So it has been two weeks since the “Prefontaine Film & Fundraiser” to benefit the making of the documentary film WinCatherine: The Story of Wincatherine Nyambura Ndereba and I am just now getting to posting about it. I apologize for the delay. Life has been very hectic and time was marching by but I wanted to share my thoughts.
I am very grateful to Johnny King-Marino for suggesting this event and for promoting it to his patients, co-workers, running clubs and friends, as well as for bringing on sponsors to cover the cost of the theater! It was a very generous gesture on his part and I am deeply grateful.
The night started off well when I actually got a metered parking space right outside of the theater. It doesn’t sound that important, but I had a lot of items to get out of the car and into the theater. The staff at The County Theater was great; they were so nice and very accommodating. They gave us a table to display concessions and allowed us to sell whatever we wanted so the proceeds could go to the film. They even donated the popcorn for us to sell!
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| Audience patiently awaits the event to begin |
I called the event for 6:30 expecting it would take time for people to get settled before starting with the trailer at 6:45. I didn’t count on people arriving early and the matinee before us to run a little beyond 6:30 but everyone was patient!
Catherine arrived with her manager, Lisa (who is also my sister), as well as Simon Ndirangu, (one of her training mates while in Norristown) my parents and Dr. Johnny. They had all gone out for Philadelphia cheesesteaks before!
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| Catherine & manager Lisa Buster greet attendees |
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| Catherine greets attendees |
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| The audience awaits the start |
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| Catherine in the audience |
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By 7pm it was time to start with the showing of the WinCatherine trailer.
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| The WinCatherine trailer plays before an almost full house |
When it ended Prefontaine began. I was nervous but knew that no matter what, people would leave the theater inspired! The time flew and before I knew it the films were over. I had wanted Catherine to speak to everyone but she did not want to. I am not good at speaking in front of audiences but wanted to thank everyone for coming out and supporting us. I was able to speak better than I expected and I sincerely believe that was because I am passionate about WinCatherine! I feel it is so important for all of us to have role models who have been able to overcome teasing and obstacles to realize their dreams. Especially in light of recent news and so much awareness now about bullying and teasing, Catherine’s ability to persevere in the face of adversity is truly inspiring.
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| Speaking to the audience after |
When the event ended, Catherine stayed behind to talk to people and take photographs with them.
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| Catherine poses with fans George Bruno & Karla Kay Shantz |
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Many people thanked us for a nice evening and I was relieved that people were not only entertained, but also inspired. My hope is that the people who attended will pass on the WinCatherine website, blog and IndieGoGo websites and generate more donations. We really need to raise more money and finally get into editing; we are getting so close to the end of 2010 and that means closer to the 2012 Olympics and I know we need to capitalize on the Olympic momentum that will start building in 2011!
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| Simon Ndirangu (L) & Catherine Ndereba (R) |
There are ONLY 30 DAYS LEFT on our IndieGoGo campaign. Please don’t forget to visit WinCatherine on IndieGoGo to make your donation and you can help make WinCatherine a reality!
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| Catherine Ndereba & my mom, Arlene Buster |
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| Me and Catherine Ndereba |
The night started off well when I actually got a metered parking space right outside of the theater. It doesn’t sound that important, but I had a lot of items to get out of the car and into the theater. The staff at The County Theater was great; they were so nice and very accommodating. They gave us a table to display concessions and allowed us to sell whatever we wanted so the proceeds could go to the film. They even donated the popcorn for us to sell!
