New Share the Love Project: The Road Home

Who knows about The Road Home and what their mission is?

Sometimes it's hard to know how to help if you don't know who needs the help, right?

Well I am going to introduce you to different organizations that need your help and the first one is:

A few simple words sum up why I really love The Road Home.

"Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day.

Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime."

  They don't just provide a shelter for those in need but they help them re-establish permanent housing and a better life. This is critical to truly helping those without homes get back on their feet and keeping them off the streets. Housing is one of the first things you should have and they help you get it.

I first want you to watch this video.



If that doesn't bring a tear to your eye or make you want to help out then you should watch it again or go watch some of the other videos they have HERE. They are so good and eye-opening, I would encourage you to watch all of them. I'll be posting them all eventually, one at a time.

Did you know....

The Road Home is the largest shelter in Utah.

 

The Road Home provides emergency shelter and housing services to men, women and families in our community.

 

The Road Home has helped over 1,000 families move out of shelter through Rapid Rehousing.  

 

It only takes $9 to shelter one person for one night.

 

The Road Home is locate at 210 S. Rio Grande Street in Salt Lake City, UT
They also have a Community Winter Shelter at 529 West 7300 So in Midvale, UT

 

In 2011, The Road Home provided shelter to a total of 7,000 people, including:
•615 Families (including 1,063 children)
•4,387 Single men
•740 Single women

 

During the Winter Shelter months The Road Home expands from serving an average of 635 individuals per day, to serving 780 per day. This saves lives.

 

They never turn anyone away.

CLICK HERE for a more comprehensive showing of the services they provide to the community.

 

 "So, how can I help?"

Make a Donation. I have a "Donate" button on the right side of my blog to make it easy!

CLICK HERE to see a list of items that they do and do not accept as well as delivery sites. You may also drop donations off to me at any time if you are in the Centerville, UT area.

In winter the most needed items are:

Warm clothing, blankets and shoes!
So do a little New Year clean out and see what you could donate to them!

Consider sponsoring a Palmer Court Apartment Kit to help a chronically homeless family get re-established in permanent housing. These kits include essential home items. CLICK HERE for the different kit lists.

  

Attend One of Their Events such as the following one coming up! 

Join TD Gift Solutions and 120 local boutiques & retailers for a Valentine's Gift Show to benefit The Road Home.

Clothing Drive Needs:
Hygiene Items
Towels & Pillows
Blankets (all sizes)
Baby Items (diapers, wipes, bottles, ect.)

Raffle Tickets for donations!

Pampered Chef Cooking Demonstration
Photos with Cupid
Key Note Speaker: Leta Greene
Sponsored by: Utah Olympic Oval

Volunteer! Being the largest shelter in Utah, they are a very large facility and can use your help! They have great opportunities to help ALL ages. Through giving your time you can make a huge impact on individuals or families. You can also really help if you are bilingual! CLICK HERE for more volunteer information.
Do you have a group that wants to donate time? This is a great way to provide service in a ton of fun ways such as sorting and putting together kits from donated items or making a dinner and taking it to the shelter to serve to guests. If you are a local food business owner, wouldn't this be a great way to use the food that wasn't sold?! You can even design your own project to help them. This would be great for Young Women or Young Men activities!
CLICK HERE for group information.
You can also volunteer for activities with the Palmer Court Residents. I think this one sounds like a ton of fun: Teen Night Out! You get to plan and take them on activities such as movies, bowling, sports games, you name it! Go have fun! CLICK HERE for Palmer Court Volunteering.

Here is also a very unique and awesome project that was launched Dec 4, 2012 and will be occurring on Jan 30-Feb 2, 2013.
100,000 Homes: Salt Lake City
100,000 Homes: Salt Lake City supports a national movement of change agents working together to house 100,000 vulnerable and chronically homeless individuals and families by July 2014. Homeless service providers and local volunteers will take to the streets for Registry Week. The objective is to create a by-name registry of people living on our streets, so that we can prioritize those who have been homeless the longest and are the most vulnerable, and move them into housing. What we learn together during this week will help us reduce and ultimately end chronic homelessness in our community. Volunteering for this requires a training day so you need to sign up for it. You can also sponsor or volunteer goods if you are a business.
Check out their Facebook page HERE to read more about it and sign up to volunteer.
 This would be so incredibly rewarding and such a great experience. Take advantage of these awesome opportunities! 

