FeeFiFoto Blog

Guess What? It's International Polar Bear Day.

Let's learn a little bit about polar bears.

What do you mean you don't want to learn about polar bears?  It's always good to learn stuff.  Now sit down and shut up.

• Male adult polar bears can grow up to 12 feet long; the females can reach 9 feet.  This disparity in size enables the males to change the highest light bulbs while the females look up and kibitz.
• Polar bear fur isn't actually white -- it's colorless and the long hairs are hollow.  The hollow hairs trap infrared light to help keep the bear warm.
• On a scale of 1 to 10, polar bears cubs are just about the cutest things on the planet:

Cute picture, huh?

• Polar bears are kept warm by thick fat, two layers of fur and compact ears and tails that help reduce heat loss.  They're made for snow just like Tibetan Terriers, although I can hardly imagine Miss Puppy supporting herself by hunting seals at the North Pole but I can picture her eating her fill of moles if there are in fact moles at the Pole.
• You can adopt a polar bear here, at Polar Bear International.

Need To Raise Money For Your Organization?

Setting the Scene

Tell the truth: You have lots of orphan photos on your hard drive, don't you?

Not exactly the kind of orphans I had in mind... in any case, the picture came from here.

So do your kids' preschool, Brownie troop, children's choir, Boy Scout troop, t-ball team.  The preschool takes a field trip to the pumpkin farm and someone shoots armloads of pictures, of which 3 make it into the newsletter, another 3 appear on the school’s web site, and the rest sink into the oblivion of the preschool director's computer hard drive. 

And it seems that your kid's picture is never in the newsletter because your kid is so gorgeous and engaging that the people designing the newsletter don't want the other parents to feel bad that their kids are so much goofier and uglier than yours, so there are pictures of YOUR KID, cute photos of your little darling, that you'll NEVAAAR get your hands on because the preschool staff is too overloaded to do anything except store them away like Indiana Jones's Lost Ark, only it's way sadder because these are pictures of YOUR KIDS and not just the Ark of the Covenant.

Or you belong to a cat group or a dog group or a horse group or a snake group or a llama group and someone takes captivating pictures of your lovelies, but the only ones you see have been posted on the web site and you never get access to any of the others.

Or you do the Autism walk, or the Breast Cancer walk, or the Humane Society walk or the March of Dimes walk (march?) and lots of people take lots of pictures, most of which you never see.  Meanwhile, your pet organizations relentlessly appeal for donations (or, in the case of the dog and cat clubs, noms) so you participate in bake sales and car washes and dogs washes and gift wrap sales and pizza sales, which you hate, or you sell Girl Scout cookies, which... well, Girl Scout cookies practically sell themselves, so let's not go there.

So, let's recap.

1. There are hundreds, maybe even bazillions, of photo files of your kids or your dog or your cat or your horse or your alpaca that you never get to enjoy.
2. You belong to a list of organizations that regularly prostrate themselves at your door, in your driveway, on your roof, in your inbox, imploring you to donate so they can supply juice boxes for your little darlings on field trips and continue to pay postage on solicitation letters.
3. Wouldn't it be phenomenal to a) get your hands on those pictures, while b) raising money for your organization, at c) no cost to you or your group?

Come on, admit it -- it would.

I know exactly how you feel. 

My daughter sings in a choir.  The choir owns photos from rehearsals and field trips that aren’t typically made available to choir families. Choir parents and audience members are not allowed to take photos during concerts; my brother-in-law tried to sneak a few shots at Cupcake's first concert, and as much as I would have liked to have some photos, I had to suppress him.

 

Parents know there are legitimate reasons for these restrictions, but we also feel a sense of loss at our powerlessness to preserve these special moments involving our children.

Well, here I come to save the day, offering you and your organization a win/win deal.

Tune in tomorrow for the 411.

Please Show You Care

Please visit Her Bad Mother and offer her some love and maybe some assistance.  Her 11-year-old nephew is terminally ill with a form of muscular dystrophy and the boy's mother is a single parent trying to care for him at home.

