Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Love, Olivia Yard Sale!!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!! Love, Olivia is hosting a Yard Sale to benefit special needs families!! The Yard Sale will be held from 7am – 1pm on Saturday, October 10th at 2303 Heron Ct, Rocklin, California. The Yard Sale will have strong emphasis on children’s clothing, toys, and accessories. However, the Yard Sale will also have lots of other previously loved goodies for sale.
If you have any items that you wish to donate, please feel free to contact me via email at loveoliviacharity@yahoo.com or call me at 916-752-8192.

Denio’s…Not Quite the Venue to Sell Children’s Apparel

At 5:15am on Saturday, September 12, 2009, Cheri Pryor, Kjell, sick little Olivia, and I left our house with 2 truck loads of children’s apparel, toys, and books. Additionally, Cheri brought along 2 very stable clothing racks. After the trucks were unloaded, Kjell and Olivia headed home while Cheri and I prepared for “business”.
It was a LONG MORNING until about 9ish. It was then that we sold a pair of shoes! “Woo-hoo” we shouted!! Throughout the day, we sold various clothing and toys. It wasn’t a significant impact, but every little bit helps especially given the fact that for each item sold, we are donating an item to a special needs family.
As I was sitting there, I was watching people purchase tools, antiques, and fruit. It dawned on me that folks really don’t go to Denio’s seeking out children’s apparel. It may have not been a great selling outcome, but we handed out several Love, Olivia flyers that explained the mission and vision of the company. I feel we made connections with several visitors. I am hopeful that they will further explore the web site and this blog.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Denio’s Farmers Market Here We Come!!

We are gearing up to make our first appearance at Denio’s Farmer’s Market in Roseville, California on Saturday, September 12, 2009. Friends and family are pitching in cleaning clothes & toys, tagging items, gather equipment, etc. Additionally, significant efforts and support are underway for the completion of the web site.

We hope that our presence at Denio’s will further promote our vision and obtain additional community support for special needs families. We will provide flyers and our Love, Olivia buttons to those who stop by our booth. If you are in the area, please stop by to visit!! We would love to see you!!

Sunday, September 6, 2009

The First Recipients of Love, Olivia!

I'm so happy and proud to announce that the first baskets have been delivered! It was heartwarming and emotional to say the least. Because of all the outpouring of love and compassion from our friends, families and Easter Seals, it happened.

Below you will find the stories of the two families who benefited this week. Take a moment to read and please keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they continue on their special journeys.

God Bless!

Karen Thernka and Kjell Framnes


JOSEPH SEAVERSON
Joshua Seaverson

Joseph Seaverson has been diagnosed with a rare and terminal seizure disorder. Additionally, Joseph is starting to go blind. He has surpassed his Dr.’s expectations in terms of his life span thus far. He is currently 2 ½ years old. His family has struggled financially for years. The staff at Easter Seals pitched in last year and got a plane ticket for his mom to take him to her home country so that his grandparents could see him for the first time before he passes away. Apparently dad just lost his job, so the financial troubles that the family has experienced will be getting even worse. Joseph has extensive medical expenses due to his condition, so any help at all whether clothing, toys, groceries, financial is greatly appreciated by this family.


PAUL GOODWIN
Paul Goodwin

Paul Goodwin Family

Paul was born on March 25, 2008, however, he began demanding attention well before that. Paul was diagnosed with hydrothorax, plural effusions or fluid build-up in his chest cavity inside the womb. There was so much fluid that it began causing heart failure. The doctors went in immediately with a very long needle through his mother’s abdomen, into his chest and removed the fluid. This only helped Paul for a few days, so the doctors entered his tiny, unborn body once again, this time to place a shunt in between his ribs to serve as a sort of drainage tube for the rest of the pregnancy. The shunt worked like a charm and Paul was born full term with Down syndrome. After his birth he remained in the NICU for two months. He had a severe heart defect which greatly affected his energy level and left him too tired even to eat. A gastronomy tube was finally placed to help with the feeding issues and he came home, not as a new born but as a two month old infant. At four months of age Paul was big enough and strong enough to have open heart surgery. His energy level instantly increased and he began rolling over a week after the surgery. Not long after that Paul caught RSV, a nasty respiratory virus that took over his lungs, caused pneumonia, and almost claimed his life. After a month in the PICU on the ventilator, Paul was in and out of the hospital for the next four months battling both strains of flu, Steven-Johnsons (a severe allergic reaction to antibiotics), and dehydration. The most amazing part of his story is not that he experienced all of this by the age of one, nor is it that he survived so many life threatening ordeals. The most amazing thing about Paul is his smile. No matter how many doctors he meets or how many times he gets poked with needles or how many therapy sessions he endures each week, he greets everyone he meets with a huge smile and instantly captures their hearts. Paul has been such a blessing to our family and has no bigger fan than his two year old sister. He has taught us patience, faith, unconditional love, and the true meaning of strength. We are only beginning to understand the great power of the extra chromosome and look forward to the wonderful things it will bring to our family.