Another donation for our Raffle!! This one if from Uptown Bridal & Boutique in Downtown Chandler! Ooh, how I want this one! :)

In an effort to get even more scrapbookers to participate we've changed this event to a FREE Crop! So come crop with us and bring your friends and family.

In our continued effort to raise money for autism we will be offering some spectacular raffle prizes, including a silver bracelet from Brighton's, great scrapbook items for Creative Memories & Stampin' Up, as well as an autographed copy of Ali Edwards Life Artist book.

So please come and crop with us....

Crop for Autism
Saturday, September 27th
2:00 - 8:00pm
La Casita Recreation Center
2719 S. Reyes, Mesa, AZ 85202

All proceeds from this event will be donated to the Autism Research Institute through the Zoo Walk for Autism program. Seating is limited to 45 people so you'll need to make sure and get there early to get a place.

Please come and bring a friend.

You can help make a difference in our fight against Autism!

My family and I are hosting a scrapbooking day in order to raise money for AUTISM research. The Dobson Ranch HOA has generously donated the use of one of the large rooms in their rec center and so where holding our crop day on Saturday, September 27th. We have also been the recipients of much generosity when it comes to the wonderful prizes which will be up for raffle. Here's just the start of the wonderful gifts we will be raffling off:

• a beautiful Hawaiian charm bracelet from Brighton's -- a giant thank you goes out to Nikki Wride of Brighton's
• a fabulous collection of Creative Memories products -- thank you, thank you, thank you to Brooke Krakora
• more wonderful things from Stampin'Up -- a big, huge thanks to Amy Smith
• an autographed copy of Ali Edwards' book -- muchas gracias to Ali Edwards

The response we have had from everyone is soooo wonderful and I'm totally excited about this crop. It really should be a ton of fun.

So, if you are a scrapbooker, know someone who scrapbooks, know someone who would like to scrapbook, or know someone who would like to help us raise money for autism research, PLEASE PASS THE WORD and COME CROP WITH US on September 27th.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

It's the time for the annual Phoenix Zoo Walk for Autism. Our family has been walking since 2005 and it's become an annual tradition. For those of you who may not be aware, my nephew Ethan was diagnosed with autism at about 18 months. The Zoo Walk is our families way of contributing to the knowledge and research which is necessary to better understand this dynamic and diverse disorder. Through Jamie & Reed's interaction with other members and organizations within the autistic community, they found out about the Zoo Walk several years ago. It's now become a family affair, something all of the kids look forward to.

Every year we go, I'm surprised at the number of people who participate and who obviously are affected by autism. With the fact that 1 in 150 births are affected by autism, it is a sure bet that every person today knows someone who is autistic or who has an autistic family member. Here are some facts about autism that you may not know:

• Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability.
• Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills.
• Autism is growing at a startling rate of 10-17 percent per year.
• Many people with autism lack or have limited speech.
• People with autism often have severe sensory issues.

Public education is one of the goals of the Autism Research Institute, the beneficiary of the proceeds from our Zoo Walk. Our family has personally benefited from the efforts of the ARI, and therefore we want to give back.

This year, in an effort to beat our goal of $1,000 raised, we are holding an Autism Crop. For all you "non-scrapbookers", that's a day where scrapbook enthusiasts get together to spend hours doing their favorite thing...scrapbooking. So here's another way you can help us raise money for autism research. Here are the basics:

Crop for Autism
Saturday, September 26th from 2:00 - 8:00pm @ La Casita Recreation Center -- 2719 S. Reyes, Mesa, AZ 85202

Tickets for the crop are $30. ALL proceeds will go to the Autism Research Institute through the Phoenix Zoo Walk. We can guarantee a good time for all. Purchase your tickets online today -- Ethan's Superheroes - Crop for Autism.

You're help can make all the difference!

More info to follow on the fund raising scrapbook day.