Let’s Talk Lunch Boxes

by C. Doak

What conversations are you having online?

In a blogsearch.google.com search today there were over 1,257,066 blog postings on “lunch box.” Think about it, if over one million people are talking about lunch boxes, then they’re also talking about whatever you want to talk about.

People are talking about everything… Green Hair (661,781 postings)…Mosquitoes (794,908 postings)…Parabolas (297,334 postings)…etc. They’re talking online and they’re looking for others to join in the conversation.

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A Family Quest

How far would you go to save a child?

By nina matthews photography

Do all parents of challenged children want to run from the truth?

When they’re born you expect them to grow up and be happy, contributing members of society. You never expect them to be incapable of formulating a sentence at seven or to be suicidal at nine.

Marlin Keesler wanted to believe what others were telling him - not to be worried…it was a phase. He wasn’t willing to see the red flags. He also wasn’t willing to admit to himself that yelling louder would not help his son learn to spell.

When his children were small Marlin worked an exhausting night shift for the airlines. Gone before the kids got home from school and back home long after they were asleep. Needless to say he wasn’t present in their lives. The combination of his children’s challenges and his inability to be present in their lives was causing his family to fall apart.

Every second of every day parents make choices that affect their entire family. The choice today is about being present. Physically and emotionally present for yourself and the ones you love. Are you?

How far would you go if your child was in trouble and your family was falling apart? Say…26.2 miles? Would you run a grueling, pain inducing marathon? How about two? What about fifty? Would you set out on a quest to save your children by running 50 marathons in 50 states? Marlin did and he didn’t even like to run. Read more…

Everything Starts In Elementary School…

by Sabrina Eras

…learning to add and subtract; kissing boys on the playground; developing ideas and beliefs about yourself. 

Thinking back to when you were an impressionable elementary schooler, were you a self-confident, cool kid or nerdy and insecure?  

I was an insecure member of the class of 1978. My immature perception was that, because I was too skinny, had long, stringy blonde hair and wore my sister’s hand-me-downs, I was an ugly outcast. 

I can only imagine what it could be like to be a confident seven year old and know that it doesn’t matter what I look like, where I live, what I have…or if other kids make fun of me. Oh how drastically different my life would be today? 

What if…at 7, 8, 9… 10 years old a child you know could confidently say “I AM CAPABLE OF ANYTHING!” Wouldn’t that be an awesome foundation for their life? 

Today, for many impressionable elementary school kids, the “what if” option is possible thanks to founder Mark Papadas and his I AM 4 Kids program. This exciting program provides young children with a remarkable opportunity to step into the full potential that confidence brings. Then, it teaches them to be socially responsible and create a project that will have a positive impact on others ~ before they’re an adult!  

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Drive And Instinct To Leave A Legacy

by xenïa antunes

Ask yourself…“Will you die with just a bunch of cool clothes and stuff or will you make a difference?” 

Laurie Nicoll could have all the cool clothes and stuff she wants. Instead, her passion is to help people gain confidence showing their face in public. Laurie knows first hand that when your skin doesn’t look vibrant it’s difficult to feel good about yourself. 

Through her Footprints Foundation, Laurie’s vision is to fund research to understand and unravel skin problems that trouble people around the world. Her dream is to send medical teams to foreign countries and help underserved populations clear up skin issues and help people feel good about the way they look. 

Imagine… you’re three years old, standing in your underwear in a very small, closet-like room. The walls are covered in tinfoil and large ultraviolet light bulbs line the room. You’re told to stand with your arms out from your side – DON’T TOUCH THE WALLS or you’ll get burned – for three minutes straight. Murder for anyone. Imagine what it’s like for a three-year-old. 

Laurie Nicoll doesn’t have to imagine. She lived it at three…and four… Read more…

The Music Inside

Fall Fire by Maureen Gasek

I triple-dog-dare you to look at this piece of art and not feel something.

“It’s the emotion…the music inside me ~ I just need to get it out.” Says Maureen Gasek who, at five-years old, began making something out of nothing. Much to the chagrin of her mother she dug holes in the yard and combined mud with berries to create chalk. She just wanted to paint. In first grade, Maureen sold her first piece of art for .25 cents ~ a collage of tracings of her hands.

Fast forward a few years and you find Maureen helping all sorts of folks  Read more…