Wildlife and nature

Animal shelters and rescues

Theater and dance

Rivers, parks and trails

Hunger and food

Schools and learning

Housing and homelessness

Community health

Mental health

Mentoring and foster care

Legal help and rights

Jobs and money help

Atlanta

The Triangle

Everywhere

The Collective Workshop

Royal Animal Refuge

Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta

Georgia Advancing Communities Together

Atlanta Writers Club

Cobb Collaborative

Bosleys Place

Jewish Fertility Foundation

By 2013, I had run a marathon and done 9 triathlons, including a 70.3-mile half Ironman.
In 4 months I went from the strongest I’d ever been to walking with a cane – and I was diagnosed with ALS in May 2014, at the age of 33.
So what do you do when you’re told that you’re going to die in the next 2-5 years? That there is no treatment and no cure.
And that before you die, you will lose the ability to walk, talk, move, eat, and breathe?
My husband and I had just bought a house. We were planning to start a family.
I realized is that if there was something I really wanted to do – I needed to do it now.
We bought a recumbent trike and I signed up for my “last” triathlon, which became the most extraordinary day of my life as more than a hundred people stayed to cheer us in.
Since most people with ALS die between 2-5 years, reaching my 5th anniversary in May 2019 felt like a huge milestone. But I realized there’s a big difference between not dying’ and LIVING. So I decided to take on the craziest goal I could think of , a marathon in all 50 states. At the time, I was at state #7.
The journey that followed was harder and more rewarding than I could have ever imagined. States that were just checkboxes on my way to 50 became places, people, memories that I will always treasure.

Braille It Film Screening

Acing Als on Wral

Give

Elizabeth Spitz

Angela McMillen Ayres

Ashley Griffith Kollme/Doug Kollme

Jason Biggs

Annie Lusk

Alison Burell

Ann Bowen

Jillaine Baker

Andrea Lytle Peet

Timothy Weiss

Roger Gore

🚨Only 7 weeks left to pre-order! 🚨 We still need 375 pre-orders by December 31 to submit to the NC Legislature. Place your pre-order today to help us raise funds for ALS research and get NC’s 1st ever Pickleball license plate on the road. 🚗 Sign up is easy - grab your NC license and registration, fill out the online form, and donate $30 to ALS research! 💚 To pre-order visit: TeamDrea.org/AcingALS

Huge high fives to the kids of @kidsquestcureals for coming together to raise $23,500 for ALS research this year!🫸💚🫷 From bake sales 🍪 to lemonade stands 🍋 to ice bucket challenges 🥶, our Team Drea kids & Kids Quest kids put their talents to use nationwide to raise $11,500, and Team Drea provided a $12,000 donation match. 💚 We are SO PROUD of these amazing kids for providing HELP & HOPE towards a cure! Thank you, Kids Quest!

We are so grateful and blown away by the commitment and effort that @RandallMardus put into raising over $8,000 (and counting) for ALS research! 🤯 Over the last 3 years Randall has used his talent and interest in softball 🥎 to bring awareness and fundraise for Team Drea by asking his supporters to pledge based on his game stats. 🥎 We loved seeing him play in NYC last year and want to congratulate Randall on his recent achievement of 1,000 hits after 7 years of play across 500+ games! 🥎 Randall, you took the spirit of Team Drea and (literally) hit it out of the park! Your passion for your sport, putting that passion to fight Lou Gehrig’s disease, AND fundraising & raising awareness — it is beautiful and FUN to watch!! We are so very proud of you🥹💚💪

We are excited to share the news about this unique and powerful documentary, @brailleditmovie , filmed by blind and low-vision students at the Braille Challenge. For the first time, blind and low-vision kids take control of the cameras and capture their own experiences at the annual Braille Challenge - a weekend of high-pressure competition and raw coming-of-age moments. Bring a friend to @thecarytheater on November 8 at 2:30 and experience the competition through the young filmmakers’ own perspectives. For Tickets visit: TheCaryTheater.com For film info visit: BrailledIt.com

MEDAL MONDAY! Part 3 of 3: Double congratulations to @cathysechrist and her husband Will for completing the @chimarathon 2 weeks ago for @alsunitedil. With Will’s pacing and encouragement, Cathy got a 6 min PR! 🙌 . So proud of you both, grateful for your friendship, your silly kiddos, and the way you support each other 🥰

