TV Donation???

Anyone have any connections in the electronics or furniture industry?? We are trying to get a TV donated for a home makeover project that is underway on Taylorsville. The house had to be torn down due to an infestation of black mold and the Heart 2 Home foundation has built them a new home in 8 days, with everything donated but the TV. Any suggestions???

Tackle the Tower - Please come participate!

The American Lung Association is an organization whose mission hits very close to home for me (and those that I love), so please, if you can - support them in this event this weekend!

Support the American Lung Association of Utah at Tackle The Tower this Saturday, March 22, 2008 from 8am to noon. Run the stairs, donate to the cause, or volunteer to help at the event. Click here to register online or do it in person at the Wells Fargo Building's lobby on Saturday morning, 299 S Main Street, Salt Lake City, UT.

With any questions, call (801)484-4456 or email info@lungutah.org

Hope to see you there!

(If the above links do not work, copy and paste the following web address into your browser window: http://www.mrsnv.com/evt/home.jsp?id=1780)

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Flowers Everywhere!!

The Blooming Hope Floral Auction (at the Spring Home and Garden Show) was so fun, and we now have flowers everywhere!! Primary Children’s Hospital is such a very worthy cause, that we were thrilled to participate! It wasn’t about the flowers after all, it was about raising money for the children – but all the gorgeous flowers are a definite bonus!

Here’s the scoop - Every Blooming Thing (my favorite florists!!) has hosted this event the last few years and they worked with their wholesalers to get the flowers donated, but all the floral designers and owners from the Every Blooming Thing shops came and generously donated their time and talent (not to mention all the ribbon, vases, baskets, etc.) The arrangements were AMAZING! And most of them were created right there on the spot, in a race of sorts. Each designer would create an arrangement while the audience watched, and then it would be auctioned off.

The event raised just over $5,500.00 in about 3 hours! It was amazing to see the generosity of all those that attended the auction, and I know the money will make a huge difference!

Congratulations to Every Blooming Thing and Primary Children’s Hospital on a very successful event! And if you didn’t get a chance to attend this year… keep an eye out for next years! You definitely don’t want to miss this!!

Don't forget about Tackling The Tower! Saturday, March 22nd

American Lung Association of Utah's
Tackle the Tower
Vertical Stairclimb Fundraiser
Saturday, March 22, 2008

Rise to the Challenge!
Tackle the Tower is in the heart of downtown Salt Lake at the Wells Fargo Building. Think about it. Take on the tallest staircase in Utah. That's your leg muscles versus 598 steps! The average climbing time is just over 6 minutes. Are you up for it?

Don't Just Stand for Something, Climb!
Climb for a cause. Hundreds of climbers inspired by a mission of clean air and good lung health will take on a 422 ft. vertical challenge at Tackle the Tower. Be involved, make a difference.

Stairclimb for a Cause!
Each stair you climb brings the ALAU one step closer to eradicating lung disease. All proceeds support lung health research, ALAU programs and services, and promote clean air initiatives. Camp Wyatt, a summer camp for kids with asthma, Not On Tobacco, a teen quit smoking program, and Better Breathers Club, a support group for adults with COPD are just a few of the programs this fundraiser supports.

Time to Start Training!
We encourage everyone to form a team for the event, invite friends and family to participate as well. Climbers of all abilities are welcome. All participants will be timed. The 4 fastest times on each team will averaged to determine race results.

Sign Up Now!
A $30 registration fee ($15 for students, FREE for public safety professionals) is required to cover event administration costs and then we need to begin fundraising. All participants need to raise a minimum of $50 by the event day and in return will receive an event t-shirt, goodie bag, breakfast, entertainment and possibly prizes!

Fundraising is FUN!
Climbers are provided with a professional web page and an email pledge system that makes fundraising easy! We're here to support your efforts every step of the way. Check out these Fundraising Tips to get yourself started.

Register today!

Important Information for Firefighters...
There has been some confusion over whether or not climbing will be done in full gear this year. We want to maintain an intense challenge but do not want to risk the safety of any of the other runners. Full gear will still be allowed, but smokey clothing needs to be washed before your climb. If you would rather compete without coats and SCBAs, there will be a seperate category within the competition for teams and individuals who so wish. Click here for complete details.

Questions? Call BreeAnn at the Lung Association at 801-484-4456

pay it forward...

Just something to think about (this was emailed to me by a friend – thanks Brad!)…

A group of graduates, well established in their careers by this time, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, who is now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives.

Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some very exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said: "Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.
The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate.

In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides or distorts what we drink.

What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups... and then you began eying each other's cups to see whose was best.

Now consider this:
Life is the hot chocolate.

Your job, money and position in society are the cups; they are just tools to hold and contain life, the cup you have does not define, nor change, the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us. God makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups.

The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have.

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.

And enjoy your hot chocolate.

Anyway – another thing to think about it this…

Normally I am pretty indifferent about Oprah, however, right now I think that she is involved in something pretty cool— Oprah’s Big Give! Have you watched it? Do you love it? If you haven’t seen it, I encourage you to watch, and please include the whole family and even some friends!! (It’s on Sunday evenings, right after Extreme Makeover Home Edition.) Basically, Oprah picked 10 people to participate in a contest to see who could give away the most money, and make the biggest difference in someone’s life at the same time… and if they don’t give big, they go home. They do things like raise money to provide a home for a family in need along with college funds for the kids, etc. I think it’s great to see the community get involved, and it’s very moving to see the difference that it makes in these peoples lives.

So – Watch it! I also encourage you to use it as inspiration for generating ideas of how you can make a difference in the life of someone less fortunate than yourself! Use it to inspire your creative ideas for helping others and making the world a better place for future generations! Small things can make a huge difference, and so can big things… just remember that everyone can make a difference if they try!