The Amazing Kreskin show benefits Pledge 4 Patriots

“Even now, I know what you’re thinking,” The Amazing Kreskin politely cautions us. Then he invites us all to the Pledge 4 Patriots fundraising taking place on July 27 at 8:00 pm in the Orlando Jai-alai stadium.

Pledge4Patriots Inc. is a 5013c non-profit organization that coordinates and sponsors events that will benefit area first responders, active military or veterans and their families and the patriotic institutions that support them.

The Amazing Kreskin has been referred to as the “world’s foremost mentalist,” and has appeared on over 500 TV shows including The Tonight Show, The Merv Griffin Show and more recently, Larry King Live and CNN Morning News.

Mick Dolan, Central Florida radio personality and secretary of Pledge 4 Patriots, said that “The Amazing Kreskin benefit will be our first success.” He added that this through this effort, the organization “will be able to provide bedding (sleeping bags, blankets, pillows) for the homeless who sleep on the sidewalks outside the Downtown Orlando Baptist Church.”

Dolan also said that he hoped this will be “the first of many successes to help patriots in need.”

Tickets for The Amazing Kreskin are available at OrlandoLiveEvents.com or by calling 407-339-6221.

Orlando Jai-alai is located at 6405 S. Highway 17-92 in Fern Park, Florida.

If you are unable to attend this event but would like to help, visit the Pledge4Patriots donations page.

“ObamaCare”

I am looking for comments from anyone who has been refused medical treatment because they do not have healthcare insurance or from those who have lost family members for the same reason. Please respond to this request.

A penny for my thoughts

I write about local charities for the Examiner and I have to agree, I was upset when I first received this threat:

Apparently, I am required to write a certain number of articles in order to maintain my “status” as an Examiner. While I cannot speak for everyone who contributes to this online community, I can share that in my case, this work serves a purpose and is not necessarily intended to create a source of income for me.

The pay is a penny a “hit.” It takes a lot of hits in order to make this effort financially rewarding. Therefore, I have a full-time job that requires me to leave the house at about 7:00am and I usually return home between 6:30 and 7:00pm. This does not leave a great deal of spare time for me, especially when there are family commitments and other things that just need to get done.

But I had decided that giving back to the community is something that needed to get done too. This is something I learned early on and always tried to do the best I could. From a mission trip to the “hollers” in high school to helping to open a drop-in center for the homeless in Fort Wayne, Indiana later in life, the sense of urgency was always there.

I was never a man of much money, so I usually gave my time and offered my personal involvement instead of making financial contributions. Eventually, I learned I was able to share stories and profiles about charitable organizations and the people they are intended to serve. As a photographer, I also was able to capture many of the people of these organizations.

This all requires money of my own, however. There are the transportation costs, writing and photography equipment expenditures and sometimes I have to pay for admission to certain events. I did not complain about those costs, but they often limited what I decided to cover.

For all practical purposes, writing for the Examiner costs me more that I financially receive in return. But I had always felt I got back more than just money. I was contributing to the community and helping those in need. I feel I also helped those who wanted to contribute to a charity but were not sure which one appealed more personally to themselves. Learning more about local charities may have helped in that decision-making process.

There you have it: a penny for my thoughts. I hope you are able to better understand what I am trying to do.

Help the USO honor Father’s Day

Support American Fathers

Father’s Day is a special time to give back to our dads who have given so much to us over the years. And this year – for the first time ever – the USO has a truly special way for you to celebrate Father’s Day.

Right now, thousands of loving fathers are deployed overseas or serving here at home sacrificing these precious moments with their loved ones to protect us.

Imagine telling your father that you provided, in his name, the ability for a father on active duty to read his child a bedtime story, watch a video of his child being born or make a phone call home to his loved ones. That’s exactly what purchasing a gift for him from the USO Wishbook will allow you to do.

Find the perfect gift for your dad at the USO Wishbook. Buy now and we’ll immediately send your personalized eCard so you can give it to your dad.

Honor your father by supporting all of the father’s who are away from their families as they serve our country and fathers who are waiting at home for their son or daughter to return from deployment.

Shop the USO Wishbook, support our troops, and send an eCard to let your dad know you’ve made this gift in his name and that the troops now have a Father’s Day to remember thanks to him.

Don’t wait any longer. Shop the USO Wishbook right now to honor your father by supporting our troops.

Pathways to Hope Benefit

Pathways Holiday Gift Bag Project

Help make the holidays truly happy for our friends at Pathways Drop-In Center by donating items for the Pathways Holiday Gift Bag Project!

Pathways Drop-In Center is a community mental health center that delivers cost-effective services to those living with serious and persistent mental illness.

Spread some cheer by donating any of the following items:

• Disposable Razors
• Shampoo
• Soap/Body Wash
• Deodorant
• Socks
• Candy
• Playing Cards
• Single-Serve Canned
• Food (with a pull top)

Your donations can be dropped off at any support group location, the NAMIGO Office, or during the Annual Meeting at Beardall Senior Center on December 5th at

6:30 p.m. If you would prefer to donate money for NAMIGO to buy these items, please make the check payable to “NAMIGO” and note “Pathways” in the memo section.

Any questions, please call Donna Helsel at (321) 695-6790.

Giving Back to the Ronald McDonald House program of Orlando

Two years ago, John Pealer and his wife, Myrna, watched as their son, Michael, struggled with Muscular Dystrophy at Arnold Palmer Medical Center in Orlando. This family lived in the Winter Garden area and did not have a vehicle, so it was hard for them to visit Michael, especially as his health condition would change rapidly. They wanted to be close to their son, but it was not something they were always able to work out.

Continue reading…

Walk Now for Autism Speaks

Saturday, November 12 – Cranes Roost Park,  Altamonte Springs, FL

9:00 am – 1:00 pm

Walk Now for Autism Speaks

For more information please visit Autism Speaks at www.walknowforautism.org/orlando.
“Together we’ll find the missing pieces.”
See the “Everybody Wants to be Heard” video.

Mustard Seed’s Mattress Mayhem

Ronald McDonald Houses of Orlando Share-A-Night

Press Release:

SHARE-A-NIGHT 2011:

Celebrating 15 Years of Caring and 15,000 Family Stories
Give a gift. Share-A-Night. Celebrate Hope.

Each year, the Ronald McDonald House program of Orlando is honored to provide comfort, care and a “home-away-from-home” to 1,500 families with seriously ill or injured children receiving treatment at area hospitals and medical facilities.

Now, in our 15th year of operation, we can proudly say we have helped over 15,000 families stay close to their ailing children. Research shows that having family members close by can help children heal better, faster and that’s what we are here to do. But we certainly couldn’t have done it without the help of the Central Florida community.

A donation of just $15 can help sponsor one family’s overnight stay. Your contributions allow us to keep the Ronald McDonald House services free of charge to the families who stay with us, so they may focus on the health and well being of their child.

This holiday season, please consider making a donation to the Ronald McDonald House program of Orlando as a gift to yourself or a loved one. By helping us celebrate our past, you are also sustaining our future, so we can serve 15,000 more children and families. This means more time for smiles, kisses and hugs, all year long.

Please Donate Online Today at http://www.ShareANight.org!