Support Oatland Island Wildlife Center by helping Pack the Park!

We know SouthernMamas readers love Oatland Island Wildlife Center. Here’s your chance to show it.

Michele Mazzei, naturalist at Oatland Island Wildlife Center and star of the center’s popular Toddler Tuesdays, is offering SouthernMamas readers this fabulous offer: a FREE BIRTHDAY PARTY at Oatland Island to those who sell 20 or more Sand Gnats tickets for August 18th’s Pack the Park Fundraiser to benefit Oatland Island.

A portion of ADVANCE ticket sales will benefit Oatland.

Michele is volunteering her time for the Birthday Party to honor all the great support SouthernMamas have shown to Oatland and to her over the last few years.

At the Wed. Aug. 18 Sand Gnats game, kids can visit some of Oatland’s most popular animals. The gates open at 6 PM and the game starts at 7:05 PM.

To benefit Oatland, purchase tickets at the following locations before the game:

Oatland Island Wildlife Center
Davis Produce – Talahi Island
Sea Kayak Georgia – Tybee Island
Tubby’s on River Street

For more info on the birthday party contest, contact Michele at 912-395-1500. Good luck!

The Zoe Foundation will host “1 on 1” – their summer fundraiser, 10 AM-1 PM Thurs. July 1 in Savannah’s Johnson Square, one block south of city hall.

The public is invited to help grieving families who suffer the loss of an infant by donating $1 on July 1 to The Zoe Foundation.

This family-oriented event will feature entertainment by Equinox Jazz, along with food, face-painting, balloon artists, a spacewalk, and much more. Each attraction and food or beverage item will be available for a suggested donation of one dollar each – “1 on 1”!

All proceeds will allow The Zoe Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization, to continue offering financial and emotional support to families who have endured the loss of a baby due to miscarriage, stillbirth, chromosomal disorders, SIDS, accidents or other causes.

The Zoe Foundation believes that even the smallest life is precious and deserves a proper memorial. Everyone who has experenced a similar loss or knows someone who has is invited to come on July 1 and get connected with The Zoe Foundation.

For more info, contact Kayla Johnson at 912-508-1858 or email kayla@zoe-foundation.org.

Bamboo Farm & Coastal Gardens is in danger of being closed down due to state budget cuts.

That’s right. The beloved Chatham County spot where you take the kids every year for u-pick blackberries and strawberries; the place that hosts such popular annual family events as Sunday Supper in the Strawberry Patch, Fall and Spring festivals; the place kids go for hayrides, field trips and more – may close down.

Because of the state’s potential $1.1 billion shortfall, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents is at risk of undergoing $300 million in proposed cuts include closing half of the state’s Cooperative Extension offices and eliminating its widely popular 4-H youth program.

Locally, that would mean closing the Burton 4-H Center at Tybee Island, ending the Mommy and Me program at UGA’s Marine Education Center and Aquarium on Skidaway Island and closing down the Bamboo Farm.  

The proposed Bamboo Farm closure would take away a truly precious local resource. Our area is already lacking in kid-friendly educational centers. Let’s do what we can to keep the Bamboo Farm and other local programs open.

You can help save the Bamboo Farm and other local educational programs by  letting the Board know you disagree with these proposed closures. Do so by signing this petition

You can also show your support by attending the Spring Festival at the Bamboo Farm & Coastal Gardens,  9 AM-4 PM Sat. March 20. Sponsored by the Friends of Coastal Gardens, this fundraising event includes educational lectures, activities for children, plant vendors, and arts and crafts vendors. Admission is free but there will be a $2 charge for parking. Some activities are free, while others have a small charge.

AASU student Bryce Tarter, 19, missing since Jan. 31

The public is invited to a Bryce Tarter Benefit Event on noon-5 PM this Saturday March 13 at Armstrong Atlantic State University’s Sports Center. All proceeds from this kid-friendly benefit will go towards the campaign to bring Bryce home.

The benefit will include pony rides, face painting, games, inflatable bouncy, raffle prizes, t-shirts, Bryceletts, food and more.

If you would like to help, please email Megan at help@bringbrycehome.com or call 912.604.5829. Volunteers still needed.

The 19-year-old Tarter was last seen around 5 AM Jan. 31, leaving the AASU campus. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is working on the case and Tarter’s family and friends have also launched massive search efforts.

Tarter was driving a white 2000 Nissan Frontier with Maine license plate 9447QD. There are an Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Falcons stickers on the back window. If you have any information, you’re asked to call AASU Police at 912-344-3333 or the Center for Missing Persons at (910) 343-1131. For more info in the case, visit the Bring Bryce Home Web site by clicking here.

