Frisco Reach Out Spreads The Joy of Christmas

On December 11, 2010, Frisco Reach Out will host its second annual Christmas event, The Joy of Christmas, to supply needy and under-privileged families of Frisco with new toys, boxes of food and gently-used clothing.

They are in need of donations and volunteers. Show up early! Volunteers at 7am and registration begins at 7:30am. A list of suggested items follows. They are trying to collect over 400 $10 toys and over 100 boxes of non-perishable food. Tax receipts are available upon request.

Contact: (972)712-5574 ~ (214)796-7832 ~ info@friscoreachout.com

Suggested Items

Toys (approximately $10 each)

Baby and Toddler: clothes, rattles, pacifiers, blankets, socks, stuffed animals, Fisher Price, Little Tykes, Garanimals, Play Skool, building blocks, Tonka toys, Baby Einstein

Boys (age 5-11): cars (Matchbox, Hot Wheels), Legos, action figure (GI Joe, Transformers), sports cards

Girls (age 5-11): Barbies & accessories, dress-up / cookware set, figurine (My Little Pony, Littlest Pet Shop)

Unisex (all ages): Play-Doh, board game, hand-held game, Lite-Brite, Etch-A-Sketch, book/DVD

Teens: clothes (shirt, jacket, socks), purse, scarf, bath & body sets, watch, jewelry, fast food gift card, blanket

Food Items

Canned Goods: corn, green beans, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, chicken stock, soups, beans, canned meats (chicken, tuna)

Dry Goods: rice, beans, pasta, oatmeal, cereal, flour, sugar, corn meal, Malt-O-Meal, instant potatoes

Other: peanut butter, jelly, pasta sauce, macaroni and cheese, formula and diapers

They would also like to offer simple gift wrapping with the donations of gift bags and tissue paper. This would enable the parents to surprise their children on Christmas morning!

Save the Gulf

Many of us Texans travel to the beautiful waters of the Gulf of Mexico in the summer for a seaside retreat. With the current tragedy of the oil spill taking over the stunning blue green waters of the Gulf and wreaking havoc on marine life and animals, it is easy to feel both devastated and helpless. Because of it all, for the past few days I seem to have been thinking about one of my favorite Mary Poppins' songs, which touches on caring for living things that need our protection.

Fort Jackson oiled bird rehabilitation center receives 40+ brown pelican chicks, June 22nd, 2010.

And, did you know rehabilitated pelicans are actually being released in Texas? Here are just a few ways you can help efforts to restore the coast and care for all of the wildlife and marine life that desperately needs our help:

Wild Accessories: With a Pelican tie tack from Mignon Faget, raise awareness about the current disaster while benefiting the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana with your purchase.



A Wild Raffle: The New Orleans Saints hope to raise $1,000,000 for Gulf Coast relief by raffling off their Super Bowl XLIV ring (pictured above). This past Tuesday, the team paid a visit to the coast to see the effects of the oil spill. They will be selling tickets for $2 each to win the ring with a minimum purchase of ten tickets. It's the exact ring the players receive and the raffle winner will be announced at the nationally televised season opener on September 9th. Visit the raffle website here.

Wild About Non-Profits: The International Bird Rescue Center is dedicated to protecting and minimizing human impact on birds and wildlife. The IBRC has been working deoil and rehabilitate the thousands of birds that are being impacted and affected by the spill. Follow their work on their amazingly informational Facebook page.

Help them save the oiled wildlife in the gulf and donate here. You can also visit HealthyGulf.org for more information on the oil spill and to also donate to relief efforts.

This is not a natural disaster, this is a man-made disaster. And, it truly is our duty to save and preserve the Gulf for future generations. Thank you for your support!