#20 Michigan Abolitionist Project

Be the Difference......that is the name I am using for this little blog of mine. It is my goal to BE THE DIFFERENCE in my lifetime. As part of this birthday adventure, 40 projects to celebrate 40th birthday, I have found many ways to accomplish this task. I am now 1/2 way through this adventure and I have been truly touched by each organization I have come into contact with. I found a volunteer opportunity with Michigan Abolitionist Project that was just too important to pass up. Have you ever heard of Human Trafficking? Did you know that it affects people worldwide? Did you know that that includes West Michigan in the United States of America? I can truly say that I never took this into consideration. As I researched this more, I was shocked to say the least. How did I not know more about this? In any event, my eyes were opened and I wanted to do something about it. So, I talked to the people at Michigan Abolitionist Project and learned a super simple way to do just that. They suggested that I contact my Senator and Representative and let them know about a bill that will be coming to them in the future. It is called the "Justice for Victims of Human Trafficking" bill. This is a bill which will make it easier for victims to stand up to the human traffickers and not risk being prosecuted for what comes out in their testimony. It protects them from being hurt twice (once by the human traffickers and once by the Justice System). I sent my letters today. I simply asked for them to carefully review the bill and consider supporting it. Will you do the same???? You can find more information at http://www.michiganabolitionistproject.org/

#19 Christian Fellowship Assembly Food Pantry, Allendale, MI

A couple of years ago our Relay for Life committee opted to use canned goods to weigh down our luminaria bags. We needed to find something to do with all those canned goods once our event was over. I have driven by these signs so many times on the way to and from my children's school, that I couldn't think of a better place to send the food we had collected. This time, I got to actually see that food get into the hands of those who could use it the most :) This pantry is operated every week. People are invited to come for a delicious meal. While they are eating, there are volunteers in the pantry filling grocery bags and/or boxes with the foods requested. Each family is given a list of items currently available in the pantry and based on their family size, they can choose which items they would like to have in their home for the week. My job tonight was to fill their bags and boxes as they enjoyed their meals. Did I say how much I LOVE this birthday celebration???? It was so rewarding to know that 40+ families went home with much needed groceries tonight. THANK YOU Christian Fellowship Assembly for letting me be a part. If you would like to help in the pantry, they do this every Wednesday night. If you are not in Allendale, then I suggest you find another food pantry and give a hand there. If you are in Allendale and you want to help then contact Christian Fellowship Assembly at http://www.cfachurch.org/ I found that this link is not as user friendly as some. Trust me, if you contact them at (616)895-7614 they can get you connected to the people in charge of the food pantry. They are waiting for your call :)

#18 BINGO TENT - St. Mary's Church, Knights of Columbus Fundraiser

Ok, so how can you celebrate a birthday and not have at least a little bit of FAIR FOOD???? Have you ever been to the fair and seen the Bingo tent set up? I have wandered past it many times and never thought anything of it. I might play a game or two and that was the extent of it. But I now have a different understanding. This is an event that helps many great organizations raise funds to support their efforts. This year I was invited to work the Bingo Tent at the Berlin Fair. The proceeds raised that evening and throughout the week were to help St. Mary's Church of Marne and specifically their Knights of Columbus continue with their programs. If you have ever wanted to help a church committee or mission team, I would ask that you contact your church leaders and gauge their needs. If you are not a member of any specific church talk to your family and friends and see if their churches may have need for volunteers. The link for St. Mary's Church is listed below. If you are interested, please contact them to see where you can lend a hand. www.saintmarysmarne.org

