Bump - just to move it down in time. Mike

It has been my experience that more people will respond if they know what they are being asked to support. I did a search and found that ontheteam had posted the same message on six different forums, and I was NOT the only one to ask what CMN was, and this is one of ontheteam's responses: "It is a plant sale that happens at Costco in Avon weekends in May to coincide with the store's fundraiser for Children's Miracle Network. ( CMN) They donate the $$ raised by the 5 local Costcos in MA to Children's Hospital Boston. ( CHB) Last year the plant sale raised $10,000.00 I met a bunch of great Garden-webbers and had supper support from them." Additionally, the blog which initally had only the same message as the one posted to this forum, now has a bit more information than before. Updated Blog Since one of the Children's Miracle Network Hospital's (CMNH) two goals is to "Keep funds in the community in which they were raised to help local children." any one who is not in the Boston area and wishes to help can go to the link below to the Children's Miracle Network and click on the link at the top of the page that says YOUR Hospital and seeing how you can help the CMNH nearest you. BTW, my local CMNH is Primary Children�s Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah and if it weren't for them (plus a ton of medical professionals in Idaho: EMT's, ER Doctor's and Nurses, 2 ambulance drivers; plus two pilots and two flight nurses) my 22 year old son would probably not have seen his 7th birthday. So yes, I do support PCMC and Ronald McDonald house, but I didn't realize the hospital was part of the Children's Miracle Network. Betsy Here is a link that might be useful: Children's Miracle Network Hospitals

I make baby caps for newborns....it is a project started by one of the mothers of a military man who was killed over in Afganistan. She collects the caps and then sends them onto places in need..some have gone to Afganistan and others have been donated to various missions overseas. Each is labeled with the makers name and a Canadian flag and the other side has the nickname of the soldier and a small explaination of the what/why/who of the project. Basically it is in memory of this young man who gave so much. Last count I read in the local paper they had shipped out over 9000 caps and blankets. I personally do not know the mother but have made almost 300 so far......I have received some nice notes from the mom thanking me for my efforts. To me it is a non-intrusive way to let people know we care and share their grief. Budster

We donate household stuff to Goodwill, Purple Heart, Lupus Foundation (I've got RA),NCC (National Childrens Center), and Loudoun Women's Shelter. Glasses go to Lion's, and our older phone's and computers to various women/family support groups as they need them. Cash and annual auction items go to HART (Homeless Animals Rescue Team) a group that rescues dogs and cats from high-kill shelters and disaster areas for adoption in our area (they saved our beloved Tucscon from the kill list in Abingdon so that we could adopt her) and Phoenix Landing Foundation, a parrot rescue group (many, many people buy parrots without knowing the level of effort involved in their healthy maintenance or the long lifespans of many types of parrots, so lots of those poor parrots end up in need of loving, understanding homes.) Through Reston Interfaith, we supply Thanksgiving dinner to several families each year, and though them we also adopt several families of kids for Christmas gifts each year. Through Christmas in July, we donate building materials. We also support the ASPCA, National Wildlife Fund (though their poor use of funds and grants annoys me), World Wildlife Fund, Sierra and participate in various fundraisers for various local organizations and medical research foundations during their annual drives. All in all, for us it's probably split about evenly between local and national scope for the groups we try to help suppport.