I’m excited to have Rachel, a fellow Influence Network-er, here sharing her story and giving project. This is a great way to get your kids involved in giving: host a lemonade stand and donate the proceeds to Reece’s Rainbow.

The mission of Reece’s Rainbow is to rescue orphans with Down syndrome through the gift of adoption, to raise awareness for all of the children who are waiting in 25 countries around the world, and to raise funds as adoption grants that help adoptive families afford the high cost of adopting these beautiful children.

About Reece’s Rainbow

Please visit Rachel’s blog for a list of great tips for hosting a Lemonade Stand for Reece’s Rainbow  and let her know that you will be joining her Lemonade Stand Campaign!

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I am thankful and honored to have this opportunity to guest post today.  So that you know a little bit of who you are hearing from here are the basics, I am 34 year old wife to a soon to be pastor, (he is finishing up seminary this summer.) I am a mother to five wonderful(most of time) children(one of which is due to be born any day now.) Our life is often messy but in the mess we get to see God make something beautiful in our lives.  I would love for you to come by my blog, www.make-something-beautiful.com and get to know my family and I better.

 My heart grew significantly for orphans with Down Syndrome and special needs after the birth and Down Syndrome diagnosis of my first Son Sam in 2009. 

After Sam was born while doing research on the Internet on his condition, Down Syndrome I discovered an amazing organization called Reece’s Rainbow. They are in the business of redeeming orphans with special needs. Special needs orphans are the bottom of the barrel as far as orphans go, they are often living is horrible conditions with out adequate housing, clothing, food, medical care and worst of all human interaction. Often children with mild and moderate disabilities are left in crib rooms for there whole life, never escaping the bars and white walls.

JOIN US and “MAKE A STAND FOR ORPHANS!!” Host a lemonade stand in the month of May or collect change to give toward the redemption of beautiful special needs children around the world.  You can give  directly to Reece’s Rainbow and receive a tax deduction. FOR MORE TIPS PLEASE VISIT MY BLOG AND LET LEMONADE BE USED TO REDEEM!!

You can put a smile on the face of a terminally ill child! Remember Sarah’s guest post about her Little Ladybug Shoppe? She is sharing how she makes the headbands and clip-on accessories that she hands out at local Children’s Hospitals. So now you can make them too and distribute to children at your local hospital! (Please be sure to contact your local organization’s volunteer coordinator before donating.)

These headbands and accessories are easy enough that school-age children can make them, with a little help from an adult. What a great way to teach kids about giving to others! Email me if you are able to participate – we would love to hear about your experience!

From Sarah:

Little Ladybug Shoppe has the unique opportunity to provide handmade hair accessories to young girls diagnosed with terminal illnesses.  It is my hope that this small act of kindness will be a true blessing to them.

In their own words:

People come from all over the world to be seen at this hospital, and for good reason; the care is phenomenal. What’s more, Shriner’s does not charge its patients a penny. Not a penny, whether they could afford it or not. They only recently began accepting payments from insurance.

One of the beautiful things about this place is that they are committed to making patients – and their families – comfortable while they are at the hospital, and providing tangible goods to make the stay easier. Within twenty-four hours of our arrival we were given a bag with toys, some regular clothing, and a handmade blanket (which Eden still sleeps with every day at daycare). We didn’t know we “needed” these things, but the level of care and thought that they represented literally brought us to tears.

Shriner’s gets donations from many places, and they thankfully always have plenty of toys. But the one thing they always need is shoes. We see this need as an opportunity for our family (and hopefully some of you!) to serve a place that does so much good, that has done so much good for us in particular, and to help them serve and bless others as they did us not so long ago. We are all very excited about this opportunity, and we hope you’ll join us! But if you can’t swing it this year, no sweat, we understand! We plan to make this an annual tradition, so there will be more chances.

Click to read more about Shoes for Shriners.

1. Purchase sneakers in any size from toddler size 7 up (all the way to adult sizes!) and get them to Katie & Bryan by May 4 (Email them: shoesforshrinersboston@gmail.com for the mailing address.)

and/or

Marathon Monday has always been my favorite day in the city. The cheering is relentless. The runners, inspiring.

