Fighting Hunger Right Where You Live

It’s been such a privilege to have a part in the “Child Hunger Ends Here” campaign with ConAgra and Feeding America.  It’s encouraging to know that even my small role in this combined rally can change the hunger statics right where I live. That’s the thing I love about this effort – even a small contribution can make an impact! Did you know that $1 provides 7 Meals to your local community when you donate online? 

Yep, you read that correctly.  SEVEN.

Think about how even a $1 per neighbor/church member/classmate/PTA member donation could significantly impact your community.  Now think even bigger.. For instance if each person in my own town of around 20,000 made a $1 donation we could provide 140,000 meals! 

There’s no better time than the present.  With summer quickly approaching more kids in your very own community will struggle with hunger. The 19.5 million children receiving the free or reduced-price lunches significantly will drop to only 2.2 million receiving meals through the Summer Food Service Program. Remember, every dollar raised and donated online stays in your community to help those children in need.

(Keep reading how YOU can make an IMPACT today just by simply leaving a COMMENT.)

There have been many inspiring bloggers demonstrating examples of how you can get involved.  Hopefully their initiatives, ideas, creativity, and energy will inspire you to make a difference in your own community as well:

~ Judy from Dirt Road Musings held a “Taste of Italy” Pasta Dinner in her home town of Omaha, Nebraska,and a portion of the proceeds were donated to Feeding America.

~ Courtney from Detroit Mommies teamed up with a local restaurant that donated 5% of the invite’s tab from the food and drinks to the cause.

~ Laura from My DFW Mommy opened her own home and collected canned goods and donations from her neighbors.

~ Andrea from Savvy Sassy Moms hosted a neighborhood ice cream social in Los Angeles, California.

See? It doesn’t have to be elaborate or complicated to make a difference. You can find more ideas, resources and sign up for a FREE toolkit at the Child Hunger Ends Here site.

Now that you’re creative juices are bubbling and overflowing with ideas I want to hear them! 

And here’s the impact you can make with a simple comment:

For every comment, a donation of $1 will be made on behalf of our blog to Child Hunger Ends Here, up to $100. That means that 100 comments on this post could provide 700 MEALS for my local community! 

I’m not too proud to beg…

Will you leave me a comment telling me your ideas for how you could make an impact in your own community?

It’s that simple.

Pretty Please.

With Sugar On Top?

AND a Cherry?

 

Me. The Cows. And Haiti.

So I entered this essay contest that Stonyfield is holding for bloggers…

… Cuz I’m really interested in learning more about eating natural foods, finding out where our foods come from, passing the goodness along to my boys, and all.

… I’ve been even more inspired after watching this movie   and while growing our garden.

… Well, just so happens that I was chosen as a TOP TEN FINALIST!

If I’m voted into the Final 3, I’ll be invited to tour the farms and facilities of Stonyfield to learn more about the farmers dedicated to organic food production.

(Wish I could take these handsome little farmers along for the ride. Goodness, they’ve grown up since this picture!)

Here’s the real kicker…

If I make the Final 3 cut, I’ll receive $5,000 to give to Three Angels Children’s Relief in Haiti.  An organization that has impacted me personally, our church has supported, and my brother recently visited. In such a time of devastation and destruction in this country, $5,000 of American money can make a HUGE impact.  (They also have a great FB Page if you’d like to see more of how they are impacting through their medical clinic, school, and orphanage in Haiti.)

Voting is simple.  Like 30 seconds - Tops. (Your Name, Email, And Vote – Easy Cheesy!) And you can vote 1x a day with a valid email address up until May 25th.

So mosey on over HERE (www.stonyfield.com/barnstorming/) to vote, and I will be super grateful (and so will Three Angels Haiti)!

 Thanks in Advance, Sweet Friends!

