Raise Your Hand!

Rare Disease Day US - February 29, 2012

Please help us make a difference!  Lundbeck will contribute $1.00 to support NORD (up to a total of $10,000) in its efforts to support the 30 million Americans affected by rare diseases. All you have to do is click on the "Raise Your Hand" link on this page: http://rarediseaseday.us/

Pay It Forward - Dance Bag

This week my bestest bud and next door neighbor found a dance bag sitting in the road, near my car parked outside our home.  The Fab Neighbor comes into my house and says, "Do you know who Samantha is?" I'm totally confused.

Me: "No. What are you talking about?"

Fab Neighbor: "Well, I found this dance bag -- Irish Step Dance (!), and it belongs to Samantha and apparently she is 10 years old [same age as Big E], so I figured she was a friend of E's."

Me: "Huh. I have no idea who that is."


Fab Neighbor and I are trying to decide how to return the dance bag to the proper owner.  Known facts: 1) first and last name of a ten-year old girl -- which we only knew because of a piece of paper that appeared to list dances that Ms. Samantha must have been in for a recent dance competition, 2) the dance studio's name that was embroidered on the bag, and 3) not a freaking thing.

Tactic One: DexOnline the child's last name to see if anyone in our zip code shares her last name.  Hmmm... NOPE.  There are 30 folks with the same last name in the Twin Cities -- with an estimated population of approximately 3 MILLION people in the entire metro area.  FAIL.  I am not cold calling a minimum of 30 families. Not a fan of cold calls.

Tactic Two: Google the dance studio name and see if we can contact the studio for information about the family.  Found the dance studio website easily enough but there were no phone numbers listed so we were stuck with sending an email to a webmaster email black hole.

Fast forward a few days. I receive an email from Ms. Samantha's mom.  SCORE!  The studio contacted the mom and the mom contacted us.  After several emails, with both Other Mom and I being overly cautious since neither of us wanted to exchange too much personal information, we decide to meet at a park where Big E is playing soccer to pass off the dance bag.

YAY!  We meet in person and return the dance bag to super grateful and over the top sweet family.  Turns out they had been in our neighborhood for a "fossil hunt-thingy" through a park and rec nearby and when they got back to their car, unfortunately, their back window was smashed out (as well as a few other vehicles) and their dance bag was gone.

The sweetest, ten-year-old girl gave me the biggest hug and handed me the most gracious and affectionate thank you letter ever.  Then her mom gives me a massive bouquet of gorgeous flowers.  I was all but moved to tears by the thank you letter, which I am sharing below.

It is so awe-inspiring to be a part of something so genuine that put such joy and happiness on the face of such a beautiful girl (who I might add, at 10-years old, was several inches taller than me. Hee, hee!)  It is so easy to look the other way and not put the tiny bit of extra work into doing good.

So, again I need to say, YAY!!!

Just in case it's too hard to read the letter via my awful picture.

"Dear Ann,

I can't thank you enough for finding my bag and going through all of that trouble to finding me to return it to me. It was so hard to get back from such a fun day to see our car window broken and my bag gone! I cried for such a long time! Now that you found my bag I am back to being happy because you found my bag and that there are nice people out there to outnumber all the bad people out there. Thank you so, so, so, so, so much!

Love, Sam"


BONUS! Sam had been at a dance competition over the weekend and had won her first TWO gold medals ever, but they were in her dance bag, so she was afraid that she would never see them. My heart swelled with such pride that we could make such a phenomenal girl so happy, just by doing what was right and good.

MLK 25 Challenge

To mark the 25th anniversary of the King Holiday, and to encourage ongoing service throughout the year, we are launching the MLK 25 Challenge – a call to all Americans to honor Dr. King by pledging to take at least 25 actions during 2011 to make a difference for others and strengthen our communities. Watch the MLK 25 Challenge video.

From something as simple as cleaning a neighborhood park to a more intensive commitment such as becoming a mentor, the key is to give of yourself in some way to help others. You may want to volunteer in a range of efforts, or make a sustained commitment to a single cause. There is no shortage of work to be done, or lack of ways to get involved. Follow your passion, and find something that’s right for you. You can find volunteer opportunities and get ideas for your own projects by visiting Serve.gov.

Source: MLKDay.gov

Raffle for A Great Cause

Even more awesome Chemo Angel news... 

They are having their annual Valentine's Day Raffle!!!

Check it out!  For every $1 donation you make, you can purchase a chance to win one of fifteen great prizes, as well as support an awesome organziation!  SCORE!

