June 25, 2008, 4:29 pm

The Tickled Pink Brigade stopped by today to deliver the donations they gathered from their lemonade stand. They were so adorable!

It’s exciting to see parents encouraging their kids towards philanthropy. It’s so important to encourage them to use their blessings and talent for others, starting at a young age. That way they will know early-on the immeasurable joy that comes from giving and will continue it as normal, everyday part of their lives.

June 24, 2008, 3:30 pm

I’m tickled pink to report that Azia, Dayne & Reeve sold the 100 cans of lemonade in less than two hours! Even though there was a suggested donation of $1 per can, they were able to raise $358.58! Donations ranged from a $100 pledge over the phone to .58 cents from a woman who wanted to help but only had small change in her coin purse.

There was great interest in “Art with Heart” throughout the day and the kids handed out information. They wore Oodles of Doodles tee shirts and showed off our collection of books.

The kids will be hand-delivering the proceeds in person this week…we can’t wait to thank them for their marvelous contribution!

June 21, 2008, 3:50 pm

We had a wonderful trip to Arizona – a combined vacation and book signing / reading events for our new book, “Such a Silly Baby.” Since we are donating a portion of our proceeds to Art with Heart, we also had the opportunity to talk with parents about the organization during the event. The Barnes & Noble in the Foothills Mall got so excited about the AwH books, that they are trying to figure out a way to help on a more permanent basis.

During the book signing at Changing Hands in Tempe, we got to meet Jim Paillot, one of the illustrators of “Magnificent Marvelous Me!” It was such a treat for me, especially since much of my communication with the illustrators is through email and phone calls. A few weeks back, he wrote, “I received my book today… it is so incredibly COOL! The design, the art direction and most importantly- the idea- is so fantastic! We have a tradition in out house that if someone does something remarkable or heroic or outstanding then they get to eat off the red plate at dinner. You would be eating off the red plate at out house if you were here.” Such an honor!

June 11, 2008, 4:36 pm

Wow! It is so great to be able to celebrate the launch of this important new book for siblings. It was such a great party too. We had lots of great folks, ranging from some of the artists to the family that inspired both Oodles and MMMe, to the printers and therapists – as well as general supporters who were excited to learn more about it and see the book, hot off the press!

We brought up each group of people who contributed in some way, to introduce them to the rest and to thank them for being absolutely marvelous. We would not have been able to put this book together if it hadn’t been for them.

Hallie Holton (pictured with her family) was the inspiration for the Oodles book was happy to chat with the other guests about her “star status”, but her younger sister Katie was all smiles since she now has a book dedicated and inspired by her. She has reason to be proud…this book will be able to help 5,000 siblings just like her – in the first printing alone!

It was especially enjoyable to watch the therapists talk to the artists and the printers talk to the Holton family. It’s such a joy to bring people together for such a good cause. And what’s wonderful is that they get to experience that amazing joy that comes only from knowing you made a difference.

Click on the photo gallery to see more pictures from the event (they are posted under “Event”)!