 

 

Hope Blogs #WVinDR

Some of my dearest blogging friends are in the Dominican Republic right now with World Vision.  After watching a handful of Compassion Blogger trips and gleaning so much from their experiences, I’m excited to see World Vision taking the opportunity to reach the world through blogger’s hearts. The things that they are sharing from there are so captivating and so moving that I had to share a few with you…

This story of a mother named Maria’s love for Jesus and her hope for her four boys living in the slums of Santo Domingo touched my heart.
These questions are fresh on my mind this afternoon…
This glance into how World Vision is impacting a community helped me understand more.
These faces made me smile back at them….
These words caused me to pray….
This uniting of Jill with her sponsored child who she’s been supporting for 10 years brought tears to my eyes.

My brother’s recent trip to Haiti, the earthquake, and these blogger’s personal experiences, are giving me a greater love for this people group and for reaching the world for Christ.  How about you?
(I’ve closed the comments on this post so you can visit the links above and to consider how God might be leading you to respond.) 

This post is linked to Saturday Stumbles at It’s Come To This

March 4 Miracles Mega-Giveaway Winners!

Alright, before I list the winners of the March 4 Miracles Mega-Giveaway, I MUST give you all a HUGE VIRTUAL THANK YOU HUG!  You made my heart sing.  TOGETHER we raised over $2500 ($2538 to be exact) and I was tickled pink (or maybe purple for the March of Dimes color)!  I was so touched by your generosity and you all came together for such a great cause. 

Seriously, I have the best blog readers EVER!

And now to the winners!______________________________________________________

Prize #1

~ 3 SIGNED COPIES of the newly released I Will Carry You by Angie Smith

Goes to #9 Mindy Bullock, #45 PureJoy, and #91 Annette D

 

Prize #2

~ 1 AUTOGRAPHED Copy of “You Deliver Me” CD by the musical group Selah

Goes to #121 JD

 

Prize #3

~ A LOL Essentials Combo Pack by Mabel’s Labels

Goes to #115 Megryansmom

 

Prize #4

~ 1 Download of Alphabet Crafts ebook by No Time for Flash Cards

Goes to #48 Kristin

 

Prize #5

~ A Handmade Necklace of Your Choice from Lisa Leonard Designs

Goes to #77 Leftover Creator

 

Prize #6

~ A $40 Gift Card to Back40Life, Handcrafted Signs and Wall Decals

Goes to #111 Mandi @It’s Come2this

 

Prize #7

~ A T-shirt or Onesie of Your Choice from Designed for Babies

Goes to #10 Bargain Briana

 

Prize #8

~ A Jesus Storybook Bible Deluxe Edition from ZonderKidz

Goes to #105 KT

AND…..

Prize #9

The HP Mini 110-1020NR 10.1-Inch Netbook from us =)

Goes to #32 Kate (Insert SCREAM!) 

I called her this morning and her quote was, “SHUT. YOUR. FACE!” Then she screamed, and then she texted me a picture of her broke laptop.  (Needless to say, I think she’s going to accept the prize.)

______________________________________________________________________________

If you are a winner please contact me via email (quatro_mama {at} yahoo {dot} com) with the subject line WINNER plus your name, address, and phone number (for shipping tracking) and we’ll work on hooking you up! 

Again a HUGE thanks to those who donated the prizes!  You made this giveaway so much more than I could have hoped for!  xoxo

I would encourage you all to check out their fine offerings if you’re not a winner.  I’m head over heals for these items!  You can follow them on twitter as well (@designed4babies, @lisaleonard, @NoFlashCards, @back40life, @JSBBible @mabelhood @selahonline, @angelac519)!

Thank you for being a blessing!

 

How Will You Fight Childhood Hunger?

As one of the bloggers teaming up with ConAgra Foods to help end child hunger, we’ve been encouraging people across the nation to rally together to make an impact in our communities.  You can follow @conagrafoods on Twitter or ConAgra’s Facebook Page for the latest updates. So far, the efforts have been encouraging, but there’s still lots that we can do right where we live.

Think hunger isn’t an issue in your community?  Think again.  Hunger lives in every state, town, school, and most likely your very own neighborhood.