You can purchase raffle tickets through Chemo Angels until February 1, 2011.  The drawings will be held on February 2.  To buy chances, please click on this link. (http://www.chemoangels.net/E-mail%20Campaigns/fundraiser.htm)

Pay It Forward

My very favoritest organization to volunteer with, Chemo Angels, is struggling to find enough "Angels" to meet the demand of their program. Chemo Angels is a fabulous, heart-felt program dedicated to supporting people with cancer. In addition to providing helpful information and cancer related resources to patients, Chemo Angels matches patients who are going through the difficult time of chemotherapy with "Angels". The function of these Angels is - through little notes, cards and occasional small gifts - to bring a bit of cheer and encouragement to their patient (who are called an Angels "buddy").

Over the past few years, I have volunteered with Chemo Angels on and off and been assigned to a few buddies (patients). Sending notes to my buddy has been an extremely gratifying, inspiring, encouraging, rewarding and humbling experience. I cannot express how deeply the involvement with such a worthy organization has affected me in a positive way.

I strongly encourage you to learn more about Chemo Angels and see if it would be a good volunteering match for you. It truly takes very little bit of your time and money, but it has a MASSIVE impact on the life some important, deserving people. I would love to answer any questions you may have about my experiences as an Angel.

To learn more about how you can help Chemo Angels, or if you are able to make any type of financial donation, please visit their website at http://www.chemoangels.net/.

Courage, Confidence, Character

I love Girl Scouts! It's a fantastic girl-focused, girl-led organization. Their mission is "build[ing] girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place." Doesn't that sum up any parents dream for their daughter?!

In Girl Scouts, girls discover the fun, friendship, and power of girls together. Through a myriad of enriching experiences, such as extraordinary field trips, sports skill-building clinics, community service projects, cultural exchanges, and environmental stewardships, girls grow courageous and strong. Girl Scouting helps girls develop their full individual potential; relate to others with increasing understanding, skill, and respect; develop values to guide their actions and provide the foundation for sound decision-making; and contribute to the improvement of society through their abilities, leadership skills, and cooperation with others.

If you haven't checked into having your daughter join a troop, I strongly encourage you to do so. Many new troops form as the new school year begins.

For more information about how to find a troop in your area, visit the Girls Scouts of USA website and they will help connect you with a local Council office who can then connect you with a local troop.

Or even better CREATE YOUR OWN TROOP!

It's extremely rewarding to be a troop leader. My troop includes 14 (or are we up to 15?) girls who are entering fifth grade this fall. I absolutely adore each of them and their unique talents and personalities. Leading the troop has taught me so much about myself too. I feel as if I learn more from my girls, then they could possibly ever learn from me. I cannot stress enough how rewarding it is to lead this wonderfully awesome group of girls...

If you have any questions, I would be happy to help you in whatever way I can to start your own troop or figure out how to get you connected to your local council office.

Innocence Lost -- Almost Unforgivable

As a mother of four, precious, unique children, I cannot fathom any situation that could possibly ever occur to make me put my child on an airplane all by themself for a TEN-HOUR flight. That's absolutely incomprehensible to my puny brain. How could you go through the rigorous and expensive adoption approval process, just to place that child on an airplane by themselves six months later?

Hello?!? What was that mom expecting? A perfect child without any emotional issues or baggage -- after basically spending their entire life in an orphanage?

My heart aches at how pitiful and awful the innocent, poor eight-year old boy must feel after the TN mom "returned" him, like discarded, defective goods purchased at a second hand store. My stomach is absolutely SICK with disgust at her actions.

I realize that the adpoted son in question probably had very severe mental health issues and the adopted mom most likely didn't expect that. However, how does it help the troubled child to return him to an under-funded, crowded orphanage in a country that has over 750,000 children waiting to be adopted? Wouldn't that impressionable young boy do better off getting all of his mental health issues addressed and helped in one of the world's richest countries?! A country that, although we have TONS of our own problems, still has some of the best medical (including mental health) resources in the entire world?!

I recognize there are no easy answers. Yet, my heart aches beyond belief at how bewildered, upset and rejected that poor little boy must have felt as he was returned to Russia...

Pay It Forward Again

My very favoritest organization to volunteer with, Chemo Angels, is struggling to find enough "Angels" to meet the demand of their program. Chemo Angels is a fabulous, heart-felt program dedicated to supporting people with cancer. In addition to providing helpful information and cancer related resources to patients, Chemo Angels matches patients who are going through the difficult time of chemotherapy with "Angels". The function of these Angels is - through little notes, cards and occasional small gifts - to bring a bit of cheer and encouragement to their patient (called an Angels "buddy").

