it’s just past midnight in minnesota, and according to the poll numbers posted on the kare 11 page, the liz logelin foundation has won the $11,000! thank you all for your tremendous support of our organization, and more importantly, for supporting widowed families in need.

if you’d like to continue supporting the liz logelin foundation, please consider signing up for our $7 on the 7th campaign. that’s just $84 per year, but it makes a huge difference! sign up here.

=====================

on 11/11//11 the liz logelin foundation was informed that we won an $1,100 grant from kare 11 news in minneapolis, mn.

(totally awesome).

soon after they told us that we were also in the running for an $11,000 grant, and that to win, all we need to do is win an online vote via facebook.

(wow).

if you’ve been looking for an easy way to help raise money for the liz logelin foundation, this is it. all you need is a facebook login.

click here and you’ll be taken to the kare 11 facebook page where you’ll be able to vote for the liz logelin foundation.

(you don’t even have to “like” the page, and your vote won’t automatically be posted to your facebook profile or anything like that).

you can vote once per day until the deadline on november 16th.

$11,000 would do an incredible amount of good for widowed families in need, so vote early and often, and spread the word to your friends & family.

let’s show everyone just how strong our online community is.

oh. and a quick update.

at the beginning of november the the liz logelin foundation approved financial grants for an additional 16 widowed families, bringing the total number of families who received funds from us to 101.

thanks to you for all of your support.

the fine print:

voting will be open through 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 16. The organization with the largest % of the votes will receive an $11,000 grant from the gannett foundation. The top vote getter will be announced during kare 11 news sunrise on thursday, nov. 17.

in addition to the gannett foundation, the following foundations were instrumental in giving back to the local community in the minneapolis area: GiveMN.org, the Minneapolis Foundation, The Saint Paul Foundation, an affiliate of Minnesota Philanthropy Partners.

(how did we get here? well, recently there was an essay contest that asked people to nominate their favorite mn charity for a grant from a local television station (kare 11 in minneapolis, mn). brooke wrote and submitted an essay about the liz logelin foundation and out of over 2000 submissions, her essay was one of 11 essays randomly chosen for an $1,100 grant. then they surprised us by telling us that we had the chance to win the $11,000, which is so incredibly great).

we took maddy

to the playground.

we all had a

ton of fun.

until the next morning.

it was then

that i woke up to:

“daddy! i can’t open my eye!”

as i opened

her bedroom door,

i knew exactly

what the problem was…

poor little thing had

pink eye.

thankfully brooke

was willing and

able to sacrifice her

eyes for my two

good reasons…

i know from prior experience

just how susceptible

i am to pink eye

(i’ll tell you a story someday about how i met my first junior high girlfriend thanks to pink eye)

and because i was

scheduled to speak

at the west hollywood

book fair that afternoon,

so brooke hung out

with maddy while i

was away.

(i don’t know what i’d do without her).

later that day

we just had

to get out of the

house, so armed with

a bottle of

hand sanitizer and

a pair of sunglasses

we visited an

art show downtown,

then stopped at

olvera street in

an attempt to get

maddy to ride

the famous donkey.

it didn’t take

too much convincing

this time.

by mid-week

i was on a plane

and headed to

seattle to attend,

speak and represent

the liz logelin foundation

at the

national bereavement camp conference.

i know, i know,

it sounds awful, right?

well, dealing with

childhood bereavement

is not something

anyone really wants to

address, but it’s

a pretty major part

of my life and

i have to admit

it was great

to meet with

representatives of several

organizations who have

done so much to

help children grieving

in the wake

of a death of someone

close to them

(and the companies that fund these organizations).

much of the conference

focused on the grief

camps that make such a

huge difference in

the lives of these kids.

maddy’s a bit to

young to attend, but

i have a feeling

she may attend one

of these camps when

she’s a bit older.

though the word,

“motivational” that’s

used to described

speakers in these settings

doesn’t at all

apply to me,

people seemed okay

with the fact that i

simply got up and

told them the story

that has

defined a good portion

of my life over the

last few years

rather than throw

out a bunch

of catchphrases

and one-liners

for them to write down.

(well, at least no one booed me).

i also got to

read from my

book in front of

a bunch of people

at third place books.

