Charity — The Brand Theorem

My Girls Made Their Own Bikes At The ReCYCLEry

September 26, 2012 by Laing 2 Comments

I was introduced to the ReCYCLEry NC by one of my best divas Dionne aka @LoisLaneNC. She is a bike enthusiast and marathon trained cyclist. The mere invitation to go on a bike ride with her is intimidating. My bike rides maybe 10 minutes of straight lines up and down the sidewalk, @LoisLaneNC rides like she’s on a mission to rack up miles and minutes up hills, down hills, nature trails, you name it she can do it!

One day we got into a conversation about my daughter’s bike being stolen and I how never replaced it. She clutched her pearls at the thought of a child without a bike and introduced me and my girls (daughter & niece) to the ReCYCLEry. There I met one of the founders of the ReCYCLEry NC, Rich Giorgi who walked the girls step by step on how to make & care for a bike, BIKING:101.

The girls were able to choose their bike frames from an assortment of donated bikes some in need of a little TLC others in dire need of full make over. They were fitted based on height and potential development. I know that sounds a bit much for just getting a bike but there is a true science to choosing a bike beyond the realm of the avid rider.

Rich is such an inspiration to these girls. He had them select a good frame, choose parts based on their body type and taught them how to replace the inner tubing of the bike tires. They were fixing chain links and replacing all kinds of nuts and bolts. I was truly impressed.

What an awesome opportunity to make your own bike and learn all the dynamics of what goes into making a bike, how to fix it and just the enjoyment of accomplishing something on your own. My daughter now rides her bike everyday after school and when my niece comes over they ride together all around the community. I have to dedicate some time to go in and show my appreciation for such a wonderful gift. As for the girls, next up…hitting the trails!

The ReCYCLEry is a non-profit organization that teaches bicycle repair and maintenance using a learn and earn approach, the ReCYCLEry accepts monetary donations as well as bike donations please click here for additional information. Remember RIDE YOUR BIKE!

Filed Under: Charity, Service, Uncategorized Tagged With: bikes, biking, recyclery, recyclery nc, ride

Walking To End Alzheimers: Remaining When Memories Are Fading

September 17, 2012 by Laing Leave a Comment

On September 15th I had the pleasure of walking to End Alzheimer’s with the Hendrick Family. It was a sunny morning, nice breeze, not too hot, a great day for a walk. As I approached the Durham Bulls Athletic Park everything before me was a sea of purple and white, the colors for supporters who want to End Alzheimer’s. My kids kept asking me why I was power walking, “If you’re gonna walk that fast the entire time then I’m not walking with you”. I wasn’t power walking I was just truly excited to see my extended family and to hear David Hendrick be honored. I support many causes but the dearest to me are the ones in which I have witnessed. It’s human nature to feel a connection and naturally build a different kind of appreciation for the struggle.

After I was situated with registration I began looking for the Hendricks. They were all seated in the front of the stadium by the podium. As I listened to the narrator read a speech from David Hendrick my heart swelled with emotion. (You know that kind of choked up feeling when you want to cry but don’t want everyone around to see you so you start swallowing really hard.) Then I took a good look around and stared in the faces of many older men and women who suffer with this debilitating disease. Some were enjoying the day while you could see in the eyes of others, they were lost.

In his speech David Hendrick said, “There was a time when I took care of EVERYTHING and EVERYONE. Now EVERYONE is taking care of EVERYTHING for me. I was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in the summer of 2007 – right before my 65^th birthday. It was a shock, but I had known for a while that something was “NOT RIGHT” with me. Alzheimer’s has taken away my ability to drive, take care of my lawn and sing on the choir. I can no longer help with my grandchildren or help my wife with day to day chores around the house. I get lost in conversations. I get lost in my own home. Alzheimer’s is a runaway thief that needs to be stopped in its tracks. Not only has it robbed me, but it has robbed my family of the man I would still be if it hadn’t entered our lives”.

Hearing these words makes me fear the unknown. Alzheimer’s does not discriminate, does not come with a warning label, or make an appointment. When it attacks it impacts everyone around you and changes lives forever. Please take some time out to visit the Alzheimer’s Association website to learn more about this disease and show support for Team David, click here . Also join a walk in your community to raise awareness and funds to END Alzheimer’s.

Crossing the finish line!

Getting A Squeeze From Dad At The Finish Line

Rally Up Team David #Love&Support

Helpful Links:

What Is Alzheimer’s?