MEDAL MONDAY! Part 2 of 3: BIG Congratulations to Tim Weiss who won 🥇 in the NC Senior Games and punched his ticket to the national championship 🏆 . Tim is our #1 NC pickleball plate promoter and stationed himself at a table for 3 days promoting the plates benefiting Team Drea & ALS research. . Help us help the researchers to #EndALS! Sign up for your NC pickleball plate today (link in bio)

MEDAL MONDAY! Part 1 of 3: I completed my 9th @runrdc🏅Grateful to @fsseries for continuing to support ALS research at Duke 💙 . No lie, there were serious pity party moments: only member of Team Drea out there this year, my dad in the hospital again, must have hit my chain on something b/c it sounded like a jackhammer during the last 6mi of the half… . But race angels appeared: 👼 Dawn, w/ a dedicated parking spot & best hugs ever 👼 seeing @paceofme! 👼 New friends Amy & Jie, looking for @stitchingstrength but connected with me instead 👼 New friend Jimmy reminding me to look up at the sky for inspiration to keep going 👼 Runner friend Abdi & his friend Mark, always with the positive attitude, handing me pizza and loading the trike . The angels are always there if you look for them, but God/the universe wanted to make EXTRA sure I was paying attention this year✨

Colin & Sally from @solacoffee handing off the remaining proceeds from the Hot Mini 5k to Andrea from @teamdreafoundation 🎉 💚 Team Drea sends 100% of funds raised out to ALS research at @alstdi, @stitchingstrength (Duke), and @alsncchapter. 💜 Thank you Sola community 🙏 TOGETHER we will #endALS! 🏃🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️💨

We want YOU 👉 Help us get 400 more orders of the Acing ALS NC Pickleball license plate benefiting ALS research! Grab your NC driver’s license 🪪 & current registration 📋 to pre-order today at 💚TeamDrea.org/AcingALS💚

We found our people! 🎉 💚 @cyclecontradeshow was trike heaven - trikes everywhere & welcoming people of differing abilities using trikes to keep moving & find joy. Andrea spoke on her journey and was joined on day 2 by @lorricarey of @imdyingtotellyouopodcast to speak on inclusive racing. 💚 Best of all - we got so many amazing ideas for our Trikes For A Cure program (stay tuned!). 💚 Big thanks to Kelle & Marshall for resurrecting this convention. See you in 2027, Cycle-Con!

The @teamdreafoundation was honored to attend the @jmalsfoundation Live Every Day dinner — catching up with our Charlotte friends and listening to the keynote by @stitchingstrength on the power of HOPE in ALS care. We are grateful for the work JMALS provides to the Charlotte & Triad ALS community. 💚 To learn more about their important work, visit JoeMartinALSFoundation.org

Quick overview of our whirlwind 4-day adventure across NC & OH fundraising for ALS & advocating for inclusive racing. Tune in next week for a deep dive into @stitchingstrength’s keynote at the @jmalsfoundation Live Every Day dinner & Recumbent @cyclecontradeshow 2026!

Thank you so much to the Apex Rotary Club for their generous $1,000 donation to ALS research! The Rotary’s motto of Service Above Self was on full display at their spring pancake breakfast as they raised funds for Team Drea and several other local, community forward non-profits. 💚🤲🥞 We are grateful for their partnership and inspired by their continued efforts to uplift the local community. 💚 Visit ApexRotary.org for more info about their important work and details on their December pancake breakfast.

@solacoffee has done it again - $180,000 raised for ALS research at this year’s Hot Mini 5K! This brings Sola’s 8 year fundraising total to over $1 MILLION 🤯💪💚🙌🎉. We are so grateful to John, Sally, Colin, and the entire Sola community for their continued dedication to helping find a cure for this horrible disease in honor of Jeanne and all of those living and lost to ALS. Together we #ENDALS 💚

Meet Roger Gore, ALS advocate and Pickleball champ. Roger’s family was personally impacted by ALS through the tragic diagnosis and loss of his brother in law. In 2025, Roger organized and hosted the Acing ALS Triangle Pickleball Tournament in Durham, NC, raising awareness and funds towards a cure. The tournament raised over $35,000 for Team Drea partner @ALSTDI, where $0.89 of every $1 raised goes directly into funding research. 💚 Now we need YOUR help! We need 500 pre-orders by December 31, 2026 in order to submit our application to the NC Legislature. Want to order you own? Visit: TeamDrea.org/AcingALS