The Road Home collaborates with a variety of organizations to ensure families and individuals have the tools they need to get back on their feet and stay there. Check out all the resources in this link. Community Resources

 I can personally say that I have learned a ton and have grown to love The Road Home as I investigated and created this next Share the Love Project. When I am able, I would like to coordinate volunteer activities to do, so when I do (or if I hear any of you are!) I will pass along the information!

Ya know, sometimes people just a need a little bit of help to get back up on their feet and be fine again. With your help, they can. Join me.

Share the Love

New Year's Resolution

I haven't given much thought to a New Year's Resolution to be honest.

There are many things that will be different next year, so I'm not so sure I need one but I'm a believer in second chances and new beginnings so, alas, my inner being compels me to make a New Year's Resolution. :)

But first, we must reflect.

This is a recap of last year's resolutions 

(posted to my personal blog)

Happy New Year Everyone!

Every New Year provides an opportunity to start over.

It gives us a chance to change and become a little bit better than last year.

Ben and I were discussing our New Year's resolutions and I was definitely more into this resolution game than he was....but that was to be expected. :) I found myself being more interested in making a resolution than in previous years. Maybe it's because I have more time to think about it. Maybe I've just had enough. Probably a little bit of both, but either way, I am really excited about my new year's resolution because it is realistic and something I have been working on for a bit already.

Let's check out Ben and Sara's New Year's Resolutions!

I will start with Ben. He is a pretty straight forward guy. When I asked him what his new year's resolution would be, these are the answers he gave me. :D I love him.

Goal #1: To not die

{I can chuckle at this because he's nowhere near that but has felt like he wanted to a few times this past year.}

Goal #2: Go Camping more

{Great goal! I like it!}

Goal #3: Build up his Trucks and Jeep

{Hmmm.....this was a surprise.}

Now for Sara. I have really been focusing lately on becoming who I want to be so that is my new year's resolution this year.

Resolution: Become who I want to be.

Life itself is intended for progress so I don't expect this to be "checked off" the list at the end of the year but I would like to say that I am a step closer to my goal (if not a lot of steps closer). Besides, life would suck if you didn't like spending time with yourself!

To be able to become who I want to be, I figured I should break my resolution down into some achievable goals.

Goal #1: Be Relaxed

I have been working on this for a while and I actually feel I am pretty good (or at least a lot better than I used to be) but I do recognize a few things that could make this even better, which leads into goal #2.

Goal #2: Get Organized

I eluded to this before in my last post. An organized house nurtures an organized mind. This is definitely true for me. I love to be organized but somehow my inate instincts (or as some of my family call it, "the genius" in me. ha!) make me a very disorganized person. My excuse has always been that it's organized chaos. But no more! Goodbye Entropy. Hello finding my shoe!

Goal #3: Make my Home Sweet Home

I still feel like I just moved in. I know I am not the only one who has lived where they are for a few years and still haven't unpacked everything. I just really don't like looking at rooms of boxes and am at the "I've had enough" point. It's time. I want to create an environment that nurtures family and the spirit. I would love to have this done before we grow our little family. I want to create a safe haven and a cozy home. We love our house and it is cozy and warm but I think organizing it and actually setting up the rooms (and putting things up on the walls) would help it tip over into the "We live in a cozy home and love it here" phase rather than the "We move every 6 months so we don't even bother unpacking" phase. My mom always created a wonderfully cozy home for us to enjoy and I want to do the same thing for my family.

Ben and I also decided to have a combined resolution for this year.

Family Goal: Keep the Sabbath Day Holy

I know that we can do a better job at keeping the sabbath day a holy day to give us more time to study and reflect on our being. With all the hubbub and drama of worldly daily living it can be very easy to lose track of our eternal goals and relationships with each other and our Father in Heaven.

I really like the quote, "Be in the world but not of the world," and I know for a fact that taking the time out to study, learn and meditate and make right choices on an hourly basis will help us to easily achieve that goal and will allow our 'body' and 'spirit' to coexist in peace. One thing that has always helped me is the thought below:

"The longer we follow a path, the easier it becomes."

This is true in all aspects of life, no matter which path you choose.

So follow the path that will allow you to become who you want to be.

Happy New Year.

Well, surprisingly, even through all Ben has been through this last year, 

all of his resolutions have come to fruition (whether he wanted them to or not).

