Little boys doing big things

This week the boys delivered the money that was raised through the bike-a-thon. They were so proud to hand over their envelopes, and Bryan and I are so very proud of them for their generosity, awareness and compassion.

At the child abuse prevention center... We had the pleasure of meeting the CEO and were given the chance to thank her for her commitment to children. The work they do is amazing.

The organization that works with foster children invited us to a lunch meeting. The boys were able to tell the committee how the idea of the bike-a-thon came about, how much money was raised, and how excited they are to do it again. The committee members enjoyed having kids at their meeting! And as I listened to members discuss the fostering needs in our area, I couldn't help but wonder how long it would take for me to convert the scrapbooking room back into a bedroom. The needs are so very overwhelming. While we are not in a position to foster right now, we continue to pray for those children, their foster families & shelters, and agencies whose mission it is to support and
assist those children. God bless them.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.

Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?'

And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'" Matthew 25:34-40

All the money is in ( we think)

We received the last of the bike-a-thon pledges in the mail yesterday. While the event only benefited children and families in our state, we received donations from three different states and were overwhelmed by people's generosity. As we figured out how those giving had heard about the event, we've thought of a lot of new ways to promote it next year. We are eager to see how the event grows over time.

The final tally:

The event raised a total of $755, but the impact will actually be $1,140. Read on.

$370 will be given to the child abuse prevention and victim's advocacy center. Coincidentally, this is the total of all the checks, which we'd already asked people to make payable directly to this particular organization.

$385 will be given to the statewide organization that works with foster children, etc. They have a relationship with another agency who will match the funds donated, provided that those funds go specifically toward child abuse prevention in our county. With the matching donation, the total impact will be $770. While these funds will be specifically earmarked for families in our county and not their fostering efforts statewide, we figured that preventing abuse will also prevent some of the need for fostering. We feel this is a great fit for the event and an excellent decision for children and families in our area.

This matching funds idea came about after the event... Next year we plan to approach area businesses to see if they would match donations or be willing to make a flat donation. How can they resists helping KIDS help KIDS?

The total impact of the event in terms of dollars is overwhelming. $1,140 is a lot when you consider that the cost was only $5/biker. People clearly gave way beyond what we were asking. In addition to the money raised, people in three states, from small children to retirees, are talking about child abuse prevention, victim's advocacy and foster children, and they are getting involved. We could not have asked for more. We are absolutely thrilled!

A wonderful day

The bike-a-thon came and went way too fast. In the days leading up to the event, a wonderful story ran in our local paper. Our boys were pictured on the front page! The story quickly circulated among our city, Facebook friends, email, and our church family. A lot of people were inspired by our kids' heart for other children... And we are so humbled by the interest and support of our community.

A lot of our dear friends, family, friends of friends, and even some complete strangers came out to the event to serve as volunteers. One little boy called us to offer the use of his little bounce house!

I had the honor and privilege of talking with parents about how our family came to be connected with the Sunflower House. I shared my story of an abusive childhood, God's saving grace, and the support groups that I now lead at our church. There were numerous conversations about the proactive steps parents can take to keep their kids safe, and even conversations between parents and children about how sometimes adults hurt kids. A friend of mine said that as she and her children baked goodies for our bake sale, that her children had questions about the purpose of this event. As their mother began talking with them about foster children and child abuse, it occurred to her that their family had had many conversations about families that struggle financially due to job loss, or families where a parent or child has lost their battle with a terrible illness, but she'd never talked with them about how sometimes parents hurt their children. When their discussions were over, her children understood that, through this bike-a-thon, we were helping to make lives a little easier for children who have struggled through some things that should never ever happen. I believe that in many households compassion grew through this event. We are so honored to be a part of that growth and awareness.

During our family's interview with the newspaper reporter, Zach was asked who he hoped would come out to the bike-a-thon. He said he wanted all of his friends to come, but also wanted people he didn't know to come. When asked for an exact number he replied, "Fifty-five. Or 76. Or 99." By our count, 98 people came! We are very, very happy with that.

A quick count...

We had 25 volunteers (7 teenagers, 3 kids ages 2-11)
36 bikers
37 parents (non-volunteers)

To-date, we have raised $596 with checks still arriving in the mail each day. Dozens of toys and gift cards were also donated!

We are so very proud of Zach & Luke. They helped with every step of the planning and they cannot wait to hand this money over to the two organizations. This has been such a wonderful experience for our family. Bryan and I look forward to seeing what the kids come up with next.

Pre-biking entertainment. Teenagers keep kids busy with the Limbo and 11 year-old Zak makes balloon animals!

Grand Marshal Steve. He was awesome - he didn't quit riding until the last biker was done.

Kids begin taking laps

We were surprised that Zach was the very last child to stop biking. He really LOVED this day! He cried a little when we got home, "Mom, I just wish we could have more bike-a-thon. And more balloon animals."