The Mommy and Me program Tuesdays and Thursdays @ UGA’s Marine Education Center and Aquarium on Skidaway Island is just one of the local educational programs at risk of being cut.

Because of the state’s potential $1.1 billion shortfall, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents is at risk of undergoing severe cuts include closing half of the state’s Cooperative Extension offices and eliminating its widely popular 4-H youth program.

This month, the University System of Georgia proposed $300 million in cuts to higher education, including 4,000 layoffs and dozens of program cutbacks. Locally, that would mean closing the Burton 4-H Center at Tybee Island and cutting other educational centers that provide invaluable information to thousands of area youth.

You can help save our local education centers and keep the doors open at @ UGA’s Marine Education Center and Aquarium and other kid-friendly spots. Let the Board know you disagree with these proposed closures by signing this petition

Sister Mary Alvin Seubott of Saint Mary's Home with two of her resident boys Royce, left, and Quevon, and their pet dog Millie. (John Carrington/Savannah Morning News)

You can help keep seven children in their home.

St. Mary’s Home, a legacy in Savannah for the nurturing and development of children for 135 years, will be closing their doors. For the seven children who currently live at St. Mary’s on Victory Drive this means a change to their whole lives.

They will now have to move from their home, their care-givers, and the other children that have become their family and friends. It’s likely that they will have to change schools and their lives all together.

Over time, St. Mary’s, which was opened in 1877 by three Sisters of Mercy to help children who were abandoned or orphaned, has cared for children from many different circumstances- orphans, one-parent homes, abandoned children and dysfunctional homes.

Because of changes in federal and state laws, there have been a reduced number of placements of children in the home and with that a reduced amount of funding. These laws are affecting child care agencies that place children in-need into a new environment, focusing on foster homes and single family homes instead of group homes. While this does mean that St. Mary’s will not have any new children placed in their care, it does not mean that the children who currently reside there have to leave.

Of the seven children who live at St. Mary’s it will take approximately seven years for them all to graduate from high school. Seven more years of St. Mary’s Home existing in its current form and these children, who have found their safe haven, can continue on their paths uninterrupted.

Email savestmaryshome@gmail.com to find out how you can help prevent St. Mary’s from closing their doors on June 30.

Thanks to Casey Welsh of Just for Baby & More for providing this info.

Enjoy a short stack for a tall cause.

You’re invited to a pancake breakfast benefiting Island MOPS (Mother of Preschoolers).

The Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser is a community all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast with sausage, juice and coffee for only $5! Proceeds benefit Islands MOPS. The breakfast will be 8:30-10:30 AM Sat., Feb. 27 @ Applebee’s on Whitemarsh Island
4705 US Hwy 80 E.

For more information, contact Laura at 898-0869 or Connie at 898-4344

We read about teens involved in crime or about the obesity problem among local youths and think: “Something needs to be done to save our kids.”

Former competitive weightlifter Kerri Goodrich isn’t just thinking about it. She’s doing something. Her program, Performance Initiatives, uses weightlifting, tutoring, nutritional coaching to give students confidence and discipline. Read more here in my column in today’s newspaper.

You can help by taking part in PI’s “Buy A Block, Build A Champion” fund raiser. Purchase a block at the Performance Initiatives gym and have your company logo or family name hand-painted on the gym walls or on a banner. Proceeds fund various needs including new gear and uniforms for weightlifting competitions, after-school program materials and expenses for out-of-area competitions.

To buy a block, e-mail performanceinitiatives_kg@comcast.net or call 912-507-7106.

Savannah baby and child photographer Nicole Williams loves children.

Which is why her popular photography business – Memories for Keepsake Photography – is sponsoring a family in need. Nicole, who in addition to being a talented photographer is also a mother of seven, believes the joy of Christmas should be experienced by EVERY child. And the spirit of Christmas should be in every adult who has children of their own.

Memories for Keepsake will sponsor a family by purchasing items on the children’s lists, stockings, perhaps a Christmas dinner etc.

From Nov. 7 – Dec. 4, 10 percent of all proceeds on portraits, growing plans and giftcards will be put into a special fund for a family in need, or a family who has been hit by the recession.

Memories for Keepsake is taking nominations from now through December 4. The family will be notified by Dec. 6, so they will have time to collect Christmas lists from their children.

To allow all families the opportunity to contribute to this family AND to purchase quality portraiture for themselves, family and friends, Memories for Keepsake is offering 30 percent off of ALL giftcard purchases made from now through November 21 to be redeemed Jan. 1-May 30 2010.