Happiest of all birthdays to @mischadecker of @insideoutdurham — the most best Pilates Physical Therapist (emphasis on the THERAPIST 😅) who has ever swung upside down on a Cadillac. Grateful for your brilliance that keeps my muscles strong 💪, the wisdom to my sanity intact 😵‍💫, and the giggles that fill the studio 😂 Wishing you the sweetest, calmest birthday and year ahead 🎉

Celebrating our favorite fall kickoff, @solacoffee Hot Mini 5K Race Day!🏃🍩🏃‍♀️☕🏃‍♂️ Sola outdid themselves again this year - they raised over $150K (final total to come), bringing their 8 year fundraising total to over ⭐ $1 MILLION ⭐ for ALS research! 💚 🤯💪👏💚 We are so grateful to Sola Coffee, out generous sponsors, and the entire Sola community for their tireless efforts to raise awareness and funds for research. Together we #ENDALS!

Meet Andrea Lytle Peet, Raleigh native and the inspiration behind the NC Pickleball Plate. When Andrea was diagnosed with ALS at age 33, she decided to sign up for one more race before her body failed her. When she crossed the finish line, she knew she wasn’t done. Her recumbent trike gave her the freedom to set a crazy goal - 50 marathons in 50 states. Andrea achieved her goal in 2022, bringing awareness to ALS, fundraising for a cure, and advocating nationwide for inclusion for races of all abilities. 💚 Andrea created the Team Drea Foundation, which funds bold and innovative research for ALS at Duke University and ALS TDI. To date Team Drea has donated over $1.5 million to ALS research thanks to the fundraising efforts of over 400 athletes and countless supporters. 💚 Now we need YOUR help! The Acing ALS NC License Plate will benefit research through the Team Drea Foundation. We need 500 pre-orders by December 31, 2026 in order to submit our application to the NC Legislature. Want to order you own? Visit: TeamDrea.org/AcingALS

Meet Timothy Weiss, the brains and legs behind this grassroots movement. After he & his friend Roger held a hugely successful pickleball tournament to honor Roger’s late brother-in-law who died from ALS, Tim approached Team Drea with the idea for an NC pickleball license plate benefitting ALS research. 💚 Tim’s commitment to pickleball is a perfect example of Andrea’s message of helping others appreciate what their bodies can do. We are so grateful that he is using his efforts and spirited nature to raise awareness and fundraise for ALS research! 💚 Now we need YOUR help! We need 500 pre-orders by December 31, 2026 in order to submit our application to the NC Legislature. Want to order you own? Visit: TeamDrea.org/AcingALS

Day 31: YOU!!!!! 😱🥹😭🥰🤯 I am blown away by your unbelievable generosity towards my housewarming gift! 🤯🤯🤯 Like whoaaaaaaaaaa, seriously blown away. Stunned 😳 Thank you ALL. 💖 I will use your incredible gift towards 7 automatic blinds in the ADU, including the sliding glass door. It’s so SO helpful towards my independence and safety. These @lutronelectrics blinds are freaking AWESOME — totally controllable on the app (or punch a button like a pleb 😂), I can pre-program times for ⬆️ in the am and ⬇️ at night…just like my lights 💡…perfection 👌😘 If funds are left, there are many tricks & gadgets to make the best use of a tiny-ish space 🥰 💖 @micheledupree you are an irreverent, sarcastic, hysterical angel in this world and we are all better for it, especially me — thank you for organizing. Again, thank you ALL for your love, friendship, so much support, and now…blinds!