#1 Yep, still here.

#2 We went camping up at Huntsville and fished for the first time together!

Ben was also able to go jeeping in St. George.

#3 Ben built up his jeep and his truck a bit

I am glad he was able to enjoy a few things while he could. He deserves so much more and will soon receive it when he passes into the next life and is no longer plagued by a broken body.

I can proudly announce that I have also achieved all of my goals. 

I am definitely more of who I want to be this year.

Relaxed, a bit more organized and Home Sweet Home Achieved.... well, more like Room Sweet Room achieved... I created a little cozy haven in the room where Ben is by decorating the fireplace mantle and walls with notes, drawings, balloons and cards from family and mostly the nieces and nephews. I stuffed Christmas into this room too so it is very cozy for us. Room Sweet Room. :)

We also achieved our family goal by not just keeping the Sabbath day holy but by keeping every day holy as much as possible. We have learned a ton and gained much from this experience. Living holy invites a greater spirit into your home and provides an atmosphere of education and inspiration. Our hearts have been further softened. I highly recommend it.

 

The New Year will bring many changes to my and Ben's life, in sad but good ways. 

This next year will definitely be bittersweet for both of us. 

Since things will be so different, my blog will be a way for me to write down "things" and I might as well share them in case they could help someone else out there that may be in a situation similar to mine. Maybe it could help. Either way I just enjoy sharing things. :)

Anyway, I digress. Resolutions.
Really, there has been one major thing on my mind lately and I think my 2007 New Year's post says it best so instead of recreating the wheel, I would just like to share that post with you.

 This is my resolution.

Well....The Christmas hustle and bustle should be over now for most people. This is the time when we can really focus on Christ, his birth and his influence in our life. We can also look back at the year and reflect on the good times, the sad times, and the accomplishments we have made. We can remember loved ones we have lost and new friendships we have gained. We can also remember those who walked through our hearts and left footprints that may never be washed away. Whether 2007 was monetarily prosperous or not will not matter in the grand perspective of things. What really matters is how many hearts we touched this last year.
We can try to count the number of people we might think we have helped but most likely there are many more we are unaware of. We can never know when a small and kind gesture makes a world of difference to another person. I have been the recipient of many of these gestures that are often performed without thought.
These few people are what make me trust the world a little too much and gives me hope for a safer, kinder world for our children. I want to thank those of you who open doors for others even if they could do it themselves. I want to thank those who help shovel their neighbor's walkways and bake cookies for the new families in the neighborhood. I want to thank those of you who donate your time and money to helping those who are not as fortunate as you. Thank you to those who inspire others and are role models. Thank you to those who spend a little more time with their family. Thank you to those who say "Hello" to a stranger and to those who support our troops. Thank you to those who try to enjoy life a little more. Thank you to those who make this world a better place one act of kindness at a time.
I try to think to myself "If everyone in the world did as I did...would this world be a better place?" I would hope the answer to this question would be 'Yes' for me.
In a few days we will get to make a New Year's Resolution that most people drop two weeks into the year. This year, let's make a resolution that is easy to keep not only for a year but for a lifetime. If you have an opportunity to serve, whether convenient or inconvenient, take the opportunity. It doesn't have to be a huge sacrifice like many may think. It could just be the simple acts as stated above. You never know how many lives 3you may touch or even change.

My resolution is to serve God a little bit better.

"And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." Mosiah 2:17
Happy New Year. 

50 Totes for 50 Patients

Curious what 50 gift totes looks like?

Huzzah!

Them's a lot of totes. ;)

{If you're just now dropping in, look to the right side bar for more information on the Christmas Comfort Totes project for chemo patients at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital or Click Here.}

Wrapped and Ready!
Stay tuned to see when the next batch of 50 is ready!

Happy Birthday to My Ben!

Today is a monumentous day and Camille says it best so I am going to let her do the talking right now. Enjoy. 

A Birthday To Remember

WE DID IT!!!

We have now officially reached our goal of making 100 totes! ONE HUNDRED! AMAZING!

We will still gladly take donations and continue making totes as long as we can. You can find the original list of items needed by clicking here.

Thank you to everyone who has helped make this possible!

Now excuse me while I shift gears.

I can't think of a better day for this goal to have happened.

