A Message from Natalee Newell

I am hosting the Good News Good Fair again this year for Trinity Baptist Church. It is this coming weekend (November 5 – 7) at Tripoint (281 & St. May’s Street).Saturday & Monday from 10:00-4:00 & then Sunday at Trinity Church (Mulberry, near 281) from 11:30-1:00. Please come along and support this great cause!

Classroom Project – Cathy Schuebel invites you to help a worthy cause…

 

If you’re looking for a worthy cause to donate to, below is a message about a project that a good friend of mine, Audrey Sides, has started for her elementary school class.  Any amount will help, and it’s tax deductible.  She’s trying to raise an additional $409 before school starts.  Just click on the link if you’d like to donate. For more information you can call Audrey at 281-723-0246 or email her at amsides@gmail.com

 

Cathy Schuebel

 

– I have put together a project to grow my listening library for my students on DonorsChoose.org.  Listening to books is a very important step in increasing literacy, specifically fluency (reading at a correct rate), among my students.  If you can help me in any way by donating to the cause (any amount helps!) or passing this along to your family and friends, I would be extremely grateful! Click here to link to my project. Thank you so much to those of you who have already donated and passed along the word about my project!  I only have $409 to go and would love to get this funded before school starts so I can get the material!  Any donation amount puts me that much closer and it is TAX DEDUCTIBLE!!!

Thank you again for your support,

Audrey M. Sides

 

200 mile bike ride across Massachusetts for cancer: An important message from Johnna Binsted of Phyllis Browning Company

This August, not only is my husband Jon celebrating his 41^st birthday, he will be riding in his second Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC), a 2-day, 200 mile bike-a-thon across the state of Massachusetts, in support of the Jimmy Fund/Dana Farber Cancer Research Institute. Being a cancer survivor himself, this ride and fundraising effort is to honor the lives of the people and children who have or have had cancer. Last year, he rode in honor of his buddy, Jacob Villarreal, our 10 year old friend who was battling Pilocytic Astrocytoma – a type of juvenile brain cancer. He was diagnosed when he was 6 ½ years old with a tumor the size of a hen’s egg on his brain which blocked spinal fluid to the brain stem. So after one 10 hour surgery and over 3 months of rehabilitative therapy, Jacob was learning how to walk, talk, eat and sit up alone again. He was cancer free for 1 year until the tumor started growing back. After a few more surgeries and a 58 week chemotherapy plan, Jacob is now living like a normal 10 year old boy playing video games, playing with friends, with a cell phone and living CANCER FREE with no residual evidence of tumor re-growth!  Earlier this year x-rays also showed that the tumor was gone!

We had such an overwhelming response to his PMC ride last year that he was able to ride in honor and memory of several people. This year, he wants to make the ride about those we honor or miss every day.  If you would like to dedicate your donation to someone dear, please include his or her name in a note and send through the run or email me (include a picture if possible). In their honor or memory, Jon will carry the notes and pictures, along with their fighting spirit, on his ride.  One of our favorite things at last year’s PMC was having Jon’s picture taken at the finish line holding pictures of those that “came along for the ride”.  It was an absolute honor to give those pictures to the families and friends that supported him, especially Patti’s little friend Mattie!

There are many parts to this Challenge. The patients and their families have the challenge of facing and battling the disease every day. The staff at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute has their daily research and also works with the patients. My part is to train, ride and do the fundraising. Your challenge is to make a generous contribution. Doing so helps to hold open the possibility Jacob and many the others will be cancer free for many years to come.  I was blessed with a premature but beautiful baby girl 2 months ago.  My dream is for her to grow up in a world where we speak about cancer in a past tense.

To make a secure, online donation, please go to www.pmc.org and enter Jon Binsted in the box at the top left of the page. If you prefer, you can remit a check, made payable to the PMC and send it to me care of Phyllis Browning Company (Annex), 6011 Broadway – Suite 203, San Antonio, Texas 78209 or call me at 210-8324-7878 ext. 1174. All donations are fully tax deductible & 100% of your funds will go directly to the Jimmy Fund. This is an amount unheard of in the fundraising industry, where 60% of donations are considered a great number. If your company has a matching gifts program that supports our efforts to find a cure, please send or submit the appropriate paperwork.

The PMC’s goal is to raise $34 million this year. Jon’s unalterable commitment is to raise $4,200 and his stretch goal is $10,000. In case you missed it above, EVERY penny of rider raised funds went directly to the Jimmy Fund last year. Thank you in advance for your generous contribution, your support and for the difference you make.

On behalf of all the children and families, Jon & I thank you.

Johnna Binsted

Good News Goods – Fair Trade Market TODAY and MONDAY

OK, remember when your Mom used to tell you to eat everything on your plate because there were starving children in third world countries? Well here is a way to help them – and you don’t even have to eat you brussel sprouts! We are having a market at Tri-point (Hwy 281 & St Mary’s street) today from 10:30-1:00 and Monday from 4:00-7:00. It is a way for people (primarily women and children) from third world countries to get their goods to a market place in the west. This allows them to earn money for their families in a good way, and not turn to prostitution, human and drug trafficking and other tragedies. We have wonderful products from chocolate and olive oil to lotions, house wares, purses, scarves, and lots of different jewelry!!!! Please come by, if you can and support this great cause! Call me, Natalee Newell, with questions @ 210-215-1212 or check out their website at www.goodnewsgoods.com

Helping San Antonio’s new and soon-to-be-new citizens

Brenda Johnston, Director of Relocation for the Phyllis Browning Company, has just launched a new blog for anyone considering a move to San Antonio. The blog will be an open forum for anyone with helpful ideas they would like to share with newcomers – anything from joining the local gym to finding great places to eat. This blog will be invaluable to anyone even thinking about relocating here.