More About Michael Vick

I can't say it any better than John Woestendiek, so just click over to ohmidog! for the entire story.  Here's the bait:

 

Do you think Michael Vick has proven remorse?

Open Your Wallet And Give

We're on vacation for a couple of weeks and internet will be intermittent, so I'm offering up some older posts I hope you'll enjoy.  This one's from November, 2007.

See this man?  His name is Catalino Tapia.  He's a 63-year-old gardener.  He lives in Redwood City, CA and works maintaining trees and gardens in San Francisco.

He's also a philanthropist.  Read about him here:

"Catalino Tapia [came] from Mexico ... 40 years ago with a sixth-grade education and only $6 ... He became a legal resident and raised a family by working in a donut shop, a machine shop and then plant nurseries, before starting his own gardening business...

Tapia ... always had his eyes on the future…Even before his first child was born ... he was saving money for them to go to school.

Tapia's youngest son attended UCLA and then ... the University of California - Berkeley Law School. He's now a lawyer in Los Angeles...

Tapia wanted to do something to help the less-fortunate children in his community ... His son suggested Tapia start a foundation that would give scholarships to students ...

Wordless Wednesday: Sometimes It's Okay To Play With Your Food

The Space Shuttle, built from donated cans by Robespierre's 6th grade class.  Sixth Grade won first place in the middle school, and all the sculptures will be dismantled and donated to a food bank.

Who You Callin' A Heifer? Raising Money For The Heifer Project

Last month my mother offered to send a $10 contribution to Heifer International in the name of each grandchild, to help sponsor an animal of their choice.

What's Heifer International?  I'm so glad you asked.

"Heifer’s mission is to end hunger and poverty while caring for the earth. For more than 60 years, Heifer International has provided livestock and environmentally sound agricultural training to improve the lives of those who struggle daily for reliable sources of food and income...

Every gift of an animal provides direct benefits such as milk, eggs, wool, fertilizer, as well as indirect benefits that increase family incomes for better housing, nutrition, health care and school fees for children. Recipients “pass on the gift” of offspring of their cows, goats and other livestock to others in an ever-widening circle of hope.

Heifer currently works in more than 57 countries, including the U.S."

Cleo's school collects aluminum cans to raise money for Heifer.  Every year they raise enough to pay for a goat or a few rabbits; cans go for about thirty cents a pound and a goat costs $120, so those kids retrieve and crush about 400 pounds of cans a year. A flock of chicks or ducks or geese costs $20.  A trio of rabbits will run you $60.  You can buy shares in sheep, llamas, honey bees, pigs, water buffalo, and yes, heifers. 

Cleo tried to charm her way to an entire water buffalo, which costs $250; when her heavy-handed application of puppy eyes had no impact she resolved to conduct her own fund raiser.  She's collected a garbage bag full of crushed cans (five pounds = $1.50 -- woo hoo!) and she posted a fund raising widget on her blog.  So far she's received seven donations for a total of $44.

Feel like your life won't be complete until you can say you helped buy a water buffalo?  Here's your chance.  Click on over to Cleo's blog and tell her Fee sent you -- she'll understand.

Thursday Thirteen: The Season To Give

Is it worse this year?  I doubt it.  Every year I see stories about how the food banks are hurting, the homeless shelters are in trouble, donations are needed everywhere.  This year I seem to be seeking out more opportunities to give.  It makes me feel good, it sets a good example for my kids, and it helps someone.  So far:

• The sealed anonymous grocery bag filled with canned and packaged food that will go to some family in time for Christmas.
• The needy family adopted by Robespierre's sixth grade class.  He chose the fifteen-year-old boy who wanted a new pair of sneakers; we found Avia running shoes for half price at Sports Authority, and threw in three pairs of socks.
• The stuffed animal donations at Anthropologie for kids with cancer -- a furry brown horse with a fringy mane and tail.
• Ten dollars to the guys who stand out in freezing weather the Thursday morning before each Thanksgiving selling newspapers to raise money for children's charities.  Next year I swear I'll remember to take the paper so I can wave it out the window at all the other newspaper vendors on all the other street corners who appear concerned that I might not yet have participated.

