Thanks to the generosity of my mom's family & friends, we were able to raise $575, plus several doggy items to donate to the League for Animal Welfare.
When we went to the shelter to drop off the donation, they were so happy and appreciative of what everyone was willing to do for them. We were informed that this was the largest "birthday party donation" they have ever received!
Thank you to everyone who helped plan and prepare for the party. Many hours went into the preparation of this event, and I'm sure everyone is very happy to get some sleep about now!
I would encourage others to think about having a fundraiser for their future birthday parties. It is a great way to celebrate and to come together with family and friends to give back to those who need our help.
Happy birthday mom!
Signing off for the last time,
Stephanie
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Saturday, August 14, 2010
One week and counting!
Here we go... 7 days left till the big party!
Yesterday was the actual big day... Julie turned 50! It was a great day.
*First, Julie and Don won tickets to go see John Melloncamp (basically Julie's favorite singer)
*Next, Don sent Julie flowers at work
*The day ended at the Cincinnati Red's baseball game
Sounds like a pretty good birthday to me!
We are anticipating approximately 50 friends joining us for the party / fundraiser next week! If you have not yet informed us of your intentions to be there, please let us know so we can be sure to have enough food. The more the merrier!!!
Yesterday was the actual big day... Julie turned 50! It was a great day.
*First, Julie and Don won tickets to go see John Melloncamp (basically Julie's favorite singer)
*Next, Don sent Julie flowers at work
*The day ended at the Cincinnati Red's baseball game
Sounds like a pretty good birthday to me!
We are anticipating approximately 50 friends joining us for the party / fundraiser next week! If you have not yet informed us of your intentions to be there, please let us know so we can be sure to have enough food. The more the merrier!!!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
RSVP's are coming in!!!
We are less than 2 weeks to the party and the RSVP's are coming in! So far I'm counting approximately 30 guests. If you haven't already sent in your RSVP, please feel free to comment on this post with the number of guests who are coming.
This weekend Julie, Don, Karl and I (oh, and Rocky, Shenzi, Zappa, and Lucy) attended the annual League for
Animal Welfare picnic. It was a great time to see all the dogs that have been adopted over the years, visit old friends, and support a great organization. Every year when we come back for this event, Donna, the trainer at LFAW, gets really excited to see Rocky. During the nine months he was at the shelter, Donna spent a lot of time training Rocky, so she is always excited to see how he is doing.
One of the activities at this year's picnic was Doggy Finger Painting. Lucy was the lone representative from our family to participate (meaning Karl was the only person brave enough to handle a 70 lb dog near a bucket of paint). Here is the lovely artwork we brought home!
Stay tuned for new details about the party later this week!
This weekend Julie, Don, Karl and I (oh, and Rocky, Shenzi, Zappa, and Lucy) attended the annual League for
Animal Welfare picnic. It was a great time to see all the dogs that have been adopted over the years, visit old friends, and support a great organization. Every year when we come back for this event, Donna, the trainer at LFAW, gets really excited to see Rocky. During the nine months he was at the shelter, Donna spent a lot of time training Rocky, so she is always excited to see how he is doing.One of the activities at this year's picnic was Doggy Finger Painting. Lucy was the lone representative from our family to participate (meaning Karl was the only person brave enough to handle a 70 lb dog near a bucket of paint). Here is the lovely artwork we brought home!
Stay tuned for new details about the party later this week!
Monday, August 2, 2010
Finally... It's August!
After months of talking about this party, it is now finally August and only 19 days away! Here is where we are at in the party-planning process:
Homemade BBQ Pulled Pork & Pulled Chicken ready to be defrosted
7 hours of music downloaded to a play list
Invitations arrived and on their way in the mail
At least 5 confirmed cakes / desserts for the Cake Walk
Delicious side dishes ready to be made, courtesy of Julie's sisters and nieces
Handmade Bracelets by Zoe for sale (made by Julie's niece's 8 year-old daughter, and all proceeds go to the animal shelter, so be sure to bring spare change and singles)
Concept for the cake... mostly there!
Lot's of wonderful people have been putting in lots of time to make this party special for Julie. Thanks to our aunts and cousins who have been working many long hours to get everything ready to go! I wish I had thought to bring a camera with me this weekend so I could add a picture of everyone working so hard (well, maybe we didn't work that hard... but we had lots of fun!)
Homemade BBQ Pulled Pork & Pulled Chicken ready to be defrosted
7 hours of music downloaded to a play list
Invitations arrived and on their way in the mail
At least 5 confirmed cakes / desserts for the Cake Walk
Delicious side dishes ready to be made, courtesy of Julie's sisters and nieces
Handmade Bracelets by Zoe for sale (made by Julie's niece's 8 year-old daughter, and all proceeds go to the animal shelter, so be sure to bring spare change and singles)
Concept for the cake... mostly there!