But here’s the good news, making a difference doesn’t require a grand production or a large sum of money.  It’s things you probably are already involved doing in your community: setting up a lemonade stand with the neighborhood kids, throwing a garage sale with the things you’re no longer using, or pitching in as a neighborhood/school/church to collect foods. You can register your rally at Child Hunger Ends Here and they will send you a rally kit that includes a banner, posters, coupons to share, and a rally guide.  Then, donate a portion of your earnings online, and your efforts will go back to your very own community. 

My sweet friend, Danielle from Extraordinary Mommy is one of the 14 bloggers in 14 different cities hosting neighborhood rallies for Child Hunger Ends Here. She’s hosting “Lemonade Stand Saturdays” to impact her local community in Missouri.  Another blogging friend, Andrea from Mommy Snacks, is offering a coupon workshop to help raise money. Others have participated in House Party events to raise awareness.

Several celebrities are also getting behind this campaign with a neighborhood rally held on Wisteria Lane. There’s also a Celebrity Auction being held to benefit Feeding America. 

So how will YOU get involved personally? 

I’m working out a few details of my own (coming soon), but I’d love to hear your own! 

~ How will you respond to the “1 in Every 4 Kids in America Struggle with Hunger” statistic?

~ Were you aware that childhood hunger was such a serious issue in America?

~ Have you or someone you’re close to experienced hunger as a child?

~ Have you heard of the “Clothes Off Our Back” organization? It’s another great way you can get involved.

*This post is a sponsored opportunity via ConAgra Foods. My enthusiasm and heart behind this initiative are my own.

A Walk to Remember…

We walked.

We spoke.

We celebrated.

We remembered.

We honored…

We got soaked.

There’s still time to GIVE!!!! (And there’s so many great THANK YOU prizes! Including Signed books from Angie Smith, a HP Mini Netbook, Home Decor, Custom Jewelry, Apparel, Music and more!) Our donations are up to $2300!!! (Less than $700 from our goal) Absolutely INCREDIBLE! So blessed and honored to call you friends!  I really believe we can make it happen! Spread the word and enter so you can WIN!

 

Fox59 Morning News LIVE

Wow.  Live TV is TOUGH!  One second you are getting a mic clipped on and the next second you are LIVE. We take it for granted how much work it is when people like @AngelaGanote make it look so natural and easy!

(You can click the full screen option to make it larger…)

 

I was so pleased with how well the boys responded on camera. You never know what you are going to get with four 3 year olds, but they were captivated by seeing themselves on the live feed screen and bribed motivated by an ice cream date after the show. =)

Waiting for our air time…

 

Hanging out in the Green Room… (Brooks and Clark look so much alike in this picture!)

 

Seconds from going live…

And we’re ON!

Thanks to the March of Dimes for giving us an opportunity to share our story and highlight why this walk is so meaningful to our family!

There’s still time to enter in the March 4 Miracles Mega-Giveaway here on 4tunate.  Can you help us spread the word and meet our goal?  Nearly 2K raised with 1K left to go!  I think we can meet it, don’t you?

We’d be thrilled to have you walk along with us on Sunday as well!  (Let me know if you are planning on walking and I can hook you up with a 4tunate Team Shirt.)

It warms my heart to see us all coming together to GIVE to a truly LIFE CHANGING organization!

March for Babies: Who Will You Celebrate? Who Will You Honor?

We’ve mentioned in previous March of Dimes posts that we will be walking to celebrate the lives of our four miracles: Henry, Brooks, Clark, and Isaac. Fragile lives born 2 months early, who benefited greatly from the diligent research efforts of the March of Dimes organization. 

However, we also walk to honor the lives of those who we never had the opportunity to meet.  Small lives that made a lasting impact upon our lives and so many others.

We’ll walk to honor…

The lives of Isella and Daniel who were each born after healthy and uneventful pregnancies but lost their lives due to birth defects. 

Sweet Audrey Caroline who’s few hours on this earth have touched the lives of thousands across the globe.

