The rain started in the late morning, just a slight drizzle, not enough to stop the mornings events. It continued through the afternoon, off and on, building up more strength with each short rainfall.
Our plan was to visit "Skinny Sweet" in the mid afternoon for the fundraiser they were hosting for Ella. We came home from Henry's soccer game around lunch time, ate our lunch and began to get ready to go.
Ella must leave our house through the front door these days since that's where her temporary ramps are. Ava and Henry usually run out before her and play for a short bit in the front yard as they wait for the rest of the family. I called Ella to the front door. The whizzing sound of her wheelchair told me she was on her way. She rounded the staircase and stopped, as I was between her and the door. I wanted to tell her why we were going to Skinny Sweet.
"Ella" I began, "today we're going to Skinny Sweet just for you. The people who own the store are helping us to raise money so we can get a house that will help you be the best person you can be. A lot of people are coming to help as well."
She looked at me with her big brown eyes, taking in what I was telling her. She didn't say anything but I could tell something was brewing in her mind. Her head tilted a bit to the right, and she leaned forward some. The only word that came from her mouth was, "kiss."
I gave my youngest a kiss.
"What do we say when people help us?" I asked her.
"Thank you" she replied without missing a beat.
"You're a good girl, sweetie. Let's go." was all I said.
The ride to Skinny Sweet was accompanied by a torrential rainfall. It lasted until we pulled into the parking lot.
There were friends at the shop. The kids were excited and Lindsay and I were touched. Knowing that people take time out of their lives to help us with ours brings about feelings of comfort, safety, and encouragement. The storm that is SMA is better weathered with good people around us.
As we left Skinny Sweet the rain once again came down. It seemed to know when to fall; in such a way that allowed us to get to and from the car without getting Ella's wheelchair wet. It's funny how that happens sometimes.
Throughout the day and evening we received emails, texts, Facebook messages, and pictures from people who also visited Skinny Sweet to help us out. Seeing children and adults smiling, reading about how delicious the treats were and how happy people were to be a part of the fundraiser filled our evening and our hearts.
People have been asking how we are coming along with our plans for "Ella's House Fund". To date:
- We have been in contact with a few realtors; we have accepted a generous offer from a fellow church member who is a realtor.
- We have been keeping an eye on the housing market, both houses for sale and those that have closed in our area.
- We have received information about house modifications that we will need to implement once we buy a house that will work for us.
- We have raised just over $3,000 (not including the Skinny Sweet Fundraiser) towards our "Ella's House Fund".
We have a long way to go yet we are thrilled with how things have been progressing thus far. Skinny Sweet is only the beginning, and what a wonderful beginning it was!
Lindsay has worked tirelessly on putting together a whole new jewelry collection that will directly benefit the "Ella House Fund".
It's a beautiful collection of bracelets, necklaces, pendants, earrings, and rings that exemplify the Mama Bracelets' tagline, "simply stylish. simply jewelry".
We named the collection, "ellaWEAR Jewelry". We have secured our own domain name to make it easy for people to find the products and purchase them (see link at the end of this blog post). We've designed personal and online parties that people can host with us to sell the jewelry on a larger scale, thereby raising even more funds for Ella's needs.
This is the first time since Ella has been diagnosed that we have taken a proactive approach to raising money for Ella. We've raised money for FSMA (and still continue to do so) and have been the recipients of several incredible fundraisers put together by others; and now we are putting our best foot forward and actively seeking ways to help ourselves. It's a different feeling altogether.
I'll leave you with some links for the "ellaWEAR Jewelry" collection and fundraising opportunities therein. I've included a few pictures as well, to give you an idea of the beauty of the "ellaWEAR Jewelry" collection.
Also, there are some fun pictures of the Skinny Sweet Fundraiser.
As I told Ella before we left for the fundraiser, we wanted to make sure to say, "Thank you"...
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Some ellaWEAR Jewelry links
ellaWEAR Jewelry: www.ellawearjewelry.com
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| 545 Roosevelt Rd Glen Ellyn, IL |
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| Getting ready to GO! |