You see, today (12/12/12) just so happens to be Ben's 32nd birthday.  As my sister Emily said, "He's not a newborn, but today is definitely a miracle birthday".  

My sweet, amazing, courageous brother is nearing the end of his life.  You can tell he is worn out, exhausted and ready to go on to his mission in heaven.  But his body is a strong one and is putting up a good fight against this darn cancer.  So, he got to live to see another milestone with his sweet Sara, always by his side.

I can't think of a better way to honor him, than to officially say that we will be donating 100+ "Essential Totes" to Huntsman Cancer Institute in his honor.

Ben - your name will be in every single one.  The people receiving these will know that they are made from countless people who love and care about you.  

Your name will go on doing good in this world long after you have gone.  

And although you have never been one for hoopla, fanfair, attention or being fussed over...YOU DESERVE THIS and more.  

Thank you for the example of patience, unconditional love, loyalty, endurance, courage and faith.

I love you!

Many people love you!

And I'm sure those in heaven are anxious to have you back.  But I'm glad they are waiting patiently while we spend these precious moments with you.

{Click HERE for Camille's Blog}

This is just awesome. :) Thank You.

This is my tribute to Ben on his 32nd Birthday.

12/12/12

"My Sweet Ben, Happy Birthday. We made it to another milestone. You mean more to me than life itself. I truly feel like the luckiest person in the world to have been blessed with such a wonderful best friend, handyman, husband and eternal partner. For 10 years we have walked a pretty interesting path. Sometimes it was smooth, sometimes it felt like hot coals, and sometimes it felt like we weren't walking at all but tumbling down a mountain. But through it all we were always side by side and we always got up, dusted off and continued down the path that was laid before us hand in hand. And we always will. If you can't walk, I will carry you. I love you."

I said to Ben "Look at how many people love you... and I love you more than all of them combined. How can you even handle that?! I'm surprised you haven't exploded from love!"
:)

I want to thank you personally for donating to the totes and we continue to welcome donations.

Since we have reached 100 totes already, if you would like to help Ben and contribute to things he cares about I would also ask that you consider helping out Oaklynn. This is our cousin's little girl. She was born with Rett syndrome. Rett syndrome causes symptoms of autism, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, Parkinson's and anxiety all in one little girl. She can't walk and she can't talk. As you can imagine, this is a huge ordeal for any family and the bills start piling up. 

A little love and help goes a long way.

Oaklynn's darling mom, Whitney, is currently selling t-shirts in which a portion of the money goes to Oaklynn's benefit fund. These t-shirts would make a great Christmas gift or stocking stuffer and it would give much more to the receiver than a simple t-shirt.

Click HERE to purchase one of these t-shirts to help Oaklynn get the care she needs. They are only $13. Whitney needs to get at least 50 shirts purchased to be able to put the order through. Right now 16 have been purchased. Let's help get those other 34 sold! We only have 10 days left!

Plus the shirt is so cute! Just look at it! Perfect for a runner too!

Please visit her website My Silent Angels Fight

Let's be Oaklynn's angels.

We love you more than anything and may God bless you in this wonderful Christmas Season.

Chemotherapy Side Effects

I had a really great question about why the cotton gloves were in the Christmas gift totes and decided to share with you the reasons behind why some of these specific items are included. This list comes from experience. Over the last 2 years (exactly tomorrow actually) Ben (and I with him) have been in and out of hospitals many many times during surgeries, chemotherapy and emergencies. I got to the point where I just kept an emergency hospital bag pretty much packed. I packed most of the following items every time and would highly recommend them (and the rest of the items in the totes) to anyone going for chemotherapy whether it is just for a day infusion, for an inpatient stay or even for someone going to visit a chemotherapy patient.