 

• The Salvation Army bucket outside every grocery store.  Click the red button to make a donation to my bucket.  I get nothing out of it; I'm just making it convenient for you to give.
• The scholarship fund at Robespierre's summer camp in memory of the longtime camp director who passed away last month.
• The Macedonia Church of God In Christ, whose not even completed church building burned on election day.
• School supplies being collected and shipped to a town in Israel by Cleo's girls club.
• The book exchange Cleo and I are holding at our house this weekend.  Each guest will bring 10 books and select up to eight books brought by another guest; anything left over will go to charity.
• The extra dollar coupons at checkout at Petsmart, the grocery store, even Domino's Pizza online.

• The Heroes At Home Wish Registry sponsored by Sears.  Thanks to Karen at The Pond for pointing this out.  More than 31,000 military families are registered, most with at least one family member deployed this holiday season.  The touching part is that, as so often happens, family members requesting gift cards never seem to ask for anything for themselves, but always for someone else.
• Cleo's school book fair, where we'll donate books to every teacher she and Robey have ever had.
• A pound of coffee at Starbucks to be sent to soldiers in Iraq.

More on charitable giving: Giving

Racism? Just Plain Cruelty? Does It Matter? The Burning Of The Macedonia Church of God In Christ Building In Springfield, Massachusetts

PS: PLEASE STUMBLE THIS POST.  Thanks.

From today's New York Times, an article about a pastor's fervent ambition to build a new church to house his growing congregation in Springfield, Massachusetts. Bishop Bryant Robinson, pastor of the Macedonia Church of God in Christ, took over the congregation after his father and co-pastor's death in 2001, and decided it was time to replace the church's 100-year-old facility.

"[T]he church on King Street, now more than a century old, could no longer meet the congregation’s needs. Parking was minimal, the maroon carpet old, the windows small and high; Oh Lord, could it get hot in those pews on a late summer Sunday.

We deserve a church meant for us, built by us, he told his congregants, and they agreed. The weekly tithing and special offerings took on added urgency, as the bishop reminded people that when you invest in Kingdom’s church, you cannot lose."

The 18,000 square foot facility would include a large foyer, plush ladies' and mens' rooms, a meeting hall, a set of prayer rooms, a food prep room, a 500-seat sanctuary, and a spacious parking lot. When fund raising flagged, Bishop Robinson announced to the congregation that he hadn't taken a salary in a long time.

"Finally, in April 2007, dignitaries and elders joined Bishop Robinson in breaking ground with shovels painted gold. “I was so elated that day,” he says. “At one point I said we may be standing in the sanctuary. And you know where we were? In the parking lot.”

By November 4, construction was nearly complete:

"As Election Night made way for a new day, pastor... Robinson... clicked off his television to accept a sleep of sweet promise. His mostly black congregation now had two blessings awaiting it in 2009: the inauguration of the first African-American president and the finished construction of a new church...

He could not have been asleep two hours before his telephone rang. It was his brother Andrew, whose home abuts the blessed construction site. 'They’re burning our church,' shouted Andrew Robinson, who still doesn’t know why he said 'they.'

Soon Bishop Bryant Robinson, pastor of the Macedonia Church of God in Christ, was standing at the grassy edge, as firefighters sprayed arcs of water meant not to save the building but to contain a fire clearly set. Black embers the size of fists shot skyward, only to float down like broken pieces of the cold New England night.

Someone eased him into a chair — he is 71, with bad knees and high blood pressure — and placed a blanket around his weary shoulders. He stayed there past dawn, when this new day’s light revealed a smoldering test of faith: a skeleton of scorched steel and a cracked foundation upon which a church could no longer be built."

Photo: New York Times

Investigators believe an arsonist started the fire but so far have no suspects and no evidence that racism was at the root of the incident.

