December 30, 2008

Healthy snacks for growing kids

The kids at Valleyfield Junior School in Ontario want to make their world a better place. They were recognized last spring as a Green School for completing a hundred or more green projects. It makes me feel good all over to know that the current generation of school kids are already good citizens dedicated to the stewardship of our environment. They need a little help along the way, of course. The students at Valleyfield get healthy snacks every day at school instead of typical junk food snacks. It costs a little more, but it’s a good investment in the strong bodies and bright minds they’re developing as they grow. Like most schools, Valleyfield never has quite enough money for all of the programs they’d like to offer, but they know their Healthy Snack Program is important, so they’re holding a fundraiser to help support it. They’ve teamed up with our friends from Mabel’s Labels to help raise the money needed to keep the Healthy Snack Program going. When you use the links in this post to order your labels, your purchase will help fund the Valleyfield School Healthy Snack Program.

You were planning to be more organized in 2009 anyway, right? Mabel’s Labels are great for sorting and identifying all of your clutter as well as helping all of your stuff find its way home when it goes out roaming. They’ve come out with some mighty clever collections, too, like the Neat Freak Combo for the stuff you store and Curbside Labels for your recycle and rubbish bins. The fact is, there are Mabel’s Labels for every organizing and identifying task you can think of. We’ve talked about these colorful, durable and useful labels before, and each time you’ve told me which ones are your favorites. If you haven’t gotten yours yet, now is the time to order them. If you already have some Mabel’s Labels, then you know how helpful they are and you’ve probably been planning to buy some more. I hope you’ll do that today and that you’ll share the links with everyone you know. Your friends who aren’t connected can call Mabel’s Labels toll-free at 1-866-306-2235, but make sure you tell them to mention that they want their purchase to support the Valleyfield Fundraiser. You can end the old year by supporting some great kids and start the new one with some tools to help you get organized. Two birds/one stone - it’s all good! Go for it!

[tags]fundraisers, labels, Mabel’s Labels, school fundraisers, schools[/tags]

December 20, 2008

The Keiki Slippah Wish Fund Delivers

The Keiki Slippah Wish Fund rolled through Waianae today, bringing early Christmas cheer to children and families living on the beaches and in shelters. W egathered just as the sun was coming up. We worked assembly-line fashion transferring the slippahs and other gifts to the truck and hanging a banner off the tailgate.

Our first stop was the long-established encampment at Keaau Beach Park. This is one of the largest concentrations of homeless on the coast. One resident told us that about a hundred people left Keaau after the recent floods destroyed or carried away all of their belongings.

The back of the truck was soon surrounded by park residents who were curious as to our mission. We had plenty of slippahs for adults as well as children, so everyone got something.

Additional campers emerged from a wooded area near the park and came to join us. The beach park is fully visible from the highway, so some campers opt to live a little further from the park amenities but with greater privacy.

We had clothing, toys, books and snacks, in addition to slippahs. This young girl shared her beautiful smile with us and was quite happy with her tee shirt and teddy bear.

Volunteer Yvonne brought a large bag of slippahs with her. She had the only pair that fit this young boy. His mom had a baby this morning, so he and his brother are being tended by family and friends at the camp, who made sure they weren’t left out of the distribution.

We discoverd that most of the smaller slippahs had been left in the trunk of a car at our start point, so I left the group and went to get them. They continued on to other encampments and I couldn’t find them after I returned. We finally met up again about an hour later as they arrived at one of the Waianae shelters. We parted company after I delivered the slippahs, as they were headed off the coast to Barber’s Point. My involvement was minimal this year, but it was great to have the opportunity to participate. Next year I hope to have the chance to offer online suport, as I expect to be living away from Hawaii by then.

Mahalo to my readers who donated to the Slippah Fund, and to friends and fellow bloggers who helped spread the word. The Keiki Slippah Wish Fund Project is a grassroots effort, so each of your contributions is greatly appreciated!

