March(ing) for Mutts!

Hey Ladies,

The Ladies of March (Laura, Belinda & I) decided on helping out the Mutts of the Mills. We are gathering the necessary information about what we need to collect, how to volunteer and where to do it all for the local animal shelters. Keep your eyes and ears open for the next announcement so you can be ready for our next gathering on 3/10 at the studio.

The Ladies of April: Who are you? I have no one listed. The Ladies of January may have to take over on this one if we come up empty!

Champagne & Chocolate: Guide dogs for the Blind is coming up!

Hi Ladies,

For those of you who aren't on Facebook yet, I made a group there and posted some things. That may be an easier outlet for communication. Although there are a few holdouts, you might want to think about Facebooking it! You know who you are. I wasn't a big fan of it in the beginning, but now I see the light! It's actually fun, great for catching up with old friends, seeing what they are up to and simple chit-chat.

Anyway, Tuesday night is our next gathering. If you have something for Kara to contribute to her event, then bring it on in. We'll decide the chosen charity for March, toss back a few glasses of wine and eat some tasty snacks!

Hope to see you there!
Doreen

Great job on 'Dress for Success'!!!

Last night was another successful event. So far we have helped out, donated to, and brought awareness to at least 10 different non-profit, charitable community organizations in eight months. Not too shabby ladies! I do have to say that we are pretty awesome!

I'll summarize what we chatted about for those who could not make it last night. First we talked about the effects of pregnancy, sore boobs and all. Karen was the only one present who could contribute valuable information, so us non-breeders were tuned into what she had to say... either to reinforce the idea of not breeding or to assimilate the challenges to it. And then we heard of a gal who did not know she was preggy until her 7th month. Fascinating story. Either way, no one was dissuaded about the pregnancy idea. It didn't get too graphic to scare anyone.

The conversations broke into friends catching up over the holidays and getting the skinny on everyone's daily lives, work and challenges. We discussed the blog last night too. A calendar feature would be great so that we all can see our upcoming events. Anyone know how to do it? Also, it would be super helpful if everyone signed up to be a follower or checked in with it so I'm not cramming your email account with "... oh, one more thing" announcements! I don't want to be a pest and deter participation. Also, if you are on the list and don't want to be, let me know. Our gatherings work for some people's schedules and not others. Heck, if you can't come to ours, then start up your own that fits your schedule.

We sent a sign up sheet around for the volunteer evening at 'Dress for Success'. It looks like Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the best for those with limited schedules. I'm proposing next Wednesday, 1/21 for the volunteer night. It's the day after the inauguration, so we can celebrate our new futures after we are done! Please email me if you plan on attending so I can get Monique a head count. We can always do another volunteer party if you can't make this one. She needs help all of the time. If you have more stuff to donate, you can bring it by before next Wednesday, or if you are volunteering, bring it then. I will need help transporting all of the clothing there, so if you have a rig that would be good for hanging clothes in, then our job will be easier. Monique suggested the hours of 5:30pm-7:30pm. That might be tough for some of you just getting off of work. I'll see if we can start a little later if you want. Or, whoever can get to the studio early, can help load the stuff into cars and then we can meet everyone at the donation site. Let me know what fits your schedules so we can tighten up the plans.

We have several GNO gals that are constantly doing 'Good Deeds'. It's in their blood and there is no stopping them... thank goodness! What would we do without people like them making the world a better place!

I am hoping that all of you will update me with your details and fund-raising events so that I can post it here and everyone will get the opportunity to help you out the best way they can. Make sure you provide links to your fund raising pages and to the cause. I will update the blog when the information rolls in.
Here are some of our Super Stars!

1. Kara: Champagne & Chocolates. http://www.seattledg.com/auction.htm. The cause is for training guide dogs for the blind. It's coming up 2/28. Buy tickets, volunteer and/or see details below for our next Sharity event.
2. Jennifer: YMCA Partners with Youth Campaign. Her goal is $500. I'm putting in $25.oo. Who is going to match it? They help at risk youth and provide great community programs. Let's help!
3. Patrice, Michelle, Melinda: 3-day breast cancer walk. Info/details TBA!
4. Karen & Teri: Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Sounds like the infamous Art Auction is waking up again! We need art, service and product donations! It's a big event and a lot of work. Volunteers are great too!