#17 RELAY FOR LIFE

RELAY FOR LIFE OF ALLENDALE (Soon to be known as MAC Marne/Allendale/Coopersville Relay for Life) is a key fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. This is an event that began when one man, Dr. Gordy Klatt decided he wanted to make a difference in the lives of those affected with Cancer. He began a movement that has raised BILLIONS of dollars for cancer research and is now holding events just like this one around the world. I came upon this event a number of years ago, following the deaths of my amazing Mother-In-Law, Sheila Greeley and my grandfather, William Steenhagen. I wanted to make a difference too :) I attended the first Relay alone. But the funny thing is, I never for one moment felt alone that night. I was instantly a part of a community of people that had experienced what I had experienced and others that had a more personal experience with Cancer (their own diagnoses and treatments). I believe this will always be a part of my life. Every year I brought more and more people to this event. I have gone from being a Relayer, to being on the Committee in charge of Ceremonies, to facilitating a group of other relay committee members on how to run Ceremonies, to being in charge of Ceremonies and Survivorship to finally being the Committee Chair for the entire event. This is my cause. Since the time I began with Relay, MANY more friends and family members have heard the words "YOU HAVE CANCER". This is my way to stand with them and let them know they are not alone in this fight. The pictures include myself with our amazing keynote speaker for the 2013 Event, Laine Steenhagen. Yes, she is my family. My cousin. And a cancer SURVIVOR!!!!!! One of my favorite parts of the event is the Survivor Ceremony where we take a moment to celebrate with those who have beat cancer!!! I have included a picture of our survivors. They always wear purple and they are ALWAYS the focus of our event!!!! The pictures also include pictures from our event, including setting out the luminarias for our luminaria ceremony in which we honor our loved ones who we have won the battle with cancer, and remember the loved ones who succumbed to the disease. Our theme this year was "Beating Cancer to the Finish Line", hence the cardboard car race :) If you are looking for a way to take a stand against cancer I hope you will consider donating your time and efforts to RELAY FOR LIFE. Here is a link you can follow to find an event in your area. I promise if you attend one event, you will never forget the experience. http://www.relayforlife.org/

#16 Bizarre Bazaar - Easttown Community Association

Do you live in an amazing community? I do!! While continuing on this birthday adventure, I have been able to experience many great communities. One of my favorite is Easttown in Grand Rapids, MI. This area is full of eclectic little shops and restaurants. It has a great welcoming feel. It is just a lot of FUN! Easttown Community Association has one main mission, they are dedicated to building, backing, and broadening community through proactive neighboring and community improvement. One of the many ways they do that is with street fairs held throughout the summer. They have many events throughout the year to bring this community together. If you ever go over to Easttown, you will definitely see the fruits of their labor. While this is not my community, I can say this, I surely felt welcome there :) If you would like to experience this you should consider volunteering at one of their future events. You can contact them at http://eastown.org/

#15 Festival of the Arts...GRAND RAPIDS ART MUSEUM!!! So today was the kickoff of Festival of the Arts. It also happened to be my kids last day of school. What a fun day :) Have you ever wanted to be part of something bigger than yourself? Today we got that opportunity. Alexis joined me this time. Our job today was to encourage the festival goers to create art of their own. The Grand Rapids Art Museum provided coasters, duct tape (all different colors) and sharpies. People were encouraged to create "quilt squares" to be added to a community quilt. All of the art created this weekend and in the weeks to come will be put together and displayed on a wall in the lower level of the museum in the future. We met some amazing people today. And just imagine all the artistic creations we witnessed today. We saw kids, adults and YES even teenagers come and create with us. It was great. It is such a neat project to allow ANYONE to come and be part of a community project. I can't think of a better representation of the people around us then the collaboration of all these pieces of art. The Grand Rapids Art Museum is an amazing place. You wouldn't believe how many opportunities there are to volunteer with the GRAM. If you are interested, please contact them at http://www.artmuseumgr.org/joinandgive/volunteers/

#14 Allendale Little League :) I know it has been kind of quiet on the blog for the past few weeks. Please don't think I have stopped finding volunteer opportunities. I have been busy with my job as MOM and Relay for Life Chair for the past few weeks. But this weekend I did get to head over to the Allendale Little League Family Fun Day. This is an event hosted in our local township park by the Little League Board. It is a time for all the players and their families to join in celebrating another year of Little League Baseball/Softball. There was free food, ice cream, games, raffles, face painting, bounce house. Let's just say it was a day of fun in the sun for a LOT of little ball players. As you can imagine there were plenty of ways to get involved. I was originally signed up to volunteer in the concession stand. As it turned out there was not much happening in concessions given that there was so much being given away in the park. So......I was moved to the raffle tent. I helped out there for the afternoon. WHAT FUN!!!!!!!!! The kids were so excited for their chance to win. Each player was given 5 tickets to go in the raffle. They had chance to win gift cards to sports good stores, bats, gloves, bat bags, headbands etc. Did I say this was a fun way to celebrate my birthday???? I have to confess, i was pretty busy that day. I didn't take pictures for the blog. I will head over to the fields soon and get some added. If you have time in your life to help out your local Little League, GO DO IT! You will never regret helping the youth in your community have a great time learning the skills of teamwork and self confidence. If you are in Allendale, you can contact Allendale Little League at http://allendalelittleleague.com. They are always in need of volunteers. I can't think of a better way to spend a spring day then at the ball fields. Hope to see you there soon.