Lot's of wonderful people have been putting in lots of time to make this party special for Julie. Thanks to our aunts and cousins who have been working many long hours to get everything ready to go! I wish I had thought to bring a camera with me this weekend so I could add a picture of everyone working so hard (well, maybe we didn't work that hard... but we had lots of fun!)
Monday, July 26, 2010
The Birthday Cake
This week our (Stephanie and Karl) project is to start designing the birthday cake!
Here are a few ideas I found (it's amazing what you can find with a quick Google search!) Some are obviously more difficult to make than others, but we are up for the challenge!
Here are a few ideas I found (it's amazing what you can find with a quick Google search!) Some are obviously more difficult to make than others, but we are up for the challenge!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Food & Fun
Next weekend several members of Julie's family will be meeting to continue preparing for the party. On the agenda for this meeting:
*Food (from what we've heard, it may be a pork-pulling party to get started on making lots and lots of delicious BBQ!)
*Music
*Fund-raising Activities & Games (currently on the list of ideas: a poker tournament, a cake-walk, and a three-legged race /balloon-toss / other classic childhood games)
If you have any great ideas you'd like to share, feel free to add them in the comments section of this post!
*Food (from what we've heard, it may be a pork-pulling party to get started on making lots and lots of delicious BBQ!)
*Music
*Fund-raising Activities & Games (currently on the list of ideas: a poker tournament, a cake-walk, and a three-legged race /balloon-toss / other classic childhood games)
If you have any great ideas you'd like to share, feel free to add them in the comments section of this post!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The Dogs
Just for fun... read a bit about the dogs who will be partying it up on August 14th with us!
Shenzi was the first dog the Lueke family adopted from the League for Animal Welfare. She was adopted in the summer of 2004, so she just celebrated her 6 year anniversary with Julie and Don. She is a very smart dog, and she works hard to keep the other dogs in line. She is very lucky to have found such a wonderful family!
Rocky is the 2nd dog from the League for Animal Welfare. He joined the Lueke's in the spring of 2007. A bit on the goofy side, this dog has many nicknames: Rock-Man, Buck, Rocky-Tocky. If you throw a toy or stick for him to fetch, he will be your best friend for life!
The most recent addition to Julie and Don's house is Zappa. While he is not an alumni of the League for Animal Welfare, he is a sweet guy who was very happy to be rescued from a county animal shelter.
Last but not least, we cannot forget about the newest alumni from the League for Animal Welfare. Lucy was adopted by Karl and Stephanie last summer and is very excited to serve as 1 of 4 poster-dogs for this party / fundraiser!
Shenzi was the first dog the Lueke family adopted from the League for Animal Welfare. She was adopted in the summer of 2004, so she just celebrated her 6 year anniversary with Julie and Don. She is a very smart dog, and she works hard to keep the other dogs in line. She is very lucky to have found such a wonderful family!
Rocky is the 2nd dog from the League for Animal Welfare. He joined the Lueke's in the spring of 2007. A bit on the goofy side, this dog has many nicknames: Rock-Man, Buck, Rocky-Tocky. If you throw a toy or stick for him to fetch, he will be your best friend for life!
The most recent addition to Julie and Don's house is Zappa. While he is not an alumni of the League for Animal Welfare, he is a sweet guy who was very happy to be rescued from a county animal shelter.
Last but not least, we cannot forget about the newest alumni from the League for Animal Welfare. Lucy was adopted by Karl and Stephanie last summer and is very excited to serve as 1 of 4 poster-dogs for this party / fundraiser!
Monday, July 12, 2010
The planning has begun...
This August Julie will turn fabulous 50... and we are all ready to celebrate! During the brainstorming process for this shindig, Julie decided that she wanted to gather together her family and friends not just to celebrate, but to raise money for a good cause.
The League for Animal Welfare (a no-kill shelter in Batavia, OH )is the chosen charity! This is the rescue where the Lueke family adopted Shenzi & Rocky (also where we rescued Lucy!) Check out the page to the left to learn more about The League for Animal Welfare and how to donate.
What: A birthday party / fundraiser for The League for Animal Welfare
When: Saturday, August 21st
Time: 5:00 - ???
Where: Julie and Don's
RSVP to Stephanie at snlueke@yahoo.com or at 317-294-4882
The League for Animal Welfare (a no-kill shelter in Batavia, OH )is the chosen charity! This is the rescue where the Lueke family adopted Shenzi & Rocky (also where we rescued Lucy!) Check out the page to the left to learn more about The League for Animal Welfare and how to donate.
What: A birthday party / fundraiser for The League for Animal Welfare
When: Saturday, August 21st
Time: 5:00 - ???
Where: Julie and Don's
RSVP to Stephanie at snlueke@yahoo.com or at 317-294-4882
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