More Ways to Pay It Forward

Old clothes, books, housewares, anything? Donate them to the Madagascar Project
http://www.shopbeleza.com/the%20container%20project.pdf

Donate your old teddy bears and stuffed animals to the Wake County Sheriff's Dept.!
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~lmjeffri/teddy.pdf

Let's Say Thanks!

This is also something that I found out about through an email (ok... lots of people have found out apparently it's the best way to reach me)

http://www.letssaythanks.com/Home1280.html

You can go here and write a quick postcard that will be sent to a troop across the globe somewhere. It takes 30 seconds and could make a huge impact on a stranger giving their all for us... Re-Post this wherever you'd like to spread the message.

Red Fridays

I received this in an email from my aunt and felt compelled to share it. I'll be wearing red every Friday.

Just keeping you "in the loop" so you'll know what's going on in case this takes off.

RED FRIDAYS ----- Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing red every Friday.

The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the "silent majority". We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or over-bearing. We get no liberal media coverage on TV, to reflect our message or our opinions.Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops.

Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday -and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that.. Every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar will wear something red.

By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers. If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family. It will not be long before the USA is covered in red and it will let our troops know the once "silent" majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on.

The first thing a soldier says when asked "What can we do to make things better for you?" is...We need your support and your prayers.

Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example; and wear something red every Friday.

If you agree -- then send this on to others. If you don't, that's your right... because we live in the land of the free because of the brave. Their blood runs red - so wear red!

Pay It Forward

To begin my list of charitable/philanthropic/feel good programs I love to support:

Give 2 The Troops
(Recognized by the American Red Cross and US Dept. of Defense)
"...supporting the physical, moral, and spiritual health of America's armed forces in combat zones around the world through letters and care packages"
http://www.give2thetroops.org/

Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue, Inc.
"...NRGRR, Inc., is a non-profit organization staffed by volunteers, who work hard to find loving, 'forever' families for homeless Golden Retrievers."
http://www.goldenrescuenc.org/

Feed The Firefighters
"The purpose of Feed The Firefighters is to support firefighters and other emergency personnel who serve the community through their heroic work. It does this by supplying food and other nourishment during emergencies of extended duration and increasing public awareness of the contributions firefighters make to the community."
http://www.feedthefirefighters.com/

Relay For Life
(especially at NCSU!)
March 23, 2007 - Let's make cancer history!
"Relay For Life is a fun-filled overnight event designed to bring together those who have been touched by cancer in our community. At the event, we celebrate survivorship and raise money to help the American Cancer Society in its mission to save lives, help those who have been touched by cancer, and empower individuals to fight back."
http://www.acsevents.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=190189&lis=1&kntae190189=A3B2C23D99AB4432A62233F4F1FE194A&team=1660669

Philanthropic Service to Others

If there's one thing about growing up in the south that continues to keep us humble, it's that many of us were raised to firmly believe that giving back to others and continually striving to make the world a better place is one of the pillars of a life worth living. In this blog, I will publish things that I come across that I feel are worth sharing.


If you know Little Lisa, then you all know that the Racing Heroes Charity Auction is something I hold near and dear to my heart. Here’s a description of the program from the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center:

"Racing Heroes Charity Auction Fund - Because families are here for six months or longer, finances can become a concern. The Racing Heroes Fund seeks to alleviate this. The 2002 Racing Heroes Auction raised over $42,000 to help families in need by auctioning NASCAR memorabilia among other donated gifts. One hundred percent of all money goes to families in need as administered by the unit social workers and Family Support Program director. Duke does not keep any money for administering the program and all work and expenses are volunteered."The auction this year will be held on December 2, 2006 at 2pm at Ray Price Harley Davidson.

If your family is interested in racing or other local sports memorabilia (Duke and Wolfpack auction items available) then please pass info about this event on to them.

I strongly encourage you to check out more about the event here: http://www.theracingheroes.com/

Quotes About Growing Up Southern

Borrowed from Averi:

"The drawl - which accents the rhapsodic blend of beauty, grace, charm, ingenuity, and strength - is the gorgeous red bow that completes the 'Girls Raised In The South' package."Thanks Justin!:
"Growing up Southern is a privilege really. It's more than where you're born, it's an idea and state of mind that seems imparted at birth. It's more than loving fried chicken, sweet tea, college football, beer, and country music. It's being hospitable, charming, and respectful while having strenght, grace, and a genuine love for our family and our land. We don't become Southern, we're born that way."

What Southern Chicks Can Teach You...

An excerpt from an article I pulled out of a magazine a long time ago. Judging by it's content it must have been Cosmo ;-)

Originally written by Colleen Rush

“What Southern Chicks Can Teach You About Love, Lust, and Life”The Perfect Southern Iced Tea
Ingredients:1.5 oz – vodka
6 oz – iced tea
2 tbsp – simple syrup
Fresh mint to taste

Directions:Muddle ingredients; serve over ice in a tall glass.

Southern Secrets
(I plan to elaborate more on these with the quotes, possibly an attachment of the original article… but for now… you’ll just have to start with the Cliff Notes version.)
1 – Look traffic-stopping hot
2 – Be wiser than guys
3 – Use sugar-lips
4 – Get results in bed
5 – Treasure your friends
6 – Be party savvy
7 – Have amazing etiquette

7 Southern Girl Staples
1 – Fabulous stationary
2 – A swell necklace
3 – The family cookie recipe
4 – One silky lingerie set
5 – A stash of emergency cash
6 – A signature scent
7 – Condoms and matches (Oh my!)