Walking for the Cause

Hey all,

I'm walking in the Relay for Life again this year. It's being held on October 10. Yes, that gives you plenty of time to donate, but if you do it now, you won't forget! It's held on my birthday weekend every year. My wish would be to meet my fundraising goals and give big to the fight for a cure. Won't you help? Visit my personal page at the ACS to see why I'm walking. If you're one of those "special people" (/snort) who are my friend on Facebook, LOL, you can donate through there as well.

Thanks in advance for your support each and every year. I hope you know it means the world to me!

Speaking of Facebook, Lauren Dane & Megan Hart have a great rant discussion up about it. It's dead on the money. Check it out.

Relay for Life time again - crunch time!

EDITED: We're hitting crunch time for donations, and I'm only halfway there (the total includes those who have donated by check, and my company's matching donations, neither of which appear in my little thermometer progress bar). A heartfelt thank you to those of you who've already donated. You rock! I only have 3 more weeks to collect donations - I know we can do it!! Please click on the link below, and take the first step toward eradicating cancer. http://main.acsevents.org/goto/loris

It's that time of year again, when I get to hit up everyone I know for donations to support me in my annual Relay for Life walk for the American Cancer Society.

As most of you know, the fight to cure cancer is a cause near and dear to my heart. I'm walking in memory of my grandparents, Bob's grandmother, and Page's mom. This year, the walk is not on my birthday, and hopefully I won't have any business trips that require me to fly in at 1 am just before I walk at 8 am. (That totally sucked!).

Bob's band is playing again this year, and I will time my walk to be at the same time that they play. Last year they didn't play because Page had just lost his mom to leukemia. I'm going to try to get the kids to walk as well this year. Quote Jeff: "If it isn't too early." (meaning before noon!)

Please donate and help to fight this horrific disease. Every last penny counts - so don't feel like you should only donate if it's a huge amount (although I won't say no to large sums of money, LOL!). I have another ambitious goal this year - so PLEASE help me out - your generosity is so appreciated! Last year you all were so generous - you helped me raise more than $1500!

Although my fervent wish is that nobody ever has to walk in memory of somebody they love, I'm sure that cancer has touched all of our lives in some way. Here's how you can sign up to contribute:





http://main.acsevents.org/goto/loris


Side note: Damn the ACS - last year they had a widget that I put on the side bar so you all could track my progress - this year - nada. I'm still hunting, though...

Help Duke!

Updated July, 14 2008 So far we have had 26.50 donated towards Duke's surgery. We really need your help to be able to get Duke's surgery that he so needs. This dog deserves all the guardian angels he can get

Hi Everyone!

My name is Duke. I am a red, white, & blue, all American true, flag flying yellow labrador retriever. I am about 3 years old & weigh 100 pounds. (which we are trying to lose a few. Going down to about 90- 95 lbs would be great for me! My foster mom said I am just about the best 4 legged friend a human could ever ask for.

Unfortunately, I am not yet available for adoption.

Here's my story:

I was at a shelter & my time was up, so I was suppose to be shipped off to some research lab. (Yes this still happens)

Fortunately for me, Furry Bottoms Rescue stepped up & saved my cute furry face in the nick of time (whew)!

When I got to my foster mom's house she noticed that I seemed to be having a hard time walking & getting up, so..........she took me to the vet & yep, you guessed it, my knees are shot. No matter what they did to me and even when I would cry with pain I never onced growled, nipped or tried to bite. I just wagged my tail. The vet said I need knee surgery on both of my back legs & the surgery is going to be expensive, like $2,000 per knee (yikes)!!!. My foster mom said we would figure out some way to pay for my surgeries, but I know there has got to be a few guardian angels out there who would be willing to donate their spare change to help me get the surgeries I need so I can be someone's best running buddy.

We can't do this without your help. My life has been saved and now I need your help so I can continue on my way and find that forever home.

