Goodbye, 2011! Hello, 2012!

Well, it's that time of year when we say goodbye to one year and hello to another.  For all of us at ERK 2011 was interesting to say the least....we learned alot about ourselves and our nonprofit.  We gained new board members and we lost some, we made some mistakes and we learned from them, we got on each others nerves and we pulled together when the time was right and now we go into 2012 with a clear idea of where we need/want to be and ideas on how to get there.  In 2011, we helped so many deserving children in so many ways, but we couldn't have done any of it without the support of all of you!!!  As this year comes to an end, in just a few short hours, I can't thank you enough for all you have done for ERK this past year!  For several years now we have been struggling to get our name out there and now with your help, people are starting to know who we are and what we are accomplishing in Erica's memory for our community.  I believe that 2012 will be an amazing year for ERK and the children and elderly in our community will benefit like they never have in the past.  Those of us that sit on the Board of Directors as volunteers are committed to making a difference for our community and all that that entails, so heres to a fabulous 2012!!!  Have a safe and happy new year!  visit us at http://www.ericaraeskids.org/

Two Days and Counting....

It's December 23rd and Christmas morning is 2 days away, will all the good little boys and girls have something under the Christmas tree - will they even have a Christmas tree?  No matter what the situation is that these wonderful children live in through no fault of their own, we at ERK are determined to make sure that they are remembered at Christmas as no child should wake up Christmas morning and not have a present from Santa.  Some people may say that I'm not being "politically correct" by saying Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, but there you have it, I said it and I'll say it again, these children deserve a childhood and if that childhood includes a wish for Christmas and all that entails then we will climb mountains to make it happen for them.  ERK had some very last minute requests for help, tragic stories all of them, 5 children who were evicted along with their parents from their apartment just because the landlord didn't like them, a mother with a substance abusing husband who threw her and her 3 children out of their house, a terminally ill man who couldn't provide any kind of Christmas dinner for his family!  Please understand that the children that we help are in these tragic situations because of numerous reasons and as children they have no control.  Don't judge, just help.   I have learned that I had a "discrimination gene" until I started working with this program and I used to be one of those people that said "Well, the parents....." and then I realized it's the children that we need to help no matter what the parental situation is.  I'm going to step off my soapbox now and I want to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas!! Please visit us at http://www.ericaraeskids.org/ and donate if you can to help these wonderful children.

OMG, What an Exceptional Day!!!

First great thing that happened today....wait for it.....wait for it.....wait for it.....Erica Rae's Kids, Inc. won our first grant.  After 2 years of very hard work we got the news this morning that we have won $10,000 from the WalMart Corp. in their 12 Days of Giving!  OMG!!!!!! There were over 5,400 nonprofits who were nominated and 145 that won and we were 1 of the lucky nonprofits to be a winner.  Of course we on the Board have know for along time that we were winners, but now everyone will know - LOL!  What we have accomplished with personal donations and our wonderful volunteers has proven to us on the Board that what we were trying to do for all of the children in our coummunity that were in need was the right thing to do, now with this money that we will receive from WalMart there is so much more and more of it that we can do!!!  What a day!!!  The second great thing that happened today is.....wait for it....the 2011 Christmas Program has been delivered to all 21 schools and to all the Foster Programs and the Elderly Program has been picked up.....let's hear those Cheers everyone!!!  It's time to regroup and clean up some desks of some paperwork and then it will be "balls to the walls" to start all over again.  Yeeeeeeessssss!  Love what we do!  Thank You everyone for your continued support!!!!  Visit us at www.ericaraeskids.org 
 

"It's a Wonderful Life!"

