October is National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month!

(A guest post from Holly Morrell, Founder/Executive Director of Heartfelt Cardiac Projects.  You can find more information about her here.)

Sadly, that isn't the only reason we are hearing of this nation's number killer in the news. Another three tragic losses have been reported in the local media recently including a college wrestler, a middle school student, and a high school teacher/coach. More heartbreaking, these very well might have been preventable tragedies.


Orange County residents have the opportunity to safeguard their loves ones from sudden cardiac arrest on Oct. 23rd and Nov. 6th in Laguna Beach. Heartfelt Cardiac Projects, an OC based nonprofit organization is offering $1,500 worth of comprehensive cardiac evaluation for a tax deductible donation of $85 per person. Heartfelt is dedicated to saving lives from sudden cardiac death through early detection, education, and increased public awareness.


This type of cardiac testing is typically not covered by insurance and can create an enormous financial burden for families. You can have your loves ones screened for a small donation, making peace of mind both obtainable and affordable.


Don't let your loved one become a statistic, call for your screening appointment(s) today! Call the Sport Performance Institute to schedule appointments: 949. 464.0860.


For more information go here.


You can view the flyer online here:


Heartfelt protected 5 lives JUST in the past 3 months via our screening program, identifying 3 kids and 2 adults with potentially life-threatening cardiac conditions. PLEASE PROTECT YOUR LOVED ONES!

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Last Minute Gift for a Cause...

I admit it - I love it when companies find a way to support charities through the sale of their products... but when you mix in a charity that is working to see that no child goes hungry... I'm sold!

If you haven't bought that special someone (mother, sister, aunt or yourself) a gift for and would love to make that gift something even more special/meaningful, head on over here to make a $30 donation to Share our Strength and Honora will send you (shipping paid for by Honora) this black leather and mother-of-pearl woman's watch (valued at $100 MSRP!!!) for the first 1,000 people to make the donation.  As long as you make your donation before Friday, you will receive your gift in time to put under the tree delivered via UPS.  Absolutely amazing deal (wives... hurry and email this post to your husband to drop that not so subtle hint...)

Honora has set lofty goals to raise $30,000 through this campaign using Social Media, blogs and emails.  Let's show them just how powerful the internet and Web 2.0 marketing can be for a good cause! 


*and nope, absolutely zero compensation for writing this post.

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Passion for Donating and Sharing That with Your Kids

Last night I was able to pass on and share an important virtue on to my boys – donating to charity. It has always been a constant in my life. I don’t think I can remember a time when I went more than a couple months without donating at least a couple bags of used clothes to Goodwill and I am proud of that.

After my mother passed away, I took great pride in donating the vast majority of her almost new clothes to an abused women’s shelter. She had recently purchased the new clothes in hopes of turning a new corner in her life that unfortunately she was never able to do. Giving those very clothes to women who needed them most made it much easier to let go of those clothes for me. I will never forget pulling away from the curb and watching the women beginning to look through the bags of clothes. It’s so important to me to share that spirit of giving with my children and I think I’ve finally done it!

We’ve replaced a couple TV’s in our house recently (moved to more energy efficient ones) and decided to do what we normally do – donate the old ones to Goodwill. But last night was different because we had to go later in the evening and weren’t able to go to the normal truck drop-off point we go to, we had to go to one of the stores (that also accepts donations after 5pm). This was the first time that my boys really made the connection as to what we were doing. I think it was because they saw the store and saw people immediately starting to look through the bags of toys and books we also brought for donation.

“Do you have to pay them to take the TV’s Mom?”

Nope.

“Do they give you money for the TV’s?”

Nope.

“Well, why do we take them there?”

I explained… “We do because there are other families who can’t go out and buy new TV’s like us. There are kids who don’t have all the toys and clothes like you guys. Both Dad and I feel it’s super important to share things we don’t need any more with people who can’t afford to buy things.”

And with that, my boys were quiet the rest of the way home lost in thought. I was proud as can be.

Are you passionate about volunteering or donating? How have you started to share that passion with your children?

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