Proud to be an American…God Bless the U S A. Thank you Lee Greenwood and thank you Rob Larsen for putting together a beautiful tribute to the gift we call the United States of America!

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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Family reunions are good reminders that….

You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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The United States Institute of Peace—an independent, nonpartisan, national institution established by the U.S. Congress – is constructing a headquarters building at the northwest corner of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The new building will be a working headquarters for the Institute and a national center for advancing the study and practice of peacebuilding. The site—steps away from the Lincoln, World War II, Korean, and Vietnam Veterans memorials—will house a Public Education Center, a research library and archives, classrooms, and a world-class conference center. It will be a powerful and lasting affirmation of the American people’s commitment to peace More

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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The red and white and starry blue
Is freedom’s shield and hope.
~John Philip Sousa

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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Your goals are the road maps that guide you and show you what is possible for your life. ~ Les Brown

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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In Memory of Sylvia Caplan (1935 – 2010), who watched over, loved and protected her family and friends during her lifetime and continues to do so as the following poem suggests:

I give you this one thought to keep -
I am with you still – I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awake in the morning’s hush
I am the swift, uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not think of me as gone -
I am with you still – in each new dawn.

Resource: A Native American Prayer adapted from original poem by Mary Frye.

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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THE TWILIGHT WISH FOUNDATION BRINGS SMILES TO DESERVING SENIORS THROUGH INDIVIDUAL WISH GRANTING CONNECTING GENERATIONS.

Mother Teresa was once asked what is the loneliest place in the world. Her answer was “nursing homes in America.” The Twilight Wish Foundation is changing the way America views the aging process and redefining what is acceptable in our attitudes about aging.

It’s Mission: To honor and enrich the lives of deserving seniors through wish granting celebrations that connect generations; and it’s Vision: To make America a nicer place to age.

The Twilight Foundation believes it’s time to say “thank you” by bringing smiles and joy into quiet, humble lives. They celebrate the life of someone special by giving them an unexpected “thank you” in the form of a wish come true.

Twilight Wish also has an Intergenerational Caring Program that “connects generations” by getting many students and schools, clubs, organizations and companies involved by fund raising and directly granting wishes through our wish management.

Since their founding, the Twilight Wish Foundation has granted more than 1,275 wishes. Learn more about the Twilight Wish Foundation in the following Good Deeds On Demand video.

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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If you have knowledge, let others light their candles at it.  ~Thomas Fuller

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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Congratulatons to 11-Year-Old, MaryMargaret, Who Surpassed Original Goal and Donates 250 MP3 Players to Area Hospitals

On November 20, 2009, the Feed Your Good Dog Council, posted a story about the efforts of then 10-year old MaryMargaret O’Neill who continued to work tirelessly to raise enough money to eventually buy 150 MP3 players for kids in the hospital. Her hope is that the therapeutic quality of the music provided by the MP3 players will help kids endure the many and sometimes painful test they go through during their stay in the hospital. “When they are bored or scared, they can listen to their favorite music and feel better” she said.

MaryMargaret calls her project “Music for Life”. She ran multiple fund raisers at local malls and other venues. She reached out through social media outlets to collect funds. She braved the freezing cold weather in January at an outdoor fundraiser at night. Even though there were few people there, one frigid man walked up and handed her a $50.00 bill. “I came here specifically to give you this,” he said. He had seen the notice in the paper that she would be there.

Recently, MaryMargaret surpassed her goal of 150 MP3 players and purchased 250. She preloaded them with music donated by her Facebook and Twitter friends. They are all ready to use. They come in a gift bag with a Kids Are Heroes flyer and a personal letter written by MaryMargaret. She plans on donating half of them to Children’s Medical Center in Washington D.C. and the other half to Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

Stay tuned for more to come about the good MaryMargaret is sure to accomplish!

Sources:

KidsAreHeroes.com

and

Next Phase Music for Life

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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BIKES FOR THE WORLD REACHES NEW MILESTONE AND DONATES ITS 40,000TH BICYCLE TO HELP OTHERS OVERSEAS HELP THEMSELVES

On December 5, 2009, Bikes for the World, a DC area-based non-profit, shipped its 40,000th bike for donation to programs overseas that help people who need affordable transportation help themselves. The shipment containing this milestone bike went to the Panamanian Association of Goodwill Industries, a long-time Bikes for the World charity partner.

On the left, Bikes for the World Director, Keith Oberg, places the 40,000th donated bike in the container bound for Panama. The following weekend Bikes for the World loaded another container sent to Uganda which brought the total bikes donated in 2009 to over 9,000!

The bikes donated by Bikes for the World are sold by local partners, such as PAGI at low prices. These bikes not only provide local workers, tradesmen, and students with affordable transport but enable the receiving organization to train and employ people with disabilities, building job skills and providing employment to a population often marginalized in the job market.

In a short time span of five years, the mid-Atlantic network of Bikes for the World has quietly become the largest program of its type in the United States. During that period, the organization has mobilized more than 150 faith communities, schools, scout troops, civic clubs, and businesses and has collected and donated nearly 40,000 bikes valued at more than $1.5 million. It has also developed a reputation for shipping high-quality used bicycles to reputable non-profit partners in Africa and the Caribbean Basin.

Please check out Bikes for the World online, and if the spirit moves you, help them help improve the lives of others by donating your old bicycle, sponsoring a collection of good used bikes in your community to help their cause, or donate dollars.

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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