I will send everyone's contact information in an email so as to keep it private for the group. Then you can coordinate directly with each other on helping the best way you can.

The next GNO will be 2/10/09 here at the studio. The Sharity of the month is: Champagne & Chocolates. Our assignment consists of a few choices: Secure at least one donation for the silent auction, volunteer to help with the event, and/or buy a ticket to support the cause. One need that arose last night is veterinary care for the dogs who assist the visually impaired. If you know a vet, or have resources and ideas on how to help out in this area, please bring them to Kara's attention.

Thanks ladies for another good deed done! Sign up for next Wednesday, and for those who can't make it then, we'll do another one.

Thank you!
Doreen

The next GNO.... 1/13/09 Dress for Success!

Hey Ladies!

Happy New Year! Between the holiday mayhem and the snow days, I'm looking forward to 'normal' again! Can't wait to see you guys!

I spoke with Monique at Dress for Success this morning. If you aren't familiar with the cause, this link gives you a summary ( http://www.dressforsuccess.org/affiliate.aspx?sisid=63&pageid=18 ). We had a great conversation and she gave good information as to what they need. Listed below is from their web site along with some other tidbits she offered up. She did ask that we 'think outside the box' for what women may need to get a jump start in the work place. Handbags are in big need!

She was excited to hear about what we do and said she could really use our help at a Sorting Party! She can take about 6-10 gals at a time and will give a tour of the facility and then we'll jump in on organizing the donations for the boutiques! Weeknights from 5:30-7:30 pm are what she needs. Anyone want to sign up with me?

Here ya go! Clean out the closets again!

Dress for Success Seattle

Handbags***
Socks***
Coats***
Mittens/Gloves***
Outerwear***
Belts/Accessories
Winter scarves
Hats
Umbrellas
Jewelry
Plus size clothing (16 and above)
Shoes sized 11 and up
New underwear
Deodorant
Feminine Hygiene Products
Toothbrushes & Toothpaste
Department store paper shopping bags

*** High demand.

We cannot accept:
Clothing in bags
Casual clothing such as: jeans, t-shirts, tennis shoes & flip flops
Nightwear
Active wear
Men’s clothing
Soiled or stained clothing

Other things on the Wish List
-Clear plastic bins
-Shopping bags
-Bus tickets for clients
-Copy paper
-Paper cups, plates, napkins & silverware
-Journals
-Notebooks
-Laminating machine

Please let me know if you can make it. Tuesday night, 1/13/09 6pm'ish, at the studio.

Thanks and I hope to see you!
Doreen

We did it! Toys for Tots was a huge success!

So, last night we hosted a Toys for Tots event at the studio. Initially it was going to be a small gathering of the usual "Girls Night Out" clan along with their significant others and kids. I thought it would be an intimate gathering so everyone can meet and greet each other's family, have a pot luck, drink some beverages and do the usual good deed. Thankfully, the event blossomed into a blow out! About 50 people showed up with arms full of toys and delicious food to share. If I had to guess, we probably ended up with about 300 toys to donate.

The 'Red Alert' went out a few days before the event, notifying everyone that Toys for Tots had record low donations and needed help. The timing was perfect for our good deed gathering. Everyone stepped up to the plate and earned about 300 smiles from little kids last night. Some of our friends brought their kids and joined in on the giving. Even though they were eye-balling the toys, they understood the purpose and were more excited to see three of our nation's finest Marines arrive to take part in the gathering... and so were all the girls!

The embarrassing part is my attempt at a speech. I guess that's why "ass" is a part of the word 'embarrass'! Anyway, what I could not successfully do last night is extend a heart-felt thank you to everyone who helped and participated. I just wanted to say... "Look at what you did!" and point at the huge table full of toys. I mean if you think about it, the idea of one person grew to the strength of a small army because of everyone's support, belief and desire to make life better for someone else. Completely selfless acts by 50+ people, are going to make 300 kids and all of their family happy and full of hope at a really difficult point in their lives. How can you not feel good about what we did? Thank you so much.

