Nov 23, 2009

Foster Teen Christmas

By

Most of you know I don’t like to mention Christmas until after Thanksgiving.  However, I think this is a worthwhile post because it’s in the spirit of helping less fortunate teens have a better Christmas.

My friend Debbie’s cousin has recently worked with some foster teens in the Salt Lake City area.  She created an idea for Christmas to help them out.  The teens that would be helped through this cause are the most overlooked people when it comes to Christmas and donations.  They usually get whatever is leftover from other houses.  One year, one of the teens opened a present and said, “I just can’t believe I got an actual present and not just candy!”

Debbie’s cousin is trying to help 17 girls and 17 boys.  The idea is to get their dream list items before doing other donations.  These items are things they not only want but really need too.

Go to the It’s a Very Merry Teen Foster Christmas blog to get more details, stories, and information about this project.  You can also see the items that have already been purchased.  Even if you can’t do this alone, you might be able to help with a group of your family, friends, or neighbors.

Pass this along to others so these kids can have a good Christmas this year.

Filed Under: Charities, Holidays · 4 Comments
Dec 5, 2008

Festival of Trees

By

As most of you know, I’ve had some fun times with my friends over that last year.  However, I think out of everything we’ve done together, this takes the cake.  I wish I could say I helped, but the other ladies deserve all the credit!  Way to go, ladies!

A few months ago, my friend Danylle had the idea to donate a Twilight-themed tree to the Festival of Trees.  For those of you unfamiliar with the Festival of Trees, it’s a charity event held each year around Christmas to help raise money for the Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City.  Groups, such as local businesses, girls scout troops, local families, etc. donate a tree, complete with decorations and presents.  The trees are auctioned to the highest bidder, who gets to keep the tree and all its trimmings.  All the money earned from the auction goes to the hospital.

The tree and its trimmings cost $1300 to put together and was slated to sell for $1600.  To our surprise, it sold for $4000! We couldn’t be happier!  We never dreamed we’d be able to raise that much money for the hospital!

Each of the four books in the Twilight Saga is represented on the tree and “A Cullen Christmas” banner, at the top, brings all the decorations together.  Twilight is represented by apple ornaments.  New Moon is represented by tulip ornaments.  Eclipse is represented by the red ribbon adorning the tree.  And, Breaking Dawn is represented by the white queen chess pieces.  There are also glass balls with the Cullens’ and Bella’s names.

We decided to get gifts for each of the main characters in the books. For those of you who’ve read the books, the gift list will make more sense.

  • Bella: a scrapbook and camera
  • Edward: an electronic keyboard
  • Charlie: a fishing pole
  • Renee: an autographed copy of The Host donated by The King’s English bookshop and a $10.00 gift certificate
  • Carlisle: the “Operation” board game
  • Esme: a pink tool set
  • Emmett: a black bear rug and a toy jeep
  • Rosalie: a silver-plated vanity set
  • Alice: a Magic Eight Ball
  • Jasper: some American Civil War books
  • Renesmee: the complete works of Shakespeare and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
  • Jacob: a new toolbox, work light, and work gloves
  • The Volturi: the “Risk” board game

In addition to the themed gifts:

  • Sue made a vinyl lettering sign and a cookie plate that says, “Dear Santa, Vampires Believe.”
  • Shauna made a tree skirt, which is actually a twin-size quilt with the four book cover designs.
  • Infinite Jewelry, the official jewelry maker for the Twilight Saga, donated the Bella Bracelet and Engagement Ring.
  • Twilight Teez, the official T-shirt vendor for the Twilight Saga, donated the Edward “Bite Me” baseball cap and the Jacob “Hot Dog” beanie hat.
  • The Forks Chamber of Commerce donated a Forks Washington baseball cap.
  • Forks Outfitters sent a Forks Spartan sweatshirt.
  • Brent Neilson hand-carved the beautiful queen and pawn chess piece bookends for the Twilight Saga.
  • The complete Twilight Saga, a La Push hoodie, a Forks T-shirt, a “Team Edward” purse, a plush penguin doll, a Twilight 2009 calendar, and a Twilight movie poster were also under the tree.

The tree exceeded all my expectations and turned out beautifully!  I’m glad I can be a part of such a wonderful group of ladies!

I’m sure the ladies who spent their time, energy, and money would love to know what you think.  You can go to our blog to leave a comment, if you’d like.

Filed Under: Charities, Friends, SLTA, Twilight · 2 Comments
Sep 11, 2008

Twilighters For Forks

By

While my friends and I were in Forks, some of my friends found out that the Forks High School had been condemned and is in danger of being knocked down.  They wanted to help the city of Forks by raising money to help save the high school since there’s no way the city can do it alone.  Through the affiliations that my friends had made in Forks and with the backing of the Twilight Lexicon, they went to various city officials asking them for a way for fans to donate to the city.  The result was the formation of Twilighters for Forks!

There’re so many Twilight fans that have escaped to Forks many times while reading the Twilight Saga.  By helping save Forks High School, we can give something back to Forks!  Just think of how much money could be raised if every Twilight fan donated as little as $2.00!

Visit the Forks Forum website for all the details regarding the high school, the purpose of Twilighters for Forks, and the chance to donate to this cause.

Filed Under: Charities, Online Communities, Twilight · 4 Comments
Newer Posts »