Hope is in the Cards

Well, the best laid plans…..

I’m NOT at the Stationery Show and it’s breaking my heart. There are so many incredible friends and supporters of Hope and it’s where I truly get invigorated and recharged in my passion for this project.

BUT…..i made a difficult decision to cancel my plans at the last minute because there is a wonderful opportunity for HOPE that I just felt I needed to work on.

That’s what I’m doing now! Fingers crossed for exciting news…..

Thanks to the incredible support of the GCA and the National Stationery Show, Hope Is In The Cards will have a fantastic presence at the 2010 NSS!

Russ Haan, founder of Hope Is In The Cards, will be there the entire time to meet with manufacturers, retailers and the media to make the 2010 WEEK OF HOPE even bigger than last year’s.

Look for the HOPE kiosk in the entry area and throughout the show!

I’ve mentioned this amazing site before, but it’s worth a repeat.

The incredible folks at xerox support this site. You just click on one of the cool designs (made by a kid — and they’re ALL wonderful) and they print the card and mail it for FREE!

Check it out at www.letssaythanks.com.

THANK YOU!

I know, bills suck.

I’m up to my eyeballs in them.

But I do get the TINIEST bit of satisfaction by writing the word HOPE on the back of any payments I mail.

Remember, ANY hope is a good thing. Write it on ANYTHING that you put in the mail. Really, it does make you feel better!

Well, I took my sad little plan for an easy-to-make WALL OF HOPE to my building, construction buddy Greg. Here’s how he looked when he saw my mock-up.

BUT…when I walked him through it, he totally got it! Tomorrow, he’s going to build a life-size version to see if the ideas work — and take photos of every step along the way.

We’ll have a killer guideline for ANYONE who wants to create their own WALL OF HOPE. Awesome!

In addition to making sure others can build a Wall Of Hope that works, I’m writing tips and instructions too.

So far, more than 12 pages…REALLY pray for me now! I only have 12 hours before it’s MONDAY!

It’s obvious I’m no engineer. BUT, I promised to get this Wall figured out for Courtney, and here’s the proof.

This is one of the first drawings (can you really call it that?) for me to show how to build a Wall.

Then, I actually followed my own drawings and instructions and built a mini-wall out of pieces of cardboard, straws, tape and so on. TOTALLY embarrassing!

Tomorrow, I’m going to The Home Depot with a builder buddy of mine to see if these plans can actually be done in REAL life…..pray for me!

OK, there is a woman named Courtney who works for a killer card company called Design, Design.

They’ve decided to create a Wall of Hope and take it all over Grand Rapids — if only I give them some instructions on how to do it.

I am 2 MONTHS behind schedule! I have PROMISED I would get it done this weekend.

THANK YOU Courtney, for your patience, I promise you’ll have something by Monday!

There have been a few notes on the blog since I started it about my Grandma. She was part of the reason Hope Is In The Cards was born.

She died last weekend — 90 amazing years.

* She’s written HOPE on the back of her mail.
* She sent a little check to help me send HOPE cards to kids at a school in Texas.
* She supported our incredible skateboard deck show to help raise money for Autism.

In short, she always came through with a note or a pat on the back or something to let me know she thought my ideas and actions mattered.

I’m going to miss her. And she’s an inspiration to keep this project growing.

Just thought this was a super cool thing they were doing across the big blue sea.

Check them out yourself. It will warm up your heart.