Loopies, unite!

Hi everyone,

This past week, I've been alerted to a couple of causes that are worth our attention. You know how, when you contribute to various causes, you never really know what kind of difference you are making? Well, here are a couple of ways that you can help and really know that you are changing something.

First, let me introduce you to my friend, Alfre:

Alfre is one of my best friends. She is bright, intuitive, always smiling and fun to be around. We met through our kids, who attend the same school and have become good buddies. Her son is one of the few kids that can have a playdate with all three of my kiddos without it all descending into madness. Check out this spontaneous moment last night, walking down Cherry Street on the way to Hideaway Pizza:

(A little aside - we were walking away from snooty Tucci's, which didn't have room for us at 5:45 (!) and said it would be a 45-minute wait, though we saw lots of empty tables. Love their food, but this has happened to us 5-6 times when we are a la famille - I don't think they like kids.)

Anyway, Alfre has alerted me to the American Express Members Project - and as an American Express cardholder, I never heard of this - but how very cool! American Express has this Members Project site where you can go and cast your vote for a variety of very worthwhile causes. You can actually see your vote count (don't ya just love the internet). Whatever cause gets the most votes from July 3 - July 15 will receive $5 million from Amex!

So, here is what Alfre asked me to do:
"I am passing this on because ANSA (Artists for a New South Africa) needs your support. My aunt, Alfre, her husband, Roderick, Denzel and Pauletta Washington, Mary Steenburgen, Robert and Donna Guillaume, Blair Underwood, Danny Glover, Samuel and LaTanya Jackson, CCH Pounder, and several others in the creative community, co-founded ANSA, previously, Artists for a Free South Africa (Pre-Apartheid), in 1989. While I was in LA, I volunteered at the ANSA headquarters and had the opportunity of a lifetime to travel to South Africa to witness ANSA's goodwill in action. More recently, ANSA's work has spanned into creating awareness and support of AIDS Orphans. I encourage you to check out their site ansafrica.org."

Voting is really easy and quick. Go to the Members Project site. If you already handle your American Express billing online, click "Register Now." (Just for doing this, Amex will donate another dollar on top of the $5 million). Then vote for "Help African Children Orphaned by AIDS." You can vote every day until the deadline, July 15. When I voted just now, they had 525 votes and were in 3rd place out of thousands of causes! The #1 had 861 votes. So if all you Loopies out there who read this cast your votes, we could seriously help AIDS orphans get $5 million! How cool is that?

OK, now here is the other opportunity. Many of you met Annie Modesitt last winter when she came to conduct a great workshop at Loops. Annie, herself a breast cancer survivor, recently moved with her family from New Jersey to Minnesota to make a lifestyle change. Her husband, Gerry, a TV producer, was going to be "Mr Mom" to their two kids, while Annie focused on her hand knit design career. Shortly thereafter, Gerry was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that manifests itself in the bone marrow and is quite painful.

To help offset the non-medical expenses associated with ongoing trips to the Mayo Clinic, Annie started a fund that is explained on her website. You can go there and download a fabulous free pattern called the Red Carpet Convertible, a gown she designed for her friend that was going to the Emmy's (the pattern includes instructions for a sleeveless top or short dress, too).

You can make a direct donation online if you feel so led, and I thought it would be nice to have a box at the store to gather cards, donations etc. and send it to her with our good wishes. Look for it at the front counter, hopefully today.

There you have it. Two very different causes, one very gratifying result. In the words of the old Pearl Drops tooth polish commercials, "Mmmm. It's a great feeling!"

- Shelley