After biking, kids enjoyed some carnival activities - a bounce house, face painting, tattoos, colored hair spray, popsicles, baked goodies, writing letters to foster children, and a resource table for Mom and Dad.

Awesome volunteers at the registration table. We'd never met them before Saturday - just folks in the community who care about kids! (They are all friends of friends.)

Kids getting faces painted, tattoos & hair spray. (More balloon animals being made off to the left.)

One of my oldest friends manning the bake sale. Thank you to all of my dear girlfriends for making all those goodies!

The Shrader family meets Happy Bear

Kids from the community who could not wait to be a part of the bike-a-thon.

Thank you to everyone who supported this event. So many of you gave of your time, talent and money. We appreciate you so very much. We are richly blessed with an amazing group of friends, terrific family and an amazing community in which to live. There are countless children and families who will benefit from your generosity. On their behalf, we thank you. You are making life a little easier for someone today.

Prayers please

The bike-a-thon is only six days away... I have a friend who is a freelance writer and, bless her heart, she contacted some of the local news outlets to let them know about the bike-a-thon. This afternoon a writer for our city paper called and requested an interview with our family. Initially we were very hesitant, but decided to accepted her generous offer in hopes that it will bring attention to the event and to the wonderful organizations that serve the needs of children in our community and throughout the state. Our fear is that it will merely draw attention to ourselves and look completely obnoxious!

Our meeting with the writer is tomorrow afternoon and the piece will run in the paper this Wednesday. We would covet your prayers for this meeting; that our discussion will highlight the needs of children, the agencies that meet those needs, and also the ability of even the youngest person to help another.

We also ask that you pray for the event itself. As people who'd initially registered to bike have had to withdraw, we are praying that many others will turn out for the event and that a great deal of awareness and money will be raised.

Thank you, friends, for your continued prayers and support. There are no words to describe how proud Bryan and I are of our children. They are such compassionate and generous little boys. And so many of you have dug deep into your own pockets (and schedules!) to support this bike-a-thon. We are humbled and awed by you! We have so many incredible friends and for that we are deeply grateful. We love you!

Bike-a-thon fever!!!

We are five weeks away from the for KIDS by KIDS bike-a-thon. This bike-a-thon was Zachary's idea and we'd honestly expected to have a few of his preschool friends, their siblings, and our boys' cousins out riding bikes and coloring a few pictures with us. But as we told people about the bike-a-thon, they started spreading the word, and then those people spread the word... Today "the event" is being promoted on various websites, by clubs & organizations, on Facebook, via mass emails and by word of mouth. We are so grateful for the enthusiam and support that we have encountered!

Thirty-one people have signed up to bike and we expect more to register as we get closer to July 11th. I asked friends today for entertainment and sponsor ideas, and was overwhelmed by the response. I am reminded of just how awesome people are! I am in awe of their generosity and willingness to help others.

We'd initially planned a simple morning of bike riding, coloring and a small bake sale. We have added face painting and colored hair spray for sure... And we have a good lead on at least one bounce house for the kids to play in. We are working on a tent with misters, or might just do a sprinkler if the misters prove to be too expensive. We would really love a children's musician, but we've yet to come across a friend with connections! We continue to brainstorm and are so excited to see how the event will actually unfold.

So, our simple little event may not be quite so simple... AND WE ARE THRILLED! We want the bike-a-thon to be so much fun that the kids want to come back next year and bring their friends. This is all about raising awareness about these two organizations, reminding parents to have those early discussions with their kids about personal safety, helping grow children's compassion for other children who are not able to live with their families, showing kids that the community cares about kids, and having fun!

We hope that you will join us at the bike-a-thon... July 11, 9am - 10:30am. For safety reasons, I have never specifically said (on the blog) where in the U.S. we live... Real life friends, please forgive me for referring you to my Facebook or email if you need the event location. We really would LOVE to see you there and welcome your assistance if you are interested!

Please register by emailing me, or leaving a comment here or on my facebook. I just need to know how many bikers to plan for. Cost is $5 per biker.

Determining "the track" for the bike-a-thonTaking the loop for a trial run

Luke was tired of biking and preferred to smell the flowers

The loop works!

A blessed day

Garage sale days are always loads of fun around here, but yesterday was extra special. The kids had their big bake sale (benefiting a local child abuse prevention & victims advocacy center and another organization that does a great deal of work with foster children in our state) and every loaf of bread sold was celebrated! If Bryan and I weren't standing there when someone made a purchase, the boys would come find us - screeching about yet another success! After all was said and done, the kids raised $112 and our family was only left with one full size loaf and one mini loaf. We are so very grateful for the dozens of strangers who bought bread, and deeply touched by each of our amazing friends who came by to support our boys in this effort. With every batter we mixed, I prayed for the organizations, the families impacted by their work, and that garage sale shoppers would generously support this cause. If the sale wasn't a huge hit, my greatest concern was not that I'd gain 20 pounds eating the left-overs, but that my children would receive the message that people do not really care about kids. I'm so happy to report that they received the exact opposite message! As soon as we called it a day Zach bounced into the house saying, "Now we've got to get on that bike-a-thon! We need to go over there and figure out our track!!" The boys' excitement and compassion is inspiring.

