Back in June when my spring quarter ended, I told myself that I was going to "relax" and "enjoy life" this summer. I pictured long, leisurely days spent playing outside with my kids, going to bed early each night, sleeping in late each morning....I wasn't going to get caught up in worry with self-imposed work deadlines and projects....I wasn't going to care if my house was spotless, or if the laundry was caught up....I was going to enjoy the good life!
This lasted approximately 5 days.
Then on June 16, we found out that Maple Tree got approved for non-profit status....and suddenly the "good life" meant running around like a chicken with my head cut off, telling everyone I could think of about Maple Tree. What a whirl wind the last 2 months have been! Backed by the support of my fearless board members, we have worked very hard to spread the word. We've spoken at Rotary Club meetings, Tawasi Club meetings, and community centers. We've given newspaper interviews. We've joined our local Chamber of Commerce. We've contacted every doctors office, oncology center, and hospital this side of the Mississippi. We're working on lining up some more speaking engagements at some local churches. And we've been making bows.......
Bows, you ask?? Why yes, bows!! Last January, I thought it would be fun to learn how to make hair bows. I have two adorable little girls, and what better hair accessory for an adorable little girl, than an adorable hair bow?! And thanks to Youtube and some late nights of practice, I learned how to make them. So, back in July I thought it might be a fun way to raise some money for Maple Tree. I wasn't sure what the response would be, but I thought I'd give it a go anyway. Late one night, I took a deep breath and asked my facebook friends if they would be interested in buying some breast cancer awareness bows. I soon learned what wonderful, supportive friends I have...within 2 days I had raised over $200! For the entire month, I was able to raise $500!! I was overwhelmed with gratitude. I just couldn't believe the support I was getting - even from people I didn't know!
This gave me an idea...One of the things I have wanted to do ever since I first started working on the Maple Tree was to create Chemotherapy Care Packages for patients who were undergoing chemo treatment. I got the idea when talking to a friend of mine who was undergoing treatment, and he mentioned that his treatments lasted an average of 8 hours -- and sometimes he would have to go a few days in a row, 8 hours each day!! Now, being the mommy of 3 (almost 4) very young children, the thought of spending 8 whole hours to myself sent me into an imaginary land of bliss.....but then I remembered that these people would be receiving medicine that many doctors refer to as "poison". Soon after their treatment ends, they will suffer from acute side effects, including nausea, vomitting, mouth sores, fatigue, diarrhea, neuropathy, bleeding problems, sleep disturbances, hair loss, memory loss, pain, infection, skin and nail changes, and swelling....just to name a few. And that's not even getting into the chronic and late effects of chemotherapy! So, in my attempt to follow Jesus' call to bear one another's burdens, I thought that chemo care packages might be a nice way to let these people know that someone out there cares about them.
Each care package will include a few items to help them pass the time (journal, pen, word puzzle book), somethings to help manage side effects (hand sanitizer, lip balm, ginger tea), some necessities to help them find answers to questions they may have about the journey they are on (Bible, "Becomming a Christian bookmark"), and of course, some things they could use at the Maple Tree (gym bag, water bottle, pedometer)! It costs approximately $15 to assemble each care package. Since the bow sales went so well in July, I decided to dedicate all bow sales from the month of August to these care packages. My goal is to raise enough money to create 100 care packages - a total of $1,500. So far, we have raised just over half of the money needed to meet this goal! Now that is a lot of bows!!! With 13 days left in the month, I am confident that we will reach our goal!!
If you would like to donate, simply send a check made payable to Maple Tree Cancer Alliance to 106 Peach Orchard Ave, Dayton, OH 45419. And of course, I would be happy to send you a hair bow as a thank you :-)
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
The wait is over!!
I know I'm a little late with this post, but exactly one week ago today we found out that Maple Tree was approved for non-profit 501(c)(3) status!! Praise God!! How funny that the night before I was blogging about the wait, and the very next day we found out we were approved. The Lord sure has a sense of humor!!