Hand Sanitizer

When Ben was receiving chemotherapy his immune function was decreased (just like everyone else on chemotherapy) so he wasn't able to fight off the sickness and bugs that most of us can. This can be life threatening in these patients. It was a very common occurrence for Ben to get sick after visiting with people even if they were not sick. Everyone can carry bugs on them or even be infected themselves without even knowing because they have a functional immune system that is preventing them from feeling the effects of an illness. This is why hand sanitizer is so important. Not only for the chemo patient but for every single person that comes to visit and might be touching the patient or even just things in the patient's room. Bacteria and viruses can live on the surface of objects for hours so they have the potential to infect the next person who picks up that item or another person that touches them. Hand washing is the standard but hand sanitizer is a close second in preventing the spread of bugs by killing them on the spot plus it is very fast and convenient. Alcohol-based sanitizers kill most bugs you encounter on a daily basis. That's pretty good odds! You need to make sure you use enough and rub it in until it's dry. If you do that, you greatly decrease the odds of spreading germs around to others.
Did You Know...Not All Hand Sanitizer Is Equal?
 There are cheaper versions out there (often sold at discount stores) that do not reduce the bacteria on your skin and even help spread the germs around evenly! They do not contain the minimum concentration of alcohol needed to kill bacteria (and may not even have alcohol at all!) So when you are buying hand sanitizer, make sure the ingredient list says it has at least 60% alcohol.
{Check out the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website for lots of information about decreasing the spread of infection and other infectious disease related information. If you didn't already know, I am a pharmacist at a hospital and will sometimes interject shameless plugs to educate the gen pop because I'm a dork. ;) }

 Cotton Gloves and Lip Balm

Washing your hands, as said before, is the standard. This removes the most bacteria and viruses from your skin. Ben washed his hands a lot and this made his hands very dry. Dry hands that are being washed a lot for a normal person may not be a big deal. We can just put some lotion on and then we are better. For someone on chemotherapy it is a different story. Chemotherapy itself can cause dry flaky skin so the combination can cause the skin, especially on their hands, to actually start breaking down or flaking off and it can create large splotchy red patches on the back of the hands (this happened to Ben). It is important to keep the skin as hydrated as possible so a good healing lotion will definitely help. The hands usually suffer the most so putting on cotton gloves after lotion helps keep the moisture in for some added benefit. This is most convenient to do right before bed. Also, you can imagine your lips will also be dry. This increases dramatically if you are on oxygen like Ben was often. A good non-petrolatum based healing lip balm is essential and let me give you a tip... don't have the hospital supply it if it is not absolutely necessary. It is expensive coming from the hospital due to processing fees and stuff.
{Why non-petrolatum/petroleum based? It has a very low melting point so it melts around body temperature and gives off fumes that can easily ignite (highly flammable). It essentially puts your face at high risk of combustion... oxygen + petroleum + small spark = fire face}

SPRY Mints and Biotene Mouthwash

So, Why SPRY? They work! These mints help produce saliva and are made of Xylitol, a tooth-friendly sugar alcohol. Chemotherapy does a real number on mucous membranes (anything that produces body fluids or has rapid turnover/growth of cells) so it can create really bad mouth sores and dry out your mouth. Dry mouth can lead to more dental problems like cavities. Up until recently Ben was still fixing the dental complications from his first round of chemotherapy 10 years ago! This is why producing saliva and preventing dental problems is so important. (Also, Biotene mouthwash)

Blankets, Hats (NEW!) and Socks

While in the hospital, Ben's internal thermostat went on strike. It was impossible for him to stay warm at times. He said that including a warm blanket would be a great benefit to anyone receiving chemotherapy. And let's just say we won't be ordering any hospital socks for Christmas. They aren't the best. The best thing they have going for them are those grippy little rubber pieces on the bottom. So, the best socks for chemo patients would be warm, non-slip socks. This also helps you to hold in your heat... in addition to hats!

And since this completely slipped my mind until just right now, BEANIE HATS are now on the list!! Please help!! Wow. Haha! o_O
Yeah, sometimes your hair falls out.  Aaaaand your head gets cold.
ADDENDUM: We have already had such a great response and all the hats have been donated!
 

Starbursts and Lifesavers

You may not have thought about this before but have you ever had an IV infusion? Have you been able to taste it? It may seem weird but when you are being infused with saline (a salt water solution), some people can actually taste the salt! Ben is one of those blessed people. He also was fortunate enough to taste the chemotherapy, which is nasty might I add. It is not a taste you care to remember but probably will the rest of your life as Ben has since his first round 10 years ago. Lifesavers and Starbursts (in addition to making you salivate) help get rid of the horrible chemo taste in your mouth.

Puzzle Books and other Books

Chemotherapy infusions can last ALL DAY. I am NOT exaggerating. We had days where we were at Huntsman from 8 in the morning to 7 at night. And not just that.... We had to wait at doctor's offices for hours sometimes. Throw in the wait for the lab to draw your blood, for you to check in at the hospital, waiting for the MRI machine (oh.my.goodness.) You learn VERY fast to bring something to do. Most days that we had appointments we were there for at least 3 hours... and you aren't talking to someone the whole time. That's a lot of waiting. Puzzle books (or any types of books or activities) are wonderful and make the time go by faster.

