BeadforLife...

Good things, good people, good times all rolled into one...the Community Partner gathering for BeadforLife.

Those of you who know me, know that I am a volunteer with an amazing organization called BeadforLife (yes, all one word!). We recently had our semi-annual gathering in Boulder, Colorado and it was wonderful to see all of the lovely women (and one guy) who are community volunteers. (The photo is all of us on our last night together.)

If you don't know BeadforLife, please check us out. The organization was founded by three ladies who wanted to help the women in Uganda. (The photo above is me with one of the founders, Torkin). We empower these women by providing them with a viable way to earn a living while teaching them lifeskills to lift themselves and their families out of extreme poverty.

When you start looking for holiday gifts (no it isn't too early), I urge you to look at gifts that give two-fold such as BeadforLife.

And why you are at it, why not volunteer in honor of someone you love as well?

Of course, Sept. 11th is on everyone's mind this week. Our world was turned upside down that day.

I'll never forget my daughter, Eliza's quote the next day as I took her to school. It was a beautiful fall day here in Western Pa. and she looked at the blue sky, her school and everything around us and said, "Everything is the same, but nothing is the same."

We were relatively untouched in our lives - we didn't lose a loved one or friend, our routine stayed the same. But our hearts ached for those not so fortunate.

This weekend, let's all pause in our lives. Maybe you want to visit the Flight 93 Memorial, maybe you can visit New York and pay your respects, maybe you will just honor a moment of silence for everyone who lost their lives that day, for those left behind.

For all of our shortcomings, all of our faults, everything we lack, we are still a country that stands proud. Let's remember that.

And give your loved ones an extra hug this weekend.

Going to New York? Stay here:

The New Yorker Hotel is a well-known Midtown Manhattan hotel offering location, value and style.

Starry, starry nights...

Good things...after a few hectic weeks that included a very, very scary episode of extreme health issues for my mother-in-law, my husband and I were able to sneak away for a mini-vacation. Well, it was sort of a vacation because I was doing research for articles, but it was great fun because we were able to explore our beautiful state of PA!

One of the best places that we discovered is Cherry Springs State Park, one of the best star gazing sites in the nation. Read more here:

http://cranberry.patch.com/articles/day-tripper-goes-star-gazing

Good people...we love the folks of PA and on our little trip, we met many wonderful people who assisted us with directions, information, etc.

Good times...being with Paul is always a good time for me. We saw a bear while hiking and we both thought it was great fun - other people may think it is nutty to see a bear while hiking!

I hope that you have a loving partner like mine.

They did it!

Last week, I wrote about Robert Faulkner who was attempting to walk 24 hours straight in the Relay for Life in Cranberry Township here in the Pittsburgh area and about Mike Lloyd who was riding from DC to Pittsburgh to raise money for Camp AIM for the YMCA.

Both were going to do these tasks in record breaking temperatures and humidity typical of the Caribean.

Well, they both did it! Kudos to these two men who despite their own physical discomfort, kept at it and succeeded for a great cause!

They did good things, are good people, and had good times - maybe a few tough ones as well - but they did it.

Read more about Mike Lloyd's trip: http://upperstclair.patch.com/articles/upper-st-clair-man-bikes-from-dc-to-pittsburgh

Are these guys nuts or what?

Good things, good people, good times...I am finding more and more that my three topics blend into one. Take this week - I want to tell you about two guys who will be taking on tremendous physcial challenges for people they love.

As you may know, we are having extreme heat conditions in Western Pa. Despite the heat warnings, Mike Lloyd will be taking on the second leg of his Visionquest 2011. Mike has volunteered to undertake three challenges to raise money for Camp Aim, a camp for children with disabilities. The first leg was the 35-miles-in-one-day Rachel Carson Trails Challenge which he successfully completed in June.

This weekend, along with his law partner, Mark Coulson and brother-in-law Jerry Tucker, he will be biking 350 miles from Washington, DC to Pittsburgh along the C&O Canal and Allegheny Passage. You can follow their progress on Twitter at Moondog23p.

The second guy that I want to tell you about is Rob Faulkner whose wife Sharon is fighting brain cancer. Rob will be walking/running 24 hours in the Relay for Life in Cranberry Township in honor of his wife. Read more: http://cranberry.patch.com/articles/relay-for-life-supports-cancer-research-education-advocacy-and-services.

These are good guys, doing good things. Let's hope they have good times doing it!

Cindystock rocks on to help cancer survivors and their families

Good things, good people, good times....How about opening up your backyard for a concert to honor a good friend? That is what Cindy and Ted Yates did!

Read more: http://sewickley.patch.com/articles/cindystock-rocks-on-to-raise-support-for-cancer-research-and-awareness.

The dynamo behind "Cindystock," Cindy Yates, has organized a huge backyard concert for several years to raise over $40,000 for those facing cancer and their families.

If you live in the Pittsburgh area and are free, please try to attend. If you don't live in the Pittsburgh area, maybe you can help an organization in your area that helps cancer survivors and their families.

No matter where we live, we can all do something positive!

FairPlay creates awareness, honors legacy of Emma

FairPlay on Saturday, July 9th in Emmerling Park


Good things and good people...this is a blog about "good"....obviously from the title, you can figure that out.

But sometimes, life is hard.

Three years ago, Joe and Shannon Bursick lost their beautiful 7-year-old daughter, Emma, to Sudden Unexplained Death to Epilspy (SUDEP).

To honor Emma and to raise awareness about SUDEP, the Bursicks created FairPlay, a day of fun activities for the whole family.




You can read more about the event here:
http://pine-richland.patch.com/articles/fairplay-brings-awareness-raises-money-for-sudden-unexplained-death-in-epilepsy.


Good times...If you live in the Pittsburgh area, I urge you to bring your family to FairPlay for a good time and a good cause. If you don't live in Pittsburgh, you can read more about Emma at For information, visit www.fairplay-event.org or www.emmabursick.org.