 and the 4x400. Above is the video of one of one of those races. I will warn you it's a little loud so proceed accordingly!

The numbers are in and cookie dough sales netted us $304.80 for #DontaysBigAustralianTrip !!! Not too shabby at all. Thank you to everyone who ordered. Cookies coming soon!

Dontay also turned the big 1-7 on St. Patty's Day. He's kind of partying in shifts this week. We took him out for dinner Monday. His big sister is in town from Kansas and she'll be over tomorrow with the nephew. So we'll have a big family dinner tomorrow and Saturday he'll head to Bloomington, IN to party with his mom.

By the way, don't forget, we have a couple of big dates coming up soon. Tuesday, April 2nd, if you visit Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt on US 37 in Noblesville/Fishers, they will donate 10% of your purchase to Dontay's Big Australian Trip when you mention him. So tell your neighbors, bring your friends and come out from noon to 8:00 PM and enjoy delicious frozen yogurt from Orange Leaf and help support Dontay.
Also, Saturday, April 26th at 5:00PM is the bowl-a-thon and silent auction at Pinheads Bowling center on 37 in Fishers. Come join us and help us raise money while having a great time. We'll have limo rides from Aadvanced Limousine, overnight stays with breakfast for two at the Sheraton Keystone, over $100.00 in car washes from Car Wash King and much, much more for you to bid on in our silent auction.

Everyone, I want to say again how thankful we all are for your support. It means a lot to have such a supportive community, family and friends. We could not do this without you. Please share this page with your friends and family and let them all know they are invited to any and all of our events.

And as always, if you'd like to give directly, you can click on the GoFundMe image below. Thank you!

The Wells Family

Anderson Track Meet

We spent the bulk of Saturday, March 8th at Anderson University for an indoor track meet. Coach wanted the sprinters to focus on qualifying for the State meet in the 4x400, so that was what the team ran. The image above is the guys lining up getting ready for the race.

The image below is Dontay running so fast my camera phone could not keep up...HA! He's the yellow blur speeding past.

Some exciting news to share! We have received a gift certificate from Aadvanced Limousines to add to our silent auction event at Pinheads on April 26th. Just in time for prom season! Thank you so much to Linda Carter and Aadvanced Limousines. Speaking from personal experience, they are excellent and will take good care of you. Dontay has used their limo service for school dances and we were extremely impressed. I should also have some grand totals from our cookie dough fundraiser by the end of the week to share with everyone and I think we did very well. So check back for those totals and an update of where we are overall. Thank you again to everyone who has helped us this far! It really means a lot to our family to have such caring family, friends and community.

P.S. I should really do a better job reminding everyone that you're welcome to sign up for automatic updates from our blog by following us via email. You can do that at the sign up on the right side of this blog. Also, please do share our blog with your friends, family and social media. Getting the word out there with the widest reach is what will really help us be successful in the next couple of months. We can't do it without you! And as always, if you'd like to contribute to our fundraising efforts to help send Dontay to Australia to compete in an international track competition with Down Under Sports this July, you can click the GoFundMe image below.

State Qualifier



Dontay during a summer track event with his little cousin

 This past weekend was the State Qualifying Track Meet at Depauw University. Dontay and his sprinting team broke the school record in the 4x200 at the meet. Dontay also qualified for State Competition in the 60m dash. Fundraising for Australia is progressing nicely. The T-Shirts from Down Under Sports have come in and we are selling those for $20 each. Cookie dough sales are likely to net us around $200 for the trip if not more. Not too shabby! We've also been offered a couple more very cool gifts for the silent auction and Bowl-A-Thon event at Pinheads Bowling center on April 26th. I feel like we're really making some head way now. I know I have certainly learned a lot through all of this fundraising and it has been a lot of fun. Thank you so much everyone for helping us towards our goal and for helping me learn! It really means a lot.

April 2nd at Orange Leaf Noblesville

Charles at Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt in Noblesville has agreed to give us 10% of all sales from anyone who mentions Dontay's Big Australian Trip on Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014. Mark your calendars and please spread the word to family and friends. We will also have flyers promoting the event to hand out soon.  Another awesome show of support from our community! Thank you so much Charles and Orange Leaf. We appreciate you!

Help us make the most of this very generous offer and join us at Orange Leaf on April 2nd! See you there!