(which just happens to be an awesome book store).

it was fucking rad

to see some old

friends like

amy l., john s., abby c., cassie d., rachel l.

and especially one of

liz’s

best friend’s from college, annie b.

there were

also some long-time

blog readers and lots

of new friends.

the reading went

well, with lots of

awesome questions from

the audience, as well as a

few tales of

inspiration and

at least one really

giant (and unexpected) donation

to the liz logelin foundation.

a bunch

of us went out

for dinner afterward

in order to

catch up and

enjoy some of

seattle’s nightlife.

(really wish amy l. could have made it, but she’s about to give birth, so wish her luck).

the next day

was another day

at the conference

then a night

on the town

with a couple of

friends who

just left los angeles

for seattle, and

the bastard, who flew

up for the weekend.

along with the arrival

of saturday morning,

came brooke she flew

up for her

first visit to the

city, and more specifically

to have lunch with

my friend, allison.

(maddy got a weekend with her auntie debbie).

before meeting up for

lunch, we met up

with the bastard

for a walk

around the touristy

section of seattle.

eventually it was

time for lunch

so we headed back

up the hill to

meet up with allison.

allison brought her sister

liz along for

the afternoon,

and the two

of them became quick

friends with brooke.

we spent much of

the afternoon laughing, walking

and getting lost

on our way to

the next shopping spot.

(it was nice of the girls to let me hang out with them).

i even bought a

couple of things, one

of which you’ll

see later in the post.

after exhausting most of

the shopping opportunities

in the area, we

said goodbye to

allison and liz, promising

to come visit again soon.

that night, we met

up with the recent

seattle transplants,

john and heather,

along with the bastard

for a ferry ride

(ummm…check out my awesome new sweater).

and dinner on

bainbridge island.

back on the

ferry after dinner,

it was photo time

and finally, a trip

to the space needle

(i just had to do it).

the next day

we were on

a flight back to

los angeles, eager

to see madeline.

while we were in

the air,

she spent her

afternoon at the beach swinging

with her auntie deb

and dawn, getting dragged

around by dawn’s dog, cody.

we met them at home

a few hours

later, at which time

i presented maddy

with the present

she requested from

our trip…

an umbrella.

(love that kid).

(oh, and thanks to everyone for the awesome seattle recommendations…we’re definitely going to have to visit again since we know so many people in the city, and because we didn’t get to do everything we wanted to do).

ago maddy, brooke and i

headed north to visit

our friends

mark, jeffra and

mckenna in fresno.

frightened by the prospect

of our longest drive

yet with a

potty-trained child,

i took all of

the necessary precautions.

like traveling with

a potty chair

in case we were

on a stretch of road

where there

were no places to

stop in an emergency.

(and there are several such places on the way to fresno).

the other precaution i

took, and this was

a selfish one,

was to stop as often

as possible to see

the things i’ve

wanted to see

for years.

like buck owens’

crystal palace in bakersfield.

i love these kind of

wonderfully kitschy places

so i insisted

we stop there for

a bathroom break.

we toured the museum

(which would be more accurately described as a restaurant with a bunch of memorabilia inside glass cases around the perimeter of the building).

but there’s a

stage for music

and a bar for

being amazed

as well as places

to stop and take photos

with some of

country music’s luminaries.

(we skipped garth brooks and a few others that weren’t awesome enough to consider wasting our time on).

and if about

30 minutes of kitsch

wasn’t enough,

i also stopped

at the gift shop and

picked up a vintage

buck owens watch, which

my the packaging,

i could tell was manufactured

sometime in the

60s or 70s.

we continued on

our way,

stopping several times,

and not once

having to use

the potty chair on

the side of the road.

it was pretty late

by the time

we made it to

our destination,

but as someone far

smarter than i am

once said,

getting there is

half the fun.

that night we had

a nice dinner

before returning to

mark and jeffra’s house

to that maddy

and mckenna could

do a little swimming

in their pool.

the next morning we

we up early,

headed toward

sequoia national park.

but first, we stopped at

the project survival cat haven.

maddy alternated staring

in amazement at animals

she’d never seen

up close

and staring at her

new baby leopard toy.

she saw all

sorts of animals

and was enthralled

with all of them.

soon, she was sleepy

and it was time for

us to get

back in the car

and continue

our drive to sequoia.

we did a lot

of stopping

along the way

to take photos

and when we did

maddy spent most

of her time

chasing mckenna around

and posing for photos.

we walked through trees

rarely stopping

for a rest.

after lunch,

we kept walking

(i don’t think she’s ever going to let go of her baby leopard).

and taking photos.

we spent a ton

of time

using the forest

as our playground

on our way out

of the forest,

my planning

finally paid off.