[tags]charity, Christmas charity, Hawaii, homeless, Keiki Slippah Wish Fund[/tags]

November 21, 2008

The Keiki Slippah Wish Fund

Do you believe in magic? What about miracles? Do you believe wishes can come true? I do. I believe it because of you, my readers. Last year, right about this time, I told you about Auntie Lynn’s wish that the children in her housing project could all have shoes. Not just any shoes, though. They needed slippahs - those cheap rubber sandals that are ubiquitous in Hawaii. Children lose them, of course. The weather is always warm and slippahs can get in the way of in impromptu game of ball or a climb on the jungle gym. They’re not much good for walking on the beach, either, so off they come, often to be forgotten and left behind. For some families the price of a replacement pair of slippahs is too dear, so the children remain barefooted. Auntie Lynn wanted to help fix that. She made her wish and shared it with some friends, but she didn’t sit back and wait for it to come true. She knew the secret to wishes and magic and miracles: sometimes we have to help them along.

Auntie Lynn’s wish and a lot of hard work made The Keiki Slippah Wish Fund happen. That was in 2005 and the fund has been growing each year. More importantly, the reach of the project has grown. Each year new distribution points have been added. Last year it finally came to my own Waianae Coast, to families who live on the beaches and in homeless shelters. Lynn says that happened because of me, but that’s not quite right. I found out about the fund last year and blogged about it, but it was you, my readers, who brought it to the Waianae Coast. Your generosity amazed and astounded me. Sure, I prodded you a bit. I told you I would match your contirbutions and you couldn’t resist making me do just that! It was your support that swelled the funds to magnaimous proportions so that the children of the Waianae Coast and another housing project could have new slippahs for Christmas.

Slippah don’t last forever and it’s time for you to help again. I can’t offer the same challenge as last year. I can’t afford to match your generosity this time around. As most of you know, my work has declined so much that I’ll soon be leaving my beautiful Hawaii. Since my own contribution to the Slippah Fund will be less this year than last year, I’m hoping some of you can help make up the difference. A little money can buy a lot of rubber slippahs, toys, food and clothes for the keiki who need them. Will you pitch in and make this dream happen? Lynn believes you will. She’s added several new distribution points this year because she believes that you and others will help her cover the territory. For the first time ever, The Keiki Slippah Wish Fund is even spreading off-island. One of my readers asked last year if the project could be brought to Kauai. Asked and granted! That means more slippahs are needed, though, and that means more money needs to be collected.

ChipIn is the preferred donation vehicle, but if you wish, checks can
be
mailed to:

Blaine Fergerstrom
1689 Piikea St.
Honolulu 96818

Make check payable to
Blaine Fergerstrom with note "For Lynn’s Slippah Project."

I’m going to make this as easy as possible for you. Click on the ChipIn button above and you’ll find instructions for giving. Give a little - slippahs are cheap and even a few dollars can buy several pairs. Give a lot - there are so many children whose lives can benefit from you donation. Give what you can, but please - do give!

[tags]charity, Christmas charity, Hawaii, keiki, slippahs, shoes, Keiki Slippah Wish Fund[/tags]

September 25, 2008

Another great giveaway - supporting Susan G. Koman for the Cure!

My pal Laurie will be walking in the Breast Cancer 3Day in the Dallas/Fort Worth area soon. She and co-captain Nikki have been working hard at getting ready for the walk and they’ve also invested their time in numerous fund-raising events. Their team has raised $11,993.00 towards their $20,000 goal. You can help them meet their goal by following the link and making a donation. Today they announced another way you can support the cause:

Every year Lean Cuisine offers lunch totes that benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The 2008 totes are now available! They are $9.95 each and $5 of the price goes to the charity.

Go to their 3Day site and enter for your chance to win one of these stylish and functional lunch totes. They’ve made it easy for you to buy a tote through a link on their site, but no purchase is neccessary to enter the giveaway. You’ve got nothing to lose and we all have so much to gain by supporting the important cause, so get on over there today while it’s on your mind!

[tags]Breast Cancer fundraiser, charity, contest, giveaway, Susan G. Koman for the Cure[/tags]

September 19, 2008

There’s a Cop on Top of my grocery store

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I have a tremendous amount of respect for those who dedicate themselves to the service of others, police officers included. Today I was reminded that many of them serve above and beyond the job requirements, going to extraordinary lengths in support of our communities. Officer Corrine is on of many police officers around the state who are spending three days sitting on top of Safeway stores to stimulate awarness of Special Olympics Hawaii. Last year the Cop on Top program raised $230,000. They hope to do even better this year.

