Welcome to the May edition of Project LifeSail Campaign newsletter. Special thanks go out this month to all of you who donated to the March of Dimes in the name of the campaign. The support is greatly appreciated. You're helping make a positive difference in the battle against premature birth.

If Patience is Oil, then I am Vinegar
Patience...it's not my long suit. If I see a problem, I want to fix it now. If I see something I want, I want it yesterday. For me, frustration follows when the payoff is less than immediate. And of course, that's the last approach needed in a campaign such as Project LifeSail. But like most things, patience can be learned–either willingly...or not. So this month's newsletter, in addition to bringing you the latest on the campaign, is a reminder to me to stay away from the "or not" approach.

Two weeks...it doesn't seem like a long time. Two weeks is about how long we estimate our race from San Francisco to Hawaii to take on the Moore 24. I anticipate my two weeks racing will resonate like a blip in time compared to the seemingly infinite stretch that Kristi and Doug Hawkins endured when they weren't able to hold their son, Nick, following his premature birth (see below). I'm told the race helps one learn patience. Like the lessons of little Grasshopper in Kung Fu, it's just one of many things we are learning on this journey.

News for the Month of May

• Family of the Month: Imagine the patience it takes to meet the challenges that arise when a baby is born at such a low birth weight that his arm could fit inside his father's wedding ring. That's what Kristi and Doug Hawkins faced when Nick was born weighing a only 1 lb, 14 ounces. As I mentioned, this newsletter is also a note to me to practice patience. And if I need more reminders, May's PLS Family of the Month certainly helps keep it all in perspective.
• The Race:
• Read all about the process of getting ready for the race–what we worked on last month and the training schedule for the upcoming month.
• Peruse the latest blogs. Find out why our patience was tested several times in April when it came to getting maintenance completed, the boat re-splashed and getting her prepped to sail again.
• Sponsors: The process of securing additional sponsors is also a practice in patience. While no new sponsors were added last month, we have a couple warming up in the wings ready to join our current sponsors. But you can never have enough leads, so please keep those referrals coming.
• Special thanks to two of our sponsors for their support this month:
• Columbia Crossings for the additional donation of a space in a dry storage lot.
• Blackfish Creative for a seamless update to the Web site and delivering this month's newsletter without a hitch.
• Patience is paying off with our mailing list as well. We're seeing additions to our list from unexpected places across the country. Thanks to those who referred us on and welcome to our newest advocates. Keep them coming.

How can you help?

• Communicate – Forward this newsletter to others to let them know about the campaign (Use form below for best results).
• Donate – Every contribution, no matter the size, helps us reach our goal of ending the dangers associated with premature birth.
• Sponsor – Contact the campaign @ peterguilfoyle@projectlifesail.org to let us know if your company is interested in becoming a key supporter of the campaign.