“daddy! i have to go potty!”

i pulled over

as fast as i could,

grabbed her potty

chair from

the back,

and felt like the

best father in the world.

(i knew from previous experience that she wouldn’t pee in the woods, so i was proud of her for giving this a go, in spite of the feral dogs that were roaming the woods).

…

the following weekend

we were back in

los angeles, ready

to explore our

fine city once again.

on saturday, maddy

had her first

official dance class

(there has been one previous test session, and after she told her brookie and me how much she liked it, brooke signed her up).

before the class started,

brookie took her shopping

for her dance equipment,

maddy chose an outfit

that would soon find

would set her

apart from every

other girl in the class.

when we got there,

i actually got to

enter the studio

and take a few photos

before getting

kicked out to the

lobby with

all the other dads.

as i snapped the photos,

i heard one of

the moms exclaim,

“oh! black swan!”

(i haven’t seen the movie, so the reference was lost on me, but i take it being called a black swan isn’t the nicest thing in the world).

i didn’t think much

about it until then,

but as i looked

around and noticed

a sea of pink

and that my child was

the only one wearing black.

i don’t know why

this makes me so

proud, but i guess

it’s because i love

that she feels so comfortable

standing out

from the crowd

(or maybe kids her age don’t get it/don’t give a shit, but based on the behavior of the little girls at her daycare, i think that they do).

i moved to the

lobby where i watched

maddy and brooke

learn a little bit

about dancing

(brooke, it seems, needs more help than maddy with this)

on a tiny television

mounted on the wall.

it was amazingly

fun to watch maddy

following the teacher’s instructions…

it was like she was growing

up right before my eyes.

after dance class

we celebrated with

some ice cream and

a nap,

before heading out

for an afternoon/evening

of adventure at

the los angeles county fair.

i’ve lived in this

city for 9+ years

now, and i’ve

yet to make it there,

but today

was as good a

day as any, because

a couple of

our friends would be there.

we made our

way to the grandstand

where we met

up with our friends.

jessica was in

the cupcake competition

(i bet brooke goes for it next year)

and just barely

missed taking

home a ribbon for

her bubblegum cupcakes.

(maddy and brooke tried them and loved them).

we also got to spend

a little time

with our friends

parker, roman and christa.

maddy seems to be

pretty infatuated

with little parker

(i informed her that he’s a bit too young for her).

then it was

off to explore

the fair.

of course, maddy was

most interested

in riding the rides

(which meant another opportunity to take a photo like this):

she waited patiently

before finally

getting onto the

ferris wheel.

soon after finishing

our spin, she

discovered the joy

of carnival games

and with a little

help from

her brookie, she walked

away with a couple

of prizes.

i’m essentially useless

when it comes to

winning anything…

i have no carny

skills whatsoever.

we also did our

share of eating

and people watching.

before getting lost

in a house

of mirrors

thanks to maddy,

we eventually found

our way out.

there were

a few more (unsuccessful)

attempts at winning

before one

final snack

we probably should

have skipped the mini-donuts

but brooke claims

that they’re a staple of

fair food.

this was

the result:

not long after

that, there was

a tumble,

a banged-up elbow,

and an attempt to

make it

feel better/heal faster

through the

use of turtle power

(which works surprisingly well).

on the way

out we snapped

a few more photos

and picked up

a few more essentials

…

after a crazy week

that included:

1. an abscess in my gums.
2. a tooth extraction.
3. a trip to d.c. to speak to the vascular health foundation.
4. several delayed flights.
5. one missed flight.
6. an unexpected night in detroit.
7. and an earlier than expected arrival in minnesota.

we spent the past weekend

in minnesota celebrating

liz’s

birthday by raising

funds for the

liz logelin foundation

during our gala

and 5k events.

