Good News~All Aboard Storage

All Aboard Storage which has 12 locations in Volusia/Flagler Counties is offering free storage for those that may be displaced due to flooding. How great is that? Check out their website for locations, hours etc.

Angel Food Ministries

With a heart to help others and a generous spirit, Joe and Linda Wingo founded Angel Food Ministries in 1994 to provide food for friends and neighbors who were struggling financially. Today, they are still doing the same thing. The Angel Food program now is helping provide food relief to more than 500,000 families each month.

There are 14 distribution sites within a 30 mile radius of New Smyrna Beach. The closest being Edgewater, Port Orange and Deland. Click here for all 14 locations.

Angel Food is not a Food Bank, they purchase high quality food at discount prices and sell it less expensively than grocery stores. In general you can get around $65.00 worth of food for $30.00. Each month therre is a different variety of food as well as specialty boxes. You can read more about how it works here.

This service was designed for people who may be having a hard time, laid off or temporarily in a tough economic situation. I know there are plenty of people like that in our area. Please check out their website and take advantage of the generosity of others.

Relay For Life

Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature activity. It offers everyone in a community an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer. Teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Relays are an overnight event, up to 24 hours in length.

Teams of people from all walks of life have fun while raising much-needed funds to fight cancer and raise awareness of cancer prevention and treatment. Here are some local events planned to raise money:

Tomorrow night the Westside Community is hosting a Banquet with entertainment at Babe James Center beginning at 7:00pm Contact: Edith Alderman edithalderman@bellsouth.net

Christ Community Cuzzins is selling subscriptions to The Observer, receive a year's subscription for $20.00 plus a coupon for one free ad in the newspaper. Get the FULL Observer not the light edition that is delivered for free. Call Debbie at 428-8391 for further info.

Saturday April 4 – Hopeful Gathering - Concert in Honor of Carolyn Moore and in Memory of Suzanne Haycook – 1st Presbyterian Church – Magnolia Street

Clean Sweepers Barbecue will also be held April 4th 2009 from 2-6 pm at the All American Club located at 4233 US1 Edgewater $10.00 per ticket covers food and there will be raffles and door prizes. For more information or tickets call Linda Fauvelle at 386-427-6754.

Our Local New Smyrna Events Page can be found here. If you pick up your child at Coronado Elementary there are several parents selling bracelets for $1.00 in the parking lot most days, or just send $1.00 to school with your child to purchase one.

This is a great cause, lets get out there and support it!

Good Economic News (for a change)

I found this very interesting this morning. Makes you almost want to go buy a Ford. The news is all too depressing so this was a nice change.


Watch CBS Videos Online

If you are looking for a job go check out NSB Jobs-it is updated twice daily with new local jobs!

What If It Were Your Kids?

The March Challenge at 12 for 12K is all about the kids. More than 12.4 million children in America are at risk from hunger. 12.4 million - that’s one in six children. Consequences include poorer health, fatigue, hospitalization, behavioral difficulties and impaired scholastic performance. Share Our Strength aims to change that.

Catch up on what 12 for 12K is all about here.

For just $12.00 you can be part of the solution to hungry kids in the United States. I am guessing the majority of my readers don't have to worry about where their next meal is coming from, but I know people who do and in the last couple of years I have relied on family and friends to help me out more than once. So...let's all do our part and give just $12.00 for this great cause.

If you are use Twitter there is a 12 hour Tweetathon going on today to promote this cause.

Check out their Facebook Page and join the cause.

Enjoy the day!

Good News

It seems all we hear is bad news in this world we are living in today. NBC Nightly News has been focusing on good news the past week or so. They have been highlighting positive things and random acts of kindness, all nominated by viewers. Check it out here, it is very positive and uplifting to watch.

In these days of corporate greed it was nice to read this article about the CEO of Beth Israel Hospital in New England.

Here are some sites that feature only Good News all the time:

Good News Daily Happy News Good News Network

Have you seen anyone locally doing something nice for someone else? If so please email me or leave a comment. We would love to get them recognized.....

Sunday Stumble~Save Money!

Today's Stumble features some great sites that provide information on saving money, something we all need to be doing more of. I found each of these helpful sites on Twitter.

Brad's Deals

Couponistas

Free Sample Freak

Simply Saving

Get Groceries Free

Frugal in VA

Deal Seeking Mom

Craving the Savings

Coupon Cravings

Some of these are quite amazing and have some fantastic deals. Check them out!!