"Still, the bishop cannot shake the timing of it — timing that will now forever link two events, one of joy and pride, another of loss and horror."

Are you as horrified as I am by this story?  I don't know that I could ever become inured to this type of viciousness.

UPDATE:

The New York Times supplied me with the following address for donations to the church:

Macedonia Church Fund

c/o Morrison Mahoney, LLP

1500 Main Street

P.O. Box 15387

Springfield, MA

01115-5387

I sent them a donation.

PS: PLEASE STUMBLE THIS POST.  Thanks.

Have You Seen What's Been Going On At "Boobs, Injuries And Dr. Pepper?"

It started on August 12 with Crystal's furious post about a disappointing visit to a Red Robin restaurant, made worse by the discovery that her 8-year-old daughter had left a backpack containing a Gameboy at the restaurant:

"I immediately called the store and spoke with Lexi, who ... told me that she did, indeed, have the backpack... She said that ... the managers lock up lost & found items, so not to worry.

I went in today to pick up my item and Lexi reluctantly informed me that it was gone...

As I type, my sweet, generous daughter is softly crying on the sofa. She feels bad FOR ME because she knows that it was hard for us to afford the lunch outing and we can't replace the Gameboy. She is more crushed, however, that someone stole from her. What a terrific lesson for a child who bought that Gameboy with her own money."

Soon afterwards her post was updated by the following:

"EDIT: A member of our US Army just emailed me. He shipped Virginia a Nintendo DS. I am constantly humbled by the generosity and kindness of you all (several of you offered to PayPal funds or buy one and send it to her) and I can't thank you enough for the gift you've given me."

On August 13 Crystal posted that the Red Robin regional manager had called at 7:00 am offering to make it right, which was followed by calls offering to throw her daughter a party at the restaurant, as well as deliver a new Gameboy and backpack.  Later that day she posted photos of her daughter posing with the Red Robin mascot and the restaurant manager, who'd arrived at her front door loaded with replacement games, as well as Hannah Montana CDs and gift cards to Red Robin and a major electronics chain:

"And I want you all to know that when I explained to her how many of you were wishing her well and offering to help, she burst into tears. When I asked what was wrong, she said, "If I hadn't lost my stuff, they wouldn't feel bad and feel like they have to do something for me."

Later that same day:

"So...after talking with Paul (the incredibly sweet man who sent Virginia a Nintendo DS), he only wanted V to do what she wanted with the game he sent and does not want it back. Virginia wants very much to give it to someone who might otherwise never have one, so here's what we came up with:

1. If you know of a child who would be deserving, please email me at payingitforward2008@gmail.com and tell us about them. 

2. Virginia will pick 5 entries...  

3. I will post those here and let you vote for a winner...

By today, the 15th, Crystal has a PayPal link on her blog to contribute to "Paying It Forward For Kids," along with pledges from Red Robin and private donors to try to make sure that anyone who submits a worthy request will receive a handheld video game.

What a brilliant recovery by Red Robin.  What a splendid attitude from an eight-year-old, one that puts many petty adults to shame.  What a grand response from the blogging community.  My daughter and I have been following this story's progress with great interest and we think it deserves wide publicity.  Please visit Boobs, Injuries and Dr. Pepper.

I Can Still Get In Under The Wire

Camie’s Kitties wrote:

"For everyone who posts a knock knock joke on their blog with a picture Thursday, May 1st, we will donate $0.50 to MuShue, LillyLu and Iris ..."

... some furry friends who recently lost their home in a fire.

So here's my joke:

Knock Knock

Who's there?

Fido.

Fido who?

Fido knew you were coming I'da baked a cake.

Corny?  Ungrammatical?  What do you expect?  I made it up and it's 11:45 pm.

I have to post a picture too, so here's one:

Read more about the dog in the photo.  And more.  And more.  And just one more.

Do dogs rule and cats drool, or is it the other way around?

Visit FeeFiFoto and put a photo of your dog or cat on a personalized gift item for Mother's Day.