The sloped roof of the Safeway at Kapolei could have presented a problem for the event planners, but they found a resourceful way around the problem. Officer Corrine’s tent is actually pitched on a platform atop scaffolding abutting the roof, but that’s close enough for me. She ascended to her airy loft this morning as the sun was rising and will stay there until Saturday evening. A ground crew of her fellow officers and Special Olympics volunteers are supporting her efforts, collecting donations and passing out literature and tee shirts. Some of the Special Olympics athletes are taking time out of their busy work, school and training schedules to meet and greet the public and assist in the fundraiser, too.

The Cop on Top progam and other fundraisers are more important than ever this year. Our Department of Education, in its infinite wisdom, recently cut all funding for Special Oylmpics, while leaving intact the sports programs for “regular” students. They apparently neglected to do their own homework before taking this drastic action:

Less than 10% of people with ID (intellectual disabilities) in the US are employed, as compared to 50% of Special Olympics athletes of working age who are employed. This is a direct result of the fact that Special Olympics is not just sports. Through our program, our athletes learn to follow rules, develop self-esteem and self confidence; they learn how to be a part of a team. In a Yale University study, it was proven that children perform better at school, at home, and at work the longer they participate in Special Olympics.

Because of this cut, special education students will be left on the sidelines, unable to participate in school sports. These students deserve – they have the right – to the same sports opportunities as their non-disabled peers. Discriminating against the students with intellectual disabilities cannot be overlooked. It is wrong morally. It is wrong ethically. And it is wrong legally.

I’m appealing to all of my local readers. Go to Special Olympic Hawaii and read the remainder of the article quoted above. At its conclusion you’ll find a list of Hawaii’s Board of Education members, along with their contact information. Make a few phone calls or write a few letters. Make sure the DOE members know that their outrageous decision must not be allowed to stand. After you do that, go to the nearest supporting Safeway location (you’ll find a list on the Special Olympics site.) Talk with your Cop on Top and the ground crew. Get to know some special athletes. Then dig down deep and give what you can in support of this much-needed program. It’s one of the good things about Hawaii. Let’s all help keep it going.

[tags]charity, Cop on Top, Hawaii, Special Olympics[/tags]

August 20, 2008

Support the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk

On September 7, 2008 people from around the island of Oahu will gather in Honolulu for the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk. They are generating funds to support the Alzheimer’s Association’s efforts to provide Alzheimer care, support and research and to help educate people about this devastating disease. They’re walking to help provide support for their own loved ones or for strangers. They’re walking in hope of a cure. Somewhere in a town or city near you others will be doing the same. They need help and would love to have you join them.

The Memory Walk is an easy one - usually two to three miles - and will be happening in over six hundred towns and communities across the US. If there’s not one near you, you can be the driving force to get one going. There’s probably already one planned, though, so all you have to do is sign up, show up, stimulate folks to pledge and … walk! You can help support this worthy effort by joining an existing team or forming your own team of walkers. Team captains are especially needed. It’s not a difficult task because the website provides you with all of the tools you’ll need to organize a team and generate pledges. If you can’t walk, make a pledge to support someone who can. You can also help by publicizing the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk on your blog. Help get the word out! Alzheimer’s will be conquered. Don’t you want to be a part of that?

[tags]Alzheimer’s, Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s Memory Walk, Alzheimer’s support, charities, charity walks[/tags]

June 4, 2008

Taking care of ta-tas!