Kids Meal Deals

One more for the Sunday Stumble - Kids Meal Deals find restaurant Kids Deals in your area.

The 12 for 12K Challenge

The 12for12k Challenge is the brainchild of Press Release PR owner Danny Brown. Inspired by the way that social media has changed so many lives for the better already with various charity promotions, Danny wanted to do something that was both easy to take part in and have the potential to change as many lives as possible. The 12for12k Challenge started taking shape.

It is a very simple concept:

12 months of the year
12 charities, 1 chosen every month
1200 people
$10 donation per person, per charity, each month for 12 months, a total of just $120 per person over the year

They have some pretty strict requirements for the charities they choose to support.

Read about this months charity Stop The Silence here.

I'm in are you?

Easy Giving

One more good cause plug for today:

You could help your preferred charity within minutes, and without having to save up and spend your own money to do it.

Hotels Combined is a company wanting to donate money to charity. The best part is it is totally free - you choose the charity, they donate the money!

In order to spread the word about the company, Hotels Combined are currently donating money to one of three charities when you mention them on your blog or become a fan on Facebook.

How You Can Help

So, here’s how you can help charity of your choice.

Mention them on your blog and Hotels Combined will donate $20 USD to your chosen charity (just email them with the URL and your chosen charity)

OR

Become a fan on Facebook and Hotels Combined will donate $5 USD to your chosen charity (simply sign into Facebook, become a fan, then post a comment on their Facebook profile indicating your choice)

Donating to charity couldn’t get much simpler (or cheaper) than that!

The Charities

Hotels Combined are currently donating to the following worthwhile charities:

WWF - the global conservation charity dedicated to stopping the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and building a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.

World Vision - Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice

Make a Wish Foundation - Granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

About Hotels Combined

Hotels Combined is a search engine that searches over 900,000 hotel deals worldwide for the best price possible.

The hotel deals are retrieved from multiple hotel reservation websites around the world, enabling you to compare prices and availability across all major acommodation providers on a single screen.

This company says that they are always looking for ethical and environmentally friendly ways of doing business.

The aim of this promotion is to help spread the word about the company in an ethical and environmentally friendly way. Check it out, you have nothing to lose and your charity has money to gain!

NSB CAPS Spaghetti Dinner

The New Smyrna Beach Community & Alumni Providing Scholarships is holding their 10th annual Spaghetti Dinner this Saturday (1/31) from 12-6pm at the High School. This is their major fundraiser of the year. Take out is available, it is $5.00 per person.

In 2006 they gave almost 50K in scholarships to our local students. Don't cook on Saturday, go have spahetti with NSBCAPS!

Sunday Stumble~Pretty Pictures

The photo above is from The Digital Photography School. Not only do they have gorgeous pictures but also all sorts of tips and tricks to make your digital photography better.

The Pioneer Woman - Ree Drummond is not only entertaining but a GREAT photographer. Check out her images, she also offers tips and tricks and free downloads. Check out her cooking site for some of the best recipes around, and she is pretty funny!

What would the beach be without Ocean Photos? Great site for all things water.

As always National Geographic's Photo Site has great free pictures you can use. They also offer photo tips, free wallpaper and lots of other good stuff.

Enjoy these sites and have a great Sunday!

Good Stuff

I got some hate mail today about my Jon Stewart piece. OH WELL!

But in case you did not see this on the TODAY show or the Nightly News, I think you should have a look.

Volusia County Library~Free Stuff

The Volusia County Library offers a variety of services beyond just books and movies. Our local Branch in New Smyrna Beach is located at 1001 S. Dixie Freeway. They are open on Sun. 1-5; Mon. - Thu. 9:30-7:30; Fri. 10-5; Sat. 10-5.

They offer computer classes, tax preparation for seniors sponsored by AARP and a variety of arts and lecture series for all ages. Here is the calendar of events for February~ Adult Happenings.

For kids they have story time and free movies on Saturdays. Here is a complete February Schedule - Kids & Teen Happenings.

The Edgewater Public Library is located at 103 W. Indian River Blvd. Their hours are
Mon. 9:30-6; Tue. 9:30-7:30; Wed. 9:30-6; Thu. 9:30-7:30; Fri. 9:30-5; Sat. 9:30-5.

Edgewater February Events -
Adults
Children

In your efforts to find inexpensive or free things to do, go check out your public library!

You Can Fix It!