Notebook and Pen

I felt it was a very important thing to record my thoughts and what was going on with Ben. Writing is a very good outlet. Underestimated in my opinion. I wrote in my journal a lot but most of what I wrote down was what exactly was going on. They give you a lot of information. There is no way you can remember everything you need to know without writing it down including your own questions. If you can remember to ask your 2 questions for the doctor after you have been poked and prodded by 1 medical student, 2 residents, a nurse and an attending before they go over every body system and the results of your latest MRI, well you're amazing. Write stuff down. This proved very very useful and I highly recommend it to anyone.

Nail Files
During chemotherapy, the nail growth slows way down and they become extremely brittle so it is important to ensure they stay neat and trimmed. When the nails start growing out after chemotherapy, there is a very weak section between the old growth before chemo and the new growth after chemo. This weak section can cause your nails to actually break off as they grow out a little longer or get snags. Clipping the nails can produce large breaks in the nails so filing is best.

Well, hopefully this helps explain the necessity for some of the items in the gift totes as well as give you an idea of what some of the chemo patient's have to endure.
Thanks for helping them get through this!

Goal Reached!

 I can't begin to tell all of you how touched I am that so many of you are so willing to help out. Not even just willing but you are spreading the word and collecting donations from everyone you know, people that don't even know Ben. Some of YOU don't even know Ben yourselves but maybe you will be able to feel his spirit after all is said and done. You are taking on this project with great vigor and for that I thank you.

ANNOUNCEMENT:

We have reached our goal of 50 totes!

{And are actually close to 70}

PLUS, we have extended the deadline and will be collecting donations as long as they keep coming in.

Our new goal is 100 totes!

So, let's make it happen!

I have created a simple single page flyer that you may use to distribute to your work, family, friends, church and school, etc that explains the project.

You can find the document HERE. 

If you would like an editable version, please email me at sara@sharedessertcompany.com.

So many people have been affected by cancer, whether it is yourself or a loved one, that I believe this project likely hits home for many of you. We all share a little piece of ourselves with those of whom we serve.

Matthew Chapter 25:35-40

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

 Every act of service brings us a little closer to Christ.

Merry Christmas.  

Thank You For Your Kindness

Thank you to everyone for being so generous in helping create these comfort totes for the Huntsman chemo patients.

We have had such a great response that we will very likely surpass our 50 tote goal!

 THANK YOU for making this happen.

Here is the story about this project.

I have running totals of what items are still needed at the right side of the blog and a donate button if you would prefer to donate money that we will use to buy the remaining items for the totes. Either method is fine. It's all the same to us! Many have wanted to have a hands-on approach with their children to teach them the spirit of giving.

Item donations may be dropped off at a few different locations: 2 locations in Centerville, 1 location in Holladay and 1 location in Taylorsville. Let me know which location you would prefer to drop items off at and I will send you the address.

Thank you so very much for supporting a project I care so much about.

As Ben's days wind down, I can't help but reflect on how much support we had throughout the last 10 years of Ben's cancer struggles.

Not everyone is as fortunate as we are to have such amazing family, friends, neighbors, jobs, insurance, co-workers, healthcare and so much more. The least I can do is try to help someone at least be a little more comfortable this Christmas and show them they are loved and cared about.

This picture was taken on our 10th Anniversary, Nov 27, 2012!

We made it!

Share the Love

I know some of you have wondered why I named my blog Share Dessert Company.  It shows when you repeat it and have a puzzled look on your face or ask me to spell it. :)

Actually, it was supposed to be just "Share" but obviously that name has been taken a thousand times over plus a good name explains what the heck you are about and isn't so mysterious. So since I originally started the website as a dessert blog I tacked on Dessert Company. 

Sounds good. Sure. I'll take it. 

As I started getting dessert requests coming in from everyone I know (and some I don't know across the country) I realized... hmm....I guess my name was a bit misleading. People think I have a baking business. Well I don't. Tee hee. :) I'm not legit. I have just done it for some friends and family. I decided I really didn't want to go in that direction so I decided to drop the "company" in hopes that I will stop confusing people.

