Day 132 - Supported Protect Children, Not Guns

Sadly, within an hour of our home, over the last 3 days we have had 2 incidents of children shooting children.  One was a little 2 year old boy that found a gun and shot himself Thursday with his dad within feet of him.  The second was a 5 year old that was shot by an 8 year old.  The 2 year old boy sadly passed away and the 5 year old is still in critical condition.

A child or teen dies or is injured from guns every 30 minutes. Gun violence saturates our children’s lives. More children and teens die from guns every three days than died in the Newtown massacre. The number of children under 5 killed by guns in 2010 was more than the number of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty that same year.

It saddens me to the core that our country continues to lose children to gun violence.  Gun violence in general is just completely out of control and some of it is 100% preventable in my eyes.

So for today's random act of kindness I supported the Protect Children, Not Guns program initiated but the Children's Defense Fund.

Their campaign is aimed to stand up, speak out, and organize with urgency and persistence until the President, members of Congress, Governors and state legislators protect children instead of guns. Every child’s life is sacred and it is long past time that we pass common sense gun safety regulations to protect all our children.

Day 132 - Supported Protect Children, Not Gun

Day 131 - Ran Like a Mother to Support Frisco Family Services

I'm so excited that the girls are #1 old enough to be able to run at least a mile and #2 enjoy doing races with me.  I don't know if this will last but I sure hope it does!  It's such a fun experience to share with them and what a great foundation of health it's creating in their lives.

So to celebrate Mother's Day this year the girls and I, along with a couple of friends, decided to Run Like a Mother and make a donation to a wonderful organization!!  This is an annual 1 mile and 5k race Mother's Day weekend to celebrate mothers but also support Frisco Family Services.  We have done a few random acts in the past for them and I can't say enough about their services and what they do for this community.

Because Frisco Family Services was the charity partner you were able to donate 100% to their organization during registration or the day of the event.  

Day 131 - Ran Like a Mother for Frisco Family Services

Day 130 - Supported Adrianne

I heard about Adrianne Haslet's story through a friend on Facebook and was touched.

Adrianne Haslet and her husband Adam Davis were both severely injured (Adrianne lost a foot) in the Boston Marathon bombing. They were enjoying a beautiful day off together. Adam just returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan a couple of weeks ago and Adrianne was on her normal day off from her work as a Dance Instructor at the Boston location of the Arthur Murray Dance Studio. The day turned to tragedy for so many, as we all know.
 
To show Adrianne and Adam that their friends and loved ones are here for them and will support them through the pain and suffering Adrianne's coworkers created a fundraising page.  So for today's random act of kindness I donated to Adrianne's page.

From the page:

She is a dear, dear friend and incredible member of our staff. We are certain that if she wants to, she will dance again. She is one tough cookie and an inspiration to us all.


Day 130 - Supported Adrianne

  

Day 129 - Supported Give Out Day

It's May 9th, and today Americans across the nation are coming together for 24 hours of unprecedented giving. It's one extraordinary day to support the organizations that work on behalf of the LGBTQ community.

I truly believe that regardless of where we stand politically or religiously everyone needs to be accepted, respected, and know they are loved.  We strive to instill these beliefs in our children daily. I desperately hope and pray for a world free of prejudice, discrimination, and hatred.

Most organizations involved in Give Out Day equally envision a world free of sexual exploitation, alcohol and drug abuse, bullying and harassment, homelessness, and suicide. A world where social skills, continuing education, and employment are emphasized as vital keys to personal success and are available on a non-discriminatory basis.  A world free of prejudice, discrimination, and the fear of personal attacks and other forms of violence and hatred. A world where the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of all people are priorities.  What a wonderful world that would be.

So for today's random act of kindness I supported an organization that stands up for those that are fighting unnecessary battles every day.  

Day 129 - Supported Give Out Day

Day 128 - Free Kibble for Animal Shelters

The girls have been begging us for another dog.  It's been a couple of years since we had our awesome English bulldog Duncan and the girls still talk about him.  We are probably a few years away from another dog but we still love to visit our local animal shelter to get our weekly or monthly fix.