I have a mild disposition & am very gentle. I love to curl up by my foster family when they are hanging out at the house & catch a dog nap. I do love to play but just can't chase the ball like I would like to, but I can play tug-of-war with the best of them. I am a great listener & love to roll over & get my belly scratched (oh yeah)!!! I know the commands sit, down, no, & leave it. I get along great with the other dogs in my foster home, the cat, & children of all ages, but it would be best for me to live with children over the age of 5, because sometimes I forget how big I am & might accidentally knock over a smaller child. I have no food aggression issues, take treats nicely, ride well in a car, & walk good on a leash.

I am neutered, heartworm tested (negative), up to date on my vaccines, & dewormed (gotta tell you that stuff is disgusting)!

I would be all ready to go if it wasn't for my bum knees. However, with your kind donations I will be ready to make someone a best friend forever by late summer, so please donate for my surgeries, every little bit will help.

Love & sweet doggy kisses, Duke

You can make donations via this page.

An Author In Need

As per Larissa Ione:

Because A Friend Needs Help

from larissaione.com by Larissa

A couple of years ago, I lost everything (including, very nearly, my mind) in hurricane Katrina. The writing community came together in an AMAZING way to help me and my family – not only financially, but emotionally. Because of that, I’m back on my feet, writing, and published. Authors and editors are such amazing people, and because I reaped the benefit of their generosity, I do the same to help others when I can.

And now, one of the people who was massively helpful to me back then is in need. Here's the story, and the letter we've sent out to various loops:

Dear Friends,

One of our own, author Jo Leigh (aka Jolie Kramer) lost her husband on June 13 after he courageously battled cancer. If you don't know their story, which is the stuff romance novels are made of, you can read it here and see their wedding picture here.

In addition to being a fabulous friend to so many and a multi-RITA nominated author who has written for Harlequin Blaze, Temptation, Intrigue, Special Projects, Silhouette Intimate Moments and Meteor Kismet, Jo is known across the country for the amazing writing classes she teaches, including one on plotting that is incomparable. She has been incredibly generous to so many in sharing her knowledge and expertise.

Unfortunately, Jo has been left with a lot of medical expenses she will be struggling to cover as they had no health insurance, and we would like to help her out by holding several fundraising auctions. If you have items to donate - books or book baskets/collections, critiques, ARCs of upcoming releases, mentoring opportunities, web or promotional material design work etc., please email the item description to the following email address: forjoleigh AT gmail.com This is the address we're using to organize the items.

Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Alison Kent, HelenKay Dimon, Larissa Ione, Stephanie Tyler

* * *

For anyone who would like to contribute money, please email any of us privately and we will tell you how to go about doing so. (My address is larissa AT larissaione.com ) We will have a website up shortly listing all other contributions and auction details. Stay tuned.

Help Shiloh Walker Help The Cyclone Victims!!!

This is awesome! And for such a good cause! I shall go forth and bid!!!

From Shiloh Walker:

I've got an auction up on ebay to help raise money for the cyclone victims and I'm trying to get the word out.

Right now, it involves a couple of ARCs, several books, but more have added, and a GC to Barnes and Noble.

It's up on ebay thru missionfish-the charity I chose was SAVE THE CHILDREN since they already have people in the country and have had some success getting much needed supplies. And they have an excellent rep for putting their money where their mouth is- 90% of all monies received go to their programs, which is beyond excellent for a charity.

I know some people feel not doing anything might be best considering the actions of the junta and hold off waiting until that situation changes, but I don't think letting people suffer is a viable option either if there are ways of getting help in.

From Save the Children's 5/9 update-

Westport, Conn. (May 9, 2008) — The death toll in Myanmar continues to rise as a result of Cyclone Nargis and hardships for hundreds of thousands of survivors left in its wake are increasing. With 500 staff on the ground, Save the Children has reached 72,000 people, 24,000 of whom are estimated to be children, through the distribution of food, water purification tablets, plastic sheeting for shelter and other needed supplies

And this is part of the reason why I chose them-they already have people inside the country and they seem to be a trusted by those within the country, making it easier to get help in.