Now onto the next steps....We are now working on securing a building location. As soon as we found out we received non-profit status, I organized an impromptu prayer walk around the building I've been praying about since God first laid this project on my heart. I was both blessed and humbled by my friends who came to pray with my family. Since then, I've been getting daily emails from friends who have continued to pray for us. Many say that they pray for us while sitting in the traffic light next to our building. Not only is this a great way to stay persistent in our prayers, but it might also help drown out the noise coming from little ones in the back seat :-)
Since then, we have approached the current building owners about some donation opportunities. Without giving out too many details prematurely, it does look like they are willing to make a sizable donation to the Maple Tree. We are so extremely thankful for their generosity, and are very excited to begin a capital campaign that will raise the remainder of the funds needed to secure the space and start up the center. I believe God will use this capital campaign for His glory. When Jesus fed the 5,000 with a few loaves of bread and some fish, He simply focused on what He had and trusted God to use His offering to feed his sheep. As I look ahead to all the people who will be blessed through this cancer ministry, I know God will do the same with our offerings. In HIS precious name...
Now onto the next steps....We are now working on securing a building location. As soon as we found out we received non-profit status, I organized an impromptu prayer walk around the building I've been praying about since God first laid this project on my heart. I was both blessed and humbled by my friends who came to pray with my family. Since then, I've been getting daily emails from friends who have continued to pray for us. Many say that they pray for us while sitting in the traffic light next to our building. Not only is this a great way to stay persistent in our prayers, but it might also help drown out the noise coming from little ones in the back seat :-)
Since then, we have approached the current building owners about some donation opportunities. Without giving out too many details prematurely, it does look like they are willing to make a sizable donation to the Maple Tree. We are so extremely thankful for their generosity, and are very excited to begin a capital campaign that will raise the remainder of the funds needed to secure the space and start up the center. I believe God will use this capital campaign for His glory. When Jesus fed the 5,000 with a few loaves of bread and some fish, He simply focused on what He had and trusted God to use His offering to feed his sheep. As I look ahead to all the people who will be blessed through this cancer ministry, I know God will do the same with our offerings. In HIS precious name...
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
The Waiting Game........
Hello Again, Dear Friends and Family!!
We are officially 3 months into our wait for 501c3 status approval.....And anyone who knows me knows that among my many faults is a tremendous lack of patience.....so they've been 3 looooooong months! Very soon after I sent in our application, I received word back from the feds that we had made it through the initial screening round, and that I should expect to hear word within 90 days...........Tick.....Tick......Tick........We now have about 18 days left before that 90 days is up (but who's counting?!), so everytime I see our mail lady walking up the little path to my mailbox, I get a little tingle....only to rush to the mailbox and find the standard bills, bills, and credit card offers....and some more bills......
But, I will admit that this waiting hasn't been all bad. I've actually been able to make a lot of progress on the Maple Tree over these months of stillness. Our website is nearly complete, and will hopefully launch within the next couple of weeks. I've begun a local speaking tour at area community centers and churches, and am in the process of compiling a list of doctors offices and hospitals to approach to help spread the word about our little center. I've also enlisted a group of wonderful, godly friends who have been freverently praying for God to provide a building for the Maple Tree. There is one building in particular that He has really laid on my heart (I think I have mentioned it before in a previous post). I recently had the opportunity to take a tour through it, and although it needs a little TLC (which is okay, because I'm married to the handiest handy man I know!), it would be the PERFECT home for the Maple Tree. It has been on the market for about three years now. I still remember the week this building went on the market, I walked by it with my family one night (on our way to Graeters, of course!) and commented on how it would be the perfect place for a cancer rehab center....if I ever decided to open one! Well, fast forward 3 years, and it is still available and I just so happen to be opening a cancer rehab center! Isn't God good?! Of course, the down side of this perfect building is the cost....it is perfectly expensive! However, everytime I let my mind worry about the cost, God always finds a way to calm my fears. I believe that one thing He is trying to teach me through this whole experience is trust. Trust that He knows what is best for me, and that He will provide. And I firmly believe that He WILL provide a building for us. It may not be in the way I think it will or should happen, but I just know that He will come through, and I know that it will be AWESOME when He does!
Now to HIM who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to HIS power that is at work within us, to HIM be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen!!
(Eph 3:20-21, one of my favorites!)
We are officially 3 months into our wait for 501c3 status approval.....And anyone who knows me knows that among my many faults is a tremendous lack of patience.....so they've been 3 looooooong months! Very soon after I sent in our application, I received word back from the feds that we had made it through the initial screening round, and that I should expect to hear word within 90 days...........Tick.....Tick......Tick........We now have about 18 days left before that 90 days is up (but who's counting?!), so everytime I see our mail lady walking up the little path to my mailbox, I get a little tingle....only to rush to the mailbox and find the standard bills, bills, and credit card offers....and some more bills......
