THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR BLESSINGS

Choose To Care(CTC)(choosetocaresite.org) has stayed true to its mission.  Since its start in 2008, we have continued to provide a brand new pair of shoes for the children in need at home and abroad.

We have continued to offer support for as many children as we can and hope that these pair of shoes will help them to make progress in whatever areas they choose.  As we have often said, this pair of shoes can be magical; the wearer will see it fit to continue their education, to participate in sports, to wear with dignity and joy, good fitting shoes without holes, to protect their feet from cuts and infections and so on.

We are proud of our efforts and thankful for our supporters over these 14 years.  We know that there is so much more needed; we are just scratching the surface but vow never to give up. Each month we sponsor a public school classroom through Donors Choose(donors choose.org). This organization allows public school teachers, nationwide, to request resources for their students.  We have enjoyed journeying to bring the good news of sponsorship.

This month we have landed at Langston Chapel Middle School, Statesboro, Georgia; where the kind teacher, Ms. Jackson is concerned about the health and wellbeing of her Grades 6-8 students.  She said that wearing the wrong type of shoes can be detrimental to their health and growth on the basketball court.

We at CTC are filled with joy to answer her request for comfortable and proper shoes for the students. This month also, feeling the joy for the holiday season, CTC donated shoes to a local shelter that is feeling the squeeze from the many new families they are housing. We also remembered our families living abroad and so we contributed to Child Fund International, an American based organization, that needed school shoes for children in foreign countries. Good footwear For Good Health was their advertisement.

CTC would like you to join them in making environmental goals.  Let's do our part, no matter how small, to preserve the planet for ensuing generations. CTC values your service! Wishing you, joy, health and prosperity in the coming years.

COMING THROUGH

 "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others" Mahatma Gandhi

It is always difficult each month to choose a classroom project and answer that teacher's request for her students.  But we at Choose To Care(CTC)(choosetocaresite.org), know how important  it is to provide healthy and secure beginnings for children, even if it is a few at a time.

This month, Mrs. Ramos from A&M Consolidated High School, College Station, Texas, described her students as amazing, funny and caring.  May of her students, she said, come from low-income households and do not have access to black dress shoes, that is needed for the concerts, they participate in. The teacher is fighting for these students because she wants them to fit in with the group.

CTC is here to fill that gap.  Our mission is to provide a brand new pair of shoes for the child in need and our vision is  that the children will be provided resources and gain skills needed to rise above adversity and positively take their lives in the right direction.

We applaud Donors Choose(donors choose.org) for providing this trusted platform, for public schools nationwide; giving teachers an added chance to lift up their students, so they can learn, grow and thrive.

CTC also uses their platform to advocate for protection of Mother Earth, in whatever way possible. It is our responsibility.

Happy Thanksgiving!

With Gratitude!

A BRAND NEW PAIR OF KICKS

It is new month and even in the chaos, the state of the world seems to be in daily, it is important to fill our lives with meaningful goals and purpose.

I look forward to each month to begin my search for a public school to sponsor, to assist with the teachers' request for resources that will support their students learning. CHOOSE TO CARE (choosetocaresite.org), the organization, that I created in 2008, with a mission to provide a brand new pair of shoes  for the child in need; recognizes that we are all on this earth together and must use our unique means to support others and make the world a better place for us all.

I applaud Donors Choose (donors choose.org), the trusted organization, that supports public schools nationwide and allows the public to sponsor the teachers' request for their students.  This month CTC will keep going in our endeavor to sponsor a public school each month. We have chosen Coach Hickley's Grades 6-8, at Westland High School, Galloway, Ohio. 

This kind teacher described the great need of his hardworking students, many of whom he said, come to practice without proper footwear, because they don't have the funds to purchase new shoes.  We at CTC want to be part of the solution.  We hope the students will continue strengthening themselves with knowledge as they participate in sports with proper footwear.

Thanks for your support of CTC and together let's do our small part to keep Mother Earth green; small parts from all of us make the whole. Help Spread the Word!

A BRAND NEW PAIR Of SHOES

It seems that in order to persevere in the face of adversity we have to rewire our brain to focus on the positives in life so as not to get caught up on all the upheavals in the world.

We at Choose To Care(CTC) are focused on improving the lives of the youth, one brand new pair of shoes at a time. CTC is sending a dose of kindness to Mrs. Gardler preK and grade 2 students at Rudolph Blakenburg Elementary School, Philadelphia, P.A..  This kind teacher requested help through Donors Choose(donors choose.org), the organization that allows public school teachers, nationwide, to ask for resources for their classrooms.  She described poverty as the norm in the school where she works and the families she stated do not have the luxury of buying new shoes frequently.  She described children wearing ill-fitted shoes or shoes with hole in them.

My hope is that as these children are exposed to the wonders of the world, they will be inspired to seize opportunities to achieve all they can be.  Keep imagining what a brand new pair of shoes can do and you will be introduced to the reasons we take this to heart.

