No time to blog...where do my days go?

Well. I know if you've been reading along that you will probably recall my resolution to blog on a more consistent basis. As it turns out I have discovered that the more work I put into our efforts the less time I have to blog and with things going the way they are I would rather spend my time on collecting funds and just give you a little update when I get the time. So here is what we have been up to...

Zach is still working and more extended hours since he is now able to drive later. He worked over 30 hours last week alone. He did not work Saturday so he spent the morning picking up metal donations. He also attended an orientation, the second one.

We sold several sachet hearts and are still in the process of collecting money for the Nascar fantasy league. So as of today we have a grand total of $4032.95. It's as though we have reached the top of the mountain and are headed down the other side and the momentum is gaining every day. We have no doubt that he is going to be able to raise every penny of the tuition.

One thing I did start thinking of was the list of items that he is in need of for the actual trip. Once I thought more about it I decided it might be a good idea to send out Press Releases to all of the locals newspapers. Then I went ahead and sent out News Releases to all of the locals news stations. A few of them got back in touch with me to ask additional questions. I haven't heard of anything that is going to be published or broadcast yet. I'll let you know if that changes. But, it got me to thinking about sponsorships and why wouldn't a cell phone company be interested in donating a phone and plan for Zach to take so he could e-mail pictures and maybe post blogs while on his trip. They could have a special thing on their website so followers could keep track. I thought it was a great idea but did not have any success myself in contacting the right people. Seeing as how I am a creative and very optimistic person I decided there were lots of others out there who do have acquaintances, friends and connections to be able to acquire sponsors for cell phones, cameras, luggage, backpacks, foil packs of laundry detergent, international adapters to charge the phone and camera, etc. So I sat down and wrote letters to Ellen Degeneres, Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, and Jimmie Johnson (the Nascar driver). I also think that my own cell phone company should be able to step in and help, after all I've been paying for service from you for the past what? 10 years or so...Come on AT&T. I'll definitely be writing more letters, so if you are a well known person and you haven't gotten my letter yet, it is okay to go ahead and contact me with any assistance you can provide.

Til next time...

Donations and Work, Work, Work!

Zach actually received two donations over the past week. Those two donations totaled $95. Then Zach has been working, working, working. We instituted and put a few things into place over the last few weeks that allows Zach to work longer hours and man has he been. I talked to the owner of The Giving Tree, Leslie, and they absolutely love having him there to help out. She even said that he was great with customers...that was shocking to me. MY son, the one is usually very shy and bashful and has a hard time forming sentences when speaking to strangers. Awesome, this is helping him to grow as a person. We have learned that he is working with a great group of people that he fits in very well with, that he is a very hard worker and that he really, really likes to make money! Over the past week he has made $167.

Now he has raised/earned $3572.95

Recycling, Cookies Sales and a Donation

Sold another cookie dough, add $7 to the total.
Received a donation of $100. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
We also received another half trailer full of scrap metal from a friend. So the guys went ahead and filled it up and took a load of scrap metal to the recycling center yesterday and received $204.75. So they decided to take a second load. We loaded up all of the aluminum cans and they took those in. I should have taken a picture of the trailer it was quite the mountain. They cashed in 532 pounds of cans which were at $0.67/lb. They also turned in a bucket of insulated copper wire. The total take from recycling was $608.55.

SO, when you add it all together Zach is now at $3310.95
I don't feel like I can say Thank You enough to everyone who has helped out:-)

Right now Zach is working on his resume so he can start speaking with local businesses about sponsorship. He's learning about the countries he's going to and becoming as prepared as he can. Still so proud of him!

'til next time...

NASCAR Sprint Cup Pool

Zach made another $40. Now at $2595.40.

We found out some news this week. Instead of having the tuition paid by June 1st, it has to be paid off by May 1. AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! That means we have one less month than we expected. So we're trying to kick it into high gear. Zach went out with his grandma this morning and picked up cans. This afternoon we are supposed to be picking up a few appliances that are mostly scrap metal.

Now for our biggest news of all. We are starting a Nascar Sprint Cup pool. We have always been Nascar fans and were so excited that the season is about to begin again. We watched the Budweiser Shootout last night and are looking for anyone who might be interested. Here's how it is going to work. All you have to do is pay a $40 entry fee. At least thirty minutes prior to each race you have to notify Zach of your race driver pick and then continue to accrue points throughout the season. Points are earned base don where your driver finishes and are on a one point scale from 43 down to 1 (driver you pick wins, you get 43 points for the week). Whoever finishes the season in first place in points wins and depending on how many people we can get involved we may be able to divide up the winnings amongst the top three or ten people. So share with your friends, family and neighbors. The more the merrier. So if you're interested just let us know. by sharing a comment.

Another $128

Zach has worked a few times at The Giving Tree again and earlier this week he was actually asked to help out a local landscaper...so now he has two part time jobs. Between the two jobs he has brought in another $128 to make the total now 2555.40.
Also sold another cookie dough. I'll add that in once we've collected for it.

And, by the way, I went online and checked out some detailed information and printed the forms out for sponsors and discovered in the fine print at the bottom of the contribution form for sponsors it says "Note: According to current IRS guidelines, donations earmarked for a specific individual are NOT tax-deductible. Please consult you tax advisor for detailed information." Boo on that but we don't think that this will deter Zach from getting where he wants to be by the time he leaves.

'til next time....

$2395.40 and First Orientation

Received a $500 donation this week. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Your generosity is very much appreciated. That brought the total amount of money to $2395.40 and that sounds good to us! We are so proud of Zach and how hard he is working to earn the money on his own.