Day 30: Fabulous Foursome! 💖 @lorricarey of @imdyingtotellyoupodcast & I are headed to Atlanta this week, so Dave @thesteemer & @aliburell came down to help us cram 2 trikes, a wheelchair, a walker, and luggage into an SUV……….SUCCESS!! 🎉🎉 . And Fiesta Mexicana to celebrate, por supuesto 🌮🍻

Day 28 — Signs: I bought myself this sign last February for my 44th birthday. Back when the ADU was just a glimmer of an idea during the darkest time of my life. I read it every single morning when I woke up, checking the status of each phrase, hoping that it would all come true on the first morning I woke up in my new ADU. It absolutely did 🥹 Beyond grateful to everyone who propped me up and helped me reach this finish line (and starting line). And to myself for believing in me 💚💪

Day 25-27 — Moving days 📦: I’m in, I’m in, I’m in!!! 🎉🎉🎉 . Thanks to everyone who helped (or will help this weekend), I am able to write this from the screened in porch watching the sun set 🥹 . This post has to be dedicated to my ride-or-die rockstar angel friend/co-worker/caregiver Annie @cabannie who worked SO hard today (and for like a year leading up to today) to make my ADU feel comfy and cozy already…her hard work, organization skillz, and love are truly such a spectacular gift in my life 💖 Many, MANY more thank yous to come because my gratitude cup overfloweth 🏆😭 . PS: Tango was a slinkysaurus all day since Annie wrapped her up in a blanket and brought her over. But she’s currently chillin in the @catrike so I think her 4th move might be her fav 😍 GOOD NEWS BABYGIRL, WE’RE NEVER LEAVING!!!

RESCHEDULE: Tune in THURSDAY, Aug 27 at 5:55pm! RALEIGH: Tune into @WRAL Thursday, August 27 at 5:55pm to see Andrea, Tim, and Michelle highlight Acing ALS and learn how you can be one of the first in NC to order a license plate that benefits ALS research! Can’t watch? We will post the article and video once they are available - but in the meantime visit TeamDrea.org/AcingALS for all the info.

Day 24 — Enloe Band Fam: Who says (former, 40-something) marching band nerds have no muscle?? 🤓💪 Karen, Krista, Demetrius, Annie + my retired running friend Paula (who frankly, outmuscled us all) carried half my house to my new house in one morning 🥳 Gratitude explosion over here! 💣💥✨✨✨

Day 23 — Memory Boxes ✅: And then there were 3 😱 I’ve officially gone through 25 shoeboxes looking at every card, photo, ticket stub, and program I received in my (our) adult-ish life. A HUGE job and I had to let myself free float through the emotions. School to school, job to job, city to city, ALS to Team Drea to marathons…my whole life reflected in scraps of memories 🥹 I watched your kids grow up in holiday card form, photos disappear as they moved onto phones, and letters get replaced by emails. As tedious as it was, I’m glad I did it … and I’m glad it’s done 😅 . Talk about gratitude: the outpouring of love and friendship and community has sustained me, pure and simple. I’ve lived a beautiful, privileged life for sure, despite ALS and also because of it. I shudder to think of how many people I never would have met — or reconnected with — without it. . My other takeaway is I want to be as good of a friend as everyone has been to me. But this time, YOU get to keep the cards 🤣🤣

Anyone (preferably local) interested in writing a book or know someone who is? Hoping to pass along the whole stack!

Day 22 — My Village 🥰: we know it takes a village to #EndALS, but it also takes a village to live with it, and I am so grateful for mine! 💚💚💚 So many friends are pitching in this week (and let’s be honest, for months to come 🥴) to help me move 10 feet into the backyard and I am so so SO thankful 🥹 . Pictured here: my @insideoutdurham Pilates PT @mischadecker and her sweet kiddos…who did everything so fast that I had to come up with new projects! 💨 Extra fun for Mischa to see it because she’s been getting construction updates every week and everyone was just SO excited for me…it makes me more excited too!! 🤩🤩

Day 21 — ALS Group Processing besties 🩵: Every month, this group from @heralsstory gets together to process the highs (not many!), lows, and ridiculousness of living with ALS. Under the sweet, gentle guidance of @laurenekulp who lost her mom to ALS, @stelgkamp, @melirises & I laugh, pick on each other, and lift each other up as only friends who *get* it can. . I’ve learned so much from these women who remind me every month what true beauty, strength and resilience look like. Love you madly 😍

Day 20 — Volunteers, Pickleball & @wral: Grateful to Tim Weiss, @pinpointraleigh and most especially @michelle_macktv for taking the time to share the @teamdreafoundation ‘s efforts to get an NC pickleball license plate to benefit ALS!! Look for the interview next week 💚💪 . If you live in NC, please consider signing up for a swallow-pickleball plate — $30 and fill out a form, would go a LONG way towards giving Team Drea a steady, reliable income stream to support ALS research. Visit TeamDrea.org/AcingALS for more info!

