Becoming Less of a Fan for the Franklin Band

My name is Christos Ekimogloy. Most people connected to the Franklin Band know me as the Grill Monkey or Vasilios’ dad. I have dealt with weight issues for most of my adult life. Recently, I have decided to launch a Pledge It Weight Loss Challenge in order to help keep me motivated during my weight loss journey. Losing weight is difficult. I believe I am finally at a tipping point where my life could be in danger. I don’t usually share this kind of information with people because I do not want to be a downer.

“So what does this have to do with me?” you might be saying???

Well, since you asked, I feel like I need to make a big change in my life. I feel like I will require a lot of motivation to take this journey so what better way than to set a lofty goal and try and raise money for the Franklin High School Band! My hope is to lose 100 pounds by day one of the 2023 Franklin Band Camp. I started on this path on November 1, 2022, at 378.6 lbs. That means I intend to weigh no more than 278.6 by July 17, 2023 (-ish, I am not sure when the powers that be will set band camp for this coming year.)

HOWEVER, since misery loves company, I will not be the only person on this path. Very much The Batman to my Robin or The Peanut Butter to my Jelly, Band Booster President Bryan De Cuir will also be literally throwing his weight around to make this voyage an epic one -

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My name is Bryan De Cuir. I too have struggled with my weight my entire life (my first diet was when I was in 7th grade). In the last 10 years, I have lived in a 50-pound range – riding the yo-yo diet roller coaster as many people do. When I was 45 years old I had a heart attack (95% blockage of my “widow maker”). Having lost my father to heart disease and now having heart issues myself, it is time for me to make a change. I currently weigh 221.7 lbs and my goal is to lose 50 lbs by July 2023.

When Christos told me he wanted to make a change in his life to lose weight to become healthier AND he wanted to use it as an opportunity to raise funds for our beloved band, I was extremely excited. My excitement for this is tremendous because I love The Franklin Band and would do (almost) anything to help it succeed and, despite my health issues, I have not been motivated to take consistent action to get healthier. This fundraiser brings both of those things together. Knowing everyone around me will be encouraging us not only for our health but also for the band will really help us to stay on track. Also, since I consider Christos a good friend, I am happy to lock arms with him and take on this challenge together.

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Bryan and I are hoping you join us on our journey with your pledges per lost pound to keep us focused on the goal - namely 150 lbs less by the target date.  We are inviting you to make a pledge per lost pound we record during our weight-loss journey. You can pledge any dollar amount per pound lost or make a one-time flat donation. It’s as simple as that! Better yet – 100% of the proceeds go to The Franklin High School Marching Band. So we get healthy and the band gets much-needed funds to continue its excellence as a band program.

If you want to Walk the Walk with us and lose weight, let us know. We can be accountability buddies! We will be making my detailed information available to everyone and welcome encouragement and scorn to keep us going.

Thank you for your support and generosity. We are stronger together and

LET’S GO FRANKLIN BAND!!!