We are happy to announce that Love, Olivia has been invited to be a vendor at the 2009 Rocklin First Baptist Church Christmas Boutique hosted by the Rocklin MOMS Club!!
This is an annual boutique that includes a variety of vendors including Cookie Lee, Silpada Designs, Discovery Toys, Uppercase Living, TT's Tutus, and much more! Most of this year's proceeds will benefit families in need during the holiday season. Last year, the Rocklin MOMS club provided Christmas trees, dinners, and toys to several families.
This year, the boutique will have a Christmas tree containing ornaments that display Christmas wishes of special needs children. These children have illnesses and disabilities such as Leukemia, Down Syndrome, Williams Syndrome, and many other severe conditions. Unfortunately, their family's Christmas celebrations will be scaled back this year due to the economy and other factors. In addition to the Christmas tree, Love, Olivia will use its boutique proceeds to further assist special needs families with grocery gift cards, toys and clothing through its Holiday Cheer basket campaign.
Please grab friends and family for a night of shopping and giving!! We look look forward to seeing you!! BOUTIQUE DETAILS...
Tuesday, November 10th, 5pm - 9pm
First Baptist Church
5425 Coronado Way
Rocklin, CA
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Perfect Day for a Yard Sale!!
On Saturday, October 10th, “rise and shine” came at 4:30am. We all agreed that we needed to get an early start in preparation for the 7:00am yard sale. The air was VERY crisp, but with hot Starbucks coffees in hand we were able to stay warm and be somewhat functional. With TREMENDOUS EFFORTS of our friends, we were ready for business right at 7am.
Sharply at 7am, we had our first customer! A quick looker on a mission for certain books. Unfortunately, we didn’t have it in stock at this sale. Rats! Then, minutes of silence – I think we could hear the crickets. I had a flashback to the silence at Denio’s and I started to panic. “Would this be a total flop? Would people stop by?” It must have been the “calm before the storm”, as minutes after these thoughts swirled through my head…
The crowds appeared!! We had a steady stream of people for almost 3 hours. Even people driving a moving van came to the yard sale, snatching up “big ticket items” left and right. By 11:00am, we were completed depleted of strollers, exersaucers, and many toys. By the time we wrapped up (2:00ish), we were blown away…
to realize that we raised $706.00!! We had a target of $350 - $400. We completely exceeded the expectations of the yard sale!! We were absolutely thrilled with the outcome!!
Not only was the yard sale a success, but we met several amazing special needs parents. These parents shared very sensitive, personal, and emotional stories with us. We felt a very special connection to each of these parents and hope to have future correspondence with them.
Additionally, we made a concerted effort to further raise awareness in our community. We provided flyers, web site details, and shared our own personal experiences and inspirations. We were encouraged to hear that many people were interested in making a difference including supporting Love, Olivia efforts during the holidays.
We are happy to advise that half of the yard sale proceeds will go directly to Malaysia Miller’s family. (Malaysia’s inspirational story and picture are listed below). The other half will go directly into the Love, Olivia charity to support other special needs families.
Sharply at 7am, we had our first customer! A quick looker on a mission for certain books. Unfortunately, we didn’t have it in stock at this sale. Rats! Then, minutes of silence – I think we could hear the crickets. I had a flashback to the silence at Denio’s and I started to panic. “Would this be a total flop? Would people stop by?” It must have been the “calm before the storm”, as minutes after these thoughts swirled through my head…
The crowds appeared!! We had a steady stream of people for almost 3 hours. Even people driving a moving van came to the yard sale, snatching up “big ticket items” left and right. By 11:00am, we were completed depleted of strollers, exersaucers, and many toys. By the time we wrapped up (2:00ish), we were blown away…
to realize that we raised $706.00!! We had a target of $350 - $400. We completely exceeded the expectations of the yard sale!! We were absolutely thrilled with the outcome!!
Not only was the yard sale a success, but we met several amazing special needs parents. These parents shared very sensitive, personal, and emotional stories with us. We felt a very special connection to each of these parents and hope to have future correspondence with them.
Additionally, we made a concerted effort to further raise awareness in our community. We provided flyers, web site details, and shared our own personal experiences and inspirations. We were encouraged to hear that many people were interested in making a difference including supporting Love, Olivia efforts during the holidays.
We are happy to advise that half of the yard sale proceeds will go directly to Malaysia Miller’s family. (Malaysia’s inspirational story and picture are listed below). The other half will go directly into the Love, Olivia charity to support other special needs families.
Malaysia Laray Miller
My name is Eurasia. I am a single mother of two lovely girls and one brand new grandson. The last few years of our lives have been difficult. I took a pretty big pay cut when I took a position at Elk Grove Unified School District in January 2004. I worked with families of different cultures and children with different disabilities. It was an awesome job and I loved it, however, we lost a lot including my vehicle that was repossessed.