I passed around a sign up sheet but I don't think everyone saw it or signed it. I would like to call out special thanks to some folks that really went above and beyond what I ever imagined.
Dawn Crawford rallied up all of her business neighbors and brought in a car load of toys from the fine folks at Ballard Home Comforts, Lucca, Bridget Zehring, Collective, Clover, Rick Heiner Architect Group, Souvenir, and Geno Galvan. Unbelievable... same story goes... one person can make a huge difference and she did! I'd also like to thank Jennie, Teri, Mickie, Dawn & Jeff for helping set up and clean up. Can't thank you enough for helping pull this off so smoothly. Dennis was in charge of lighting.... Great job db! Earl picked up the keg and cooked wings. Thanks honey! I know more people helped and gave in so many ways. My thanks extend to everyone.

For those who check in on the blog and might be interested in taking part, The Girls meet the second Tuesday of the month here at the studio. We meet for at least two reasons. One is selfish: to do something for ourselves, hang with the girls, make new friends, drink some wine, eat some food, get away from the kids and spouses, and have fun. Sometimes we exchange beauty secrets or talk about our periods. That's why Earl goes next door to Stellar Pizza. The second is selfless: we help a charity at the same time. Sometimes we help two or three in one month. It depends on what we gather up and focus on. We might as well do something with all of our power and might. We can't just let it go to waste. That would be a shame.

If you want to join in the fun, shoot me an email (doreen at harperstudios.com, at=@) and I'll add you to the email list of what we are doing. There is never any pressure to come or donate anything to the charity, there is no membership fee, no dress code, no expectations. Come as you are and make new friends.

January 13th is 'Dress for Success' night and we'll be collecting clothing to get women in transition back in the work force. I'll post the wish list soon. Since it's a work theme, I think we all should get the skinny on each others livelihoods and do a little networking amongst the group. If anyone is looking for a job, and anyone is hiring at their work place let's share it amongst the group and help each other out. That's what we do!

Thanks again to everyone!
Doreen

Toys For Tots 12/9/08

Hey Ladies of the GNO.

It's about time we start shakin' it up a bit and get ready for the holidays. The next gathering will be at the studio. This time bring your boyfriend, husband, lover, pool boy, significant other... hell, bring all five and the kids that go with them! The more the merrier.

Admission to this year-end extravaganza is easy! Bring at least one new, unwrapped toy for our Sharity of the Month: Toys For Tots http://www.toys4tots.org/index.html . That's right. We're givin' to the children and they are gonna love these toys.

Here is the skinny... it's 'pot-luck' style so if you would like to share a dish, bring it on in. If you aren't too keen on cooking up something, than bring some wine. If that doesn't suit you, then bring some food goods for Northwest Harvest http://www.northwestharvest.org/. If none of that floats your fancy, then just show up with an extra toy. It's all about the giving, because when you give you get (karma, warm fuzzies, smiles, thanks, points, miles, one step closer to heaven, etc.).

Let the festivities begin! The Wii, foosball, ping-pong and pool tables will be ready for the male dominated competitions that usually unfold when drinks are consumed. While they are preoccupied amongst themselves, we'll be enjoying the company of three of the Marines finest representatives! There is something for everybody, so bring a bunch of toys for the tots, and your favorite peeps along to enjoy the evening with friends.

One more thing... our Homeless Helper was another success! We donated five huge bags and two large boxes full of coats, sweaters, gloves, hats, socks, blankets, and fleeces. The Union Gospel Mission picked everything up on 11/18 and were grateful for the contributions! Good job ladies. We did it again!

Looking forward to it!
Doreen

Homeless Helper is next Tuesday!

Hi Girls,
11/11/08, Tuesday night at the studio is Homeless Helper night. Come by after work, enjoy some beverages, chit-chat and bring warm clothing items for the Union Gospel Mission. If you know of other needful charities, we'll include them too. We usually have enough stuff to spread around to several organizations.

It sounds like this will be a pretty good turnout! We have Roger's on tap from Georgetown Brewing and I'll have easy-to-prepare snacks. You know my talents in the kitchen are lacking. But don't be shy if you want to share a snack or some wine.

See you next Tuesday!
Same place, same time, bring a friend and a bottle of wine!
Doreen

Make-A-Wish and Art Roundup!