both events were

wildly successful

(thanks to many of you)

and i’ll be writing more

about them

as soon as we

finalize the numbers.

in the mean time,

there’s an

online auction going on,

with some

pretty awesome auction

items up for grabs,

so bid away…

i also did a

bit of remembering

on my own,

finding a short time

to sneak away

from everyone

and everything to

continue to fulfill

my promise to

liz,

the promise i made

to replace

all of her

stolen jewelry.

after years of trying

to figure out exactly what

was missing by tapping my

memory and going

through old photos,

i learned that

the folks at tiffany

can quite easily recall our

purchase history with

a few keystrokes.

(wish i would have known that a few years ago).

after looking

at a list

of everything

we’d purchased,

i realized just how

good my memory

actually is,

and how much

having all of

those photos helped.

turns out,

i’m pretty close to

completing my promise

to her.

combine that with the

amazing amount

of money that was

raised in her

honor for families

who have

been through what

maddy and i have,

and i know that

she’d be really

fucking proud of me.

sometimes it’s that

thought that

gets me through

the day.

especially on days

like september 17th.

but first, a message from maddy:

(that only took like, 53 takes).

and now, a message from the liz logelin foundation:

what: 5k run, walk, wheel, crawl

date: september 17th, 2011 (on what would have been liz’s 34th birthday)

time: the 5k begins at 9am at minnehaha park (same location as last year) and NEW this year, maddy’s mile fun run for kids beings at 9:45am!

all of the details can be found by clicking here.

register by september 1st to receive your t-shirt by the 17th. you can also sign up any time before the beginning of the run and we can send you a shirt. (a very limited number of t-shirts will be available on the day of the race). already have too many t-shirts in your closet? sign up and run without one! (wait…that sounds bad. you’ll have to wear some kind of shirt for the run, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be one of ours).

can’t make it to minnesota this year? you can participate in the run, walk, hope around the world! details can be found here.

looking forward to seeing you on september 17th,

in a little less than three years, (thanks to the generous donations of people like you), the liz logelin foundation has given no-strings-attached financial grants to 86 families who’ve lived through the awful reality of having a partner and parent die.

but this is not just about the money…the people who’ve come to the liz logelin foundation in search of a grant, all speak of one thing. hope. in their darkest, most difficult moments, these widowed families have come to find a small amount of hope, just knowing that an organization like ours exists.

at the moment there are 30 families with pending applications.

so please stand with me on september 16th, and let these families know they’re not alone.

(keep reading for more information about the event, including just a few of the awesome auction items, and to learn more about an incentive that some of the foundation volunteers have come up with to help sell more tickets. i’m not exactly sure why i agreed to this form of torture, but i suppose it’s because i’ll do anything to help raise money for families in need…)

Friday, September 16, 2011

7:00 pm

Solera, Minneapolis

The Liz Logelin Foundation would like to invite you to our third annual benefit, A Celebration of Hope. The benefit will be held on Friday, September 16th at Solera in Minneapolis. The evening will feature silent and live auctions, exciting live entertainment, cocktails (one with your ticket + a cash bar), hors d’oeuvres and an opportunity to give Hope to those in need.

Auction Items include a 46″ Samsung LCD TV, Once in a lifetime trip to Alaska, Keurig Home Brewers, MN Gopher Tickets, a weekend Getaway for 2 anywhere in the continental US, Backstage passes to the Children’s Theater Company and iPad2 and much, MUCH more!

General Admission Tickets are $80 and can be purchased by clicking the link below:

Purchase Tickets

Here are three more reasons to register now and attend this year’s Celebration of Hope:

