Flying out Monday, June 3rd!

We're on our way!

With a little help from my savings account, Aleks and I will be flying to Hogwarts FIRST CLASS. I wouldn't have it any other way for her trip. :) Don't worry, there will definitely be plenty of pics to share. Stay tuned and please wish us a smooth flight. :)

We helped Aleks!

The big secret surprise for Aleks went off without a hitch! Now we have a new goal!

For those of you who are new here, at approximately 4:45 Central time Sunday, November 11th, a van lost control and ran over my girlfriend Aleks while she was crossing the road to a bus stop. She lost multiple organs, has a severely broken pelvis, and spent an entire month in the hospital. It be many more weeks before she even able to put weight on her left leg, much less walk, run, or anything else.

Before she even awoke from surgery, I hatched a plan to try to give her something to look forward to because of how terribly unfair what happened to her was. As she's the biggest Harry Potter fan I know, I put this site together to try to raise $1,500 to send her on an all-expenses paid, top of the line vacation to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. In a mere 26 hours, friends and family had donated over $1,600. When this happened, I raised the goal to $4,500 and expanded the scope of the project to replace her personal effects that were destroyed in the accident as well as compensate her for her lost semester of college. As you can see at the right, we blew that goal away by a full $500!

This whole project was a secret to her and on Monday, December 10th, all was revealed to Aleks. (Pics and video will be posted soon! In the meantime, please check out the Lost/Destroyed Items page to read about how her destroyed items were recoverd and the Deliverables page to see how everything was put together!) It was a truly beautiful moment and Aleks is absolutely overwhelmed by the love, generosity, and support of both my and her friends and family. Thank you all for your contributions. You've blown me away with your kindness and made Aleks' recovery infinitely better. Our trip together will likely be in early June!

So wait, so what's the new goal?

A core tenet of the original campaign was that all of the money raised went entirely to Aleks, either directly or indirectly through purchases/construction. $1,500 was set aside to pay for her trip to Hogwarts, approximately $900 was spent replacing all of her lost and damaged items (email me if you want the exact breakdown), and the rest went right in her pocket. When Aleks realized that I was paying my own way to Hogwarts through saving, she attempted to try to pay for me with her extra money and I absolutely refused. However, we agreed that any donations above the $5,000 mark could be applied to my trip.

So! If this story moves you and you feel compelled to help me get to Hogwarts as well, please donate via the button at the right or see the Questions page for information on how to donate without using PayPal. For those of you that have already contributed, thank you so much and please understand that I am not asking you to donate any more than you already have. For me to get to Hogwarts too, we need to raise an additional $1,070. Any additional donations beyond that will again go directly to Aleks' college tuition. Thank you all so much!

This campaign is officially closed, thank you for your contributions!

Expired Goals

Goals below this box were only for the original campaign. I'm leaving them here for posterity so that people can understand why the Faculty/Staff List & Class Roster are designed they way they are.

Donate $0 or more:

12 First Years so far...

Your name will be penned in calligraphy on the Class Roster along with the other First Years. Your house will be chosen at random via a four-sided die.

Donate $10 or more:

34 Upper Classmen so far...

As an Upper Classmen, your name will be penned in calligraphy slightly larger on the Class Roster. You may choose your house. (Please include your choice of house with your donation)

Donate $30 or more:

7 Prefects so far...

As a Prefect, your name will appear prominently in calligraphy in the house of your choice. You may also include a message to Aleks up to 140 characters (a tweet!) for me to add, also in calligraphy, under your name. (Please include your choice of house and your message with your donation)

Donate $40 or more:

1 Head Boy/Girl so far...

Donations at this level will grant you Head Boy or Head Girl status. Your name will be among those most prominently featured in the house of your choice on the Class Roster. In addition, you may include a personal message to Aleks of up to 280 characters. (Please include your choice of house and your message with your donation)

Donate $50 or more:

18 Staff members so far...

Congratulations on your appointment to Hogwarts. As a Staff member, your name will appear on the Welcome Letter. You may choose the name of your non-faculty position and house if desired. Additionally, you may include a personal message to Aleks of up to 140 characters. (Please include your choice of staff job title, house, and your message with your donation. If you do not wish to come up with a title, I'll think of something fun and appropriate.)

Donate $75 or more:

3 Professors so far...

As an esteemed member of the Hogwarts Faculty, your name will appear larger on the Welcome Letter. You may choose the name of your department or specific courses that you teach and house if desired. Additionally, you may include a personal message to Aleks of up to 280 characters. (Please include your choice of department/courses, house, and your message with your donation. If you do not wish to come up with a title, I'll think of something fun and appropriate.)

Donate $100 or more:

19 Department Heads so far...

Privileged Department Heads have their names prominently featured in the Welcome Letter and may dictate the name of their department and house and also include a personal message to Aleks of up to 420 characters. (Please include your choice of department, house, and your message with your donation. If you do not wish to come up with a department, I'll think of something fun and appropriate.)

Donate $150 or more:

2 Assistant Headmaster so far...

As an Assistant Headmaster, your responsibilities are great. As such, your name on the Welcome Letter will also be great. In addition to choosing your house, you may include a personal message to Aleks of up to 560 characters. (Please include your choice of house and your message with your donation.)

Donate $200 or more:

5 Former Headmaster so far...

Former Headmasters of Hogwarts have their names featured most prominently on the Welcome Letter, may choose their house, and may include a personal letter to Aleks up to a full 1,000 characters. (that's a lot of calligraphy!) (Please include your choice of house and your message with your donation.)