So, now it is plain old Share Dessert. A blog about sharing dessert and other fabulous things.

 {I also thought dessert to me represents anything sweet and fabulous so I thought I would just keep a hidden play on words there all to myself because I'm a dork like that.}

So I just told you all this for no reason. This is completely beside the point.

Baha!

:)

My point! When I started this blog, I didn't just want to share recipes. 

I wanted to share my time, my talents and my self.

I thought, if I could just sell my desserts or generate some money somehow by providing a fun useful website then I could give it to people who really need it.

I don't need it. I have been blessed with opportunity in life and an amazing job came from it that has blessed my family beyond belief.

I often think of the lyrics to a song by Brad Paisley:

"To the world
You may be just another girl
But to me
Baby, you are the world"

And so I think, I could change someone's life. Even if it were only 1 person or even if it just changed someone's day, it would be worth it.

This is my life.

One Girl, One Goal.

To make a difference.

I planned to start a new section of the website at the beginning of next year but my lovely sister-in-law, Camille, did something that pushed me to start it now. 

She posted to her blog and sent out an email that said this:

"With the Christmas season approaching, I have been trying to come up with a way we can incorporate some service into our celebration.  Especially to help teach my young children about the true meaning of Christmas.  I have been wracking my brain, wondering what we could do.  And then the idea hit me this morning.  

Gather items to donate to the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

My sweet brother has spent a lot of time in hospitals, including Huntsman, during his cancer battle.  We know that it can be a sad and lonely place, and that not everyone has the amazing support that my brother has in his incredible wife, Sara.  I wanted to do something to help other patients fighting cancer.  So I started doing some research, and have decided I want to make "Essential Totes" for patients that are on an extended stay.  

This is where I ask for the support of all of my family, friends and even strangers. I will gather donations from now until mid-December.  We will then assemble and deliver the items with my girls (if they are allowed) as we get closer to Christmas.  If you feel like you could help out, PLEASE do.  We have seen the incredible suffering that cancer patients go through first-hand.  We have seen the ones that are lonely as well, and it is heart breaking.  If you would prefer to donate money, I can use that to buy supplies as well.  I can take checks, cash or PayPal (there is a button over on the right to donate).

...

I know that things are tight around Christmas...I have 4 kids, I get it...but if you could find any wiggle room to give, it would mean a great deal to us.  I plan on including a note in each bag saying that these are dedicated to Ben...the strongest person I've ever known.

Thank you in advance!

P.S. I promise to document this and put pictures on the blog as well."

 This brother of hers, Ben, happens to be my husband so this intuitively is something I care very much about. I want to help make this happen.

Ben and a fleece blanket made by family

 So lets embark on a journey to Share the Love and help others live a little easier or at least a little happier. In the new section of the website I'll provide ideas of different ways you can help whether global or local. I will also always be fundraising for a specific charity or event that I will post about as they come. Sometimes for big things. Sometimes for small things. I will share stories and pictures about who we have been able to make an impact on.

I have placed a "donate" button on the right side of the site to make things easy for those who would like to donate.

Please consider donating items or money to provide the gift of comfort this Christmas season to those suffering from a disease that knows no boundaries. I know first-hand how great an impact you can have.
Here are the items that we would like to include in the Christmas gift totes.

Christmas Gift Totes:
Tote (big enough to fit a magazine)
Fleece Blanket
Warm Comfy Socks
Cotton Gloves (to put on after lotion application)
Unscented Healing Lotion
Current Magazines
Playing Cards
Crossword/Wordsearch/Puzzle Books 
 Pens
Paper/Journal
Gum
Mints/ SPRY Mints 
Hand Sanitizer
Starbursts/ Life Savers
Biotene Mouthwash
Healing Lip Balm/Moisturizer (non-petrolatum based)
Thoughtful/Funny Story or Short Book
   Disposable Nail Files

All items should be new. If you have any other great ideas, please comment! If you have any questions about helping out you can email me at 
sara@sharedessertcompany.com

{Addendum: Wow! We have already received donations! THANK YOU! Updates with be posted to the main page HERE. Check there to see what we still need.}

   A big Thank You goes out to Camille for doing such an amazing job of dreaming up and organizing this project! You are an angel.

"And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail— But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him." Moroni 7:45-47

Charity is the pure love of Christ.

“Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.” -HW Longfellow