So far, the auction includes:

• Signed copy of Private Places, historical romance anthology, not due out until 8/08 with stories by Robin Schone, Allyson James, Claudia Dain & Shiloh Walker
• The Perfect Ten, signed, donated by Janice Maynard
• The Legacy & bookmarks, signed, donated by Beth Williamson
• Hard as Nails, signed, *7/08 release* ARC donated by HelenKay Dimon
• Signed books donated by Rosemary Laurey-titles to be listed at a later date
• Hunters: Heart and Soul, signed, by Shiloh Walker
• Hunting the Hunter, signed, by Shiloh Walker
• Hunter's Salvation, signed, by Shiloh Walker

Recently donated but not yet listed items include books from Patrica Sargeant, Ann Jacobs, Charlene Teglia, Kate Angell & a gift card from the Brown Literary Agency for Barnes & Noble.
Recently added items include:

• Wild, Wild West-signed-donated by Charlene Teglia
• Eternally His & Full Circle-both signed-donated by Ann Jacobs
• Boys of Summer Series - Squeeze Play, Curveball & Strike Zone - signed-donated by Kate Angell
• $50 Gift Card to Barnes & Noble donated by The Brown Literary Agency
• You Belong to Me & On Fire-signed-donated by Patricia Sargeant

More Items Added:

• Books-signed-& goodies from Desiree Holt/Judith Rochelle
• Ghost Touch & Prodigal Son-signed-by Mary Winter
• Meet Your Mate-signed- & promo goodies by Donna Michaels
• T-shirt & promo goodies from Selena Illyria
• The Bride Wore Boots-signed-by JT Schultz
• And possibly more to come…

And more...

• Hands On, Built & Nailed-signed- by Amie Stuart
• Dark Hunger-signed-by Sara Reinke
• Signed books from Devyn Quinn
• Witch Fire & Witch Blood-signed- by Anya Bast

Anybody interested in bidding on the auction, it can be found here

<http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270236138496>

Authors interested in donating can contact me shilohwalker at gmail.com

Proud mom

One of the things that Jeff has to do for his bar mitzvah is to complete a "mitzvah" (good deed) project. Basically, it's a community service project. Lots of kids do stuff like clean up a local park, or collect cans and bottles and donate the money to a Jewish charity. One girl in his class collected blankets for a local vet who does pro bono work on the side. Another is collecting beauty supplies for imprisoned women to help them feel better about themselves. My son is definitely my child all the way. What's his project??? BOOKS!!!

There is a local organization that collects books to replenish or even begin local school libraries in mostly impoverished or underserved areas (but not always). Because of his love of reading, and his love of checking out books from the library, he chose to collect books for this organization and distribute to local school libraries. Cool, no? While he sometimes irritates the hell out of me, I have to admit, he is a great kid. The organization is called BookEnds, and they do a great job in the local Los Angeles area. If you visit the web site, click on the link to read the story of how the organiation was founded, cause it was founded by an 8-year-old boy. Extra cool.

So... if you have any old kid's books lying around that you don't want anymore, and feel the urge to plop them in the mail, shoot me an email and I'll send you my address. You can see his flyer up on Google Docs here (it's prettier in its PDF format, but hey, you gotta love Google Docs for sharing!).

Asking for your help again

Friends of ours are running for the cure... this time it's for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He is a cancer survivor. Their sons are friends of our sons, and she is a teacher in the same district as Bob. Here's his site for the "Team in Training" San Diego 1/2 Marathon on June 1, 2008 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: http://www.active.com/donate/tntgla/tntglaJSchlei2.

