2009 Mahlership Report

[Mahler]

Sorry for this being so late, but I wanted to capture all the details and make sure everything was accounted for.

First and foremost, my thanks to Nick (ninja) for all the time and effort put into making this year's Summit a reality. And thanks to his absolutely wonderful parents, his brother David and our own Bill (RacerBill) for all that they did.

Now, to the report:

We began with $35 left over from last year.
This year we had donations totalling a whopping $3,280 bringing our total to $3,315.

My sincere thanks for this generosity to:
Karla (kfisherx)
Russel & Cappy (russ & cappuccino)
Ben (Phaedrus49er)
Paul (pjb923)
Robin (RobLL)
Mark (Mark57)
Neil (kingkop182)

As a special note, I have to say that Karla was super instrumental in making this year's summit a success.

Through the generosity of this forum family, we were able to do the following:
Sponsor nine (9) registrations. I believe this is a record.
Sponsor air fare for two (2).
Sponsor lodging for two (2).
Miscellaneous expenses included some paypal fees and international monetary exchange fees.

The total for the sponsorships and miscellaneous fees was $2,720.
We did have some late cancellations, so we are left with $595 in the pot as a great start for next year's summit. If for any reason this money is not spent next year, the funds will be returned to donors prorated based on their original contributions.

To our recipients, you owe nothing. I ask that if or when you have an opportunity, to pay it forward in some way, even if it is with your time or energies, to make things a little better for someone else.

I've said it before, but have to repeat myself. This is a forum like no other, because it is not just forum, it is family.

I am already looking forward to next year.

[kingkop182]

Thanks for starting all this in the first place, John.

Fantastic total this year; it's great that so many people benefited.

[Deserve]

Good stuff as usual. Let's see if we can get more to next years.

[russ]

Wow, that's an excellent total. Glad that 9 people who may not have had the opportunity otherwise were able to join in the fun.

[Phaedrus49er]

That's an INSANE total. You people rock.

[ninja]

A huge thanks to everyone who contributed, because quite frankly, without the donations there would be no summit. It's fantastic to see the willingness to help here, and as evidenced, I think everyone had a great time.

[Bytsi]

That's wonderful - it was an amazing weekend, and we can't wait to do it again next year. SO happy that so many benefitted from the generosity, and thrilled to know so many great people...

[galya]

I can only admire the generosity and amazing energy that everybody put it to make this possible. I have another year of wonderful memories with the JP family and I am so looking forward to next year

[kfisherx]

I feel the greatest sense of gratitude and indebtedness to the folks of this board who have helped me find my way to the healthy and happy place I am today. The people who give of their time and energies so tirelessly to make this forum work are true heros to every day people such as myself. From Nick's work on making the Summit happen, John's weekly motivator, all the moderators, all the pros (Alan, Leigh, Julie, Tina, etc) to all the posts made by the regular people who encourage and motivate me. And to JP for coming up with it all and spoon feeding it through its beginnings. I love you all. I had the most wonderful time at the Summit this year and felt truly humble amongst all the kind and generous folks there. I feel completely blessed to be a part of it and consider it an honor to be able to contributue in this small way. One day, I hope that my contributions can be as meaningful and substantial as the ones you folks all make!

Thanks John for making this all possible. Let's work together next year!

[Alan Aragon]

This is so unbelievably great, you guys. Tremendous thanks are due to the generous folks involved with bringing us together.