Things I am Thankful For: Week 2

This week, I would like to do something a little different. The holidays are the time of year for family, friends, giving, thankfulness, and charity. This week, I'd like to highlight the latter. There are a number of charities I am passionate about, for various reasons. I think we've all encountered an event in our lives that makes us thankful and appreciative of various charitable organizations. If you have any you'd like to add to this list, please do so in the comments!

1. Alzheimer's Association - My very dear grandmother passed away almost 2 years ago to the day (November 9, 2007) today. She suffered from Alzheimer's, and it was very difficult both for her in the early stages, as well as my family. I hope that one day a cure is discovered to rid other families of this heart-wrenching disease. November is also Alzheimer's Awareness Month, so it's a great time to learn more about the disease and how you can help.
   
2. Pancreatic Cancer Action Network - We also had a family friend fight a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. He gave up his fight 2 years ago this spring, and ever since then his family, as well as mine, have been very much involved with finding a cure for this terrible disease as well. My mom plays an integral role in making strides to find a cure for pancreatic cancer in our local area, so I know for a fact how easy it is to make a difference! In addition, November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, so I urge you to learn more about ways you can help!
   
3. Innocence Project - Not long ago, I watched a very raw documentary about wrongfully convicted individuals whose lives have been ruined from jail time. The Innocence Project is a public policy organization dedicated to helping exonerate these individuals. Another good resource related to this program is http://www.exonerated.org.
4. National Kidney Foundation - My brother-in-law lives with kidney disease, and I have ran into some kidney problems myself over the past 8 years. For this reason, I have learned a lot about kidney function and health. If nothing else, this is great information for you to know, so I urge you to learn more about kidney function and health, and how to tell if you have signs of kidney disease or other kidney problems.

While I value and appreciate all the various organizations available to us for knowledge and possible cures, these are the ones I am truly passionate about.

Do you have a story you'd like to share about an organization that has become a part of your life? Or even just the link to the organization for us to learn more information! If so, please feel free to share!

xoxo

Words of Wisdom and Paper Necessities

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! The picture shown shows a small sampling of paper goodies I received! The floral patterns will be used mainly for wedding invitations. I am excited to showcase an invitation with the dark purple petal shown! And the boxes are for gift stationery sets I will be launching.

In other news, I finished up some Words of Wisdom cards I was working on for an upcoming wedding. I wanted to show a sampling of photos because I think the colors are GORGEOUS for a mid-summer wedding! I have also developed some new ideas that will be an extension of these cards, and will be showcasing them soon! I'll keep you posted.

Coming up: I started working on a line of surfing cards I will be showcasing in the next few weeks. This stationery will donate 10% of all the proceeds to a scholarship fund in honor of a family friend who passed away tragically in a car accident. I will have much more information about this stationery soon! The stationery is coming along great, and I am looking forward to helping out this wonderful scholarship!

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend and I'll keep everyone updating on these various exciting projects!