It’s June 1st! It’s June 1st! I have been trying to curb my love of all things exclamation mark but the first of the month gets me excited every time and if you have followed me on It’s Just Life for any length of time you can understand why. Long ago, in April of 2011 I started Comments for a Cause on my blog. It is by far the best thing I have ever done here in the blogosphere and you are all a big part of it so thank you.
The idea is very simple. I pick a charity or cause every month to highlight. Sometimes it is a local cause that is dear to me and sometimes it is a national cause. Somehow each month the perfect one comes to mind. For every comment made on any post on my blog during the month Chris and I donate 50 cents to that cause. When I first started my very first cause was for the National Parkinson Foundation in memory of my daddy and we donated $74.50 that month. Over the years we have had donations made as high as $500 (that is my cap) and that says a lot for you folks out there who are commenting.
One of the other great things is that several others have joined in and started Comments for a Cause on their own blogs. Val of Corn, Beans, Pigs and Kids and Katy of Learning As I Go are currently featuring Comments for a Cause as well so the ripples are spreading which make me smile.
This past month I chose the Prayer Shawl Ministry at my home church, First UMC in Mason City, Iowa. I have great admiration for this group of ladies who crochet prayer shawls that members can give to others who need to feel the love of God surrounding them. They are also given at baptisms at the church. What a wonderful gift, don’t you think? This month, thanks to you, we will be donating $154.50 to the ministry for them to use to purchase yarn and supplies to keep the ministry going. Thank you one and all.
During June I am going to be busy but not too busy to pick out the perfect recipient for Comments for a Cause. Retrieving Freedom, Inc. is a wonderful organization that I found out about through a blog post written by my friend, Shannon Latham, over on her company blog The Field Position. You can read that post here.
Retrieving Freedom, Inc is an organization that sees a need and is trying to bridge the gap to fill that need. They operate out of two cities with these individuals at the helm.
Senatobia, Mississippi – Led by Charles Dwyer
Waverly, Iowa – Led by Scott Dewey
Their mission statement as stated on their website is:
Where Some See Limitations, We Bring Opportunities.
The goal of Retrieving Freedom is to place and match completely trained assistance dogs with a level of commitment to the recipients that is second to none! As strong as our desire is to train the best assistance dogs, it is also to be a part of their new connection with the people that need them.
So who receives these dogs? Very simply put—3 different groups of individuals who really truly can benefit from the use of assistance dogs.
1. Veterans
2. Children with Autism
3. Adults and Children with Diabetes (recently added)
June is the perfect month to highlight Retrieving Freedom, Inc. because they are celebrating a Grand Opening of their new facility in Waverly, Iowa on June 27th. Any of you Iowa folks out there may want to attend as it looks to be a huge bash including a full day of events. There will be raffles, games, Hawgs Dogs and Hero’s Ride, and SPECTACULAR auction items. Check out the Custom Fat Bob Harley that is signed by Toby Keitb going to their Facebook page. It will sell at this event. The evening will include several awesome bands and the unveiling of the new Retrieving Freedom, Inc. rock. The facility is located a t1152 230th St Waverly, IA 50677 and the event will be from 10 am until 12 pm CDT.
Thanks to Shannon Latham for providing this graphic.
There are many videos that you can watch that will tell you more about this organization but perhaps this one below is one that will give you a really good glimpse into what this really is all about. Please take time to watch and understand why I love making this a Comments for a Cause. Don’t be shy this month. Comment like you always do and maybe more. I promise to try to respond to each and every one and I appreciate them all. Don’t forget to check out their website to find out more about how you can get involved by clicking here.