As always, if you'd like to make a direct contribution, please click the GoFundMe image/link below.
Sincerely,
The Wells Family

Thank you Car Wash King Of Noblesville!

Today Dontay is busy taking the ACT, so wish him luck! He was up and out early to get a jump on his future!

We just wanted to take a moment to thank another local business, Car Wash King of Noblesville for their very generous donation to our silent auction this week. It's amazing businesses like this who really come through to support their communities and the people in it. For that you will always have faithful customers in us. Your contribution will be part of our silent auction and Bowl-A-Thon Event on April 26th, 2014 at Pinheads Bowling Center in Fishers.

If you haven't been there already, you should really check out Car Wash King of Noblesville. Always great service and friendly folks, who wave every time you go through the car wash. They also do great auto detailing! Thank you Joel and Car Wash King for your support! Check them out on Facebook too!

Save the Date!

Saturday, April 26th from 5-8 PM, come out to Pinheads Bowling in Fishers to bowl for a good cause! 

Kevin at Pinheads has agreed to allow us to hold a fundraising event in April along with a silent auction, and he's also agreed to donate a private bowling suite to our silent auction... all to help Dontay get to Australia this summer. How AWESOME is that!? I love our local businesses and I especially love Pinheads. 

Seriously, I cannot say enough good things about Pinheads Bowling Center. It is hands down the nicest bowling alley I have ever seen. And they have it all, bowling, glow-in-the dark bowling, duck pin bowling, live entertainment, a great bar called Louie's, private bowling suites, an arcade, volley ball, great food. On top of all of this, they are always friendly and have amazing service. Now they are offering to help Dontay, and I have to say, they have found a forever loyal fan in me. 

I hope you can join us on April 26th and tell your friends! Bowl for a great cause, and come out to have fun and meet some fantastic people in our community.

Sincerely,

The Wells Family

An Official Fundraising event has been set!

After several rounds of awful weather put a damper on our fundraising planning and efforts, things have finally started to pick back up.

A childhood friend has agreed to give us 20% of all sales from her Origami Owl business when you enter DontaysAustralianFundraiserMarliettaWells172657 in the Jewelery Bar Box at checkout. She's agreed to keep the promotion open to allow us to reach a firm goal of $1000 in sales and net a $200 contribution to Dontay's trip. So go check out her site right now and express yourself with an Origami Charm or Dangles necklace or bracelet today! There's still time to order before Valentine's Day or you can get your Mother's Day gift early this year.

Also, yesterday afternoon we met with Kevin Walter at Pinheads Bowling Center in Fishers, Indiana and he has agreed to allow us to have a Penny Bowl-A-Thon on April 26th to raise money. If you're interested in participating please get in touch with me. In addition to the Bowl-A-Thon, he offered us an opportunity beginning in April, to sell daily deal type coupons for bowling at the facility and we will earn 20% of every sell for Dontay's trip. But wait... there's MORE! Kevin is also allowing us to set up tables for a silent auction and additional fundraising efforts AND donated a Private Suite for the auction! So definitely a great big thank you to Kevin Walter and to Pinheads Bowling and Entertainment Center. You should go check them out, and definitely try the duck pin bowling while you're there.

To secure some items for our auction, I've been visiting some local businesses and sending out emails to friends and larger corporations trying to solicit items we can use in our auctions. We have some awesome small, local businesses here in Noblesville, Indiana and they have been very excited to help us. A huge THANK YOU to A Total Tan of Noblesville for the gift basket and to Car Wash King of Noblesville for their contribution to use in our silent auction. It really means a lot to our family.

There are also some great friends and co-workers in my life who are gifting handmade items from their various hobbies, and I can't tell you how excited this makes me! I didn't want to list any specific names without permission, but any of you can feel free to comment below that it's okay and I will shout it from the tree tops about how awesome you all are. Things are moving forward in a really positive way.

As I write, we are getting a huge snow storm yet again and we may be house bound for a couple of days. But I feel like we've really made some great progress and the momentum is rolling now. I will continue to talk to area businesses and ask for help and will be sure to keep you in the loop on our progress.

Thank you to everyone for your efforts thus far. We are really blessed to live in such a wonderful supportive community and to be surrounded by such amazing friends and family.

Sincerely,
The Wells Family