1. If we reach 200 tickets sold by FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 we will draw 1 lucky winner (and a guest) who will be joined by Matt for a concert of their choice. Matt has agreed to fly anywhere in the continental US (on his own dime)…so all of you out of staters can be entered to win as well! (If you are out of state and will be unable to attend the gala, you can still purchase a ticket and sponsor one of our applicants to attend the event!) This is your chance to expose Matt to the finer musicians this world has to offer (Britney, Justin Bieber, Maroon 5, Ke$ha, etc.) or indulge Matt in his music snobbery by letting him choose the show you’ll attend. Of course, he’ll also be paying for cost of the tickets. Oh, and if music is not your thing, make Matt take in a local theater production or a movie.
2. Help us spread Hope! If you’ve attended the Gala in the past, you know what an inspiring evening it promises to be and you know the warm feeling it leaves you with for weeks to come. Share the power of giving hope with a friend who hasn’t been to the gala before and receive the second ticket for 50% off or $40. That means that your two tickets would be $60 each. Register here: Spread Hope – Bring Someone New
3. Have a lot of friends to bring? LOVE IT! Sign up for a table of 10 for $700 – that’s a savings of $100! Register here: Table of 10 Ticket Registration

We want to see YOU and your friends at this year’s Celebration of Hope! Help give hope to families in need!

Don’t wait any longer – sign up now and start brainstorming what concert/movie/show Matt will be attending with you

For those not in Minnesota we will have an online auction featuring many fabulous items! More information to come.

jenny’s husband paul was a hard-working independent spirit at the height of his dreams. he was young, vibrant and in apparently good health when he collapsed at their home. jenny dialed 911. paul was taken to the hospital where he suffered fatal complications from an undiagnosed case of acute leukemia. jenny, a stay at home mom, was left to care for their 21-month-old daughter and three-month-old son. when paul died, jenny lost their sole income, their house, and their cars. today, jenny is facing life as an unemployed single mother striving to heal, find housing, a safe vehicle, a job and a brighter future for herself and her children.

thanks to your support, jenny will receive a grant from the the liz logelin foundation next week. the timing could not have been better as jenny is on the verge of moving into her own place. jenny wanted to pass along her thanks and said over and over how the llf had made her feel so loved, encouraged and not alone.

jenny’s family is one of 73 families who’ve been given a no-strings-attached financial grant from the llf since i founded the organization in 2009. we currently have 26 more families with pending grant applications. in order to help them, we need your help.

if you’ve been with us for a bit, you know that every september (on the weekend closest to liz’s birthday) the liz logelin foundation has a couple of events in minneapolis. (and for those of you outside of the minneapolis area there are several ways for you to participate).

here’s the information for the 2011 events:

friday, september 16, 2011

solera
900 hennepin ave
minneapolis, minnesota 55403
612.338.0062

click here to purchase tickets

saturday, september 17

5k at 9:00am

maddy’s mile fun run (ages 12 & under) at 9:45am

4801 south minnehaha
minneapolis, minnesota

and

wherever you are around the world

plan a walk in your area and lead your own group to support the llf. register online and we will mail you a t-shirt so you can participate from your neighborhood. then take photos and post them to our flickr group.

so far we have people scheduling runs in the following places:

- atlanta
- boston
- wisconsin
- chicago

more information coming soon.

there will also online silent auction with some totally awesome auction items. (details to come).

sponsorship and donor opportunities

sponsorship and donor opportunities are available for these events. please view the auction donation form 2011 or sponsorship commitment form 2011 or contact rachel engebretson at rachel@thelizlogelinfoundation.org for more information.

want to host an event or raise money for the liz logelin foundation?

check out our third party event guidelines

finally..

as always, you can donate directly to the foundation by one of the following methods:

our website:

(network for good requires a $7 minimum donation)

our paypal account:

(no minimum)

or by mailing a check to:

the liz logelin foundation
po box 55426
saint louis park, mn 5542
(no minimum)

legal stuff:

the liz logelin foundation is a 501(c) 3 non-profit corporation.
all donations are tax deductible.
ein# 26-3994826 dln# 17053110001049
the llf provides resources with no endorsement implied.

also, thanks for all of the comments on the last post. i used a random number generator to choose the winner of a signed copy of my book…the winning comment was #494 and was left by sarah. she has already responded to my email and i’ll be sending her book out later today.

in case you’re wondering how things are going, well, they’re going pretty well. except for the fact that maddy got really sick last week. i picked her up for school and asked her if she wanted to go get some ice cream (which we do about once a week these days). she’s usually way into such things, but she said, “no daddy, my head hurts.” i looked in my rearview mirror and before i could even spit out the words, “i’m sorry” she threw up all over herself. she was covered. and she immediately started screaming at the top of her lungs, apparently terrified of the vomit.

