Archive for June 2015

Dreamers Coffee Decaf Blend- To Di For

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Some have asked me for a little history behind the name of our "To Di For Decaf" blend. Here is the short version!


Friends and family who are close to me generally call me Di. It is usually the first sign I know that someone is becoming a close friend with me. I love the nick name, and use it as well when I sign off an email or leave a message.

Also, most who know me, know I have a bit of a zeal for life! I love life, and for the most part, I enjoy all that life brings my way!

Some would say, I have passion. Others would say that I have a bit of energy. Or that I exude joy! lol

I like to say I was born caffeinated. ;-)

I absolutely LOVE coffee! The taste. The smell. The culture that surrounds coffee. The process of roasting coffee. The history of coffee! Simply said, there is nothing I do not love about coffee.

I have found that if I drink coffee that is not a premium blend, it gives me more energy than I need, and generally makes me feel yucky. So if I drink coffee that is not a premium blend, I drink decaffeinated, because as I have said, I was born caffeinated.

Now I only like to drink premium blends. Dreamers Coffee blends are a premium coffee blend. Frishly roasted!  So, going forward, on days when I don't need the extra caffeine, I will be drinking "To Di For Decaf"!

I love the name so much! My family has had fun tossing names around for Dreamers Coffee, and my sister came up with this one. Right away, we all said, YES!!

So for those of you who were born caffeinated, and would prefer a bean without caffeine, we hope you will try "To Di For"! It is truly to die for!

Dreamers Coffee House Update

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Well, we are off and running and I am very excited about the way things are going for Dreamers Coffee House.

As I have said very often, we are going to grow this dream carefully and slowly. We are so excited that so many people believe in our dream, and are supporting us through the purchase of coffee. We can't wait for you to try it! Our Dreamers Blend coffee is fantastic! We can proudly tell you it is freshly roasted with organic certified beans from Honduras! Top that off with hiring the best coffee roaster in all of Memphis, and it's a recipe for yumminess! 

We are adding fund raisers to our site daily. We hope you will help us support our favorite charities all year long by giving the gift of coffee to your friends, family members, teachers and employers! 

We will be adding more and more items to the store in the coming days. Keep checking back as we grow the dream to hire individuals of all abilities!

I want to thank all of you who reached out to me. The messages, orders, and support have been overwhelming! From the very bottom of my heart, thank you!



Why Am I Building Dreamers Coffee House? Jobs Matter.

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So tonight, we launched our online store. Dreamers Coffee House. We believe with all of our hearts that the dream of a brick and mortar coffee house will come true. So we are taking a leap of faith. We are going to sell Dreamers Coffee until we can build this coffee house! I am ready to sell coffee, hats, shirts and coffee mugs, until this dream comes true.

I believe jobs matter.

I believe that working increases dignity for every individual.

I believe that individuals who have a developmental disability deserve the same dignity as any other person out there.

I believe in Dreamers Coffee House.

I hope others will believe with me.

Jobs matter. To everyone.

Barbies, Coffee and Jams... Oh my!

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One year ago, March 21, was the last event I did in my previous role in an organization, as an advocate, for the Down syndrome community. I celebrated this past March 21, World Down Syndrome Day, by handing out jams. We also celebrated ME's birthday, by collecting Barbies to give to St. Jude, which coincidentally, falls close to WDSD, on March 17.

When I stepped away from advocacy, I promised myself I would take one year and just enjoy my family, and let fate tell me what to do next.

Well fate has answered that call!

Dreamers Coffee House and ME's Barbies 4 St. Jude are where I will put my energy.

If you think about it, they go together beautifully as well.

The first one, Dreamers, I will work on something that I am passionate about, which is employing individuals of all abilities. The other, ME's Barbie Party 4 St. Jude, will give us an opportunity to continue giving back to the world. Spending my time working on bringing a sliver of sunshine to the children at St. Jude's is exactly how I would like to spend my energy!

My dream continues. When I do finally open the brick and mortar building of Dreamers Coffee House, I will hand out a free coffee for every Barbie brought to us for St. Jude.

I am grateful that both of these initiatives are helping others. My husband always says that ME was born for the world. We are thrilled that her one and beautiful life is helping so many!

I will leave you with one last thing.

One of the items I dropped off yesterday,  along with the Barbies, to St Jude, was a box of books. The books were sent to us by a friend of mine from Chicago. You may have heard me share about her previously. Sue Shanahan has a talent that is absolutely amazing. She illustrates children's books. You may remember that ME was chosen to be on a Christmas card a few years ago, to raise money for a loved one Sue lost a few years earlier.

Well, Sue graciously donated 60 of her books. One of them I was able to give to baby Aspen who is fighting leukemia, and the rest have gone to the children at St. Jude. If you get a chance, get your hands on this book. It is absolutely beautiful! I have taken a photo of a few of the pages, that I think summarize this post! Fate, once again, working its way through my life. When I read these pages, I smiled, thinking to myself, yes, indeed, I am going to let life direct this ship, and just follow my heart!