Know The 10 Signs

Join The Cause

Filed Under: Charity, Events Tagged With: alzheimer's, Alzheimer's Association, Charity, Durham Bulls Athletic Park, END Alzheimer's, support, walk

His First Kiss

July 23, 2012 by Laing Leave a Comment

Imagine your first kiss. It was’t on your dream date or on a picnic blanket under the stars. Most likely it was when you were brought into this world and wrapped in the arms of your Mother. I remember the birth of my first child like it was yesterday. My baby girl was 5 lbs. 7 oz. A tiny little premature thing. Out of all the details I remember of her birth the one that stands out the most was her wrapped in that all too famous white hospital blanket with the blue double stripes and me gazing into her eyes as I kissed her on the forehead, cheeks, and her tiny little fingers.

Now imagine that you live in Myanmar the 24th largest country in the world and you have just given birth to your first child, a boy. You hold him and give him his first kiss. Daily you give him kisses on his face, his hands, and toes all one by one…you also give him the polio virus. You don’t show any symptoms and he is unable to tell you what he is feeling. Some time passes and the fatigue you imagined was from pregnancy is not going away. Your baby boy is irritable, weak and colic. You don’t understand why and you don’t have the resources to investigate. Your baby boy is now paralyzed on one side of his body.

Lets change this scenario up a little shall we…

Imagine that you live in Myanmar the 24 largest country in the world and you have just given birth to your first child, a boy. You hold him and give him his first kiss…he’s beautiful. You can rest assured that he is healthy because you received the polio vaccination from the public hospital and your baby boy at the age of 4 years is getting his last dose of the vaccination. He is growing up to be a handsome, smart, little gentleman. Thanks to the polio vaccination, five million people who would have otherwise been paralyzed are able to walk and polio cases are down 99 percent. Never before has the world been this close to eradicating polio.

Join a Shot@Life through education, advocacy, and donating. Let’s change the scenario of children’s lives everywhere.

Filed Under: Charity, Feature Tagged With: blog challenge, Children, polio, shot@life, vaccinations, vaccine

Recap: Answers For Cancer Walk

May 1, 2012 by Laing Leave a Comment

The first Annual Answers For Cancer Walk had a great turn out! The day began by registering and picking up our Answers For Cancer Walk t-shirts provided by the Holt Foundation and their sponsors. It was awesome to see how many individuals showed up that did not pre-register. There were booths set up by the sponsors to give away swag and information. It was also great to see corporations taking an active role in this charity. I am really big on corporate responsibility. It means so much more to the community when they see the BRANDS they trust getting involved.

The sponsors were as follows: Furniture Land South, Ruckus, SunTrust, i9Sports, REX, Marriott Raleigh Crabtree Valley, St.Louis Rams. Media Sponsors: The Light 103.9, K97.5, 93.9 KissFM, 99.9 TheFAN ESPN, FOXY 107.1. Vendor Sponsors: Leith BMW, JetLogistics, SmoothieKing, RushHour Karting, & York Properties.

I can’t wait to participate in the Answers For Cancer Walk next year, I know this event can only get bigger! I challenge my local readers to get involved and bring a friend…and then tell them to bring a friend. See you there.

Filed Under: Charity, Events Tagged With: awareness, cancer, Charity, holt foundation, walk

Answers For Cancer Walk

April 18, 2012 by Laing 1 Comment

Be a part of the inaugural Answers for Cancer Walk and help support families fighting cancer, one step at a time. The Holt Foundation has teamed up with NC State and the Kay Yow Fund to make April 21, 2012, a day full of family fun, Wolfpack pride and determination to help the families in our community who need it most. The walk will be followed by the Wolfpack Club BBQ Bowl and the NC State Kay Yow Spring Game.

Join us as we take the steps to create change for families who are faced with cancer. Form your own team, be a fundraiser or donate to support the KidsCan! Hospital Program, which helps families cope with a cancer diagnosis. A portion of the proceeds will also benefit the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

Together we can ignite hope, support others and make a difference.

If your life has been touched by cancer please consider this event.

I am participating In Memory Of Iris Milton (10/24/1999) & Emanuel Milton (12/7/1997) always in my heart.

Please show your support by making a donation using this link Thank you for your support!

Filed Under: Charity, Events, Feature Tagged With: cancer, fundraiser, holt foundation, support, walk

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Dec
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30	31

My Girls Made Their Own Bikes At The ReCYCLEry

Walking To End Alzheimers: Remaining When Memories Are Fading

His First Kiss

Recap: Answers For Cancer Walk

Answers For Cancer Walk

Recent Posts

Archives

Categories

Other Works By Laing

My Loc Journey

Tweens Thru Tweens

Advertise Here

Thank you