i stayed calm, telling her that everything was okay, and pulled over as quickly as i could. i got her out of her carseat stripped her out of her clothes in the grass on the side of the road. she was totally calm until she saw the amount of vomit on her pants, then she immediately lost it again. “daddy! i puked on my pants! i puked on my pants!” she screamed through her sobs. “it’s okay, maddy!” i said, as she stood there screaming.

there i was was, pulled over on the side of a busy street in burbank, with a half naked child screaming at the top of her lungs.

i was convinced i was going to jail.

but mostly i just felt so bad for her.

so bad, in fact, that i didn’t realize i that i had vomit all over my arm and shirt, something that would have made me vomit immediately in the days before madeline came into my life.

i got us both cleaned up and headed home.

later that night she threw up again, this time it was pretty well contained to the indent in her pillow. she was terrified again by the vomit, but once she was cleaned up, everything was good and she went to sleep.

the next day she was pretty good natured about the events.

here’s some proof:

(oh, and i attribute her fear of vomit to the earlier trauma described here).

within an hour and a half of posting this message, all but three items were claimed.

by 7:00pm, everything was gone.

and now everything is packed up and ready to be shipped (thursday morning).

if you’re curious to see if you ended up with any of the items, click here and look for your name next to the item you requested. so sorry if you didn’t get what you wanted.

we’ll definitely be doing this again soon, likely with some of maddy’s (and possibly brooke’s) clothes.

thanks to everyone who helped clean out our house, and extra special thanks to those decided to donate to the liz logelin foundation.

(i’ll post a donation total as soon as i get the numbers from our various donation systems).

here’s the deal…below you’ll find a bunch of movies, books, and music we’re trying to get rid of. some of the stuff is brand new, some is gently used, and some is not so gently used. if you want it, it’s yours. just leave me a comment telling me which item you want, (i’ll cross out the items that have been claimed, as they are claimed) along with your name and address (i’ll take note of, and delete your personal information before posting your comment), and i will ship the item to you asap. free of charge.

by no means is a donation required, but if you feel so inclined, you can donate a little something to the the liz logelin foundation via any of the following methods:

our website:

(network for good requires a $10 minimum donation)

our paypal account:

(no minimum)

or by mailing a check:

the liz logelin foundation
po box 26366
saint louis park, mn 5542

(no minimum)

please help me clean my house.

first come, first served.

dvds:

sex and the city: seasons 1-6 (new in shrinkwrap) first claimed by jennifer k.

rome: seasons one and two (new in shrinkwrap) first claimed by gayle m.

curb your enthusiasm: seasons 1-6 (new in shrinkwrap) first claimed by marvi p.

desperate housewives: season 3 (new in shrinkwrap) first claimed by valerie c.

nine months (used) first claimed by becki.

i am sam (used) first claimed by joey k.

circle of friends (used) first claimed by faith m.

how to lose a guy in 10 days (used) first claimed by jessica w.

27 dresses (used) first claimed by joey k.

friends, the complete fourth season (used) first claimed by caroline r.

best of friends, 10 fan favorites (volumes 3 and 4) (used) first claimed by amanda l.

eye of the beholder (used) first claimed by becki.

i heart huckabees (used) first claimed by megan s.

slackers (used) first claimed by megan

a river runs through it (used) first claimed by hannah p.

kids dvds:

yo gabba gabba: the dancey dance bunch! (new in shrinkwrap) first claimed by mary tyler s.

zula patrol: explore weather (used) first claimed by natalie a.

zula patrol: explore space (new in shrinkwrap) first claimed by robin y.

robots (used) first claimed by candice b.

baby einstein gift pack volume 1 (new in shrinkwrap) first claimed by carey p.

baby einstein- baby’s favorite places (used) first claimed by aimee m.

baby einstein- meet the orchestra (used) first claimed by rachel e.

baby einstein- baby neptune (new) first claimed by lucy g.

dunstan baby language (used) first claimed by heidy m.

your baby can read! starter dvd (new) first claimed by jennifer q.

books:

chelsea chelsea bang bang (hard cover, gently read) first claimed by beth p.

fever chart (hard cover, gently read) first claimed by jason b.

whit (paperback, not so gently read) first claimed by katrina

go with me (paperback, unread) first claimed by katrina

the emperor’s children (paperback, not so gently read) first claimed by andrea r.