When my aunt was first diagnosed with breast cancer back in the sixties there weren’t many options for treatment. She had double radical mastectomies which, in those days, frequently meant removal of massive amounts of non-breast tissue - muscles extending up into the shoulders, back and arms, for instance. She also had chemo and raditation treatments. She’s in her late sixties now and doing pretty well - she’s on a road trip this week to visit with one of my uncles and his family. When my mother got her diagnosis in the seventies, she didn’t want to lose her breasts. She did a lot of looking around and found a risky but promising research project that involved some new chemo drugs and two kinds of radiation treatment. She experienced a long remission following treatment, but lost her battle to breast cancer in 1988. We’ve come a long way since then. The “new” drug my mother recieved may very well be one that is contributing to the survival of many breast cancer patients today. Early detection is now a reality and most women in the US follow the now-standard recommendations for monthly self-exam, routine examinations by their doctors and mammograms every three years for younger women, every year for women over forty or in a higher risk category. Survival rates are up and increasing all the time. We still don’t have a cure, but we’re getting closer every day. It’s taken a lot of effort by a lot of people to get this far, but more is needed. Research, diagnostic procedures and treatment all carrry a hefty cost, and today I’m saluting some women bloggers who are helping to raise funds and awareness.

Colleen and Deb are both participating in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer this October in New York City. They’ve held fundraisers and collected donations amounting to about $1100 so far, and their walks are still a few months away. Each is committed to raising $1800, so they still need some help. You can support Collen’s efforts by going to her Avon Walk for Breast Cancer site and clicking on the donation button. When you’re done there, you can contribute to Deb’s walk with a single click, too. See how easy that is!

Laurie will be particiapating in the Dallas/Fort Worth area Susan G.Koman Breast Cancer 3-Day in November. A donation from you can be a part of helping Laurie’s walk. She’s already raised almost half of the $3000 she’s determined to generate in contributions.

Don’t have any money in your pocket right now? These women are holding bake sales and garage sales, selling merchandise and staging other events in addition to the walks they’ll be taking. These are things everyone can do in order to help raise funds. Summer’s coming and you’ll be needing things for the kids to do. Why not a joint family project dedicated to raising money to fight this terrible disease? You can make your donations in memory of someone you’ve lost, in honor of a survivor or even in gratitude for your own healthy breasts. Many people believe that we can find a cure for breast cancer in our lifetimes. I believe it. I don’t have a lot of money, but I’ll be having a garage sale soon. I’ve already sent Colleen, Laurie and Deb each a contribution from the money I expect to earn from clearing away the clutter. I’m not just talking to the women here, either. Men, you all love breasts, and you’ve all got a pair of your own (yes, you can get breast cancer, too.) I hope some of you will consider making your own contribution in whatever way works best for you. The ta-tas you save may be your own!

A big mahalo to Corrin, who won a linky-love review playing Tuesday Teasers. She asked me to use it this way instead of doing another review of her blog. Oh, hey, Corrin - you da bes!

[tags]Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, breast cancer, charities, fundraisers, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day[/tags]

February 25, 2008

Making wishes come true

Thirteen years ago the fates flipped a coin and I found myself living in paradise. It was truely a mixed blessing those first few years. The company that moved me to Hawaii had some financial difficulties and was several months behind on payroll when it finally folded. If I’d still been living “down South” I’d probably have turned to family and friends while I searched for a new job and got back on my feet. I didn’t have the price of a ticket home in my pocket, though, and foolish pride kept me from allowing my family to know that I was facing eviction. The coin was flipped again and came up in my favor. A friend came to my rescue and invited my son and I to live, rent-free, in a shabby-chic, ocean-front cottage that was ususally rented to tourists. Within a couple of months we were in our own place again.

As I leave my home each day and pass the homeless encampments on the beach beside the highway I’m reminded of just how close I came to joining them. It’s heartbreaking to see families who have been squeezed out of the housing market by our high cost of living, though many of the parents have worked all of their lives and continue to work. Each morning they get their children to school, then make their way to jobs that just don’t pay enough to put a roof back over their heads. Many of them put as much as they can from every paycheck into savings that they hope will eventually swell to the point where they’ll have enough for a security deposit, first and last months’ rent. It can take years to accumulate enough - years of doing without things that most of us consider necessities. It’s not possible to see their plight on a daily basis and not want to help. During the recent holiday season I was fortunate enough to become involved a project that was intended to bring shoes to barefoot children in one neighborhood. It’s evolved into so much more.

