2nd Annual Lovern & Friends Cookout for a Cause

This post is so long overdue, but hey, between moving and a wedding I’ve been just slightly busy.  About a month ago on a gorgeous spring day, I went to a friend’s house where the local charity, Lovern and Friends, utilized the yard to host “Cookout for a Cause” to benefit the VCU Massey Center.  It seems as if cancer has managed to effect so many people whether they themselves, or they know someone who has been a cancer patient.  Did you know that in the US there are 1,500 cancer centers, but the National Cancer Institute has only designated 66 to help lead and shape the fight against cancer, VCU Massey Center being one of them. 

This was actually the 2^nd Annual Cookout for a Cause which kicks off the annual charity Golf Tournament hosted by Lovern and Friends.  This wasn’t your typical weekend cookout either, it was a cookout on steroids with tons of great food to eat and raffle prizes made possible by donations from Goody’s Pizza, Hard Times Cafe, Buffalo Wild Wings, Georgetown Pizza, PB&Kell, and Fireworks Pizza.  There were about 50 people in attendance and they were able to raise their donations by 50% from last year!  100% of the proceeds will go to benefit the VCU Massey Center.  Attendees had a great time eating, drinking, playing corn hole (I even played for the first time, minus the alcohol!), and we even made friendly wagers for the Kentucky Derby!  I love this kind of fundraising event, because Lovern and Friends recognizes how every little bit can go a long way.  There wasn’t a minimum that had to be paid to attend, which in turn, causes some people to not have the ability to participate.  They had a jar out collecting the cash from the raffle ticket purchases, and you could see that even with singles, or $5’s the donations were accepted and greatly appreciated. 

Lovern and Friends was started by Michael Lovern who was lucky enough to have tumors removed from his spinal cord in 2002 and 2007 by the amazing doctors at MCV and the VCU Massey Center.   Although the recovery process can be long and grueling, Michael was able to be back doing what he loves, swinging a golf club, three short months after surgery!  It was wonderful to see that his family and friends were so supportive and passionate to help out a cause that is so close to his heart.  And bravo to Michael for starting up such a wonderful foundation and truly “giving back.”  VCU Massey Center is lucky to have had a wonderful patient who has done so much more than just show his appreciation!

Go Here to learn more about Lovern & Friends, and donate as much or as little as you can for the VCU Massey Center to help fight cancer!!  http://www.lovernandfriends.org/

Optimism Can Take You Anywhere

Pumpkin Festival 2006 : Set a world record with 30,128 carved and lit pumpkins

Last week I attended an expo for work.  The speaker during the general session was Bert Jacobs, CEO of Life is Good.  I was skeptical of how interested I would be, I kept asking myself, “what would the owner of a t-shirt company say to keep me engaged?”  Well, much to my surprise, I was captivated immediately.  Everything he spoke about I either experienced personally or agreed with, but sometimes we all need a reminder to refresh some of the most obvious thoughts.  Sometimes it takes hearing someone else say something out loud to reinforce an idea or thought we’ve once had to believe it a little more.  I just want to highlight some of the big ideas I took away from his “Optimism Can Take You Anywhere” message. 

The News is Depressing.  AGREED!!  I often found myself leaving the room when my dad watched the news, and I have a hard time having any desire to tune in to the local, US, and/or world news.  I know it’s horrible I am not always up to date on current events, but it really ruins your mood to consistently hear about crime, public figures arguing, murder, death, wars, disasters, etc.  Sure, they periodically cover a heartwarming story or joyous events like the Royal Wedding, but the good is typically outweighed by the bad in air time. 

Life REALLY is Good.  Jacobs told a story about a young girl who was sick with cancer and wasn’t expected to live to see the next year.  She was positive and wore a “Life is Good” hat during an interview.  She explained to the reporter that she was happy loved her life because she had friends, her parents, soccer, among other things.  I definitely experienced this myself.  The many times I was in the hospital my doctors and nurses consistently told me, “You don’t look like or act like you’re sick.”  My response was always the same, “What’s the point in complaining? It’s not going to make me any healthier; things could always be a lot worse.” I was thankful that they weren’t and that I had an opportunity for a 2^nd chance at life.  I was so happy to have my parents and fiancé at my bedside daily, as well as friends visiting or sending me well wishes. 