Over the past few years, I have volunteered with Chemo Angels on and off and been assigned to two separate buddies (patients). Sending notes to my buddy has been an extremely gratifying, inspiring, encouraging, rewarding and humbling experience. I cannot express how deeply the involvement with such a worthy organization has affected me in a positive way.

I strongly encourage you to learn more about Chemo Angels and see if it would be a good volunteering match for you. It truly takes very little bit of your time and money, but it has a MASSIVE impact on the life some important, deserving people. I would love to answer any questions you may have about my experiences as an Angel.

To learn more about how you can help Chemo Angels, or if you are able to make any type of financial donation, please visit their website at http://www.chemoangels.net/.

Breast Cancer Tribute

http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/so-you-think-you-can-dance-a-tribute-to-breast-cancer-fighters--487

Originally published in July 2009

On Wednesday's episode of "So You Think You Can Dance," contestants Ade and Melissa performed a contemporary routine inspired by breast cancer to Maxwell's cover of Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work."

Before the performance, choreographer Tyce Diorio explained, "I just felt compelled to talk about breast cancer and a friend who was faced with it." The piece moved the entire judging panel to tears. Nigel Lythgoe proclaimed that it reminded him why he loved dance so much and, "If this isn't a [an Emmy] nomination next year, I'll be hugely surprised." Nigel called the powerful lifts and leaps amazing, and admitted he completely lost it when Melissa pounded her fists against Ade's chest.

The anger and frustration portrayed in that one move was all too familiar for Nigel, who has several friends who have fought and are still fighting cancer. Funnywoman and guest judge Ellen DeGeneres felt privileged to have witnessed the performance, and Mary Murphy praised the couple's beautiful dancing. Emmy-winning choreographer and judge Mia Michaels, who was visibly moved by Tyce's routine, was reminded of her own father's battle with cancer and said, "It was really not about the dancing, though it was a perfect portrait of what was being said."


'SYTYCD' Top 8: Melissa & Ade's Contemporary Performance @ Y! TV

Tyce has been getting tons of emails, calls, and messages since the piece aired, but hasn't yet had the chance to talk to the person who inspired him to create the routine. His friend Michele Larkin, who he's known since he was 14 years old, has been fighting breast cancer for the past year. Michele teaches dance out of St. Paul, Minnesota. Tyce is committed to seeing her through her battle and felt that he had no choice but to do the piece in honor of Michele. "She's the strongest person I know," he added.

As for Ade and Melissa's part in this special moment in the show's history, well, who could ask for better dancers? Tyce thought that everything from the choreography to the dancers all came together on stage perfectly last night. He's proud of the two contestants and proud to have had the opportunity to bring the important issue of breast cancer to the public's attention through the show.

Pay It Forward

It’s hard these days not to obsess about the economy; we’re thinking more carefully about every dime. We have friends who are really struggling just to get through the month. We’ve always tried to make the children understand how very fortunate they are, and to see all of the things that they take for granted; in the past, this has mostly been stuff like a bedroom full of toys and the occasional treats when they go the store, but lately, we’ve been talking about things like food and shelter — the basics.

My kids have a hard time imagining what it would be like to be hungry — there is always food in our house, and the worst case scenario for them is having to eat what I am serving instead of a meal they have cobbled together out of kid food (cheese sticks and chicken nuggets and fish crackers). The idea that a family might not know where their next meal is coming from is completely baffling to them.

I’m grateful for that, really, but I also want them to be aware that not everyone gets to choose between two different kinds of cookies for lunch, or have a Gatorade for every soccer practice. I want them to know that those choices come with a responsibility — if we can afford Gatorade and fancy cookies, we can afford to share what we have with those who have less.

Not only can we, but we need to, because it’s the right thing to do.

Here are five ways you can share with families who need a helping hand.
1. Sign the Scotts’ GroGood pledge, and help them help Feeding America.
2. Participate in Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale.
3. Clean out a closet and donate what you can’t use to a group like Habitat for Humanity.
4. Host a dinner party: provide all the food and ask your guests to bring donations (cash or canned goods) for your local food bank.
5. Help your kids host a book party: each child brings a gently used book (or two) that you donate to a shelter or to the local Ronald McDonald house. Do a craft where kids write and decorate their own books.

I really believe that the more we have, the more we should give, but I also believe that the more you give, the more you will feel like you have enough.

Doing the Most Good

E and I volunteered through the Salvation Army to work a booth at the Burnsville Mall for The Caring Tree organization. We were responsible for helping collect donated school supplies and clothes for children.

I was really proud of how well behaved E was and I think it's ALWAYS a good lesson for her to donate her time through volunteer opportunies so she realizes how fortunate we truly are.