The The Keiki Slippah Wish Project originated with one woman’s simple wish. Auntie Pupule lives in a public housing project in Honolulu. Back in 2005 she answered a question about Christmas wishes on a local online message board. Her wish was that all of the children in the project could have slippahs - those rubber sandals that most of us here wear year round. The online community started a grassroots effort that made Auntie Pupule’s wish come true. She threw a Christmas party for the keiki (children) and all of them got slippahs and other Christmas gifts. In 2006 they did it again. By the time the 2007 holiday season rolled around the project had gotten some publicity and residents in other housing projects asked if their children could be included. That’s where things stood when I first heard of the The Keiki Slippah Wish Fund and decided to ask my readers if they would help. The results of that one blog post were nothing short of amazing.

A week or so before Christmas I got some astounding news. Contributors to the project had been so generous that there was money left over after the expenses were budgeted for the keiki in the housing projects. The decision was made to use the excess funds to bring slippahs and Christmas cheer to the children living on the beaches in my own community. Why? Because it was contributions from my readers that had put the fund over the top and Auntie Pupule knew that I was an advocate for our local homeless population. I was invited to participate in the rolling Chirstmas party that resulted. We loaded up a truck and visited homeless encampments from one end of the Waianae coast to the other, yet still had slippahs and gifts left over. We ended our day at a newly-opened transitional center that was serving as temporary housing for some of the families who had been living on the beach only a few months before. We were able to provide slippahs, books, clothes, toys and snacks to families who had little or nothing to give their keiki for Christmas. My readers made that happen!

Auntie Pupule has been asked to bring the Keiki Slippah Wish Project to the outer islands next year. She thinks it would be best to teach others what she’s learned and let them manage their own projects in their own communities. I like the way her mind works! I’ll be asking my readers to help again when the 2008 project starts up and I know they will respond. We don’t have to wait for Christmas, though. There are people in dire need living in almost every community year-round. Take a look around you. Find a need or a project that you can help with, then do it. Give your money, your time, your labor and your skills. Think about all of the blessings in your own life, then find a way to pay it forward.

Make a wish … then find a way to make it come true!

[tags]bloggers, charities, generosity, Hawaii, homelessness, Keiki Slippah Wish Project[/tags]

December 27, 2007

Your Time to Care

It took me several days to watch the entire presentation of Your Time to Care, a DVD from the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America eStore. The presentation is 142 minutes long, no longer than many movies, so I certainly could have watched in in one sitting. It was emotionally-charged for me, though, and I found that I needed breaks in between viewing sessions. The DVD is intended to provide an understanding of how to provide in-home care for individuals with Alzheimer's and other types of dementia. I think it does an exemplary job of accomplishing its stated task, but I also think it’s applicable to a much wider audience. My long-time readers know that I was my father’s primary caregiver in his last year. He did not have Alzheimer’s. He had had multiple strokes. His brain still functioned much as it had throughout his adult life, but his body had become a damaged vessel. The DVD helps caregivers learn how to deal with the memory loss, confusion and acting out that many Alzheimer’s patients exhibit, but it also addresses the physical needs of anyone who is unable to take care of themselves. I found myself spiraling out of control emotionally as I watched lessons in encouraging someone to eat when their body no longer sends hunger signals, and in finding dignified ways to help tend to previously very private acts of toileting and cleanliness. I’ve been there and done that, and I could not help but think that it would have been easier for me and for my father if I’d had this DVD at my disposal back then. I had instructions from doctors and nurses and nutritionists, but the step-by-step, day-to-day care issues were never addressed. I had to learn as I went along what worked and what didn’t. I’m reminded of the terrible day that I had to call 911. I had left my father alone on the toilet. He slipped and became wedged between the toilet and the tub and I could not get him up. It was horrifying for both of us, and a blow to his dignity to have strangers see him in such circumstances. Having had lessons in daily care would have spared us both that experience because I would have learned a simple lesson: don’t leave him alone in situations where he could fall. I could cite numerous examples of how the DVD presentation could have made our lives better, but I think the one suffices. I heartily recommend Your Time to Care to anyone caring for someone with Alzheimer’s, of course, but also for caregivers taking care of adults with other diseases or limitations. I would not give up the time my father and I had together for any amount of money, but I wish I had had more knowledge about his needs during that time. I truely think this DVD could have made it a much easier time for both of us.

