Category Archives: giving back

helping create hope one bracelet at a time

helping create hope one bracelet at a time
Wear jewelry that makes a difference!  We're thrilled to offer these beautiful recycled bracelets, necklaces & earrings made by the talented women of Uganda.    The money made from selling jewelry goes to providing education to both the women and their children and assisting the women to establish business opportunities to promote economic stability and sustainability. Founder Karen Sparacio talks about Project Have Hope–how she came to found the organization, what its mission and .

our troops say Thank YOU!

our troops say Thank YOU!
Just wanted to share a some sincere 'thank yous' from the troops you donated goodies to this past May in our "Taking Care of the Troops" project. One troop writes, "We just wanted to give you an update on things. We have been very busy and again, the heat continues to rise. The packages coming in are a real treat to the sailors and puts a big smile on their faces :), which in .

shipping off LOADS of supplies to soldiers

shipping off LOADS of supplies to soldiers
Thanks to your generous donations throughout the month of May, we were able to box up a total of 13 boxes packed to the brim with little extras that will make their lives in the hot desert a little more bearable.  Some of the troops we're helping out… CPL Jeffery L Franks,  "We are half way through our deployment, and the time seems to be going by pretty quick. Sandstorms are getting worse and .

3 boxes of treats off to our troops

3 boxes of treats off to our troops
Thank you * Thank you * Thank you for bringing in our first round of goods for our troops!  We had enough to supply three different units.  And here are their stories… This is to let everyone know that we are still here and doing good. There have been no problems at all. We really do appreciate all the support the citizens show for what we do. Just being able to hear and see .

cass community recycled mud mats

cass community recycled mud mats
I recently had the opportunity through my church to help prepare & serve lunch at Cass Community Social Services in Detroit.  This is the first time I visited this organization and was incredibly impressed with what they're doing to shine a light in our city.  Meet Ed, one of the guys making a big difference.  He oversees one of Cass' green industries.  They collect illegally dumped tires off of vacant lots in Detroit and .

taking care of our troops

taking care of our troops
Since our goal is making days brighter and May is Military Appreciation Month, we thought it would be fantastic to surprise our hardworking troops with a few luxuries.  So we're using www.anysoldier.com to find units in Afghanistan & Iraq that are requesting specific items to make their time serving a little more bearable. So here's how you can help…   Bring in 3 or more of the following items – magazines (sports, hunting, health), .

spreading love & sharing smiles

spreading love & sharing smiles
I'm happy to report that our first 'Share Some Love' project was a huge success thanks to all of YOU!  We had the fun job of distributing your wonderful Valentine cards to 8 different senior assisted living homes in Oakland County.  We chose the homes based on their proximity to our store locations. Each senior at the following homes received 1-2 handmade cards – Sunrise Senior Living in Bloomfield & Rochester, Cambridge North in .

passing on our blessings

passing on our blessings
We believe in making days brighter, not only for our firefly fans, but also for others in our community like Open Hands Food Pantry.  With your contributions we were able to donate over 300 pounds of food to families in need this Thanksgiving. Thank You-Thank You-Thank You for coming to our holiday open house in November and helping us make this happen. Next, we'd love you to assist us in our efforts to bring .

a positively pink october indeed

a positively pink october indeed
I'd like to thank all the women affected by breast cancer who came in for a free pink positivity bracelet last month.  It was an honor to hear some of your stories and we're glad we could play a part in your celebration or give a little light during a trying time.  One of the women brought in this inspiring poem for us to share with you.   We also received two lovely thank .

another successful mega march!

another successful mega march!
The sun may not have been shining, but our day was still filled with smiles because we raised over $1,300 for the Michigan Humane Society and had a grand time dog-watching (and walking) along the 2 mile loop in downtown Detroit. Thanks so-so much for all your donations.  We hope you enjoy this virtual tour of the morning's events… And we're off…  sniffing & walking, sniffing & pulling, sniffing & sniffing The small ones .