Next Batch of Katie Kits is being ordered… with New Totes!

Happy 2018 to everyone!  Just wanted to share the good news that we are ordering the supplies for 20 more Katie Kits, thanks to the $1467 you all donated last year for my two 175-mile bike rides!  Some exciting news in that we are getting new, less expensive tote bags (from Zazzle.com), and we found the same Lavanila Pure Vanilla roll-on fragrance is back that Katie loved so much, and chose for her Kits.  Just last night ordered 5 of each of the below tote bag designs, and very happy that they show more of Katie’s artwork on them, and have soft handles unlike the previous ones.

We may offer these bags, and other items for purchase on Zazzle.com, though we would have to use their pricing (and discounts!!) so can’t add the slight markup-for-the-charitable-cause as we do with our current products…  so from a fundraising standpoint we lose a bit for future Katie Kits.  Let me know in the comments if anyone would be interested in purchasing one of these tote bags for themselves with Katie’s wonderful art, normally $19.95. Larger size also available. For the project, we took advantage of a 25% off sale they had so we got them for cheaper! #moreKatieKitsDelivered ! And still cheaper than the bags we were buying from CafePress at “cost”, though not a beach tote with waterproof lining. (Click below thumbnails to see bigger images…)

“Prototype” purchase of a medium size tote, with actual color (and folder for size):

And very happy that Lavanila has brought back their Pure Vanilla Roll On scent (available too as a spray)….  they had changed it with adding either coconut or grapefruit to the vanilla, and we had to buy older stock online last year.  But now, the specific one that Katie adored and wore herself — and she knew her scents — is again being made.  One thing in particular with this vanilla fragrance is the inclusion of heliotrope, which was cited in the medical study that Katie found, showing it and the vanilla scent, helped to calm patients undergoing cancer radiation treatment and improve their outcomes.  We can’t diffuse scents into the treatment rooms, but the women can apply this roll-on fragrance to their necks or wrists, whichever is closer to their face during treatment, to get the same effect.  I had bought a couple other vanilla roll-on oils on Amazon in an attempt to find a suitable replacement… but they didn’t compare in complexity or calming to the “original” I still had.  Very happy I kept digging and found Lavanila to have returned the Pure Vanilla variant to it’s mix of blends!  Will be ordering this likely in the smaller size to be more cost effective for our dollar impact… but it’s a scent that definitely calms.  Much needed for the women in Katie’s personal experiences when she used it.  Have reached out to Lavanila to see if they might discount or donated these for us, but no word as of yet.

After we get delivery of the supplies in the next week or two, we’ll be enlisting some volunteers from Katie’s girlfriends and their kiddos to help assemble the bags and deliver them to the clinic soon afterwards.  The clinic hands them out to new patients, so on their first visit they get a hug from Katie!

Thanks to you all again for making it possible for us to give another 20 Katie Kits to the clinic where Katie got her treatments.  We’ve given 47 so far in the past, so at a future total of 67 Katie Kits — we are making a huge direct impact for these women in need — a Katie inspired and expertised swag bag with items perfectly suited to help them through some of their toughest days ahead.  Katie thought radiation was way worse than chemo, as it’s a frightening experience to have to return for numerous treatments, and you can’t move at all for the 10-20 minute sessions, as you are literally, as Katie would describe it, “getting burned from the inside out.”  Katie sought to change that with a direct gift of love, and for soon-to-be 67 women, she and all of you who have helped, have accomplished that goal in spades.  I am sure Katie never expected her project, which she started with her late father, would have made such a dent.  She didn’t want to give money to a big organization, but instead make a needed, direct impact where 100% of the money went to the patients.

So, again, a huge Thank You to all who have made this possible in the past, in last year’s fundraising, and for those who can help us again going forward again!  I will again be riding the bike in 2018 for two weekend rides of 175-200 miles each, in July and Sept.

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If you still would like to donate toward this batch of Katie Kits (can we go over 20?!) or the next,

• • you can view the page for more information about: Project Give-Back and Katie Kits
  • and see donation options below….  (we are not a non-profit so unfortunately donations are not tax-deductible)
  • 100% of all money goes to buying supplies for Katie Kits that are donated to patients at the clinic (women mostly, and men if they desire one)

Button to donate online via Paypal (with or without a PayPal account):

To donate by check:
Make a check out to: “Tamara Kramer” (who is Katie’s Mom)
and mail to me at: Ashby Woolf, 6236 Worlington, Bloomfield, MI 48301

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Here is to a bright 2018 for you all!

We’ll make a difference with these 20 Katie Kits, and then later this year see if we can’t do it again!

— Love and peace, as always!
Ashby

And let me know in the comments below if you’d like to see us list the new totes and maybe other products on Zazzle.  Many of you have contributed by buying the marked up products at our CafePress-driven store, but with Zazzle we would have to go with their standard pricing so much less money for the cause.  But the designs would be public so they might reach a bigger audience with potentially a bigger volume of sales.  Don’t want to slight any of you who in the past have purchased the marked up items in our current store.  Any thoughts welcomed!

[ Ad blockers may hide the social sharing buttons up on the left (or below on mobile)….  Please spread the word if you wish, and maybe we can add another Katie Kit… ]