The 5 brothers and sisters of Sylas Morrison: Lucia, Bennet, Tryg, Lincoln and Cadence who lost their battle with prematurity just after our boys were born.

For our fellow quad families: The Sathers, The Klopps, and The Greens who have each suffered the loss of losing their very own flesh and blood.

The vibrant life of Maddie Spohr who survived over 60 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, but unexpectantly left us before she celebrated her 2nd birthday.

The Spohr’s are also an Ambassador Family for the March of Dimes.  Their efforts to honor Maddie’s life by saving others have been astounding.  Last year their family team raised over 100 Thousand Dollars in support of the March of Dimes.  Here’s more about Maddie’s life and their mission:

We’re walking to honor her life and so many others.

We’re fighting for the lives who have been saved, and those lost.  We’re fighting to make a difference. We’re fighting for HOPE.

So how can you help us celebrate and honor these lives?

You can join us THIS SUNDAY downtown Indy on the Canal to March for Babies.

You can donate.  $1 can make a difference!  Did you know that if each person TODAY who visits our blog donated ONE DOLLAR we could meet our goal of $3,000? 

If you donate or have donated (even just $1) you will be included in our Marching for Miracles Mega-Giveaway!  There’s so many great prizes that I can’t wait to share with you!!!

I will be drawing for each prize next Monday (4/26).  Thank you so much for those to all of you donating your own products in support of this cause.

Are you ready?  Brace yourselves. 

~ 3 SIGNED COPIES of the newly released I Will Carry You by Angie Smith  (Mama of Audrey Caroline and wife of Todd Smith of Selah)

~ 1 AUTOGRAPHED Copy of “You Deliver Me” CD by the musical group Selah

 

~ A LOL Essentials Combo Pack by Mabel’s Labels (includes 30 Sticky Labels, 12 Shoe Labels, 70 Tag Mates^TM or 40 Iron-Ons, 2 Teeny Tags^TM. Dishwasher/microwave-safe and UV resistant. Clothing labels are laundry safe.)

~ 1 Download of Alphabet Crafts ebook by No Time for Flash Cards

~ A Handmade Necklace of Your Choice from Lisa Leonard Designs 

~ A $40 Gift Card to Back40Life, Handcrafted Signs and Wall Decals

A T-shirt or Onesie of Your Choice from Designed for Babies

 

A Jesus Storybook Bible Deluxe Edition from ZonderKidz

 

AND….

(Insert Drum Roll)

We are personally donating a

HP Mini 110-1020NR 10.1-Inch Netbook 

to add to the hype.  We think our investment will be well worth it as you in return donate to The March of Dimes! Prove us to be correct!!!!

So how do you enter? 

Donate a minimum of $1 to our March of Dimes Family Page and leave a comment here to let me know you’re supporting our cause. (If you have already donated I have added your name already.)

An additional entry can be credited by tweeting:
“I'm fighting 4 babies w/ March of Dimes & entering @QuatroMama ‘s March 4 Miracles Mega-Giveaway at http://bit.ly/aRq4ce” and leaving a link to your twitter account.

Spread the Word!  The March for Miracles Mega-Giveaway ends next Monday! 

Passing The Hat…

   

Get ready!  We’re “passing the hat” to YOU next!

(Check back tomorrow for more!)

The Mechanics of a Miracle

By: QuatroDaddy

A little over three years ago, my sons were delivered by c-section at St. Vincent Women's Hospital.  After they were stabilized, they allowed me to go in and meet them for the first time in the next room.  I will never forget the experience and overwhelming emotion of those first minutes.  They were all crying and appeared to be relatively healthy. I was floating as though on drugs; It was an amazing experience.

Next, the nurses told me I would be able to come see them again in the NICU, but that they needed to go.  In the long hours that followed, I was unable to get permission to go see them.  What we didn't realize at the time was that they were beginning to encounter some trouble. 

