Cables Plus ranks 54th in the “top companies in telecommunication,” according to Inc Magazine, and they are one of the companies listed in Inc Magazine’s 2007 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America. They have all kinds of cables and accessories such as fiber optic cables, and the really neat thing is that they contribute 10% of their profits to organizations that help the community. They have made contributions to the following organizations and plan to continue:

• Central Virginia Food Bank
• Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
• Disabled Sports USA
• U-Turn for youth
• Crisis Pregnancy Center
• March of Dimes

If you go to their site, be sure and click on testimonials to read their customer reviews. This company is committed to supplying superior performance, quality-assured products, and outstanding service to customers.

Plans are under way to build a September 11 Memorial. This memorial will pay tribute to those who lost their lives and will be a place where families and friends who lost loved ones can go….a place where stories of that day will be preserved for future generations. I cannot imagine losing someone I love the way that they did on that horrific day.

We watched the memorial video, and it was very touching. If you have a few minutes, please watch this national video tribute: September 11 Memorial Video Tribute.

If you’re looking to make a charitable donation, Foster’s Home received “Best in America,” certified by Independent Charities of America. Of the 1,000,000 charities operating in the United States, fewer than 2,000 have received this award. It shows that the charity meets the highest standards of public accountability, program effectiveness, and cost effectiveness. You can check out Foster’s Home for Children and see what I’m talking about.

Foster’s Home for Children is a wonderful place for troubled children to go for healing, nurturing, and learning appropriate skills for interactive living. The home was started over forty-one years ago and has helped countless children and their families. We have given to this home through the years, and it’s a wonderful place if you’re looking to make a charitable donation. They are in the process of expanding, and what a wonderful place to put your donation where it will aid troubled children.

Alzheimer’s disease used to be something that I would just read about in magazines. But now it seems that every year someone I know is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. One of my friends, who I knew in high school, no longer visits her mother in her childhood home but visits her in a special care facility for Alzheimer’s patients. Two more friends’ mothers received the same diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease earlier this year. Just recently, I found out that a sweet lady with whom I used to do volunteer work was diagnosed as well. So now Alzheimer’s is personal for me because four ladies who are friends of mine or my family are affected by this disease. Their families know firsthand just how important quality care is for their loved one who has Alzheimer’s, quality care that will provide for their educational, social, emotional and practical needs. And that’s why they have found facilities that provide this kind of excellent care.

When you are thinking about a special holiday gift you want to get for someone, why not visit the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America eStore where you can not only get a nice gift but also help a wonderful cause! Remember that all proceeds go to benefit the foundation. And remember that it is so important for families with Alzheimer’s patients to find the best quality care they can find, and your purchases at the eStore will help that cause as well as aid in seeking to find a cure. We need to remember to give our support to these families in various ways and help them when we have the opportunity.

Every year we have a Fall Festival in the fellowship area where we attend church.  It’s free and open to the community, and we usually always have a big attendance.  There are all sorts of fun games like you would see for little kids at school carnivals plus we have a “cupcake walk” and a hayride outside.  There’s free food which usually includes hot dogs, cheese nachos, frito-chili pie, lemonade, etc.  And, of course, there’s tons of candy.  Last year my family put up a little area surrounded by black trash bags so it would be dark inside, and then we had all kinds of Halloween lights and a little black light inside.  I think the game inside was a beanbag toss into a plastic pumpkin.  The kids loved it!  This year we’re doing tic-tac-toe beanbag.  It’s always so much fun to see how the kids (and adults) dress up.  And the great thing about this festival is that it’s safe and families don’t have to worry about not having the money for their kids to attend since it’s free.  Hope everyone has a safe Halloween night! 

We are watching “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” right now. This mom, Julie, and her three daughters all have this condition called Chiari. Chiari is a structural defect in the part of the brain that controls balance, and it can cause all kinds of neurological problems, and in severe cases it can cause death. For 16 years I think it was, Julie didn’t know what was wrong with her. It took literally 100 doctors to finally diagnose and do surgery and get her to the point where she is today. Her daughters have inherited her condition which really bothers Julie. And to make matters worse, they lived in a chicken coop that they added on to and tried to make livable.

What is really sweet and inspiring is the fact that, in spite of Julie’s situation, she reaches out to others who have this condition and has helped so many people and their families. She is really making a difference in a lot of other people’s lives and has even helped to save lives.  If you would like to know more information about the disease, go to Chiari People.

I had a friend die of breast cancer and leave behind three children, the oldest was our daughter’s age, and the youngest had just celebrated her third birthday. I can remember having them over when their daughter was a tiny baby, and we were all focused on the joy of having a newborn. Little did I know that years later I would do the Susan G. Komen “Race for the Cure” in her memory.  There is something I can do now, too, and that’s participate in “Pink for the Cure.”

I have several friends who are breast cancer survivors, and they all know that breast cancer research is so important! We can all do our part to help further this research. This month, there are several companies that have “Pink for the Cure” on their packaging and will donate to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research. Also, you can go to 3 Day Mom for more info.
Here are some of the “Pink for the Cure” packages in the stores:

*Argo Corn Starch

*Betty Crocker – Hamburger Helper, Cookie Mix

*Energizer Batteries
*Fleischmann’s Yeast

*General Mills – Cheerios, Total Raisin Bran

*Green Giant Vegetables

*Karo Syrup

*Mazola Pure Cooking Spray

*Northland Cranberry Juice

*One A Day Women’s Vitamins
*Pillsbury- Crescent Rolls & Grands Sweet Rolls

*Progresso Soup

*Spice Island Pure Vanilla

*Thomas Kinkade “Angel of Hope”

*Viva Paper Towels

*Yoplait Yogurt