Courageous Humanitarian Voyage

Shannon, from Rocks In My Dryer, is on a humanitarian blogging expedition to Uganda, where she and other bloggers will be blogging about relief efforts there.  Read about her trip here, and please note the button in my right hand column.

Thanks.

Hero Is Such An Overused Word

Alexis Goggins, a seven-year-old girl, threw herself in front of her mother to protect her from a gunman on December 1.  During a six-hour surgery doctors inserted pins in her right arm, removed her right eye and wired her jaw shut.

Read about Alexis here and here and here.

The Alexis Goggins Hero Fund has been created to help pay for this special girl's care.  Send checks to: Campbell Elementary School in care of the Alexis Goggins Hero Fund, 2301 E Alexandrine St, Detroit, MI 48207.

I did.

Giving

Staci Schoff, A Mommy With An Attitude, laments the Scrooginess she feels when she contemplates that her kids don't need anything more for Christmas than an effective lesson on the necessity of giving back:

"This time of year people call me Scrooge, because when they ask me what my kids need for Christmas I always answer that they need someone to come and haul away three-quarters of the useless junk they already have. But it annoys me to be compared to Scrooge, because the spirit of giving at Christmas is about giving to people who actually need something (which I am all for), not about giving a bunch of crap to my spoiled kids.

I asked J to help me pick out gifts for a child we sponsor, showing him a catalog with things like vaccines, wells, mosquito netting, map puzzles, jump ropes and backpacks. He looked unimpressed by the selection and said, “How about if we give her some Star Wars DVDs instead?”

“That’s not a good choice,” I said, “because she doesn’t even have a TV to watch them on.”

“Well,“ his eyes leapt out of their sockets, “I think we should send her a TV then!”

So I explained that people don’t need TVs. “People need love, healthy food, clean water, medicine, shelter from the elements and peace,” I said, “That’s all anybody needs.”

...

Recently I was telling J a story about the time I met four or five children who were living alone in a cardboard box by the side of the street in Thailand. They were beautiful with big smiles and they said hello to me.

“What did you do with them?” he asked.

“Nothing,” I shrugged, admitting, “Unfortunately, there’s nothing Mama can do about that.” So I explained that I did what any Catholic girl would do, “I just gave them some dollars and said a prayer to the Blessed Mother for their safety.”

His clear dissatisfaction with my answer gave me a smug sense of pride."

Don't feel guilty and don't feel Scroogey.  It takes infinite repetition to teach kids they don't necessarily need more stuff just because the TV insists they do.  It also takes a long time to instill in them the desire to give to others.  Starting in first grade some of my son's classmates (well, their parents, really) began asking for donations to the Ronald McDonald House or Children's Hospital instead of birthday gifts.  By the following year about a quarter of the class did the same, and now, in fifth grade, most of them request donations.  None of the kids really protested too much once their parents carefully explained that there are so many kids who are sick or poor and need stuff much more than they do. 

I bring my kids along deliver gifts to the hospital or RMcDH, so they can see where their donations are going.  They get it, and as good as it makes them feel to see how their donations help people, it makes me feel a hundred times better to see my kids enjoy being kind and generous.  And isn't that the real pleasure of holiday giving?

Have It, But Don't Eat It

Look at these adorable confections, and not a single calorie in the bunch, although there's a lot of fiber.  They're lavender sachets crocheted by Norma Lynn Hood of San Jose, California.  Not only does she do gorgeous work, she gives all the profits to charity, most notably animal protection groups.  I think I need to locate some of these for Cleo, whose nickname around our house is "Cupcake."  It's a lot less extravagant than the Steuben crystal cupcake, which I also want for her, but to merit that she'll have to do something really special like win a Nobel prize or make her bed every day for a year.

 

Thanks for the reference, Oh Joy!  You're right -- they are absolutely "squeezable."  Thanks also to Cat Seto.

The Best Kind Of Seed Money

See this man?  His name is Catalino Tapia.  He's a 63-year-old gardener.  He lives in Redwood City, CA and works maintaining trees and gardens in San Francisco.