Zachary explaining to our friends what friendship bread is, which loaves have chocolate chips, why they should buy it and
how much it cost!

Friends enjoying their bread!

Luke and one of our other little friends enjoying a water gun battle.

A hot day demands dumping bottled water on your head!

for KIDS by KIDS

I am so excited to finally be able to write about this... For quite some time Zach has been wanting to have a bike-a-thon, but he didn't know what his "cause" should be. When he boldly announced a couple of weeks ago that Bryan and I should "collect" children who are mistreated by their parents, we began talking about other ways that we could help those kids. The "cause" was discovered for the boys' much anticipated bike-a-thon!

Over the last couple of weeks, we have been working with a local child abuse prevention and victim's advocacy center to nail down a date. We had only asked if we could use their parking lot and they have generously offered to open their building so that we can use their restrooms and water fountains. Happy Bear will also be there to meet the kids, they are providing a station for the kids to color pictures of Happy Bear, they will provide educational materials for parents to take home with them, and some of the organization's staff and volunteers will also be in attendance!

In addition to benefiting the child abuse prevention and victim's advocacy center, the bike-a-thon proceeds will also go to an amazing organization that works predominantly with foster children and adoptees throughout our state. They are dedicated to keeping children safe, families strong and communities involved.

for KIDS by KIDS...
A bike-a-thon benefiting abused and foster children in our state
July 11, 2009
9am - 10:30am
(Email me or see my FaceBook for location info - RSVP's needed)

Cost is $5 per rider. A bake sale will also take place at the bike-a- thon.

In the mean time... Our family has been making insane amounts of Amish Friendship Bread. The kids will sell it during our neighborhood garage sale May 29-30 (all proceeds going to the bike-a-thon). If you are in the area, stop by and "be a FRIEND to a child in need".

Enjoy some pictures of Operation Amish Friendship Bread...

Ingredients are out

And we're off

The boys baking with bed-head (7:30am)

I couldn't believe all this fit in my oven - and NOTHING burned!

The first batch - we made THREE BATCHES in 24 hours.

We ask for your prayers for these incredible organizations, the children and families whose lives are touched by their services, and our sweet little bike-a-thon. It is my prayer that my children will enjoy serving others and that they will be so very blessed by this experience. Through the baking alone they have seen that serving others is a sacrificial thing, it can take a lot of time and hard work, but that it is also yummy, fun and so very well worth it. They cannot wait to hand over a wad of cash to these organizations, and they are also daydreaming every single day about racing their bikes around that parking lot with their friends. We hope to see you there!

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" Matthew 25:31-40

"You should collect them" (children, that is)

I continue to be amazed and inspired by my children. Going on six, Zachary has character, generosity, compassion, depth and awareness far beyond his years. As we were leaving the grocery store tonight, he said something about orphans. I asked him what he thought an orphan was and he said, "Someone who doesn't really have anyone. I mean, has no family. No where to live." I agreed with him, but shared a couple of "orphan" situations that I know of right here in America... A grown woman whose parents had both died when she was in her early 20's. We talked about how sad and lonely that would be; similar to feelings that an orphaned child in another country would feel (he's heard a lot of talk about orphans in third world countries). I also talked about another grown woman whose father abandoned her when she was a tiny baby. He never showed any love for her and never tried to see her. Then she had a second father who had promised to love her and take care of her, but he hurt her and did not love her like he should have. And the little girl's mother knew that her second dad was hurting her and she didn't do anything to make it stop. This little girl, even though she lived in a house with her mom and dad, always felt like an orphan - unloved and all alone.

Zachary interjected immediately. "Mom, you should collect them!" I asked what he meant and he said, "We should collect those kids whose parents do not treat them right and let them come live at our house." My heart raced, tears came to my eyes and time stood still all at once... Hearing those thoughtful words come out of his mouth was completely overwhelming. I told him that the Bible says that God is the father to the fatherless. That HE is the daddy to those who do not have good earthly parents. And, when someone takes in a child who is not theirs and loves them as if they are, then that person is being exactly the way God wants us to be.

Fostering and/or adopting through the foster system has been a dream of mine for a very long time. I have not yet felt God's tug saying, "It's time" and I do not know if it truly is his plan or merely my passion. But, I am humbled to see this kind of compassion and selflessness in my child. I pray that God will grow that in him and use that to change lives.

"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing" Psalm 68:4-5a