I worked in the building behind where the first bomb went off. We used to gather in the windows to watch the marathon, having the best view of Boylston and the finish line. I would walk home along the marathon route, clapping and cheering for those who had been running 5+ hours. But they were still going. They never stopped. Their will and determination always left me with goosebumps.

I am heartbroken for my city. For the families who lost loved ones. For those that lost limbs. For those whose lives will never be the same. For the runners who didn’t get to finish. For the evil that remains in this world.

But I am also encouraged by the love. Of the first responders. Of strangers. Good will always triumph over evil.

Within hours of the bombing, my favorite print shop, Old Try, created a print, based on the first flag of New England, where 100% of the profits will be donated here to benefit the victims.

Please join TUGG and the technology community in supporting those impacted by the bombing at this year’s Boston Marathon. All proceeds will be donated completely to programs working with victims of the attacks including Red Cross, Children’s Hospital, and others. Both TUGG and fundraise.com are donating 100% of their fees so that all of your support goes directly to helping those in need. This is a terrible injustice and we are proud to stand as a community to help repair the lives of those who have been hurt.

Learn More: TUGG (Technology Underwriting Greater Good) on Fundraise.com

Buy the Print Here

or

Donate Directly

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Hi there!  My name is Sarah and I blog over at Life and Grace.  Recently I launched my own little service project, Little Ladybug Shoppe, in honor of my daughter, Evie Caris, who died four hours after she was born.

About six weeks before Evie was born my husband and I had an appointment with a neonatologist at our local children’s hospital to discuss Evie’s postnatal care.  Upon entering the lobby I noticed a young cancer patient sitting near a window, her hair gone from the chemo treatments she was enduring.  She needs a headband, I thought.  I vowed then and there to somehow find a way to make headbands to give to little girls like this one.

Not quite five months later, Little Ladybug Shoppe was born and donated several sets of headbands and accessories to the oncology floor at that same children’s hospital.  And now another unique opportunity has presented itself.

Little Ladybug Shoppe will soon begin working on 50 sets of hair accessories and 50 superhero capes to be given out to the patients of Edmarc Hospice for Children.  And the best part … I will be able to personally distribute these items at their Family Picnic in June.  So unbelievably exciting!

Certainly it’s a lofty goal to attain, but not impossible.  Here is where you come in:

Ways to give:

• Donate money!  You can donate to the Little Ladybug Shoppe through the paypal button on my blog (located on the right hand sidebar). All donations will be used to purchase the supplies needed to create the hair accessories and superhero capes for Edmarc’s patients.  My estimate is that it will cost somewhere between $400-$500 to create these items.

• Donate supplies!  Here is a list of items needed: nylons (any and all colors, preferably bright, fun ones), plain metal alligator clips, or fabric (again, bright fun colors, preferably solid or with a very subtle pattern).  If you’d like to donate any of these supplies, please email me at sarahjrieke@gmail.com and I will give you my mailing address.

• Purchase an item from my amazon store!  All proceeds will go toward purchasing supplies for the Little Ladybug Shoppe.

• Purchase ad space!  If you are a blogger or business owner, consider purchasing ad space on Life and Grace.  Again, all money made through my blog will go directly into funding the Little Ladybug Shoppe’s service projects.

• But most importantly … be inspired!  I truly am humbled and touched that you are interested in donating to the Little Ladybug Shoppe, but I would love for LLS to inspire you to create your own service project.  Maybe you can host a craft show to help fund a friend’s adoption or hold a car wash to benefit a food bank in your area.  Many not-for-profit organizations have a “wish list” on their website – maybe you can think of a creative way to provide some of those much-needed items.  

Do you have a service project or giving story to share? Email me!

 

Welcome to Fancy Little Thing’s Follow Along. We are encouraged by all of you, by the connections you make here in the comments, in our directory, in our community, in our Gal Groups and now —>> we can connect on Social Media outside of this website.

This week we’ll be linking up our Facebook & Twitter profiles. And, we have a few co-hosts –

Christie from Satisfaction Through Christ

Heather from It’s A Long Story

Shasta from LinkyHere

Claire from A Little Claireification

and

Ginger from Lets Give Today

Make sure you stop by and say “Hi” to each of them; they’re a great group of ladies!

Ok, onto the fun stuff!