But, I will admit that this waiting hasn't been all bad. I've actually been able to make a lot of progress on the Maple Tree over these months of stillness. Our website is nearly complete, and will hopefully launch within the next couple of weeks. I've begun a local speaking tour at area community centers and churches, and am in the process of compiling a list of doctors offices and hospitals to approach to help spread the word about our little center. I've also enlisted a group of wonderful, godly friends who have been freverently praying for God to provide a building for the Maple Tree. There is one building in particular that He has really laid on my heart (I think I have mentioned it before in a previous post). I recently had the opportunity to take a tour through it, and although it needs a little TLC (which is okay, because I'm married to the handiest handy man I know!), it would be the PERFECT home for the Maple Tree. It has been on the market for about three years now. I still remember the week this building went on the market, I walked by it with my family one night (on our way to Graeters, of course!) and commented on how it would be the perfect place for a cancer rehab center....if I ever decided to open one! Well, fast forward 3 years, and it is still available and I just so happen to be opening a cancer rehab center! Isn't God good?! Of course, the down side of this perfect building is the cost....it is perfectly expensive! However, everytime I let my mind worry about the cost, God always finds a way to calm my fears. I believe that one thing He is trying to teach me through this whole experience is trust. Trust that He knows what is best for me, and that He will provide. And I firmly believe that He WILL provide a building for us. It may not be in the way I think it will or should happen, but I just know that He will come through, and I know that it will be AWESOME when He does!
Now to HIM who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to HIS power that is at work within us, to HIM be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen!!
(Eph 3:20-21, one of my favorites!)
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Child-like Faith
Hello again! Well, if there is one thing I have learned about this whole new world of blogging, it's that I'm not very good at it! It has been forever since my last post!! I think it's safe to say that I'm more of a facebook-girl, where you can update your status in 3 seconds and be on with your day. When I sit down to write a blog, I always feel like I need to have something very important to say....Some cool God story to tell....something.....And lately, even as great things have been happening with the Maple Tree (a.k.a my cancer rehab center), I just haven't found the time to sit down and update everyone! But today is the day....my baby is taking a nap, my older two kiddo's are at school, and my house is very peaceful and quiet. Perfect for blogging!
The last 2 months have been very exciting for me. At the end of January, I held my very first Board of Directors meeting!! How official does that sound?!?! And let me just say that I have the BEST Board....I can just see God's blessing all over this, as He has provided me with wonderful people who support this ministry and are willing to help me get it off the ground. My Board is assembled of two attorneys, a Pastor, and a retired chaplin who does medical missions specializing in end-of-life care (the night before I met him, I was praying that God would put someone in my path who could help me reach those who were terminal....feeling insecure about what I would say to someone who was dying. The VERY next morning at church, my Pastor introduced me to him! How is that for a cool God story?!). Our meeting in January was wonderful....I don't think I've ever felt so much love and support before. It made me so excited for what lies ahead for all of us. I really think that God is up to something BIG.
After the Board meeting, we spent the next seveal weeks finalizing the paperwork for our non-profit status application....Let me just say that this was a BEAR....In total, my application was 77 pages long!!! It took a total of 4 different attorneys to complete.....Two to write my Conflict of Interest statement and Code of Regulations (who knew that simply googling "code of regulations" and using whatever form I found was not good enough?!), and two different tax attorneys to review the completed application. Finally, after nearly 6 months of hard work, the application was ready! On Tuesday of this week I sent it in to the IRS! Now we just wait and pray and wait and pray and wait and pray.....I heard that the wait time can be anywhere from 4 months to over a year!
While we are waiting to hear if we will be granted non-profit status, my Board members are busily preparing a fundraising campaign. This whole thing is very much out of my comfort zone. I have never felt very comfortable asking people for money.....and I've found that I don't really have the ability to think "BIG" when it comes to this stuff. My grand idea for fundraising was to sell some cute little hair bows that I have learned to make. My husband reminded me that in order to raise the kind of money we will need, I'd have to sell about 200,000 hair bows....and maybe quit my job so I had the time to actually make the bows.....So, I've decided to leave the fundraising up to the experts. One of the attorneys on my Board was recently on a capital campaign for the Boy Scouts that raised 5 million dollars.....Now that's a LOT of hair bows!!
