Instagram Auction to Benefit the Travis Roy Foundation

Our friends Seagate Studio have been very involved with the Travis Roy Foundation for years, and we're honored to donate a set of three Hand-Etched Birch Snowflake Ornaments for their upcoming Instagram Auction to benefit this very worthy cause.  

“The Travis Roy Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to enhancing the life of spinal cord injury survivors and their families by providing special adaptive equipment grants and funding research.

It is an organization that is near and dear to my heart and one that I have been heavily involved with for over 10 years. Travis Roy (a native Mainer), is my husband’s cousin and also my close friend. In 1995, Travis was a highly recruited Division I hockey player starting his collegiate career at Boston University.
Eleven seconds into his first shift of his first game playing for the BU Terriers, he slid head first, awkwardly into the boards, cracking his 4th and 5th vertebra and leaving him a quadriplegic. His story could have stopped right there, but instead he has dedicated his life to helping other spinal cord injury survivors and inspiring all who meet him through his motivational speaking career. He graduated from Boston University, taking just an extra year and started the Travis Roy Foundation while he was still a student. Since its inception, the TRF has raised over $9 million, consistently raising over $1 million per year in its most recent years. 

The biggest fundraiser event for the TRF is not some glamorous gala that only the elite can afford to attend, but rather a summer back yard Wiffle Ball tournament that takes place every year up in rural Jericho, Vermont. This tournament which hosts over 24 teams from across New England is played on 3 fields that are modeled after major league ball parks and a field from a popular baseball movie, aptly named Little Wrigley, Little Fenway, and Little Field of Dreams. It is an incredibly moving and magical weekend and by far my favorite of the whole year.
And THIS is what I am fundraising for.”

— Samantha from Seagate Studio

The Auction will take place on Seagate Studio's Instagram (@seagate.studio) from July 31st - August 3rd, 2017.  Please check their feed frequently during this time and consider bidding on one of the many great items that have been donated.  

If you would like to learn more about the Travis Roy Foundation or donate directly, please see their webpage HERE.  

Teal Pumpkin Project: Safe Trick-or-Treating for Everyone

This Halloween we're participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project to promote awareness and inclusion of all trick-or-treaters, no matter their dietary restrictions.  

Unfortunately a lot of kids have food allergies, ranging from mild to potentially very dangerous.  These allergies can include dairy, chocolate, nuts, soy, gluten, artificial dyes, and more.  These kids either can't participate in trick-or-treat or have to throw out 95% of what they get - and when you're a kid that's really rough.  

By having a teal pumpkin out, you're letting kids and their parents know that your house is a safe place to trick-or-treat and you have non-food items available. These can be things like novelty pencils, erasers, stickers, bubbles, crayons, small toys, etc.  You can still give out the usual candy, but it's a good idea to keep the non-food items separate.  This is a great project to allow all kids a chance to feel included in trick-or-treat on Halloween. 

FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) has some wonderful resources on their website - including crowdsourcing maps to identify participating houses, printables you can use to proudly show your support and educate others, and fundraising opportunities to help fund food allergy research and awareness.  

Affiliate Product Links

| Teal Acrylic Paint |

Post originally published 10/30/15

Supporting your Local Schools with Box Tops for Education

I'm a big Box Tops for Education clipper.  

Our little one isn't in school yet, but every time we finish up a product with a Box Tops I make sure to clip it out and slip it in a designated envelope we have taped to the inside of one of our kitchen cupboards.  

Ka-ching!  Free money for our local school.  

When the envelope gets full, I drop them off at the local elementary school for them to add to their collection and send in.  Every box top sent in equals 10 cents for the school.  Once you notice how many products you buy have them, you see how fast the money can add up for the school.  Every little bit helps and it makes me feel good to know I'm contributing to my daughters future school, even in such a small way.