Everyone Loves an Underdog.  This business was built from the ground up by two brothers working hard to fulfill their dreams.  They started by pounding the pavement and selling t-shirts in the streets, with production coming out of their apartment.  They also don’t try to get into your heads with all sorts of marketing tricks.  When people told them to make a marketing plan for their booming t-shirt business, they took that money they would have invested and donated it to a charity that would help sick children.  Now how can that not warm your heart and make you smile?

The Jacobs brothers and Life is Good really know how to put the FUN into fundraising.  They are able to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars by hosting family friendly events from pumpkin carving, a day of fun and games at Fenway, and big music festivals.  The products sold at these events benefits Playmakers, whose mission is “helping kids overcome life-threatening challenges such as violence, illness and extreme poverty.” 100% of the proceeds are donated to Playmakers.

It’s amazing to see people work hard to become successful.  It’s even more amazing and beyond incredible when they don’t let the money and big business mentality get to them.  Instead they are taking those resources to help others in need and do such a selfless act.  I hope to make it to one of their fundraising events, because they REALLY do seem FUN!!  Hey Bert, how about a pumpkin carving or music festival in the DC Metropolitan area?

Moral of the story:  Focus on all that is good; don’t dwell on what seems to be bad or negative.  People are so quick to get down, become angry and negative when something doesn’t go their way as planned or in their favor.  Think about what you DO have.  Not everyone can afford a meal, or home, medical treatment to save their lives, or have the support of family and friends to talk to or brighten their day.  Take a second to sit back and be thankful for what is in your life, the people you have around you, and remember….it could always be worse, let’s be happy it’s not!  Also, fundraising can be fun, and it really lifts up your spirit.  I mean, doesn’t it always feel good to see a smile on a friend’s face when you do something as small as give them birthday gift.  Think about how the people on the other end must feel.     

Why I love Celebrities

My hero of the month, and probably lifetime, is the lovely Ms. Jenna Ushkowitz.  Yes, I know, I am much too obsessed with Glee for a 26 year old.  But let’s be honest, I was a teeny bopper back in the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC days, and I will probably never grow out of it. 

So why do I have the utmost respect for Jenna?  Besides the fact that she’s a gorgeous Asian woman with a not so Asian name (I’m about to be Kim Conner).  For her birthday she wished for people to donate to Oceana, a nonprofit fighting for cleaner oceans and abundant wildlife in the sea.  Come on, you know you get excited when you’re at the beach and you see dolphins in the water and Finding Nemo is one of the best movies ever made!  How else would you know how to speak whale?!?  And because of her, I now know of this website http://wishes.causes.com/ where you can “use the special moments of your life to raise money for a good cause.”  It’s just genius and everything I hope and wish for out of this blog.  I definitely know what I’ll be asking for, for my birthday next year, and with my birthday being right around Christmas the same rule always applies…no joint gifts! (donate twice…wink wink)  Until then, I’m going to have to narrow down the many charities I want to help out in life.  I don’t think it will be too much to ask, considering most people my age have gatherings at the bar for their birthday, why don’t you donate the price of a beer to a great cause for my birthday!

I just love celebrities who use their fame and generous paychecks to bring awareness and donate their time and money to all sorts of charities.  I mean I couldn’t get even a handful of people to “Like” Apple & Eve on Facebook so that $1 would be donated to VH1 save the music, but that won't stop me from doing what I want to do with this blog.  As a transplant patient, I have fought for my life, and I will always fight for what I believe in!!  Anyways, once a celebrity tweets about a nonprofit, I can imagine the traffic funneled to that charity’s website and funds their fans are donating are through the roof.  So Bravo Jenna and all celebs that are using their fame towards a better world….kind of like super heroes!