He's also a philanthropist.  Read about him here:

"Catalino Tapia [came] from Mexico ... 40 years ago with a sixth-grade education and only $6 ... He became a legal resident and raised a family by working in a donut shop, a machine shop and then plant nurseries, before starting his own gardening business...

Tapia ... always had his eyes on the future…Even before his first child was born ... he was saving money for them to go to school.

Tapia's youngest son attended UCLA and then ... the University of California - Berkeley Law School. He's now a lawyer in Los Angeles...

Tapia wanted to do something to help the less-fortunate children in his community ... His son suggested Tapia start a foundation that would give scholarships to students ...

Tapia sent letters to his clients asking for donations ... [H]e raised $10,000 in two weeks. And the donations kept coming in, with $75,000 raised so far ...

[W]ith seed money from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and donations from his clients, the Bay Area Gardeners Foundation began giving scholarships in 2006, starting with five students. The scholarships themselves are like seed money, $1,500 each ...

The Gardeners Foundation ... does not ask if a student is documented. Four out of its nine scholarship recipients are undocumented. The foundation nearly doubled the number of scholarships this year ... "

   

I heard this story on NPR this morning; it's also been covered by the San Francisco Chronicle.

People like Catalino Tapia have my undying admiration.  Instead of focusing on getting a bigger big screen TV than the neighbors, he helps send kids to school.

To get in touch with the Bay Area Gardener's Foundation, email: catalinotapia@sbcglobal.net

Hand Over The Money

Laura over at Mum's The Wurd writes about cotton pajamas for all ages from Hatley Nature.  Besides offering wonderfully comfy-looking jammies and other casual stuff, Hatley is also giving 20% of their online sales profit to Breast Cancer Research throughout the month of October.  This reminds me of something I've forgotten to write about until I read Laura's post.

I've been teaching my kids about charitable giving since they were old enough to drop a quarter in the Salvation Army box.  It recently occurred to me that I could increase our family's philanthropy while generating more income from which to give.

I offered our school ten percent of any purchases made through a link to FeeFiFoto.

I thought the development people would have to be resuscitated, as they hyperventilated at the thought of being perceived as asking parents for more money.  I was completely discombobulated by their response.  (BTW -- "discombobulated" didn't ring any alarm bells with Spell Check.  Is this a good thing?  I think so.)  This isn't asking for money -- it's free money.  It's like finding a quarter on the street.  Or in the change slot of a vending machine (my kids find money this way all the time).  It's like having Ed McMahon hand you a check for a million dollars. In fact it's even better than that, because you don't have to shake hands with Ed McMahon.

Anyway, I've left our school to stew in their own devices for now, but the fat lady hasn't sung yet.  I think eventually they'll acknowledge the power of the loyalty program.  Did you know that Office Depot will donate a percentage of your purchase to your school all year round if you just mention your school's name when you check out?  Target does the same thing (I think you have to use their credit card, but still).  There are tons of free dollars out there available to anyone who will swear loyalty.  Heck, you don't even have to be loyal if you don't want to -- you can cross your fingers behind your back if you like, but just remember to mention your school any time you shop at Office Depot.  And heaven knows, mentioning the school's name is way easier to raise money for your school than having to break into your neighbors' homes to sell them gift wrap or Girl Scout cookies because they barred the doors and windows when they saw you coming

After my meeting with our school I called my kids' former preschool and offered them the same arrangement.  I thought they were going to reach through the phone and drag me through the line by my hair in their eagerness to sign up.  I met with the director for ten minutes, showed her how FeeFiFoto works, emailed some graphics and the deal was done.  A few days later I struck the same deal with the preschool at our synagogue.  Piece of cake -- you promote my site, give out a coupon code for your members to use when they complete a purchase, and I donate ten percent to your cash-strapped organization.  Doesn't that make sense to you?  Wouldn't it make sense to anyone?  Someone offers you free money, what do you do?  It's not a trick question -- you take it!

Are you fed up to here with school fund raisers?  Let me know if you're interested in participating in this deal.