CDs:

beyond the boundary of time, by the revolutionary ensemble (new in shrinkwrap) first claimed by leslie l.

college tour vol. I, by sun ra (new in shrinkwrap) first claimed by nicole s.

good old-fashioned way, by hamper mcbee (new in shrinkwrap) first claimed by kelli h.

thickfreakness, by the black keys (new in shrinkwrap) first claimed by emily h.

the big come up, by the black keys (new in shrinkwrap) first claimed by lisa d.

clouddead, by cloudhead (new in shrinkwrap) first claimed by erika w.

wolves and wishes, by dosh (new in shrinkwrap) first claimed by nicole s.

later that night, i read this blog post and remembered all the good that has been done to help people like ashley and her son.

and a lot of that help has come from people like you.

as you know, the liz logelin foundation had two major fundraising events in september, and it was during one of these events that i was able to meet ashley. it’s not often that i get to meet one of our applicants, but each and every time i’m struck with the same feelings. yes. i’ve been in her shoes, and we’ve experienced something horrifically similar, yet i found myself in disbelief that she was surviving in spite all of this.

it’s people like ashley who inspired me to start this foundation in the first place.

and i was thrilled when the board of the liz logelin foundation chose ashley as one of our grant recipients for 2010.

since the liz logelin foundation was founded in 2009, we’ve given out 65 grants to families just like ashley’s, and with your help we’ll continue to give out even more in the future.

(on a side note, a couple of minutes ago i got off the phone with one of liz’s best friends, maleeda, telling me about a man whose wife died a few days ago just minutes after giving birth to her first child).

so here’s how you can help…

last year when we were in india, maddy and her nanny, rachel sent postcards to everyone who donated to the foundation.

and this year, we’d like to do the same thing (except the postcards won’t be coming from india).

maddy and i will send a postcard to anyone who donates $15 or more to the foundation.

and for anyone who donates $40 or more, you’ll get a postcard AND you’ll be entered into a drawing to win something pretty cool (to be determined by me, and let me tell you, it’s going to be really, really awesome). i’ll randomly choose two winners from the list of people who donate $40 or more.

the cut off to get a postcard is december 7th, 2010.

you can donate via any of the following ways:

our website:

our paypal account:

or by mailing a check:

the liz logelin foundation
po box 26366
saint louis park, mn 55426

(or if you can pull if off, via your company’s matching funds program).

then send an email to:

mattandmaddy (at) gmail (dot) com

(don’t forget to replace the (at) with an @ and the (dot) with a . and join it all together)

in the subject line, please tell me how much you donated and in the body give me your address so i know where to mail your postcard/awesome gift.

as always, your donations are 100% tax deductible (tax information for the foundation can be found at the bottom of this post).

finally, please take a minute to check out the amazing sponsors and donors that helped raise over $40,000 for the liz logelin foundation during our september 2010 fundraising events.

5K Sponsors

Raymond James Financial Services, Inc
The Columns Resource Group of NMFN
State Farm Insurance Agency, Tom Holland
On Assignment, Inc.
Lindquist & Vennum
Northwestern Mutual Financial Network
Scott Lifson, Bernick & Lifson
Joe Senser’s Sports Grill & Bar
Momentum Design Group
Hyacinth Events
KL Upholstery
Fling Bins
Nestle
Nestle PowerBar
Believe Now
Kemps
Friends of Maddie
Madeline Logelin
The Robot
Deb Goodman
Grandpa Rod & Grandma Broccoli
Irresolute Air, Inc.
Rachel, Adam & Susanna Engebretson
The Creeps
Wheaties Fuel Bar

