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  • Emily Nokes

This just in from YouthCare/the Orion Center: "The Challenge EXCEEDED goal and has currently raised $103,057.76!!!!!!!!!! Absolutely amazing!"

And in other stellar news: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis AND Pearl Jam have DONATED $50,000 EACH, adding approximately 27 inches of icing on this beautiful, beautiful fundraising cake.

That's ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS extra from these huge-hearted hometown heroes.

It's hard to know what to say, especially with a lump in one's throat.

Here's a note from one of the lovely people at the Orion Center:

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—we are humbled by the generosity in this community, and so, so, so grateful for everyone’s support. I met a young man a couple days ago at Orion who had just received his GED after studying for months in our tutoring program; he had previously stayed at our shelter, but has been stably housed for three months (his YouthCare case manager helped him go through the application process for young adult housing in KC—which has a waiting list of nearly 400 people). He is about to graduate from one of our employment training programs. He talked about how touched he was that this group of people were raising money for homeless youth who are so often not thought about...

If you haven't gotten around to donating yet, we're going to keep going through tomorrow at noon—and we have one more prize package to give away! It's for the book nerds, and it includes a $50 gift certificate to University Bookstore, a pair of Town Hall memberships, and signed copies of five Sherman Alexie books... someone with glasses would love this as a gift. To WIN this rockstar literary package: Donate by 5 p.m. today and forward your receipt to us with why life's better through corrective lenses in 100 words or less. The best reason wins!

• Pearl Jam fans: GO HERE TO GIVE! • Macklemore & Ryan Lewis fans: GO HERE TO GIVE! • Slog fans: GO HERE TO GIVE!

For those keeping track: Pearl Jam fans are out ahead with $46,720.27 raised! Macklemore & Ryan Lewis fans have raised $41,333.14! And Slog fans are so, so great with $11,808.35!

It's incredible. And tomorrow at noon, we'll have the final, very grand total. You are all absolute angels, every one of you.