Time to Talk of Many Things:

... of  hope & SFAC 2015, of fundraising & tomorrows, and of cabbages & kings

Fundraising for Cystic Fibrosis
You are Making a Difference, Bringing Hope

   I am so excited to have our sixth annual 'Scrapping for a Cure' scrapbooking retreat in the books. It was a lot of fun and very successful. For our 2015 event, we had 48 participants, a dozen various vendors, and dozens of volunteers helping us every step of the way. I am so thankful for everyone that participated in any way and capacity. Because of you, we were able to double our fundraising from last year, raising over $8000 in donations for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. We plan to present a check for $8400 to CFF on Saturday May 2nd at the annual Great Strides at the Memphis Zoo. With every dollar raised for CFF, we are truly making a difference in finding a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.

   It may not seem much to volunteer an hour of your time or donate a little money, but when putting together a fundraising event, it all adds up to make a huge difference.

   My family and I got the opportunity to participate in a local CF run in April. We do it every year, and it is nice to chat with other CF families that are going through the same trials. This year was a little heartbreaking, though. Two CFers weren't able to make it to the event this year. One has been very sick and was still in the hospital. She is such a fighter and we think and pray for her regularly. The other one passed away shortly after last year's CF run. Both are under 15 yrs of age. It is hard to see the heartache, knowing that with a disease this severe, a simple cold can quickly change into something life threatening.  Though Kaitlyn has had a rough year and a half, I am so thankful for her health and her dedicated medical team. I know we are truly blessed. She is getting stronger with each passing month. With each fundraiser held to help find a cure, it gives each of us CF families hope.
                                           

We are already starting to plan for 2016, the seventh annual Scrapping for a Cure. We hope to have some details within the next month or two. Please be mindful of our Facebook and Website pages, they will have the latest information.

                                                   

To help boost our funds for the 2016 event, we are already starting our mini fundraising projects. 1) Fundraising Yard Sales!!- We will be hosting one in the Shoals Area (May)  and one in the Memphis area (June). If you have anything you wish to donate, we would greatly appreciate it....and feel free to come and shop! Dates, times, and locations will be posted on Facebook soon. 2) Tastefully Simple Fundraiser- If you have never tried Tastefully Simple, you are missing out. If you have tried it, reorder your supplies through me! I LOVE their products. In honor of May being CF awareness month, I am hosting a Tastefully Simple Catalog Party for the Month of May. A portion will be donated back to CF. We were able to raise $200 for CF from our last Tastefully Simple Fundraisers! To place an order, just PM me (Rachael McGuire, Alabama or Scrapping for a Cure) through Facebook. I will get you taken care of!

Thank you for your support in helping us find a cure for CF!

-Rachael McGuire

Kaitlyn's CF Journey: Gearing up for Fall

                                               

Gearing up for the Fall

Thank you for all of your support through Kaitlyn's trials. She is currently home with us and attending school with her friends. Though her main fight is with Cystic Fibrosis, she has also developed CFLD (Cystic Fibrosis Liver Disease). We found out last month that her Liver Disease is progressing and her platelets continue to decrease. Even a small cut has been a cause of concern for us these last couple of weeks because she isn't clotting well. The thought of wrapping her in bubble wrap runs through my mind often. Luckily she is a cautious kid....unfortunately, accidents still happen. But as we live, we learn. And we hope to get more pointers and ideas from her doctors next week on how to treat small accidents when they occur.

In less than two weeks, Kaitlyn and I will head to the beach for a little personal health research. In search for a better atmosphere for her condition, we are moving to the beach for a month to chart her health progress. The fall is usually her hardest time of the year, always landing her in the hospital for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. The salt in the air on the coast has been known to help CF patients breath better and live fuller lives. We have been fortunate enough to find a condo right on the beach to help in our research, which also has great kid amenities to keep her occupied. She will miss her brothers as they stay behind to attend school, but she will be kept busy with her school work as well. We are so blessed to have a wonderful school district which supports us in her schooling, even if she isn't able to attend as often as her peers. We will look forward to our weekend visits with our family as they travel each week to visit us and enjoy the beach with us.

I am so excited I got to sign the contract for next year's event for the Hilton. Our Scrapping for a Cure committee has worked diligently the last four months, trying to find the perfect location in Memphis for our annual event. We wanted a place that will grow with us and will also help us in reaching our fundraising goals. Hilton is such a wonderful facility and I know we will feel so pampered during our event there. They have been working with us and meeting with us the past few month to help us see the potential of next year's event. Over the Memorial Day Weekend, our committee put in over 30 hrs of meetings, organizing registration and brainstorming on how to make next year's crop 'top-notch'. I am so thankful to have wonderful family and friends that have helped me grow Scrapping for a Cure into what it is today. And to help me dream about what it may one day be. For every dollar we raise and every person we are able to help educate about CF, the closer we will be to finding a cure for this disease.


                                               

Registration for 2015 Scrapping for a Cure is officially open! Our goal was to have it in place by November, but with great dedication, we were able to get it done by Memorial Day Weekend.  Early Bird registration will run through December 31st, 2014. One lucky winner will receive a one night stay at the Hilton, Breakfast for two, and a $100 shopping spree to be spent at our vendor booths during the event! Do not procrastinate signing up. We do have limited seating. Once the seats are filled, we will start a waiting list, but can not guarantee a spot. To be entered into the drawing, we need to receive your registration and full payment by the first week of January. Anything postmarked after December 31st, will not be entered into the drawing. Regular registration will run through March 13th.  We have so much in store for this year's event, I don't even know what to say my favorite part is. But I am very proud to say that we will have our dinners catered by Hilton and that all croppers will have the opportunity to have a 6ft cropping space. You can find the registration information on our website, www.scrappingforacure.com. Registration for classes will open January 1st.


                                    


A month ago, Tara Smith held a Fundraising yard sale in the Memphis Area to help raise money for our cause. This last weekend, Anna Steinke, Lisa Flannagin, and I also held a Fundraising yard sale, but in Russellville, Alabama. Between the two yard sales, we were able to raise over $2500!! We have such great community support! Thank you for helping us.