Day 19 — Filmmakers turned fly hunters 🪰: My house had a gross fly infestation this week (I think they came in on 🍌)…enter the @go_on_be_brave filmmakers, @mj_mcspadden & @beckman.brian for a little fly baseball murder! ⚾️🔪 . Grateful for my dear friends who stuck with me through so much. Indie filmmaking is HARD, and they produced a gorgeous doc that I will always treasure. It took its toll on all of us, so the fact we can still have nights like these makes me grateful beyond measure. I also haven’t laughed so hard in quite a long time and NEEDED it 🤣 . Disclaimers: —No filmmakers were (seriously) hurt in the making of this video. —There’s a reason why they hold the camera, not me 🎥🥴

Day 17 — Walkthrough day! 🩵 Today I am grateful that my parents & I could do a walkthrough of the ADU. It’s wild to me that this idea, concept, sketch, blueprint, permit, “Add to Cart”, under construction 🦺 THING is suddenly……done!! (well, 98%). My builder Joe and all his subs have been so thoughtful and meticulous at their jobs…for that I will be forever grateful 🥹 . So crazy to me that this isn’t the finish line at all but the beginning and Tango & I get to *live* there, not just admire it from the kitchen window!! 🤯 . So I’m like…moving next week 🤯 Because packing 📦 to move 10 ft is silly 🙃, I’d love to invite my local friends to come by the week of 8/24. If you can spare an hour or so, I’ll show you the ADU and ask you to carry an armload from one house to the other 🙏 I pay in snacks & drinks. Please text or email me…DMs are like a black hole 🕳️🙃

Day 15 & 16 — Mea culpa 🤦‍♀️ Just another lesson I’m trying to spin into gratitude…🧵 . The pharmacy didn’t lose my meds. I picked them up earlier in August without realizing which drug it was. I just assumed it was a different one because I was only charged $5…not the $536 I’ve been paying every month 😳 Why? Because I finally —mercifully — hit the Medicare Part D $2100 max out-of-pocket cap on prescriptions for the year 😱 . So first of all, I am grateful to President Biden for negotiating that cap into the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. What an f*ed up system we have, America 🇺🇸 . I am grateful to the HealthWell Foundation for their grant that will reimburse part of the copays I have been shelling out 💸 . I am grateful that I actually had the meds because I was already feeling loopy from trying to space out my remaining pills 😵‍💫💊 . I am grateful to the pharmacy for putting up with my freakout. I will go by tomorrow with an apology card and @regalmovies gift card. . Finally, I am grateful to you, little Nuedexta pill, for keeping my speech strong(ish) and my emotions in check(ish) 🥹 Don’t scare me like that ever again please 🙏 Onward 💚💜

Day 14 — Bruises 🤕: Weird visual and weirder thing to be grateful for…but I’ll try 😒 In contrast to the first part of the week traveling & visiting, the 💩 started as I got to the airport to come home… — Flight delayed — Missed connection — Had to book hotel in DC for 4hr sleep — Argued with flight attendant trying to check my walker — Argued with pool lifeguards blocking off lanes unnecessarily — Argued with marathon that said no — Helped Mom fight bureaucracy — Power went out overnight — Bruised my knee trying to clean up cat vomit in the dark — Argued with pharmacy about a prescription that went missing — Filed a grievance with insurance — Bracing for withdrawals when I run out of meds this weekend . Wait, what am I grateful for again?? 🤣 Learning to speak up for myself, fight my own battles, and yes, talk on the phone. It ain’t pretty, damn sure ain’t easy, but I *can* do it…even if I don’t always win. Which is a win — it’s called growth. 💚💪

Day 13 — Electricity 💡: Oh that…talk about things we take for granted. Massive tree branch fell on wires in our neighborhood and boom 💥 18th Century over here. Gratitude for all the things we flick on without thought. . Also…gratitude for a lovely excuse to go to sleep early 🥱 And…gratitude to @micheledupree for these sweet lanterns!

