for a flippin' good cause

We had a fun activity with the Young Women this week. We decorated about 15 pairs of flip flops with strips of fabric for young girls and women in Africa. Many of the women in Africa go with out shoes. These flip flops will not only provide protection for their feet, they will help keep their homes cleaner and lets not forget to mention that they are kind of cute :-).



These young women always impress me.





















They are super busy girls and yet, are always willing to serve and go the extra mile for those who are less fortunate. As we tied flip flops, it was fun to chat with them about their first day of school. Keep up the good work, girls.

for a good cause

My friend, Patti invited me to join her to be part of the Tommy Apostolo shopping spree. Let me start of by saying that this is being added to the "yearly traditions" list. What a rewarding experience & a wonderful way to kick off my December. Patti & I headed down to Kohl's @ 5:00am this morning. We stood in line & at 5:30 am were paired up with a child in need. The parents waited out in the parking lot while all of the volunteers helped their children shop. We were able to help Daniel pick out $125.00 worth of items. We helped him find shoes, socks, jammies,jeans, and a couple of shirts. Daniel was able to sit on Santa's lap & pick out a new book & stuffed animal too! I had to hold back the tears a few times as I watched all of these volunteers run around Kohl's helping these children pick out some very basic items. I am so glad Patti included me in this event. Thanks Patti. I will never forget the way I felt & the joy in those children's eyes.

You can get more information by clicking on this Tommy Apostolo link. What I love about this foundation is that all of the money raised stays right here in our community. It helps the children who attend the schools in our neighborhoods. If you are ever looking for a good cause, a place to donate your money...this is a wonderful way to make a difference.

wrapped,tagged, & almost delivered

I am wrapping up our little service project tonight! Have I mentioned how excited I am about this?

Look what I received in the mail today. Four pairs of brand new tennis shoes. This wonderful delivery completed our back to school care packages. A huge shout out & thank you to Kim M.. You ROCK Kim!

Each child will receive their own bag of goodies! I had fun creating little tags for each bag. Nothing fancy...all the supplies used to create the tags came out of my scrap stash. One of my goals after purging my scrapbook room this year was to use my scraps more. So far so good.

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am for these bags( AND a box of school supplies, a backpack filled with school supplies, two boxes of food, one box of toiletries, two bags of gently used boy clothes, & $100 worth of Wal*Mart gift cards) to be delivered tomorrow.

Thank you to each & every one of you who contributed, large & small. Every item made this little service project come together & PERFECT. Together, we made a HUGE difference in this little family's life.

Have a happy & safe Labor Day weekend.
Regular scheduled posts coming soon :-)!

Update #2

I have had so much fun receiving thoughtful notes, opening packages & the gift cards that have come in the mail.


















I have had even better time shopping for items for this little family! Have I ever mentioned that I like to shop :-)? Even more so for others. I can't say it enough, so I'll say it again & again, THANK YOU SO MUCH for your support & desire to help this family out. One of my favorite quotes of all time reads "Each of our deeds may share only a pinpoint of light, but added together they begin to make a significant difference". I have this quote printed & hanging on my fridge. I am thankful for the daily reminder to help those in need. I have had some people(in a nice way) tell me that I can't help/save everyone. I know I can't save everyone(I wish I could), but I can continue to make my little pinpoints along the way!

Here are a few photos of the pile of loot so far.


















I am going to finish up some shopping tomorrow & put each child's stash in their own gift bag & create a cute tag for each one!

A huge thank you to a few of my friends/co-workers @ GT who pitched in. Thanks ladies!
I can't wait for their bags to be delivered!

the power of blogging

**UPDATE

Feeling very overwhelmed(in a good way)...thank you so much for the outpouring of love & positive response to our BACK TO SCHOOL service project! I have received phone calls & emails letting me know that you want to help! It puts a lump in my throat & tears in my eyes just thinking about it. Thank you to Patti C. for the bag of darling clothes. Thank you to Patty M. for the gift card. Thanks to my Mom for the cash. Thanks to Amber for the shoes & sweatshirt. Thank you to Free for the gift card. Thank you Kim M. for shopping. Thank you Jenn E. for shopping. Thanks to Katie & Annie for the t-shirts & socks. Thanks to Grandma S. for the phone call this morning, cheering me on :-). If you are still interested in helping, I will collect items through Wednesday of next week. I am hoping to deliver the BACK TO SCHOOL items by Friday of next week, just in time for the new school year. Every little thing adds up, helps & makes a difference! If you are new to my blog or have no idea what I am referring to, please see below :-)!

I have always felt that blogs/blogging(in general)are used for good. I am often inspired by other peoples blogs. On a daily basis, I can find new recipes, home decorating ideas, amazing scrapbook layouts, card designs, homemade crafts, new music, photography that inspires me, parenting tips, money saving tips & updates on the people I love, admire, & miss the most.

I had a family member call me tonight. She has a friend in need. She was checking with me to see if I had any clothes that did not fit my boys anymore. As we talked a little bit about her friend in need, I thought(out loud)and said" I bet I can do better than my boys hand me downs. I am taking this to my blog". I thought it would fun to put together a "back to school" blog service project. I thought it would be cool to see what kind of service my blog could generate for this family. As my family member described this friend of hers, I immediately knew that I wanted to help her. Here is where, I hope the power of my little ole' blog is going make a difference in their lives.

I obtained a list of the children's ages & their clothing sizes. If you see something that you would like to provide for this family, please leave a comment.
I will update this on a regular basis. If you don't have time to shop, I am totally willing to do that part on your behalf. You can send gift cards or money & I will fill in the gaps. I will blog along the way with updates & post pictures of the items we collect. Please feel free to tell your friends & family about this service opportunity & link them to my blog.The more the merrier.

Here is what these children are in need of. As you can see, the items are pretty basic.

13 year old boy:
Shirt size XL-XXL, Pants 36W32L, Shoes 10 1/2 -11, Ankle socks, boxers 33-35.

8 year old girl:
Shirt Medium or 8, Pants 8, Shoes 4 1/2-5, Ankle socks, underwear 8.

6 year old boy:
Shirt Medium or 7, Pants 7, Shoes 3 1/2 - 4, Ankle socks, boxers 7.

4 year old boy:
Shirt 5-6T, Pants 5T, Shoes 101/2-11, Ankle socks
** not fully potty trained so diapers or pull ups would be good.

School supplies: 13 year old needs a backpack, but the others have one. Binders, binder paper, notepads, pens/pencils, pencil/pen holder, colored pencils, dividers/folders.

I know this family(especially the Mom) will appreciate & love anything we can provide for them. I am a BIG believer in the whole pay it forward concept. I truly believe that when we help others in need, we too will be blessed & provided for.

If you have any questions or need my address, you can email me at doeraimi@gmail.com