Check out Jenna’s Birthday wish here http://wishes.causes.com/wishes/276972Soon

Shop to make a difference

David and I have been working hard to look our best for our wedding, which is exactly one month from today!  We both have been hitting the gym every day and have changed our diets.  This past weekend, we steered off course and treated ourselves to a well-deserved dessert.  He often calls me the sweet tooth monster; I truly believe I could survive off baked goods for the rest of my life, so you could imagine my excitement for our treat!  Being the sweet tooth monster I am I have completely fallen into the cupcake craze that has hit America.  So, I insisted we try Crumbs, a cupcake bakery that began in Manhattan and is now bi-coastal.  I’ve been to a few cupcake bakeries before, and the one thing I instantly noticed when I walked into Crumbs were the generous portions (larger cupcakes than most) and they had a much larger variety of flavors readily available. 

The case was pretty much like the holy grail of cupcakes, my head was spinning trying to decide on which flavor to get.  Another customer admiring the case mentioned how delicious “Cherry Blossom” was.  I have to admit, it probably wouldn’t have been the first flavor I would have picked, but once the employee told us that 15% of the proceeds would be donated to the Red Cross towards the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Fund I had to buy it!  It was delicious, and ended up being David’s favorite of all the flavors we got.  The cupcake is a delicious vanilla cake filled with cherry preserves and the frosting was a sweet, not over powering, vanilla cherry cream cheese. 

Unfortunately, this cupcake of the month was only featured until April 10.  Since they aren’t available anymore, what’s the moral of the story you may ask?  Why not purchase something because it may help a great cause?  Even if it’s not your number one brand or flavor, you may be pleasantly surprised!  I’m going to make more of an effort to keep my eye out to purchase more goods from socially conscious companies, and I hope you would do the same.  

http://www.crumbs.com/

"Like" Apple & Eve

Here's my first attempt to get more people involved in helping others.  This one is easy and takes no time at all!  If you search "Apple & Eve" on Facebook, simply "Like" them and they will donate $1 to the VH1 Save the Music Foundation, up to $50,000.  VH1 Save the Music Foundation is a non-profit that raises awareness and donates musical instruments to schools all across the United Sates, promoting the importance of instrumental music education. 


Do this soon, it's only going on until 8/31/2011.  As of now they have 9,404, they have quite a ways to go to hit the maximum, I mean who doesn't Like juice?? 

http://www.vh1savethemusic.com/

Who, What, Why....

David and I at the Liver Life Walk

Me with my biggest supporter, my dad.

Everyone’s journey through life shapes their individual characteristics, inspires their passions, and encourages their actions.  I was lucky enough to receive a second chance at life when I got a liver transplant on September 27, 2010.  If you had met me 10 years ago when I found out I had a liver disease, you definitely would not be encountering the person I am today.  I struggled with the news and illness through high school and early college; in fact I was a pain in the kisser, to my doctors, due to the name calling and denial.  It wasn’t until I met my fiancé, David, that I began to accept the disease.  Thanks to him and the support of my family and friends I was able to be the only 22 year old not spending every weekend and dollar at the bar, and became much nicer and pleasant to my doctors and nurses. 

I experienced the most proud moment in my life when I signed up for the 2009 Northern Virginia Liver Life Walk with the Liver Foundation of America.  My personal fundraising page earned me an adorable little trophy for being “Top Individual Fundraiser.”  Don’t get me wrong the trophy was wonderful, but the best part was that I genuinely felt incredible inside and full of joy and pride for my surpassing my monetary fundraising goal for a cause that was so close to my heart!  It was a thrill to see my family, friends, and friends of friends donating to a cause that I was passionate about and supporting me.  I will never forget that day, the experience was amazing.    When I was recovering in the hospital I made it my goal to always be happy and cheerful towards all of the amazing nurses and doctors who took care of me.  I also told myself, and everyone I met, that after I recovered I wanted to put more of my time and energy into more fundraising and volunteer work. 

I hope to use this blog as a journal to document the great memories and happy feelings that will come as I set out to accomplish my goal of becoming a philanthropist.  Sharing stories and pictures of events I will be participating in or attending.  I also hope that as you follow me on my journey, I can show you how fun and easy volunteering and fundraising can be, and inspire you to do the same.  If I can get readers to volunteer for a charity for a day, or attend a fundraising event at least once a year, imagine the big changes that will be made in peoples’ lives and/or in the communities that benefit from these charities.  I will try to highlight and promote great charities, fun events, and share ideas on the small steps you can take to help others.  Please email me with anything you would like for me to share at loveshareity@gmail.com!