Celebration of Hope Donors

Hobo International
Simple Trends
Madison Craft Studio
Jen Muench, Silpada Designs
Lost Bird Found
Lillian’s of Chaska
Lug USA
Joe Senser’s Grill & Bar
Fresh Season’s Market
Joel’s Barbers
The Bibelot Shop
Diane Hagler Photography
Chianti Grill
Children’s Theatre Company
Kemps
Classics by David
Kalynn Kay Photography
Oak Ridge Hotel
Holiday Inn Express & Suites
Axel’s Bonfire
Champps Americana
Buffalo Tap
Doolittles Woodfire Grill
Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano
Hell’s Kitchen
Kincaids
Hilton Minneapolis
Michelle Tanner Photography
Marquette Hotel
uClick Photo Studios for Rent
Crowne Plaza
The Depot
Johnstone Photography
Matt Logelin
Petunia Pickle Bottom
Luna B Tee
Activision
JellyCat
Litzky Public Relations
Blip Toys
Meghan & Scott Holmes, Borders Books
Jason Cook Photography
Uber Baby
Just Jenn Designs
LG Everist
KL Upholstery
General Electric
Norwex
Spruce Flowers & Home
Juliska
Colgate
Nestle
Suzi Magill, Scentsy
Renae Keller Interior Design
Alison’s Cleaning
Filigree Design
Today’s Window Fashion
Mark Rose
Spark Clinic
Jodi Menning, Beau Monde Salon
Cole’s Salon
Jess Pratt, Pixie Salon
Mykal Scaletti, Salon Intrigue
Leslie Pocta, Salon Intrigue
Jennifer Silvera
Jeanette & Jennifer Kim, Blush Salon
Protective Nourishment
Moe Bodyworks
Olson & Welle PC
Jen Yoga
Barb Holm, Hair Proz Salon
Salon Lili
Deer Run Golf Club
Minnesota Timberwolves
Nystrom, Inc.
Lifetime Fitness Foundation
NBC Universal
Golden Fig Fine Foods
Darcie Gust, Tastefully Simple
Tim Hortons
One Hope Wine
KHN Solutions
Beverage Wholesalers
Lions Tap
Cru Wine Specialists
Jason & Molly Mesnick
Liane Laurion, Hyacinth Events
Walt Disney World
Anthony Robbins Companies
Hatchette Group
Fearless PR & Media
Heartbreaker Fashion
The Fig Loft
Gina Lee Photography
Punch Gut Studios
Ten Tiny Toes Designs
Gussy Sews
Mimi and Boo Crochet Originals
Shawna Pesina, Stampin’ Up
Tim Mahoney
Solera
Fladeboe Auctions
Andrea Gagnon
Andrea Myers, Repeat Products
Ann McDowell, Mary Kay Cosmetics
Anthony Downs
Anya Kitashima
aTHiana Bags
Baer Cellars Winery
Cadi Thomas
Camryn Manheim
Candee Goodman
Christine Janty
Cristi Hawk
David & Kelly Albers
David Laurion
Dawn Bendiske
Dawn Olson-Wallerus
Debbie Mirau
Erin Sheridan, Staionary Shop
First Choice Global Marketing
Hyland Software
Jackie Gulbranson
Jason Kleinprintz, MGM of Chaska, Chanhassen, Spring Park, Waconia
Jeffra Gay
Jenny Longlais
Jessica Kubel
Jill Gerard, Goo Gee Baby
Katelyn Bird
Katie Auer
Katie Jackson, Thymes
Laura Grotenhuis
Laurie Henry, Southern Living
LeAnn Dow
Lisa Snelling
Lori & Tom Jorrissen
Madeline Logelin
Marlu & David Brekke
Marylou Macaluso
Meggin Juraska
Melinda Osgood
Mike & Jo Gadient
Missy Berggren
Missy Harden
Mitzi Niblack
Kate O’Shaughnessy
Dawn and Dudley Holmes
Pat & Jenny McPartland
Rachel & Adam Engebretson
Rachel Kerns
Rachel, Jesse & Cailin Kerns
Renee & Rob Maul
Rick & Julie Gullikson
Robin Marty
Robin Moore
Rodney & Sara Shoberg
Sadie Miller
Sandra Reis
Sharon Winberg
Sonja White
Stacy & Lance McNab
Sue Schumann
Tiffany Scherer
Tom & Bev Logelin
The Dollmaker’s Kattywompus
Trish Van Pilsum

Check out our Third Party Event Guidelines!

The Liz Logelin Foundation is a 501(c) 3 non-profit corporation.
All donations are tax deductible.
EIN# 26-3994826 DLN# 17053110001049
The LLF provides resources with no endorsement implied.