Christmas presents wrapped - check; Candy - check; Stockings filled - check; Tags made - check; Bags bought - check; Volunteers rounded up - check and away we go.....Bag & Tag 2011 at Erica Rae's Kids, Inc. is complete!!!  This morning over 30 volunteers showed up to bag & tag presents for over 900 underpriviledged and abused children that had been nominated for our Christmas program.  We are so lucky to have all these wonderful people in our lives to help us fulfill our dream of helping these children that would not be able to have a Christmas unless someone stepped in to help.  I know it makes me feel good to do this and I know that it makes everyone of the fabulous ladies that are on our Board of Directors happy too.  We all have been through the ups and downs of life and if we can give back when we can it is a very powerful feeling.  When all of the bags start going out to the schools throughout the community I know there will be alot of very happy children and relieved parents who have been worried and stressed out over how in this horrible economy they were going to be able to give their precious children a Christmas and still be able to put food on the table.  Many of the parents in our community have to make that choice and it is such a sad thing to have to make a choice like that when so many of those parents don't want to burden their children with the fact of how dire the situation at home really is.  If we can help with that burden then our job here is done....unfortunately, our job will never be done but we will do everything that we can to help each year.  This year we had some very tragic stories and some of these children are so strong that all I can say is WOW, you kids are my heros!!!!!  I do want to let everyone know that we were also able to put together 20 boxes for our Elderly Program which we didn't think we were going to be able to do since we have been undergoing a bit of restructuring and reorganizing but suprise, suprise we recieved some last minute monetary donations from some of the people who donated to this wonderful program last year.  All I can say right now is - "It's a Wonderful Life"  Thank you and Have a Merry Christmas from Erica Rae's Kids, Inc.  visit us a www.ericaraeskids.org

Feeling sorry for myself...are you kidding me?

I have to say that I was sitting here tonight feeling sorry for myself over several things and it dawned on me that I have a pretty good life.  Really, Sioux pull your head out....there are so many people in this country that need help with finding a job, putting food on their table, keeping a roof over their heads, buying school supplies for their children, purchasing Christmas presents and I'm sitting here boo-hooing over stupid stuff.  It's time to realize that our world is in dire straits and we need to do anything and everything that we can to "put things right"!  Children are our future and we as a country need to remember that....our children will be the ones running the country in the future and we need to help them help themselves.  There is a great song that says it all "Teach the children well".  If we can help children to understand that we care and we want them to succeed then maybe, just, maybe our future will turn out allright.  Heres to our future!!!!  Help our children!! http://www.ericaraeskids.org/
 

RIP - Erica Rae

Today is a sad and happy day at Erica Rae's Kids.  Our program was created in memory of Erica Rae Hamann who passed away 4 years ago today, Erica loved to help people - especially kids and her mom started ERK to help her deal with the loss of her youngest daughter.  The sadness and emptiness that she felt over the loss of Erica was overwhelming her and this is how she chose to deal with that emptiness and sadness.  Our organization has helped thousands of children over the last 4 years since Erica's passing and this year we are on track to help 2,200 children have a Christmas that they would not have had if it hadn't have been for "Mama Bear" and her insight into what needed to be done to help her heal.  The pain of losing Erica will never go away for us but helping others makes the days better and lets us remember what Erica started from a young age.  As an organization we can give in her memory and let the children that need our help get to know who she was.....RIP, Erica and thank you for helping us help others.  Visit us at www.ericaraeskids.org
 

It's Halloween and Christmas is right around the corner....

I went to the store this afternoon to buy my Halloween candy - don't want to rush in to these things you know, anyway, I'm sitting here wondering how all those families are feeling who do not have the ability to buy candy of any kind; let alone candy to hand out to all the ghouls and goblins that will be ringing my doorbell in a very short time.  Times are so tough right now for everyone that I know and we at ERK are in the process of starting our Christmas program.  This Wednesday the board members are having our first working meeting of the year with many more to follow.  We will do some meeting stuff and then it will be "balls-to-the-walls" putting together over 200 Christmas stockings - filled with all kinds of goodies.  This year we are shooting to make 2,000 kids' Christmas a wonderful event that they will remember and their parents, too.  At ERK we understand that our economy sucks and many parents won't be able to give their children a Christmas this year without some help and that's were we can come in to help.   We don't get to see the children but we hope that what we do will help them understand what giving is all about as they grow up and become adults.  If we can get even a few of these children to "pay it forward" (I know that saying is way over used but it does really say it all) we will be happy and satisfied.  Happy Halloween and don't forget to visit us at www.ericaraeskids.org and if you can please make a donation.....thanks and blog at you soon.