The main thing we will be raising money for is a building....some place for Maple Tree to call home. I have my eye on a very specific building, that just so happens to be up the street from my house. It was previously owned by an orthopedic surgeon, so it is handicapped-accessable, and it has the perfect lay out for what I would need - a big room for exercising, along with smaller rooms for one-on-one counseling and medical evaluations. Not to mention, it is literally 100 yards from my front door step....So, for the last several weeks, I have spent time walking around the building and praying over it (think of the Fall of Jericho, from Joshua 6...but without the trumpets and shouting). A few times I took my oldest daugher with me and explained to her that we were walking around the building, to pray that God would make a way for us to get this building so we could use it to help sick people. One of the last times we did this together, she looked up at me with the biggest, most excited look on her face and said "I just can't wait for God to give you this building, mommy!" It was so precious...and such a good reminder to me to stay steadfast in my faith. God calls us to have faith like a child.....without getting caught up in all the what-if's and what-not's of the world....I tend to be a little bit of a doubter.....when I prayed for the building, I would often think things like "Well, I know that God could provide this building if He wanted to........but maybe He has another one in mind.....". This is a great reminder to me to be bold in my faith. God WILL provide!
In light of this, I will end this entry with the words of Joshua 3:5, "Concecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you!". I just can't wait to see what God has planned!
The last 2 months have been very exciting for me. At the end of January, I held my very first Board of Directors meeting!! How official does that sound?!?! And let me just say that I have the BEST Board....I can just see God's blessing all over this, as He has provided me with wonderful people who support this ministry and are willing to help me get it off the ground. My Board is assembled of two attorneys, a Pastor, and a retired chaplin who does medical missions specializing in end-of-life care (the night before I met him, I was praying that God would put someone in my path who could help me reach those who were terminal....feeling insecure about what I would say to someone who was dying. The VERY next morning at church, my Pastor introduced me to him! How is that for a cool God story?!). Our meeting in January was wonderful....I don't think I've ever felt so much love and support before. It made me so excited for what lies ahead for all of us. I really think that God is up to something BIG.
After the Board meeting, we spent the next seveal weeks finalizing the paperwork for our non-profit status application....Let me just say that this was a BEAR....In total, my application was 77 pages long!!! It took a total of 4 different attorneys to complete.....Two to write my Conflict of Interest statement and Code of Regulations (who knew that simply googling "code of regulations" and using whatever form I found was not good enough?!), and two different tax attorneys to review the completed application. Finally, after nearly 6 months of hard work, the application was ready! On Tuesday of this week I sent it in to the IRS! Now we just wait and pray and wait and pray and wait and pray.....I heard that the wait time can be anywhere from 4 months to over a year!
While we are waiting to hear if we will be granted non-profit status, my Board members are busily preparing a fundraising campaign. This whole thing is very much out of my comfort zone. I have never felt very comfortable asking people for money.....and I've found that I don't really have the ability to think "BIG" when it comes to this stuff. My grand idea for fundraising was to sell some cute little hair bows that I have learned to make. My husband reminded me that in order to raise the kind of money we will need, I'd have to sell about 200,000 hair bows....and maybe quit my job so I had the time to actually make the bows.....So, I've decided to leave the fundraising up to the experts. One of the attorneys on my Board was recently on a capital campaign for the Boy Scouts that raised 5 million dollars.....Now that's a LOT of hair bows!!
The main thing we will be raising money for is a building....some place for Maple Tree to call home. I have my eye on a very specific building, that just so happens to be up the street from my house. It was previously owned by an orthopedic surgeon, so it is handicapped-accessable, and it has the perfect lay out for what I would need - a big room for exercising, along with smaller rooms for one-on-one counseling and medical evaluations. Not to mention, it is literally 100 yards from my front door step....So, for the last several weeks, I have spent time walking around the building and praying over it (think of the Fall of Jericho, from Joshua 6...but without the trumpets and shouting). A few times I took my oldest daugher with me and explained to her that we were walking around the building, to pray that God would make a way for us to get this building so we could use it to help sick people. One of the last times we did this together, she looked up at me with the biggest, most excited look on her face and said "I just can't wait for God to give you this building, mommy!" It was so precious...and such a good reminder to me to stay steadfast in my faith. God calls us to have faith like a child.....without getting caught up in all the what-if's and what-not's of the world....I tend to be a little bit of a doubter.....when I prayed for the building, I would often think things like "Well, I know that God could provide this building if He wanted to........but maybe He has another one in mind.....". This is a great reminder to me to be bold in my faith. God WILL provide!
In light of this, I will end this entry with the words of Joshua 3:5, "Concecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you!". I just can't wait to see what God has planned!
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