My washer quit working today, would not spin in the middle of a large load of towels. This is a big fancy 3 year old LG frontloader that should not be breaking. I had a 5 year service plan on this washer that my oh so clever ex-husband cashed in for a $20.00 Best Buy gift card back in October. (I know, nice guy huh?)

Anyway, the old me would have called a repairman, the new me cannot afford a service call so....I did what any other single mother with 12 loads of waiting laundry would do. I hit the internet. I found FixYA.

Fixya provides technical support and repair advice on just about anything you can think of from cars to DVD players. You can even chat live with an expert.

I put in my washer model and the error code I was getting and there were several soutions on the message board. I got out my screwdriver and did what they said, admittedly it was a pretty simple fix, but I would NEVER have know what to do without the technician at FixYa.

Next time you need to fix something go check them out!

Soles 4 Souls

Soles4Souls has a simple mission:

To impact as many lives as possible with the gift of shoes.

Soles4Souls facilitates the donations of shoes, which are used to aid the hurting worldwide. Shoe companies, retailers, and individuals can donate footwear (both new and used). Soles4Souls is a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS, and donating parties are eligible for tax advantages.The idea behind gifts of shoes is nothing new to the Soles4Souls team, as they coordinated relief efforts for the Asian Tsunami and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, netting over 1 Million pairs donated for these disasters. The team originally operated as www.katrinashoes.org with several churches partnering in the collection and distribution of footwear. If you take a look around their website you will see they not only work internationally but here at home in the US as well. This is a great cause to support and only $5.00 will buy two pairs of shoes!

Crossroads Christian Church Correction

Here is the information on the Crossroad Christian Church Service, I had the address wrong in the earlier post. I also got some more information from the Youth Pastor.

Christmas Under the Stars
Crossroads Christian Church – Christmas Eve Service
Wednesday, December 24th – 6pm
3838 State Road 44
New Smyrna Beach, FL. 32168
Phone - 386.427.3312
Email
Web Page

Hot Chocolate and Coffee to be served.

Merry Christmas!

Search for Good

Here's a new easy way to raise money for your favorite cause. Start using GoodSearch as your search engine and they'll donate a penny to your favorite cause every time you do a search!

Goodsearch has been featured in the NY Times, Oprah Magazine, CNN, ABC News and the Wall Street Journal.

We added the GoodSearch Toolbar and give to the ASPCA, my daughter's favorite charity.

Have a great Sunday!

Running of the Santas

Santas Wanted for "Running of the Santas" on Flagler Avenue

The Flagler Avenue Hospitality Group presents the first Annual Running of the Santas on Saturday, December 13th at 7 pm.

The running of the Santas started in Philadelphia with a small group of Santas running two blocks and raising money for children. Now each year over 25 cities around the country join in for the running of the Santas on the same day. This year the Flagler Hospitality Group is joining in the run and doing a toy drive for Toys for Tots. Anyone can participate in the run by simply meeting at the Flagler Avenue Beach ramp around 7 pm.Come dressed as a Santa ( or related attire such as an elf, reindeer, Mrs. Claus, red shirt and a Santa hat, etc.) plus most importantly, bring an unwrapped toy. There will be a group photo at the start of the run then proceed down Flagler Avenue to the finish line at Cooper Street.

The first 250 Santas who cross the Finish Line will get a ticket to be redeemed for a Secret Santa Goodie Bag filled with free goodies and discount coupons from merchants along the Avenue and New Smyrna as a thank you.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a run not a race. Participants are welcome to run or walk the 1.5 blocks from the ramp to Cooper Street. FLAGLER AVENUE WILL BE CLOSED FROM THE BEACH RAMP TO PINE STREET FROM 6:45 PM TO 7:30 PM during the event for a rolling street closure. Cars do not have to be moved, but will not be allowed to drive on the street for a maximum of 45 minutes ( probably less). If you have any questions, please contact Robert Byers at Flagler Tavern, 414 Flagler ( 386.847.0548) or Elaine Stathakis at the Om Bar and Chill Lounge, 392 Flagler Ave.

Yes, I know my Santa is water skiing and not running, but I thought he was cute. Come on out and support a good cause.

Beach Recycling

I took my bike over to the beach this morning, it was empty, not another soul out there, beautiful morning!. I was happy to see the bright yellow recycling cans are now at every trash station along the beach. Volusia County has expanded the program all the way up through Daytona as well. Good news!