We also went to our first orientation meeting. Whew! There is a lot for all of the Student Ambassadors to learn but it will be beneficial for all of them and ensure that their trip is a success. We heard lots of different fundraising ideas but we like our ideas the best so far. The one thing we have not done is search for sponsors. We have the ability to use the website and print out customized forms. The great part of this is that any individual or company can make the check payable to and mail it directly to People to People, which in turn means it is a tax deductible donation.

Lots of news!

I ask for apologies, I did not include a total in my last post. On January 19 our total was $1597. Today the total has increased substantially. Zach worked at the store and got $32 for the few hours he put in. He helped his dad load up the trailer with a load Saturday and off they went to the recycling center. They got $230.40 for that load. Bringing the total to 1827.40. Zach went to work again today and got $36 so now he is at 1895.40.

Almost 2000!!!!!!!!!!!

Right now he is at 27% of the total he's looking to earn. We found out his dates of travel and we have until mid June to finish the rest. They did not take all of the recycling we have. The aluminum cans are still here and a decent pile of scrap still left.

It still seems like a very possible goal for Zach to earn the full amount of the tuition! 

Til next time...

$59 Added!

Zach is still being paid by his younger brother to be his butler. He's earned another $35 from doing that and I think they are both learning a lot about communication through this whole butlerhood! Zach also worked at The Giving Tree earlier this week and is scheduled to work again this week, so far he earned $24...by the way I said in an earlier post that her name was Lynn and followed that with the comment about how bad I am with names. Well it's actually Leslie. Thank you to Leslie and Becka for being so generous and helping him to fulfill his goal.

Last week Zach's dad (Jason) was at a job and saw a pile of recyclable metals. He asked the homeowner what he was going to do with it and he told him he'd been trying to get rid of it but couldn't get anybody to come and get it. So over the weekend they went and picked up another trailer full of scrap. I think they are planning on taking some scrap in this weekend. It's starting to look a little like a junk yard around here. That's ok though it's for a really great cause.

We're also working on Valentine's baskets so keep checking back and be sure and visit either etsy or our page on facebook. Search for LK Originals.

Til next time.

Struggling to Get Back Into the Swing of Things!!!

The holidays are my favorite time of year. I love the smells coming from the kitchen, getting together with family that you've been out of touch with throughout the year, and the way our home looks with all of our decorations. There's just something about the home being a little fuller but not to the point of being cluttered just enough to make it warm and cozy like....anyway before I get lost back in all of that, my confession is that I feel like I've been on vacation for a while and am having a hard time getting back into the rhythm of things. It doesn't help that we've had snow twice within the past 3 weeks and we are not used to that at all. We're lucky if we get it once a year.

So here I am getting back into it and I resolve to give updates throughout the week on a regular basis, so be sure and check back often.

I was so excited to get a call from a man at the local recycling center. He called to introduce himself and let me know that if we have a large quantity of recyclables to give him a call and he can get us a better price per pound. Where do these coincidences keep coming from?...I don't know but we sure do feel blessed when they come.

Zach and his little brother are still in their agreement for a butler. It is not as consistent as it was in the beginning but on occasion Zach has to give him a slight dose of reality to keep him in check and keep his head from getting too big. I don't have the total on that so I'm not adding it.
...if you've been with us for a while you may remember the sale of an item on www.etsy.com/shop/bigdreams1 that I said I would add as soon as I received payment...well payment has not come so I have cancelled the order. I have also posted new items so be sure to check it out and see if there is anything you can use...

Til next time...

$1538 and More Recyclables

Zach's dad went on a warranty call earlier in the week. He had done some work for some friends who live close and they called and said there was a drip from the drain. He stopped by and was offered payment but warranty calls aren't something that is billable. He asked about Zach's trip and where he was so far and then gave him $40 to put towards the trip. 

Then while talking to friends last night we were explaining that Zach has been working on tearing down a washing machine for recycling and he said he's got a washing machine sitting in his garage that Zach could have. He also said his mom probably has some metal things at her house so they made arrangements to meet up today at a job that he had to finish up. Turns out the owners of the house they met at is a cousin to our neighbor and he got to talking and has sent home a trailer full of metals things and they are going to go get another load.

Do you ever have those moments in your life when you almost feel overwhelmed at other people's generosity and think that there is no way it can get much better then all of a sudden someone else does something and you just keep feeling like there is no way you can feel any better? That's kind of how I'm feeling right now. It's kind of like floating on a cloud, with fluttering butterflies in your stomach. We will never be able to make anyone understand how truly appreciative and grateful we are. I only hope that we are all able to continue to pay it forward as we can!

Til next time...

New Total $1498

Wow! I just can't help but think of what a great lesson this is to our children. I think everyone should set goals and reach as high for them as they can. Through this they will learn that even some that may seem impossible may not be. They could even be exceeded, depending on how much effort and hard work you put into them. Of course there is always the other side to that as well. Should Zach not reach his goal he will have learned a valuable lesson in how to deal with disappointment. He'll be able to look back and figure out if there was anything he could have done differently, if he could have worked a little harder or if he did all he could have done and maybe his goal was just a little too ambitious! Either way I love watching them learn very valuable life lessons either way.

Now to move forward, you did read that title correctly, he is now at $1498! He was able to earn another $200 helping friends with their animals over the holidays. Thank you to our friends for allowing Zach the opportunity to help out and we truly do appreciate your support!

We find ourselves very inspired by the total so far. Depending on how you look at it, it may not seem like much. But you can also say that $1498. means we are 20% of the way there or one-fifth of the way. I think that the whole family will agree the hardest part is behind us and we just continue to pick up momentum. Initially, our struggle was to let everyone know about the trip. Now everyone we know has received the information and description and all we have to do is keep them updated on our progress and what is coming next. That is even easier now that we have our blog, are on facebook and have updated everyone's e-mail addresses. Can't wait til next time to share more good news and update you again...