Day 12 — Hope 🕊️: @jillyvjonnyb reminded me about this ED poem, and what an uplifting treat it was to revisit. . Hope can look fragile, but it is strong, grown from the inside. Hope is resilient, yet it asks nothing from us. It is just there — inside — when we need it. Hope fights back, always 💚💪

Day 11 — (still) Family: After dropping bitty off at the AT 😭😭, I took a detour to see DP’s aunt & uncle. They’ve been so supportive of Team Drea over the years, lending their knitting and artistic talents to our fundraisers, schlepping all over to see us for races…but we so rarely get to sit and talk. It was lovely 🥰 . One really hard part about divorce is losing the family you married into. Holiday traditions evaporate, loyalties shift despite everyone’s best efforts, relationships get awkward or just disappear. It sucks. So when you can reconnect, it feels like a storm clearing ⛅️

Day 9 & 10 — Roadside Attractions ⛰️🛸: After a wonderful too-short visit with Gwen @spazwing23 & Nate (no pics 🤦‍♀️🫠), I drove to nw Mass and up up UP Mt. Greylock to meet….BITTY🦋!!! You hear about people hiking the AT all the time…but that’s nothing compared to picking up your bestie sitting on the top of a mountain because she walked there from GEORGIA 🤯 . Today we went in search of supplies, ice cream, and Roadside Americana. Like Mr. Thom Reid who at 9 years old swore he saw a UFO in 1969. His whole family insisted they’d lost time and some 200 good people of Sheffield concurred. What happened next is predictable: monument, controversy, removal, carefully-but-vaguely-worded plaque, Netflix special. Turns out the closest we got to paranormal activity were the zombie hunters in the next car over at the gas station 🤷‍♀️

Day 8 — Flying 🛫: I tend to get a little emo when I fly 🥹, especially on gorgeous days like today. That moment when the rush rush rush gives way to the white noise of the engine hum while rising above the insanity of life on the ground. It’s other worldly up here: the beauty of looking down on the clouds, remembering past trips and looking forward to adventures on the other end…or snuggling a cat 😻 . I’m really grateful I can still travel on my own, and not have to (yet) deal with the nightmares some of my ALS friends face: diapers or dehydration, aisle chairs & being manhandled by strangers, breathing equipment, being uncomfortable v. being repositioned every 5 minutes. If (no, really, *IF* 🙄) my wheelchair makes it undamaged, I am good to go. LFG! ☀️💚💜💪

Day 7 — Full Circle: Moving back to the neighborhood (and house) I grew up in has been surreal, fun, and touching in the most surprising ways. Déjà vu prompted memories long forgotten, bikes & scooters whizzing by reminding me of the endless hours we spent playing outside, neighbors still helping each other…just a really good, active vibe, and I imagine one of these kids returning 30+ years later…plowing through their own memory boxes 😅 . The best technological advance to come to the ‘hood (even better than original Nintendo! 🎮) has been the women’s Signal group chat…need sugar or sourdough starter? 🍞Dog loose? 🐕 Creeper going door to door? 👀 Also handy to organize potlucks, ice cream socials, wine nights, etc. . In the tumult of the past year, it’s just nice to be able to come HOME 🏠

Day 6 — Mariposa 🦋: Our Team Drea ChairBitty is on day 125 and over 1500mi into her 2,197mi journey to hike the entire Appalachian Trail! 🥾⛰️🪾 . We always joke that we take turns coming up with dumb ideas…but this one takes the cake 🍰 (which I know she’s eaten at least once while hiking). She’s faced storms, tent eating rodents, and even a lost tooth 🦷 (repaired next day, walking around the tiny town until finding a dentist who would take her) …she just. keeps. going. . It’s truly the dumbest, most inspiring journey to watch…AND I GET TO SEE HER SUNDAY!!!!!! 💚🦋💚

Day 5 — Ice Bucket Challenge 🧊🪣: Grateful to @cabannie, the cousins, and everyone who is reviving the IBC again. It’ll never be the social phenom it was, but the awareness and $$ matters, always. Plus, it ALWAYS makes me laugh 😂😂 . Remember @teamdreafoundation is matching donations for kids who soak their parents!! Follow & donate to @kidsquestcureals 💜😘