Except for those lucky enough to have been born and raised here, most of us were newcomers to this fabulous city at one time or another, and a blog like this would have been such a help! Check out Brenda’s blog at http://relocationsa.wordpress.com/

Assistance League of San Antonio

Name: Assistance League of San Antonio
Email: gwilli75@hotmail.com
Website: http://www.assistanceleaguesa.org

The Assistance League of San Antonio is an ALL-VOLUNTEER organization of over 450 members. We run a Thrift House at 2611 West Avenue to help support the seven philanthropic programs we maintain.

These programs include:
(1) TOGS FOR TOTS-in collaboration with 33 social service agencies in San Antonio (such as Child Protective Services, SAMMinistries, Family Services Association, ChildSafe, Baptist Child and Family Services, Catholic Charities)we supply clothing, hygiene supplies and books to over 5,000 children from birth through age 4;

(2) WATCH ME GROW FROM HEAD TO TOE – A program that distributes over 25,000 child development booklets, free of charge, to parents of children ages birth to five;

(3)I’M IN CHARGE – Volunteers go into classrooms of over 15,000 school children in San Antonio to make a presentation about personal safety after school, on the playground, at the mall and movies, on the computer and when home alone;

(4)OPERATION SCHOOL BELL – over 4,000 school children selected by their counselors as being in great need of appropriate school clothing are given new clothes,shoes, a coat, school supplies,an age appropriate book and hygiene supplies;

(5) ADOPT A RESIDENT – residents of Chandler Home enjoy monthly parties and activities planned and carried out by ALSA volunteers;

(6) CAPS – Over 1,000 chronically ill children in local hospitals receive uniquely decorated baseball caps;

(7)COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM – 12 college junior and senior students are selected to each receive a $2000 scholarship.

In order to fund these programs, the Assistance League derives funds from the proceeds of sales at the Thrift House, but also from a yearly Gala. This Gala is being held March 27. We would greatly appreciate the opportunity to visit with someone at Phyllis Browning about our work and to have someone visit our Thrift House/Chapter House where our programs are housed. I am the contact person. My phone number is 822-3986, my e-mail address is gwilli75@hotmail.com.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to share our story with you.

Barbara Williams, Grants Chairman

Adopt a Family for the Holidays!

Family Violence Prevention Services has an adopt-a-family program for the holidays.  If any of you want to adopt a family, please contact Laura Fronzalio who is in charge of this program. Laura’s email address is laura.fronzaglio@fvps.org and her number is (210) 733-8810.

You can tell her what kind of family you want (eg. single mom, married couple, # of kids, just girls, just boys…).  She will then assign a family to you. When you adopt a family, you just take them gifts, gift cards, toys, food, decorations, or basically anything to give them a better Christmas than they can provide for themselves this year.

Please tell Laura you got her name from me.  I would love to hear about your involvement as well.  Thank you all very much for your support!

Carmen M. Ramirez,  Attorney/Realtor

Operation Homefront of Texas

Please remember to help our active military families that are here in San Antonio and are struggling making ends meet.  Many of these families are here at BAMC with their wounded loved ones.   We are collecting non-perishable food, baby supplies (formula and diapers) and checks made out to Operation Homefront of Texas. Food boxes and envelopes are located by the door at all Phyllis Browning Company office locations until Dec. 7th. For more information, please contact me at 210-863-7723 or by email: lexib@phyllisbrowning.com

Thanks for your support!

Lexi Bartolomei
Phyllis Browning Company

‘Tis (Almost) The Season

TIS (almost) THE SEASON!!! A letter from Shannon Nisbet at Family Service Association is attached. PLEASE consider helping in any way you can, even if you can just send a little money. Just try to imagine a family of children that will see no Christmas at all!! Because of our efforts last year Family Service was able to fill EVERY SINGLE family request. For those of you that did not participate, please consider it this year. This is such a rewarding gesture at Christmas. Visit Family Service Association at www.family-service.org

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Help for the Holidays!

The downturn in the economy has impacted all of us, but it has been especially cruel on the poorest and most vulnerable.  This year, more than any other in the history of our Adopt-a-Family program, we need your help. As you know, for over 106 years Family Service Association has worked to make a difference in our community and as part of that mission, we have sponsored the annual holiday Adopt-A-Family program for the past 17 years.  This heartwarming program has brightened the season for many families.  Their extremely limited financial resources prevent them from providing gifts, or even a special meal for their family is out of the question.  More than 80% of those we serve have incomes below the poverty level.  Through the generosity of hundreds of volunteers, last year Family Service Association was able to help make the holidays a little brighter for children, families and seniors.

We thank you for your past support of the Adopt-A-Family program.  Last year alone the sprit of giving shown by you and others helped 3,000 people experience a happy holiday.  We will have more than 800 families request help this year.  We hope that you’ll choose to work with us again to provide this much-needed service to the community.

You can help by adopting one or more families. They need household items, warm clothing, food, and toys. Volunteers can select from hundreds of families to ensure you get the one that best meets your individual needs. You may choose to deliver the items or we can arrange delivery for you. If you are pressed for time you may make a tax deductible contribution and we will do the shopping for you. If you would like to participate, please contact me at 299-2400, or you may e-mail me at sgnisbet@family-service.org.  Please accept our deepest thanks for your past support and generosity.  Your participation will let the true meaning of the season shine in our community.

Sincerely,

Shannon G. Nisbet

Shannon G. Nisbet

Vice President

Development & Donor Relation

Aggie Wives and Graduates Club annual Games Party

You don’t have to be an Aggie to attend a fun event called Games Party
on Thursday, March 12th from 10:00am to 2:00pm. It is the annual
fundraiser for the Aggie Wives & Graduates Club and the money goes
towards scholarships.

Please contact Carmen Ramirez for more information.