The weather has been great! Until today that is. I, along with everyone else I know and then some, is ready for Spring! And who wouldn't be. The grass gets greener, trees get their leaves, the warmth of the sunshine, flowers bloom, people can get out from being trapped inside their homes all winter, and the sound of nature comes back to life. Other than mosquitoes and tornadoes, I can think of no other reason for anyone to hate spring!! Ok, maybe those gusty south winds can be a little annoying, but I will take them if that is what it means to have warmer weather! Today has been nothing but rain and gloom. And it doesn't sound like it will be getting any better in the next few days. Bummer! Just when I was starting to get a skip back in my step and nature drops this at my doorstep ;(
Anyways, back to my excitement. I have a correction for an earlier post, as it should be USA Weekend, instead of U.S. Weekly.
On October 25th, 2008, I had the opportunity to help with something great, something called the "Wade Moore Benefit, Kids Can Make a Difference Race." Wade Moore is someone known and liked by the whole community. Unfortunately he was involved in a tragic accident that left him paralyzed. He had great struggles ahead of him and I knew as soon as I heard that someone was going to hold a benefit for him that I wanted to help. I wasn't sure how my part would all work out or how much it would help, but I knew I wanted to be a part of it. So when Daryl Hoppe of the Twisters Car Club/Twisters Dragway Hotwheels Race came to me and asked me to help I was more than willing. Together we had ideas. And our ideas seemed to work out great on paper. Once I started putting those ideas in the computer, things changed a little. But after lots of thought and "making and erasing" it all came together. I had spend lots of time on this, as not only was there little time to get it together, but it had to be prefect. I spend lots of nights lying in bed with the computer while Scott slept next to me just getting things right. And eventually, I did. I was sooooo excited, I not only couldn't wait to get the design printed out, but to see it come to life on a shirt could not happen quick enough. I got the approval from the organizers the next day and away I went. I went home that night and processed screens, even if if meant staying up late or only getting 1 shirt out. I produced 4 shirts. I was ecstatic. This shirt had special meaning in several ways. I was going to be helping out part of the community to benefit someone who needed it, but it was also a major accomplishment for me. I had only been screen printing for about a year, and I knew there was still lots to learn. I didn't have special software or know tricks of the trade, all I had was the equipment and the determination to make this great! This was my first 6 color design, created solely by me. I had no help, no artwork to copy, only some ideas drawn on a piece of paper. But it turned out better than I could have expected. And in the days to follow, many more shirts were made. 110 to be exact, and that didn't include the ones I made myself or my family.
I am not sure exactly when it was, but Daryl came by the shop with a copy of USA Weekend. There was an article in there about "Make a Difference Day" which happened to be on October 25. The article contained ways people all over were taking part in events to make a difference in the lives of others. Wow, what a coincidence that their event was held on the same day and that the name of the event was "Kids Can Make a Difference Day!" Whats are the odds of this?!
After the race, someone had submitted different items to USA Weekend about the event for Wade. I had received the call from them for a short telephone interview awhile back, but never did I think anything more than that's not a call I get everyday. It left me wondering but the lady that interviewed me said that they would have to sort through all the entries to determine the winners. And I just figured our odds weren't that great and that someone out there had submitted something even greater or something that had benefited a lot more people.
Tuesday, I was just pulling in the garage after work and my phone rang. It was Daryl. He had just got the call saying that the event was one of the winners. One out of ten. I sat in my vehicle trying to take it all in, but I was in shock. I couldn't remember half of what he had told me, the only thing that really stuck out was that he said "How would it make you feel to have a picture of your shirt in a national publication?" Did I hear him right? I was already so proud of the design, the benefit of helping someone, and the idea that someone that saw my shirt may come in as a new customer or send new customers my way. It was a success no matter which way I looked at it, but who would have ever thought that it would be seen or acknowledged by people all across the United States. I did receive more information today. A photographer is being sent to Sabetha next week, and that the $10,000 donation to a charity as one of the winners will be kept right here in town.
I will keep you all posted on this as it progresses. It has opened my eyes to new meanings. I am amazed that not only did I help out someone in great need with many new challenges in life, but because of that and the help and donations of time and money from others, Wade will have a little less to worry about. And because someone submitted this information to USA Weekend, and they felt it deserved recognition and chose it as one of the winners, many other people right here in our community will also benefit from this. It definitely shows that it doesn't take much to help out someone in need. I encourage everyone to take part in this day in the future no matter how small your part is or how little you think your help will benefit, because it does. And so I am ending it at that and with a picture of the shirt I designed.
Here is the link to the Make a Difference Day Website. It has lots of information on how to get involved and how to submit events.
You can see this design and read more about the event on my website:
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