Stimulistas, by now you know how much we love shoes. Flats, pumps, platforms, slingbacks. You name it, we love it. We know we are going to buy shoes, so what if one of our purchases could do some good? Think of the possibilities here!
Although it is only four years old, TOMS has made a difference is towns and villages all over the world. The company was founded on a simple premise: With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One.
Now lets talk about these shoes. Available in many different styles and colours, TOMS are perfect for summer days. We are loving the linen style shown here. While these shoes look very simple, they are extremely well constructed. The insole features EVA cushioning and a latex arch support that is covered by soft leather. The cushioning and support is amazing.
It affects almost everyone. Very few of us escape being touched by cancer in some way or another. It may have touched you by stealing away a family member or by watching a friend win their fight and become a survivor. Every 3 minutes, another Canadian finds out that they are facing a fight against Cancer.
This is unacceptable and this is why Stimuli Relays.
What is Relay for Life? Relay is a 12 hour fundraising event in your community that gives you the opportunity to Celebrate Survivors, Remember those that we have lost and Fight Back for a future without this terrible disease. Relay events happen all across the country. It's so easy and so much fun to participate. By becoming a participant you commit to raising $100 for the Canadian Cancer Society and as a team member you gather at the designated site and spend the night from 7pm to 7am taking turns walking the track.
This will be our third year participating and it really is a lot of fun. Each team gets a "campsite" and you'll see tents, sleeping bags, fire pits, BBQ's and patio heaters. It is a family-friendly event and people of all ages participate. There is entertainment, games and music to keep you going through the night. It really is a sight to see when the Luminary event takes place and the word HOPE is spelled out in lanterns.
You can become a part of Relay for Life in a variety of ways. One option is to start your own team in your community. Another is to join an existing team. The Stimuli Stormers would love to have you join our team at the Langley relay. The third option is simply to donate to a team. Everything can be done online.
So where do the funds go? Money that is raised help the Canadian Cancer Society fund research, offer support to those going through treatment or to families suffering a loss and to leading prevention initiatives and education. Because of the generous support of relay participants and businesses, the cost to raise a dollar is very low for Relay. That means that the majority of your fundraising dollars actually goes to cancer research and not to administration. Gotta love that!
Stimulistas, please help us Celebrate, Remember and Fight Back and let's look forward to a future without Cancer.
We'd love to hear from you. Post a comment on this editorial and share with us who or what your reason to Relay is.
Anyone who owns a pet understands how much they become a part of your family. They give you unconditional love and are always happy to see you. In fact, even if you are not a pet owner, you may still be able to attest to having a little smile on your face as you walk by a cavorting dog in the park. Why else would animals be used as “visitors” to seniors homes? They simply lift your spirits with the sheer joy they exude.
We here at Stimuli completely understand this and that’s why we advocate responsible pet ownership and ethical breeding practices. Why? Because PUPPY MILLS BITE! So what is a puppy mill anyway? Watch some of these videos to learn more or check out this clip of a rescued animal.
When we spoke with Mary-Jo Dionne, founder of The Fleas Knees Fund, we quickly discovered that her committment to animals is deeply rooted. As an award-winning writer for publications such as Modern Dog and the National Geographic channel, Mary-Jo is passionate about eradicating puppy mills and animal abuse. She’s all about educating people of the fact that pets are NOT good gifts.
So how does The Fleas Knees Work? With their collection of fabulous looking, 100% cotton t-shirts, they are spreading the word and creating awareness and a huge buzz all the way down to Hollywood. Animal loving stars such as Elllen, Oprah, Tori Spelling and others all When you purchase a t-shirt from The Fleas Knees collection, a portion of every sale is donated to well-researched, no-kill animal rescue shelters all around the world. When you purchase a PUPPY MILLS BITE! t-shirt, $5 of each shirt goes to the Best Friends’ Animal Society Puppy’s Aren’t Products campaign. This campaign encourages adoption and advocates better legislation against puppy mills.
Now, we know what you’re thinking. The t-shirt is probably not the best quality. WRONG? We have been wearing our t-shirt for weeks. It has a great fit and washes up beautifully.
So Stimulistas, wear your Fleas Knees t-shirt with pride and help us spread the word. Puppy Mills Bite t-shirts are available online.
Stimuli Magazine is your daily online fix of unique shopping finds in fashion, beauty, home decor, health and family in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia. We do your shopping research for you.
I am so frustrated. We live incredibly blessed lives and it amazes me how hard people’s hearts are to the plight of children living in poverty.
My mission is to bust the myth that when you sponsor a child, most of the money goes to the organization, not the child. So Not True. I know this because we get the letters from our children saying, “Thank you. Because of your family I can go to school. I have food and clothes.”
I want to use my voice to shed some light on the real story and dispel the myth.
While we all grin like a Cheshire cat when we score the perfect pair of shoes or a fabulous handbag at 50% off, we know that there is much more to living a Fabulous Life than these material goods. Even in this economically trying time, we are a very fortunate, wealthy nation and a big part of Stimuli's culture is social responsibility. Our goal, along with bringing you great fashion, beauty and family information, is to connect our readers with causes they are passionate about. Having said that, you will see a new section on our home page called "Building Community and Giving Back". This will be a section of our site devoted to profiling different non-profit organizations both locally and globally. You will find opportunities to get involved with various organizations either with your time or your finances. One person truly can make a difference. Imagine being able to help put an end to global poverty. Recently Stimuli attended the Global Leadership Summit where we were introduced to an organization called Kiva. Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs around the globe. Their mission is "to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty." This mission spoke volumes to us as entrepreneurs ourselves. Here was an opportunity for us to invest as little as $25 towards the start-up capital for an entrepreneur. By going online and reviewing their profiles, you choose a business person in Africa and make them a loan to build their business which will help lift their family out of poverty. The coolest thing about this whole process is that you are not just making a donation, you are giving out a loan. Once the entrepreneur's business is up and running successfully - THEY PAY YOU BACK! Then you can go on and make another loan to another entrepreneur. Kiva is the brainchild of Matt Falnnery and Jessica Jackley. Following a 2004 trip to Uganda, they came back asking the question "How can we lend to a rural African entrepreneur?" After a year of research, phone calls and planning they decided to take the leap. Since then, the organization has grown unbelievably with loans of over $1.6 million and 4,500 entrepreneurs helped last week alone. Visit the Kiva site to learn more about participating in this amazing organization and how you can help end global poverty one loan at a time.