Animal shelters are definitely amazing places.  The people that work there have such adoration for animals and are emotionally invested in seeing them be adopted.  They take such great care of these animals, some of which had previously been severely mistreated.  Unfortunately, many of these animal shelters don't have the funding to take on as many animals as they would like.  This is sometimes due to a lack of supplies to care for and feed the pets. 

So for today's random act I will be playing trivia and donating free kibble at the same time.  There is a website called Free Kibble (and its' sister site, Free Kibble Kat) where each day you can answer a trivia question about dogs and cats, and for each correct questions, 10 pieces of kibble is donated to animal shelters around the country.  What a great and easy way to support these wonderful organizations.

Day 128 - Trivia for kibble

Just for fun pictures of the girls with Duncan

Day 127 - Supported Running Joe

I played sports in high school but was never a runner.  I didn't really start running until 2002 and since then have done around 50+ races ranging from 5ks to 3 full marathons.  I enjoy the quietness of it and just being alone with my thoughts.  I am definitely not a fast runner but I do enjoy it and what a great stress reliever for me.  I also admire those who can run marathon after marathon, race after race and train year round.  One of those individuals is Running Joe.  Joe is on a mission to raise awareness about our nation's obesity epidemic and to be an example of health and perseverance.

Joseph Lee Ortiz a.k.a. Running Joe is a veteran of the United States Navy.  Due to the physical toll of active duty, as well as a car accident, Joe suffered from hip and back pain that "took control of his life."  In 2010, Joe decided to make a change and began running, which surprisingly left him with little to no pain.  When he saw the benefits that running had on his well-being and health, he decided he would make a habit of it.

He has run 4 ultra marathons, 16 marathons, in 6 different states, 11 Half Marathons, and countless other runs ranging from 5k to 15k setting personal records in each race over the last couple years.  In the Summer of 2014 or 2015 Joe and his fellow Veteran Shawn will set forth on one of the greatest adventures of a lifetime by running from Deadhorse, Alaska to Key West, Florida in what they have coined "The Great North American Adventure" to raise funds for the Wounded Warrior Project and another foundation yet to be determined.  

So for today's random act of kindness I left some encouraging words on Joe's Facebook page and I am also purchasing one of his wristbands to support The Wounded Warrior project.  Good luck Joe!  I will be following you along your journey. 

Words from Joe:

“The only thing stopping you from achieving your goals; is what looks back at you in the mirror every day. The only limitations you truly have are the ones you place on yourself. Live without limits, and aim big!”

Day 127 - Supported Running Joe

Day 126 - Mother's Day Baskets for Children's Hospital

Before the girls were born we were told to anticipate them spending some time in the NICU because they were multiples.  Luckily our surrogate was a superstar and carried them to term and even induction.  Rockstar!  The girls were actually born on a small military base and therefore the hopsital only had a NICU.  So even though they were both extremely healthy we did get to spend 2 days getting to know the NICU nurses and physicians and did see quite a few babies that were not as healthy as ours.  We were very lucky and left after 2 days with big healthy babies while some parents had spent weeks and even months in the hospital watching their little ones fight before we arrived, and would be staying after we left.

So having been through that experience, and knowing many moms and dads that have spent hour after hour in a hospital room with their children, we knew this random act was for us.

I am part of a local moms' Facebook group called Frisco Moms.  The group is moderated by a mom of two named Cate Biggs.  She has done a wonderful job putting together amazing fundraisers and compassion events for so many in our community.  The group is always ready and willing to volunteer and jump in with both feet when there is a need.  Cate decided for Mother's Day to collect gift baskets to deliver to 60 mothers with children in the pediatric cardio unit of a local hospital and 40 baskets for general population mothers.  These are Bath & Body Works gift baskets to let the moms know that we are thinking of them and their children.  Just a little something to make them feel special on their special day.

So for today's random act of kindness I donated a gift basket for one of the mothers.

Thank you Cate for putting this all together.  Your compassion and hard work will not only bless the 100 moms, and their families, that receive these baskets on Sunday but also the other 100 moms, and their families, that donated to this wonderful cause.  Keep up the amazing work Frisco Moms!!  You are all bringing our community closer one small act at a time.

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."
- Leo Buscaglia 

Day 126 - Mother's Day gift basket