And finally, amongst all this dreaming, my family and I are still taking time to do this! 


Thank you Sue, for sharing the love with us, and helping us bring a ray of sun shine to St. Judes.

Today, after a long week of working on the beautiful efforts that are in front of me, I am going to take my kids to play! Have a great day everyone!

ME's Barbie Party 4 St. Jude- Delivered to St. Jude

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This past March, ME was sent a Barbie from our dear friend Eileen. A thank you on Facebook triggered a wonderful avelanch of love sent our way. One person after another lovingly sent Barbies to ME, in celebration of her 10 years of life. It was absolutely amazing! Along with Super Hero Action Figures, books, and crayons. You all amazed us with your out pouring of love! 

Today, the day arrived that we delivered our first batch of Barbies! We loaded up the truck and cars, and made our way over to St. Jude Children's Hospital. The sun was shining bright, and you could feel this was going to be a glorious day! 


When we arrived at St. Jude Children's Hospital, we were warmly greeted by our new friend Vilma. 

Children were everywhere.  

So many beautiful children, and their families.  

Most of them with the visible signs of the treatment they are receiving.  

Each child working hard in the fight of their lives

As I looked at each one of them, I could not help but be touched by the realization that this little gift from all of you, via MaryEllen, will bring them a little bit of sunshine as they show Barbie how brave they are, or as they hold her hand during treatment.  Just as ME has done during her many medical concerns over the years. I knew instantly, that this was something that is needed Every single Barbie is absolutely needed. This was further confirmed after Vilma shared with us, that this is indeed very true. That Barbies have made a difference in many lives, just as they have made a difference in ME's life.

I will never forget the children and their familes that I saw today. Most just walking in, shuffling past us, to get what they need to continue in their journey

I will never forget their faces.  

I will continue to help St. Jude collect as many Barbies as I can, on behalf of MaryEllen. ME is ready too! We are committed to continuing this effort!

Today reinforced just how grateful we are for each and every single one of you who sent us Barbies. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!! Thank you!! Thank you!! You all were here with us in spirit, and I cannot thank you enough!

Now, I know you want to see the photos. So I will stop with my rambling. Here you go!  
  
Vilma presented MaryEllen with a St. Jude shirt and a  St. Jude gold pin. 
 

She explained to us that this pin presentation is reserved for distinguished individuals on behalf of St. Jude.


Vilma shared with us that she would be throwing a Barbie party to hand out the Barbies to the girls who are at St. Jude. What Vilma did not know, was the amount of Super Hero action figures that came our way as well. Her face lit up with joy when she realized that she would be able to include all of the children due to the fact that we had collected so many toys that are desired by both boys and girls

After ME was given her shirt and pin, we traveled over to the warehouse to unload the Barbies. Everyone jumped in to help! Thankfully almost all of my kids and John were with us, which made the job go smoothly! 



Vilma could not contain the joy as she looked at all of the different Barbies!


I could not stop smiling! I knew exactly how Vilma was feeling. I felt the same exact thing each and every time I would open a package from all of you!!


ME learned so much from this experience. 

I did too! 

Oh my goodness, how very much I learned.

I learned that I am surrounded by some of the most generous people on earth. 

I learned that we will never be able to collect too many Barbies for St Jude! The need is so great. So we will be collecting Barbies for St. Jude for as long as people send them to us! Every year, on ME's birthday, we will remind you that we are collecting them for ME's Barbie Party 4 St. Jude. We will also continue to collect Super Hero Action Figures! 

I learned that Barbies that are all plastic, clothing and all, are especially helpful. There is less worry about germs for those with compromised immune systems. 

I learned that there is a HUGE need for Barbies of many cultures! We got a few Barbies of many skin tones, but St. Jude needs more! Many, many more! 

I learned that my daughter is amazing! Not that I did not know that already! I did! However, these past two months of watching Barbies come into our house, has been a true test for MaryEllen. Her love for Barbie is only trumped by her love for her family! That's a lot of love right there! Initially, she would beg to open the Barbies. Over the months,  we talked to her about giving them to children who are sick, and how they will bring a smile to their faces! Slowly she understood what was happening. It did not come over night. It was a process. Lots of conversation, and including her in every part of this. She worked by our side helping us sort them, and organize them. Then today, in a gift of true love, she handed them all over to be given out by St. Jude! She shed a tear as she walked away. Then, when we got to the car, she said to me, "Mom, I give my girlfriends Barbies." 

This girl gets it! Spread the love my friends. Spread the love!



If you would like to send us a Barbie for St. Jude, Please send it to
ME's Barbie Party 4 St. Jude
2095 Exeter Rd Suite 80-227
Germantown, TN 38138