What a fabulous gift to give someone for the holidays AND help another family. So, if you purchase a $100 gift certificate from now through Nov. 21, you’ll pay $70 for $100 worth of portraiture and you’ll be donating $10 to the family Memories for Keepsake sponsors.

To book a session or nominate a family to sponsor, contact Nicole Williams 912.596.0832 or email info@memoriesforkeepsake.com. Click here to see more examples of Nicole’s extraordinary work.

Volunteers are needed to help single moms enjoy a day of pampering.

On Dec. 12, the Salvation Army will host a “Cinderella Saturday” for single mothers who are currently residing in the organization’s Savannah shelter. For these mothers, things that we take for granted such as a trip to the salon or a new outfit are true luxuries. Their day-to-day concerns are providing food and shelter for their children.

As part of Cinderella Saturday, the mothers will receive a day of pampering, along with a shopping trip to find a perfect everyday outfit. The event will culminate with a fun event at night. Childcare will be provided for them the entire day so that they can truly enjoy one day to themselves.

Hair stylists are needed as well as manicurists and makeup artists willing to donate their services; shops willing to donate outfits; entertainment venues willing to host the kids for an hour of play; and food establishments willing to provide meals for both the children and parents.

Anyone interested in volunteering, donating their services or making a financial contribution may contact event chair Amy Pine at amyk215@yahoo.com or 912-659-3050

Leave it to moms groups to put the fun in fundraisers.

The very active and popular Pooler MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group has two fun fundraisers coming up. By supporting Pooler MOPS, you help the group achieve their mission “Better MOMS make a better world.”

5-8 PM Thurs. Oct. 29. Chick-fil-A Restaurant Raid at the Chick-fil-A on Pooler Parkway. Pooler MOPS will get a percentage of the sales from everyone who fills out a form at the front door. Free face painting, balloons and COSTUME CONTEST (non-scary please).

10 AM-3 PM Sat. Nov. 7. MOPS Holiday Vendor Fair and Silent Auction. Shop for all of your holiday gifts early and support the Pooler MOPS group. Shop from your favorite at-home businesses and local artisans under one roof. A silent auction with lots of items including themed gift baskets and two weekend stays at a cabin in the Smoky Mountains. Food concessions and activities for the children.

For more moms groups, visit our Moms Group category here.

You can help the Friends of Oatland “Bring Back a Bear” to the Oatland Island Wildlife Center

A campaign is under way to bring a bear to Oatland after Oatland’s bear died earlier this year. Come to a cocktail party to benefit the bear campaign Wed. Oct. 21  5:30-8 PM at First City Club, 7 East Congress Street (2nd floor)

A cash bar will be available for attendees that aren’t FCC members. Email Sandi Roth to RSVP or for more info: friendsofoatland@gmail.com

Donations will be accepted throughout the event, plus raffles, a silent auction and other prizes. To ensure your donation is tax deductible, please make your donation to Friends of Oatland Island, Inc. (FOO) – a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Here’s a chance to instill a love of books in preschoolers by making sure all Chatham County children have quality children’s books in their home.

Bid on enticing items in an online auction that’s currently under way here. Proceeds benefit the Chatham County branch of the Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy. The goal of Ferst is to provide all Georgia preschoolers with a free, age-appropriate book to a registered every month until the child’s fifth birthday.

The “Ferst Things First” online auction to promote childhood literacy will be going on until Oct. 14. But bidding on the first round of items ends this Wed. Oct. 7. Then the second round begins.

The Georgia foundation’s goal is to eliminate the key reason why parents don’t read to their children: the lack of quality books in their home.

Anyone who wants to improve a child’s ability to read can do so by bidding on enticing auction items here.
Bid any time of the day on donated items including a log-cabin weekend rental in North Georgia; gift cards; cooking and music classes; autographed books and CDs’ custom pet portraits; professional photography sessions; restaurant gift certificates; customized jewelry; artwork and pottery.

Participants can even bid on a book club visit from author Jonathan Rabb to discuss his most recent novel Shadow and Light and an autographed copy of the book.

Start bidding here.

When photographer LeeAnn Ritch read about little Cora Garola’s battle with leukemia, LeeAnn immediately wanted to reach out to Cora’s parents, Rob & Mandy Garola of Isle of Hope.

LeeAnn offered to donate a photo shoot of the Garola family. LeeAnn gave the Garolas a free shoot and CD once a year indefinitely. How sweet is that?

Pictured above is just one of the lovely results of LeeAnn’s first of many portrait sesssion with the Garolas. See more photos of Cora and her family on LeeAnn’s blog here.