Malaysia Laray Miller, was born on July 14th 2007 with Williams Syndrome, which was not diagnosed until September 2008. She was my second child and my little angel. Malaysia was born with a heart murmur. The doctors said that Malaysia was ok and the murmur would possibly go away with time, but there was no guarantee. Malaysia had a difficult time sleeping and breathing at night and I would stay up worrying about her. I was eventually told that Malaysia was actually suffering with Pulmonary Artery Stenosis and that she needed surgery right away. Malaysia had her first surgery on December 10th 2007 to help correct the problem with her heart. Malaysia had a second surgery on February 14th,2009 for her umbilical hernia which was abnormally large, and her tonsils and adenoids which helped her breath better through the night. Williams Syndrome is a rare condition caused by missing genes from chromosome 7. Malaysia will live with minor to moderate retardation, learning difficulties, distinctive facial appearance, and a unique personality that combines overfriendliness and high levels of empathy with anxiety. The most significant medical problem with WS cardiovascular disease is caused by narrowed arteries. More than 50% of WS children have attention deficit disorder, and 50% have specific phobias, such as fear of loud noises. People with WS require regular cardiovascular monitoring for potential medical problems, such as symptomatic narrowing of the blood vessels, high blood pressure, and heart failure.
Malaysia has changed my life for the better. She is truly an angel. Although I have been blessed with employment, my family is still faced with hardships. As a state employee, I am currently furloughed 3 times a month which is a 15% pay cut. It’s difficult, but I am happy to be employed and to be with my children.
Monday, October 5, 2009
HOLIDAY CHEER!!
Many special needs families are financially struggling due to the economy, medical expenses, and reductions in benefits. The costs of health care, therapies, and day to day living for these families are astronomical. We have spoken to several families directly regarding their financial concerns. The common denominator seems to be “how will I pay for groceries, gas, and provide my children with holiday gifts?”. We need your help to provide some relief and put Holiday Cheer into these special needs families’ homes!! The following holiday campaigns are ways you can help support your local community as well as make a difference this season...
Love, Olivia – Holiday Cheer Gift Baskets
This season, Love Olivia has a goal to deliver 3 holiday cheer gift baskets containing a $100 grocery certificate, $25 gas gift card, and toys or clothing for each child. Each basket will be worth $200. If you are interested in providing certificates, gift cards, toys, etc., please contact Love, Olivia directly at 916-752-8192 or send a mail message to loveoliviacharity@yahoo.com.
AND/OR
Easter Seals – Families Helping Families Support Fund
Each year, Easter Seals purchases toys for all of the families in need in their program for the holidays. They pick the families most in need and purchase toys, clothing, etc. for those children. They typically end up pulling together a large bag of goodies for each child. They also give gift certificates for groceries and Target to the parents. If you are interested in making a donation to Easter Seals, please contact them at http://superiorca.easterseals.com.
AND/OR
Adopt a Cancer Child for Christmas
Michelle Churn is a mom of a 3 year old boy, Cole, who has Lymphoma. (You can read Cole's story at www.caringbridge.org/visit/chunn). Michelle wants to ensure that children similar to Cole have a Christmas, and thus she has created Adopt a Cancer Child for Christmas. If you are interested in details of providing a gift to a child through the Adopt a Cancer Child program, please feel free to contact Michelle at 916-224-4022 or email her at chunn533mx@yahoo.com.
Love, Olivia – Holiday Cheer Gift Baskets
This season, Love Olivia has a goal to deliver 3 holiday cheer gift baskets containing a $100 grocery certificate, $25 gas gift card, and toys or clothing for each child. Each basket will be worth $200. If you are interested in providing certificates, gift cards, toys, etc., please contact Love, Olivia directly at 916-752-8192 or send a mail message to loveoliviacharity@yahoo.com.
AND/OR
Easter Seals – Families Helping Families Support Fund
Each year, Easter Seals purchases toys for all of the families in need in their program for the holidays. They pick the families most in need and purchase toys, clothing, etc. for those children. They typically end up pulling together a large bag of goodies for each child. They also give gift certificates for groceries and Target to the parents. If you are interested in making a donation to Easter Seals, please contact them at http://superiorca.easterseals.com.
AND/OR
Adopt a Cancer Child for Christmas
Michelle Churn is a mom of a 3 year old boy, Cole, who has Lymphoma. (You can read Cole's story at www.caringbridge.org/visit/chunn). Michelle wants to ensure that children similar to Cole have a Christmas, and thus she has created Adopt a Cancer Child for Christmas. If you are interested in details of providing a gift to a child through the Adopt a Cancer Child program, please feel free to contact Michelle at 916-224-4022 or email her at chunn533mx@yahoo.com.
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