When preemie babies inhale and then exhale for the first time, their lungs often begin to stick together.  As adults, when we exhale, our lungs collapse together, then as we inhale, they pull apart again and inflate.  This is possible because our bodies produce a lubricating chemical that covers the lining of our lungs which keeps them from sticking together.  Preemies lungs have often not yet developed the ability to produce this lubricant, so they suffocate and die as a result. 

All four of our boys were born with this problem.  Were it not for a man-made chemical called Surfactant, which replaces the lubricant that our bodies are supposed to produce on our own, Henry, Brooks, Clark, and Isaac would most likely not have survived.  They sprayed this lubricant into each of their lungs, allowing them to use their full lung capacity again.

When the doctors or nurses who explained this process to us told us that the research for this life-saving chemical had been funded by the March of Dimes, I knew that this was an organization we would need to give back to.  This is just one example of many life-saving breakthroughs that are used in every NICU across America.  There are thousands of children who sign up for Kindergarten every year who would not be alive without the March of Dimes.

We are making great strides in our efforts as an ambassador family for the March of Dimes Walk for Babies.  We’ve raised over $500 so far and we’re excited to walk with many of our friends and family on April 25th in downtown Indianapolis!  We’d love to have you join our team (please sign up online so we know you are coming) as we fight together for the lives of babies.  Your participation and enthusiasm is changing lives!  (Coming next week there will be some fun incentives for those who have given or will give – so stay tuned!) Remember even a small commitment can make a difference when we work together!

I’m Marching for Miracles

 

***Edited to Add: Please feel free to join our team and walk for your own miracle.  The more the merrier!  We would love to have a team full of all different experiences and stories. Also, I think this is the first time I have ever in the 3+ years of this blog asked for a $ donation to any cause. If each reader would donate just $2 we could meet our $3,000 goal! Thank you in advance, friends!***

Our family has been chosen as a Family Ambassador for this year’s March of Dime’s Walk for Babies. We are both excited and honored to be part of this tremendous effort in the fight for babies.  For us this cause is very personal.  We watched four preemie babies struggle to survive their first few weeks of life.  We stood helpless, as we watched machines and modern medicine helped their bodies function. Their small underdeveloped bodies were not yet ready to meet the demands required outside of the womb.

We know that the diligent efforts of the March of Dimes have had a direct impact upon our boys’ lives.

So that’s why we are forming a 4tunate Team. And we would LOVE for you to join us!  We know you feel connected to our family.  You have joined us in this journey.  You have followed our miracles, and now we’re asking for you to get behind our personal March for More Miracles.   

We’d love to walk along side your families on April 25th in downtown Indianapolis. We’d love to hear your own stories of how you have encountered premature birth. We’d love for you to give on our behalf.

How will you help us in the fight to save babies?

Join our team at http://www.marchforbabies.org/team/4tunate . You can also watch our fundraising progress on the sidebar of the blog. 

Heavy Hearts for Haiti

There’s so many things I need to update you all on. My balloon is about to burst.

There are several exciting things in the near future that I’m looking forward to going into more detail about soon. However, even in the excitement and anticipation of these happenings, my heart is heavy on several fronts.

One of those fronts includes the people of Haiti.  My heart goes out to the people behind the photos coming from this country in despair.  The suffering is beyond my comprehension. I’m sure it’s been on your minds and your hearts as well.

I am encouraged by the spirit that is rising up for us to come together for this nation. Each and every one of us has been given so much more than most of them could ever fathom, regardless of our financial situation.  It puts so much into perspective, doesn’t it?

If you’re looking for a way to give, there are multitudes of fiscally responsible organizations pulling together to help Haiti.  A few include but are not limited to Real Hope for Haiti Rescue Center (operating one of the only open clinics near the epicenter), Samaritan's Purse, World Vision, Northwest Haiti Christian Mission, Hoosiers Helping Haitians, and Compassion International. The Blogosphere is full of possibilities and there are opportunities to use your creative talents. Get involved with your local church. Give the people of Haiti your prayers.  

Everything else just seems so trivial…