You can help support the mission of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America by shopping at their eStore. If you’re a procrastinator like me and still have a holiday gift or two to buy, please consider giving their lovely jewelry or something from their AFA quilt logo product line. Take a look at the DVD while you’re there, too. If you’re not a caregiver, you probably know someone else who is. I can think of no more meaningful gift than one that provides a caregiver with the basic tools they need as they tend to a loved one. My copy will be going soon to a friend who is caring for her mother, who has Alzheimer’s. I can’t change my own past experience, but I’m happy to be able to provide them with a practical guide that will make their lives safer and more pleasant.

[tags]Alzheimer’s, Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, caregiving, home care[/tags]

December 17, 2007

Bloggers Unite in Acts of Kindness

I believe that everything we do can have an effect on people around us and even across the globe. The ripple effect itself is neutral and can carry large cumberson acts of ugliness as easily as small kindnesses. As an extreme example of the former, does anyone doubt that the events of September 11, 2001, hatched in one man’s black heart, had an impact on millions of people around the globe, creating suspicion, uneasiness and even hatred in many? Conversely, one woman’s wish that the children around her could all have shoes led to the creation of The Slippah Fund, which has provided slippers and Christmas cheer to hundreds of children around the island of Oahu.

Every day we have numerous opportunities to start a ripple, for good or ill. As bloggers we impact our readers, who can influence their readers, on and on, ad infinitum. Bloggers Unite is an acknowledgement of the power we can weild for change and has issued a challenge to all bloggers everywhere:

Bloggers Unite challenges bloggers everywhere, on December 17th, to do something good offline — an act of kindness — and then post about it on their blogs, using words, pictures, and/or videos to tell the story.

“Maybe 20,000 bloggers, vloggers, photographers will make a difference.”

I’m stuck in my office right now and won’t be out and about until this afternoon, but I didn’t want to pass by the opportunity to spread the word to other bloggers so they might be motivated to join in. I’ve chosen, therefore, to post this morning about another blogger who is making a difference.

I run a contest on my blog every Tuesday. Linking it here would be self-serving, so let’s skip that part. A while back I suggested to my readers that they could use their prize, a linky love post, to publicize a charitable or non-profit site instead of their own blog. Chuck Foxtrot liked that idea and asked me to review a charity of my choice when he won the weekly contest. I posted about Chemo Angels, an organization that provides tangible support to people with cancer who are undergoing the rigors of chemotherapy. Last week Chuck stepped up to the plate again.

Two weeks ago a terrible storm blew through Hawaii. It was a difficult and uncomfortable time for me and my neighbors as we lost power and were stranded for several days because access to our coast was blocked by downed utility poles. I blogged it once the power was back on, of course, and mentioned that I had lost a few hundred dollars or so of food because of the lack of refrigeration. I don’t have a lot of money and certainly could have done without the expense of restocking, but imagine, if you will, the more serious repercussions for my neighbors who live on the beach. Emergency shelters were opened, but many of our homeless are distrustful of such places and chose to ride out the storm on their own. Their flimsy tents and tarps could not withstand the gale-force winds. They lost their shelters and whatever food, clothing and other possessions they had. Local charitable groups sprang into action to try to help. It was those efforts I thought of when I got an email from Chuck. Each month I draw the name of one of my weekly contest winners and award that blogger a small gift card. Chuck won the drawing for November and this was his reaction:

“I like $10 as much as the next guy, but please use the $10 to restore your refrigerator to its normally stocked condition or send it along to a local charity to help with the storm. I know $10 isn’t much, but it’s my contribution to the Hawaiian storm recovery effort.”

Mahalo Chuck! Your ten dollars is feeding a homeless family today, or perhaps helped purchase a new tent to provide them shelter and privacy. A small act of kindness on your behalf has sent out ripples that have reached across an ocean to someone in need. I salute you my indiosyncratic friend. You’re one of the good guys. Mahalo nui loa!

While I’m out and about today I’ll be looking for an opportunity to perform my own act of kindness. Won’t you do the same, and come back and tell me all about it? Just this once, toot your own horn and tell me about the good thing you’ve done!

[tags]acts of kindness, bloggers, Bloggers Unite, charities[/tags]