Remember when we did the "Back-to-School" drive? Well, we received some awesome rolling backpacks w/Disney themes and figured the Make-A-Wish Foundation could put these to good use for all of the Disney trips they fulfill. Jennie & I dropped them off to Jeni and her Make-A-Wish team. They were really grateful for the contributions. Big shout out to Casandra for tapping her resources! Those two big suitcases are packed full of backpacks.

The Art Roundup was last night. We collected a lot of art supplies and even have Patrice's flute to find a good home for. I actually found my old airbrush and am hoping someone will have fun getting creative with it.

A local Georgetown resident who has a non-profit child & family therapy service has an open-studio art group for the kids in her agency. I made contact with her and she'll be by Monday to pick up all of your sharitable contributions and will put them to good use right away!

Mickie outdid herself with strawberries, cream and brown sugar. As if that wasn't delectable enough, she had to add brownies to the mix. Thank you for the goodies! We had great snacks, good wine & beer, and excellent conversations.

Patrice has started knitting hats! She is working her fingers to the bone, mastering her newly found craft and plans on selling them for next year's 3-day breast cancer walk. Sign up to buy one or two!

Saundra announced the Shoptoberfest in Issaquah this weekend, 10/18 from 4-8pm. Here is the address if you want to get some good buys and a jump start on the holidays: 1700 NW Gilman Blvd., Suite 300.

Our next GNO is November 11th. Focus is Help the Homeless and Working Women's Wardrobe.
Needs for the homeless: Blankets, Coats, Sleeping Bags, Sleeping Pads, etc.
Needs for Women getting back to the workplace: Smart dress clothes, blouses, skirts, shoes, jewelery, purses. You get the idea.

Thanks again ladies! Good work. Bring a friend and make new ones!

ART ROUNDUP: October 14th!

Hey GNO's,

Well the next GNO gathering is coming up on October 14th and I'm sounding the alarm! Remember... we are focusing on the arts for kids and youth. Check out the links below and see what they need, what you have, and what you can share. The goal is to inspire, promote, encourage and feed the need to be creative. Let's give these kids the tools to express themselves with their naturally born talents.

Here are just a few organizations to check out. Please add others that we should all know about. They all need help fueling the arts!

http://www.sanctuaryartcenter.org/donate.htm
http://www.theveraproject.org/
http://www.coyotecentral.org/index.html
http://www.artscool.org/index.html

Same place, same time. Bring a friend and a bottle of wine.

FYI: for those living in a cave... if you don't know already, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breasts are one thing we all have in common, so lets get active and take part like our fellow GNO's! Let's give a big shout out to Patrice, Michelle & Melinda who did the 3-day breast cancer walk! Way to go ladies. Share your stories when we gather up on Tuesday!

Speaking of boobs... check this out! You can actually help breast cancer research by signing up to participate in studies. I did!
http://www.armyofwomen.org/

Project Cool and Treehouse For Kids: Well received

Results are in and everyone attending the last GNO on 8/26 all received Gold Stars! Treehouse For Kids (http://www.treehouseforkids.org/) received their backpacks and school supplies on Friday 8/29. Reports state that the day before the GNO 'Sharity' donation, about 200+ needy kids had been "shopping" for school supplies. Our drop off came just in time to replenish stock for more kids.

Mickie & Teri's investigative research found out that in the Spring, Treehouse collects housewares (small appliances, plates, towels, linens, etc.) for young adults flying the coop and heading away to college or their own apartments. Keep that in mind as you come across re-purposable items in your household and locate the nearest donation station (or contact us and we'll make it happen).

Jennie and I met Victoria from Project Cool (http://www.homelessinfo.org/cool.html) yesterday. She stopped by the studio to pick up backpacks, school supplies and down vests. Project Cool helps homeless kids get started right in school. Victoria works her tail off helping these families and has to drive all around Puget Sound since most of them don't have tranportation to get to the help they need. Check out their web site and see how you can help.

Victoria was really grateful about the donations and is going to mention our group in the annual report. Good job ladies! We still have some things for the Make-a-Wish Foundation and the West Seattle Helpline. I'll let you know how it goes when the drop is made.

Sidenote: looking at the wish list for Make-a-Wish, they have some needs in there that a few of you may be interested in helping with... particularly graphic design services. Check it out...
http://www.makeawishwa.org/wishlist.asp.