Why the Plan…

On Saturday, May 17, 2008, I was coming home from Dale City, VA after visiting family. I started to think about Fred and how much I missed him. When Fred died on Feb 16, 2008 I was there holding his hand when he took his last breath. It was not as difficult right after his death because I had to make the funeral arrangements and had things to occupy my mind. About 2 months after his death, the grieving process started to kick in. On that Saturday in May, when coming home, it hit me pretty hard. My wife told me that the Relay for Life was going on at King George H.S across the street. I decided to go over. Maybe that would help. Well, it did. I walked the track with my neighbor and found Freddie’s luminous bag. I kept walking the track and could not stop until the event was over. I found that it helped me to focus my grief on something positive. Then my mind started working and I came up with my plan.

About Me…

My name is Mike Payne. I am 34 years old, 5 foot 9 inches tall and I weigh around 265 lbs. According to healthstatus.com, my ideal weight is around 152 lbs. However, I do not expect to reach that weight (but who knows) but would like to lose around 80 + lbs. That would put me close to the ideal weight I feel I would be comfortable at.

I want to earn your donations by losing the weight. By doing this I am able help my healing process emotionally and physically and use the loss of Fred as something positive, but more importantly WE are able to help the children of St. Jude Children's Hospital. Something that Fred did not get a chance to do.

What is a Sponsor?...

What I ask from a sponsor is to donate money per lbs that I lose. Most sponsors I have so far are donating $1.00 per pound. I also ask that donations be made once a month according to the amount of weight I have lost that month. If I lose 10 lbs, then the donation would be $10 (though I hope to lose more a month for the first few months). By doing it this way, donations end up being small amounts but can add up depending on the amount of sponsors I get. So far, before the website went live, I have about 25 sponsors.

During my weight loss endeavor, you will be able to come to the website and get the official weight loss totals. I will also put pictures online so you can see me working off the pounds.

Who gets the money?...

To make the donation every month, you would simply come to this site www.donateforfred.com , and click on the donations page. On that page is a St. Jude’s tribute page. I will never see a penny of the money. Every dollar you donate will go straight to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

When will I start the weight loss?

My goal is to get 100 sponsors and hope for many more. Once I do that, I will start the weight loss process.

A Final Note from Me…

I understand by doing this that I have put myself out there for all to see. I have put online my weight and intentions to lose weight in order to help children on behalf of my brother. My family, friends, and co-workers will be on this site and will see me in a personal light. I am willing to do this for a great cause and I am hoping that you will help me do this.

To sign up as a sponsor, please send an email to mailto:donateforfred@gmail.com 
Please put "Pledges" in the Subject line and in the email include your name, hometown, and how much you wish to pledge per pound. 

Note* One time donations are greatly appreciated as well.  

Thank you so much for all of your support!