Laughter and old friends.....

Friends are what keep the world going!  I have the best friends ever and I'm the first one to tell you that...my friends have been my rock throughout my life.  They have been there through thick and thin and I certainly would not be the person I am today without my friends.  I just spent several hours with two of my oldest friends and I don't mean old as in old I mean old as in we have been friends since 1972 when we had just turned 12 years old (we're now 51).  We all met at East Junior High in Aurora, Colorado and in those days you would never have thought we would still be together in 2011.  We were all so different but we were drawn to each other.  My one friend came in from Houston to help with ERK stuff, she's a "high-falutin" executive (LOL) at an airline that shall remain unnamed to protect the innocent and my other friend is Erica Rae's mom who I have decided to nickname "Mama Bear" because it is from her that Erica learned to help people in need, so anyway tonight "high-falutin", "mama bear" and myself were getting some last minute things done for the Halloween Party that ERK is helping throw tomorrow for Adams/Arapahoe County Foster Care and when the 3 of us get together the laughter starts and it just doesn't stop.  We will always be friends and we will always know that when one of us is in need we will be there for each other....I hope that everyone has friends that they can count on because you never know when you might need them.  Without our friends at ERK we certainly couldn't do what we do....I love you mama bear and high-falutin.....Laughter is Good and we all need to remember that.

It was 5am and I was awake....

Yep, when I looked at the clock this morning it said 5:00 am - REALLY!  I woke up thinking about what I was going to blog about and couldn't go back to sleep.  I have to tell you right now that I have a little obsessive-compulsive personality disorder going on and when I get started on something or I get interested in something I just can't turn it off.  I would like to say it's a curse, but it's not!  I have been making myself not sit down at the computer since "o-dawn-thirty" this morning because everything that I wanted to talk about is running in circles in my head.  All of us at ERK are so excited this time of year that it is balls-to-the-walls busy.  This Tuesday we will be spending time with the children at a Halloween party that are in the foster care programs of Adams-Arapahoe Counties and it will be the first time that some of the ladies will ever get to meet the children that ERK helps.  Our program is all about confidentiality so we usually just get lists with last names and the gender and the age of the children, so this is going to be a real treat to get to see those faces light up with all the fun things that ERK has in store for them at their party.  Party On, Garth!!! 

More about us....

I'm sitting here wondering where to start and as Glinda, the good witch, would say "It's always best to start at the beginning" so the beginning of our story starts with a little girl not named Dorothy but Erica Rae.  Erica was a very giving, caring, creative and loving girl who lived life in the fast lane.  She wanted everyone to be taken care of as she had been taken care of all her life by her mother and her father and her older sister.  If she found out that someone was in need of something, be it food, clothing or place to stay she would do what she could to help that person.  Erica's best friend was her mom and they had a very special bond.  When Erica passed away her mom went through some very hard times trying to deal with the loss of her daughter.  Erica Rae's Kids, Inc. was born to help mom with that loss and the rest, we hope, will be awesome history in Erica's memory.  I sit on the Board of Directors of ERK for many reasons but the main reason is my love of helping others.  Our Board currently consists of 8 fabulous women who volunteer hundreds of hours a year in pursuing our passion-"Helping our Future by Helping our Children".  Our Wicked Witch is poverty, hunger, homelessness and abuse.  The statistics are staggering, but that is for another blog.  Please check us out at www.ericaraeskids.org and have a great day!

It's a Challange!!

Today is Friday, October 21, 2011 and this is the first blog for "A Day With Erica Rae's Kids".  We are a children's nonprofit based in Aurora, Colorado and our passion is helping underpriviledged and abused children.  We do this out of love and in memory of Erica Rae....I really want to tell the whole story right now but there is so much to tell that I feel it must be done a little at a time to keep you coming back.  The way I look at it is, if Stephen King can write "Novella's" so can I.  Stay tuned and come back often.  The children need your help too!