My mom in her twenties, on the brink of starting her career.
In two weeks, my mom will be traversing the Swiss Alps by foot thanks to her friends, family, and Inlu.com. On May 4th, 2012, she celebrated her 60th birthday. Really, she spent the last year preparing for what she wanted age 60 to feel like.
She set a goal to get in shape, and when she was invited to backpack in the Swiss Alps with her college friends this summer, she found all the more inspiration to achieve this goal. “I’m not getting any younger,” she reminded us. So, in preparation for her 60th birthday, my mom canceled her cable subscription and got a membership at the local YMCA.
It felt like every time I called my mom last year I could hear the elliptical swishing rapidly in the background. She would answer, “Kate, I’m on the elliptical. (swish-swish) I’ll call you right back! (swish-swish)” and click. When January rolled around, she was getting slim, trim, and strong! Part of being a young adult is coming to the realization that life can be really hard sometimes. Setting goals and accomplishing them can be even harder. My brother and I were so proud of our mother as we watched her dedication.
Here we are at the top of the highest mountain in Maine: Mount Katahdin circa 1998.
As a child, I had no concept of how strong of a person my mother is. As an evolutionary biologist, she was one of few women to navigate a predominately male field. In fact, she was pregnant with me when she interviewed for a teaching position with the University of Michigan, and feared they wouldn’t hire her if they knew. Fast-forward twenty-four years, and she is a well-respected and tenured professor there. Even more spectacular than her contributions to science, my mom maintained her career while caring for her two children as a single mother
I traveled with my mom to Paris last summer (an early graduation present for me) while she attended a conference where biologists from across the globe gathered to share their latest work and discoveries. My mom was asked to talk at the conference, and when it was her turn to present her work the room went from nearly empty to completely full of scientists. They had all gathered to hear her speak.
It’s astonishing to me to think that my mother accomplished so much in her career, yet she was always present in our lives. She was at home making us chocolate milkshakes when we were sick, attended every soccer game and dance recital, and was the kind of loving and accepting mother that every kid deserves.
My brother and I had to find a way to say thank you.
We’re both young adults with thin wallets, but we had a vision: A surprise party. Unfortunately, a stifling realization quickly kicked in. Our mom’s friends and family are spread out across the country. It would be nearly impossible to surprise her with all of the people dearest to her. Yet we wanted our mom to experience a moment of utter shock and joy; she has given us so many wonderful memories and we wanted to do the same for her.
Enter: Inlu.com
My mom happily reading her Inlu with messages from friends and family across the country.
I had known about Inlu for a couple years, but I never really understood how Inlu could apply to me. While the idea seemed great, I had never thought of an occasion to pool money for a group gift, or to give as a group to charity.
It hit us that the best way to include all of my mom’s friends and family would be to involve them in a group gift. She had spent the year exercising vigorously for her hiking trip, so we thought, hey, what if all of her friends and family contributed toward her trip? If they couldn’t celebrate in person, they surely would want to send her into her sixties with a big backpacking bang!
And so, Inlu was the answer. Inlu is an easy online collection tool. We were able to organize the surprise party, track RSVPs, and collect contributions toward her gift. The friends and family that couldn’t attend the party were able to leave a message for her that we printed and gave to her as a card. We even sent out updated messages letting our guests know how the surprise was going to work, where to meet, and reminders to get there before my mom arrived! It made the overwhelming task of planning a party much less daunting. In fact, it was easy.
I’ve used Inlu several times since May. I planned another surprise birthday party for my boyfriend’s 30thbirthday at the end of June (he was totally surprised too), and I was Inlu-ed a new computer from friends and family in celebration of my graduation from college.
The three of us celebrating my graduation from college in May.
Inlu was the perfect tool to organize a group gift for my mom’s surprise 60th birthday party. When the big day finally rolled around, we gave her a check for over $1,200 to put toward her trip and an event where she couldn’t stop smiling.
Even better, she was totally surprised.
Kate Tucker Fahlsing is a Social Media Specialist at Inlu.com.