Ready to try something new! Let me also direct you to this recipe taken from BLOSSOM, the newly written cookbook, plus, that is being sold to support CTC organization and all its endeavors.

A reminder also to be more waste conscious and make Mother Earth happy.

Live Vibrantly!

                                                 TREASURED BREAD PUDDING

Ingredients

2 cups soy or almond milk

1/4 cup butter or margarine

2 eggs beaten

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

6 cups bread torn into pieces

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup dried fruits of choice

1/4 cup slivered almonds

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit

2. In a saucepan, heat milk and butter over medium heat until butter is melted

3. In a bowl, mix eggs, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg

4. Stir in bread pieces, raisins, other dried fruits and almond

5. Stir in milk mixture

6. Pour into an uncreased deep baking pan

7. Bake uncovered for about one hour or until knife inserted, comes out clean

Tips: Soak raisins, cranberries or other dried fruits in red wine for a delicious change of flavor.

Enjoy!  Spread joy wherever you go!

Feeding Their Soles(Souls)

"When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy" Rumi

We cannot miss the frequent news stories of migrants who have arrived by bus to New York City and elsewhere.  They wore their journeys on their faces, tired and looking forlorn.  The more I think about their plight, the more I see triumph.  I, the storyteller, dug deep into their lives to bring HOPE to the forefront, even if only a sprinkle.  I have let great expectations rule supreme; even if only in my imagination.  This may not have been the way they wanted to arrive but nevertheless, here they are. This sets them on the road for the possibilities that are ahead.

The request came from a local shelter that is overwhelmed, as I knew they would, with the influx of families and limited or lack of supplies to meet their needs. They asked for black pairs of shoes so that the children can attend school.

Choose To Care (CTC) stepped up to give a helping hand to lighten their load, even if only a drop. The children's soles have been fed.  They will receive a brand new pair of shoes.  I rejoice in the fulfillment of CTC's mission and how essential it is for me to live a life of service.  I also marvel how each and every time, the simple gift of a brand new pair of shoes, given to someone in need, brings so much heartwarming and magical moments to the soul.

The children I hope will seize their chance for a better education and feel stronger and more fortified, each and every day; as they continue on a meaningful and joyful journey. I am sure with time they will grasp the value of the communities that have embraced them and they will one day utter these words from Maya Angelou: "This is a wonderful day. I have never seen this one before."

Thanks for being part of the CTC family. Together we are creating a better world, one brand new pair of shoes at a time. We are on a mission to deliver hope, health and happiness to those who need it most.

Peace!

WALKING ON SUNSHINE

When I picture walking on sunshine, I see nothing but pure joy, laughter and excitement.  And a more joyful experience would be wearing the right footwear.

The Choose To Care (CTC) nonprofit, formed in 2008, makes it their responsibility each month to provide a brand new pair of shoes for the child in need, through Donors Choose, the nonprofit that allows the public to fulfill the classroom project requests of public school teachers, nationwide.

For the month of September, we walked on sunshine to give support  to Ms. Kim's, grades 6-8 students at Nicolas Junior High School, Fullerton, California. She described her students as the most dedicated and committed dancers she has worked with in many years.  The one thing holding them back is that they are from low-income households, she says, and many are unable to purchase dance shoes on their own.

A brand new pair of shoes we hope will bring joy to the owners, but it also comes with significant messages from CTC.

We hope the children will have a meaningful journey and never stop trying.

We are asking our supporters to join us also in our fight to keep Mother Earth green. Any simple act for a greener world will make a difference.

Thanks for your generous spirit and for coming along on our monthly road trips.

Spread Joy Where Ever You Go!

HANGING IN THERE

"Keep digging your well. Water is there somewhere" says,Rumi.

I don't think many of us can survive going without shoes for a long time, especially on the rough ground.

When I started the nonprofit, Choose To Care(CTC) in 2008, with the mission of providing a brand new pair of shoes for the child and young adult in need; the naysayers did not see the importance but I was not deterred.  I did not allow anyone to throw a wrench in my plans.

You can only imagine what a brand new pair of shoes can do for the owner. Bring comfort, joy, hope, lead to adventures and possibly meaningful journeys and so on.  This month, we at CTC are glad to be of assistance to deliver brand new pairs of shoes to Coach Roddie of Livingston Chapel Middle School, Statesboro, Georgia, who made the request for his 6-8 graders students, who came from low-income households and are in dire need.

We are fulfilling this request through Donors Choose(donors choose.org), a nonprofit organization that engages the public in public schools throughout America. Teachers are allowed to ask for support for their classroom projects.

Our gratitude to our supporters for their dedication to the children we so passionately care for together and for their ongoing fight for a better tomorrow.

Please be reminded to do your part to save Mother Earth, no matter how small these actionable ways are.

Help Spread The Word!