1: Follow us on TWITTER or FACEBOOK! Both would be just lovely!

2: LINK UP! Please note – we have (2) link-ups down below.. one is for Facebook, one is for Twitter! Link appropriately please!!

—>> Link up by following two EASY steps!

Step #1: Fill out the “submission” form below & enter your PROFILE URL into the “URL” section.

Step #2: On the next screen, select “Upload from Computer” and choose your image to upload.

3: Follow along with the co-hosts and at least 5 others.

4. Share our Follow Along! Please tweet: “Follow Along Party with @FancyLilThings today at http://wp.me/p29X49-1Dv” or you can always tell your lovely Facebook followers too!

BONUS: Are you interested in co-hosting one a future Follow Along? Contact us with details about you & your blog and we might just choose you!!

What is Project Night Night?

Every child who receives one of our Night Night Packages leaves the shelter owning a book which encourages reading and family bonding, a security blanket which can be cuddled, and a stuffed animal which can become a cherished friend.  We have one objective – to deliver our Night Night Packages to every homeless child in the country who needs one.

Project Night Night

In addition to the new book, blanket and stuffed animals, we included: washcloths, toothbrushes, toothpaste, colored pencils, and spiderman activity books.

(Apparently my boys inherited my need to make a silly faces in photos…)

And then we prayed for each child that would receive a bag. We prayed that God would bless, protect them and keep them healthy. We prayed that the little boys would come to know and love Jesus and know how much they are loved.

You can help!

Want to fill a bag for Project Night Night? Order tote bags here.

For every hope{full} piece sold, one meal is donated to Jungle Kids.

Each piece from our hope{full} collection is fair trade, organic and sustainable, giving work to Ecuadorian women and building families and communities. Necklaces, bracelets and earrings are made from tagua seeds, which are harvested, carved and dyed vibrant, beautiful shades.  We are also offering hand-made scarves that can be worn in your hair, around your waist, around your neck and any other creative way! Additionally, with the sale of each piece from the hope{full} collection, Lisa Leonard Designs will donate a portion of the proceeds back to Jungle Kids. For each piece sold we’re buying lunch for a child in need. That is awesome.

Lisa Leonard Blog: our hope{full} collection

Shop the hope{full} collection and help empower Ecuadorian artisans and provide a meal for a child in need. Click on the images below to learn more!

What is Jungle Kids for Christ?

We are a group of people who are passionate about empowering children of the jungle of Ecuador so that they will break the cycle of poverty and share a message of transformation with their family, community, country, and world.

Jungle Kids for Christ, Who We Are

They established a school, Antioch Christian Academy, to provide excellent education for children in the jungle. Consider sponsoring a student through Jungle Kids to help with the cost of their education.  Learn more here.

I have more posts about Purposeful Shopping…Check them out!

Sole Hope is celebrating their 3rd birthday! You know how most people GET birthday gifts? Not the awesome folks at Sole Hope. They are GIVING a 33% discount (code below) in their store, until the end of March. Shop away, my friends!

Remember how Fancy Little Things devoted a month to hosting Sole Hope Shoe Cutting Parties, raising donations & awareness? Read first-hand from some of the participants over at the Fancy Little Things Blog about how they are making a difference. {Spoiler alert…over 100 pairs of  shoes were cut! Seriously, go read their stories – they are wonderful!}

Fun! I’m featured on the Sole Hope Blog this week.  See why I love being a Sole Hope Ambassador! Go read why it has been such a blessing to be out of my comfort zone, and why I’m standing in the middle of the woods…

I have more posts about Sole Hope. Check them out!

Once Was Lost was created as we were trying to raise money for our own adoption and we were noticing a lack of adoption fundraising opportunities for Canadians. We knew that we wanted to help others raise support for their adoptions and after some brainstorming Once Was Lost was born.

We are currently helping Canadian and American families fundraise for their adoptions but have dreams of expanding in the future.

{About Once Was Lost}

Start by putting a name and face with the cause. Read these beautiful adoption stories here.

Then shop! 50% of designated sales will go to an affiliate family. If you have the name of an affiliate, write it in the Notes to Seller box when you check out. Check out some products you can find in their online store…

Want to learn about more ways you can help others by Shopping with Your Heart?