Obviously, cancer is my pet cause... well, that and the American Stroke Association, because that's what my dad died from. But, this was his cause, too. I grew up knowing that the City of Hope was the organization. Funnily, when I was little, I thought that the City of Hope was the only cancer organization there was, LOL! My grandfather left a large chunk of his estate to the City of Hope. And I grew up knowing that donating blood and registering for the National Bone Marrow Registry was not just something that other people did. I donate blood every 2 months, and am registered in the bone marrow registry. It's a mitzvah (a good deed), and I view it as my duty. My brother also donates regularly (note that I said nothing about my sister, TB). It's just something that we do. I hope that my kids will understand that donating blood is something that everyone should do, and that they are responsible for it as soon as they are able. We discuss the huge responsibility almost every time that I come home with a big ol' gauze wrap on my arm. Imagine if you needed blood and there was none because nobody had donated. Scary.

I'm not telling you this to toot my own horn, to pontificate, lecture, or anything else, even if it's coming across that way. Honestly. I'm just trying to make a point. Leukemia patients depend on people like you and me to become bone marrow registrants, and to donate blood and platelets. They depend on people like you and me to donate money to help researchers find a cure.

I want you to help Jeff meet his goal of $5000. He's only $1000 away. Last year he raised over $15,000 over the course of the year for research and to help patients battling blood-borne cancers. Wow. That's a true hero. So if you meant to donate when I was doing the American Cancer Society Relay for Life last October, or if you always meant to do something... now you can do it. You guys rock! It's never too late to get involved! Donate here.

Click A Link To Help Fund Animal Rescue

Hi, all you animal lovers.

The Animal Rescue Site is having trouble getting enough
people to click on it daily to meet their quota of getting
free food donated every day to abused and neglected animals.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com

It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on the
purple box "fund food for animals" for free. This doesn't cost you a
thing. (And we don't make a penny from this either)

Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits
to donate food to abandoned/neglected animals in exchange for
advertising.

Here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com

On the site they have graphics/buttons like the one on the left to add to your blog. All you need to do is click once a day, and it helps them keep their funding.

Happy Clicking!

Relay for Life wrap-up

Thank you all so very much for your support in my efforts to raise money for cancer research for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life walk. In just over 2 weeks, you all helped me reach my goal of $1500, once my offline donations and company matches were all said and done. You all ROCK!

But, just as cancer never quits, so must we never quit. Holly is now doing her part, and walking in her local Relay for Life. If you wanted to help me out, but just didn't get around to it, or even if you did help me out... I bet you can find an extra spare $5. Every little bit helps. Why not help out Holly and MM in their efforts to wipe out cancer?!

Your help needed... update

Update: With your help, I'm 1/3 of the way to my goal. But there is still work to do. You still have time to donate before the walk next weekend. $1500 was a really lofty goal for a 3 week donation cycle, but I know I can do it! Let's help to rid the world of this awful disease. Every little bit helps, even $5 or $10. Thanks again for all the help and good wishes that you all have given to me already. It is truly appreciated!

Here's the link again: http://www.acsevents.org/relay/ca/simivalley/lsherden

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm walking in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life on October 7th. It's on my 41^st birthday. Last year, Mary Carves the Chicken was part of the entertainment for the walkers, but this year they aren't. Page's mom just lost her long battle with leukemia last week, so understandably they won't be playing this year.

I, on the other hand, felt even more strongly about participating, so I'm walking. They hold it every year on my birthday weekend. I'm getting back from a week long business trip to Boston (where I'll get to hang with Katie - yay!) on Saturday, and then Sunday I'll walk.

My goal is to raise $1,500. Please, please help me in this important cause! I'm walking in memory of my grandfather, Bob's grandmother, and Page's mom.

Although my fervent wish is that nobody ever has to walk in memory of somebody they love, I'm sure that cancer has touched all of our lives in some way. Here's how you can sign up to contribute: http://www.acsevents.org/relay/ca/simivalley/lsherden

Every little bit helps. Thanks!

The Big Haircut!

Yesterday was the big day! We chopped out hair to donate to Locks of Love and Pantene's Beautiful Lengths. Pics are behind the cut!

My sister went first!

Then hubby's little sister!

And finally it was my turn!

And here we are!