Day 4 — Kids Quest: Check out the cutest bake sale @cabannie and her family put on last week! . @kidsquestcureals has tapped into such a unique joy for me. As a kid, the Babysitters Club books sparked an entrepreneurial spirit that has stayed with me into adulthood ✨💖 I *love* the creativity and passion that kids bring to these fundraisers, and that they learn about ALS and giving to help the community. This one had me choked up on the way home 🥹 THANK YOU Annie, Ed, and cousins! 🤗 . From Annie: When this summer challenge was announced, we knew our annual cousin week was the perfect time to participate! . Together the kids designed a fundraiser using our Little Free Library & their baking talents to bring in donations. The kids spent 2 days baking 100(!) treats, creating posters, and designing custom bookmarks to continue raising awareness after the sale. . Together they raised $350 for ALS, and with the Team Drea match, that’s a $700 impact on ALS research! Cheers to cousins Sadie, Catherine, Elizabeth, Mikey, Genny & our friend Joe for helping #ENDALS! . So grateful for all the neighbors and friends who stopped by and donated - all to help find a cure for ALS! 💚💜

Day 3 — Family Aqua: My dad is pretty much in a wheelchair these days, but he is working hard to get his strength back in the pool. So now we have family workouts 🥰 Squats, stretching, noodle, walking, swimming 🐟 . Grateful for my family who keeps pushing forward and knows we will always have each other’s backs, no matter what…even when we’re all tired and annoyed and frustrated 😂

Day 2 — Memory Boxes: Last-ish big project before the move is purging/scrapbooking 25 shoeboxes of photos, cards, programs, and letters. I made it through college today and had so much fun revisiting all the ridiculous parties, outfits, prank wars, boys, crew escapades, ice luges, and general silliness we got up to. I guess it wasn’t all studying after all… . Beyond grateful to all the Davidson friends who are still in my life and I got to bombard with pics in the last few days. “Hey, remember this gem?” 💎

Day 1: The August of Gratitude returns! I’ve been feeling down lately (despite my favorite season ☀️) and so I decided to return to the practice that helped me so much last year: really taking the time to be thankful for all the blessings in my life. . And I couldn’t think of any better kickoff than at @solacoffee. Dear, sweet friends who have been through the heartbreak of ALS and used the journey to bring awareness and $1 MILLION DOLLARS to ALS research. True faith in action and it is a beautiful thing to witness. . I wandered out to Sola today and managed to snag the whole family for photos and hugs 🩵 . Join us for an extra special Sola Hot Mini 5k this year on 9/12 to celebrate $1M and the community that made it happen. Register at solahotmini5k.com

🏠Andrea’s ADU Update: We are in the home stretch - paint, trim, cabinets, and a bathroom! Watch to see just how close we are to move in day (mid August hopefully 🤞) 💚

📚✨VIRTUAL BOOK FESTIVAL - Saturday 7/25! 📚✨ Need a new read or want to listen to 85+ authors talk about their work…without leaving home? Come to the @phictlyapp Digital Book Festival! I (Andrea) will be on a panel from 12-12:45 ET: Body, Will, and Story: Rewriting Ourselves Through Challenge. Go to Phictly.com for more info!

Happy 12th birthday, Tango! 🎉 You bring me so much JOY 💚💜 When we got you as an itty bitty kitty just after my diagnosis, you made us laugh again. Now your derp princess-y ways keep me giggling: from your perch atop the fridge to our mutual love of ranch dressing to the VERY specific manner you demand to be pet, forever would be too short so I will treasure every inch of your tennis ball fur that refuses to decide between stripes and spots…whenever you decide to come out from your approximately one zillion hiding places 🥰

🔊Introducing the brand NEW Acing ALS NC Pickleball License Plate! 🔊 💚 The NC Pickleball Plate will benefit a great cause: ALS research through @teamdreafoundation. This cruel disease takes away a person’s ability to speak, eat, move (and play pickleball), and eventually to breathe before they die in 2-5 years on average. 💚 How to order: - Visit TeamDrea.org/AcingALS to learn all the details - Fill out the linked NCDMV Form - Donate the $30 fee required by the NCDMV 💚 We can’t wait to see you and your Acing ALS plate on the road in 2027!

I gotta say – I love this so much more than NYE’s resolutions…when I’m struggling to focus, I can reflect back on what I said was important for this year and re-ground myself. As frustrated as I can get with myself, I am proud of some BIG hills I’ve climbed this year (and not just in Big Sur! 💪)

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