As you can see, Cora is doing really well and looking as adorable as ever! You can follow Cora’s progress here, where Cora’s mom is beautifully documenting their family’s fight against leukemia.

The Lowcountry Down Syndrome Society Buddy Walk Festival will be held Saturday, October 3rd in Forsyth Park.

The fourth annual Buddy Walk is a one-mile walk in which anyone can participate without special training. Registration begins at 8 AM and costs $12 per person (which includes a t-shirt and a meal).

The walk kicks off at 10:30 AM, and the festival for the whole family is from 11 AM to 2 PM, offering rides, food, games, music and more.

For more information or if you would like to support families touched by down syndrome by registering to walk, please call John or Candy Bogardus at (912) 728-8505 or click here to register online.

SouthernMamas readers are always telling us how much they’d love to have a Savannah Children’s Museum.

Here’s your chance to help make it happen. Work is under way to build a Savannah Children’s Museum, which will be in railroad buildings adjacent to Battlefield Park and the Roundhouse Railroad Museum downtown. Estimated completion date is late 2010.

The museum will be owned by the city of Savannah and will be operated by the Coastal Heritage Society.

The Coastal Heritage Society plans to hold monthly volunteer work days to complete the outdoor courtyard and carpentry shop play space. These spaces will provide unique and engaging outdoor gross motor activities for children of all ages as phase 1 of the museum.

Work on the monthly volunteer days will include building benches, planters, a maze, laying sod, and preparing the outdoor space. Become a member of the museum’s Workers of Wonders (WOW) team to bring the Savannah Children’s Museum to life. People of all skill levels are needed.

The first volunteer day will be 9 AM- 3 PM Sat. Sept 19

For more information, to volunteer or donate supplies contact Beth Parr, 663-7466 or bparr@chsgeorgia.org

If you would like to be on a mailing list for updates about the museum, click here.

Wanted: volunteers to help transform a vacant plot into a Pooler community-built park.

The aim is to build a 17,000-square-foot park that is the largest and most unique playground in the area, custom-designed by children and built entirely through volunteer efforts.

The West Chatham YMCA in Pooler donated the land adjacent to Pooler Parkway between the YMCA and the new Pooler Recreation Park.

Volunteers will be needed to do most of the work – organization, fundraising, procurement and volunteer recruitment, even meal preparation and child care for the workers. Design, drafting, project management and construction supervision will be left to playground developers Leathers and Associates of New York.

The estimated $500,000 project will be funded in part by donations and fundraisers.

The proposed playground will be free and open to everyone, providing play opportunities for children of all abilities.

For more info, click here or call (912) 748-9622.

The Lowcountry Down Syndrome Society (LDSS) has created Savannah’s first Summer Camp for children with Down Syndrome.

The six day program will be held 9 AM-12:30 PM on July 27, 29, and 31 and August 3, 5 and 7.

Camps are funded in part by the money the organization raises through their annual Down Syndrome Buddy Walk each October-requiring participants to pay just $30 for the three day camp. Educational and recreational activities are scheduled for children ages 3 to 6. Speech, physical and occupational therapists are on board to assist the children in their continued growth and development, while having fun.

For more information or to register, contact John Bogardus at (912) 728-8505 or click here.

For more local summer camps, click here.

The second annual Pink Tea is 2- 5 PM Sun. Aug. 9 @ Wilmington Island Club.

The event features food, drink and fun. You can mingle while visiting booths of various local businesses and organizations. There will also be crafts for kids and face painting etc. Moms are encouraged to bring young children.

Tickets go on sale this Wed. July 15. Click here for locations where you can purchase tickets.
Hale Tea will be serving their “special” teas again this year.

The tea benefits Savannah’s Young Survival Coalition, which serves as a point of contact for young women living with breast cancer. The Young Survival Coalition (YSC) works with survivors, caregivers and the medical,research, advocacy and legislative communities to increase the quality and quantity of life for women diagnosed with breast cancer ages 40 and younger.

If you would like to have your business be a sponsor for the Pink Tea, click here.

Here’s a way to participate in the education of our youth. The Savannah-Chatham County Public School System has partnered with ePals, Inc. to introduce an e-mentoring program called In2Books to 50 3rd-5th grade classrooms this fall.

Adult e-mentors (you) are paired with a 3rd, 4th or 5th grade student (a pen pal) and introduced online. Over the course of the academic year, you and your pen pal will read five books, exchanging emails along the way to discuss the books. (For a quick video demo, check out this blog)

You can be a pen pal without leaving your home or office! Here’s how it works:

1. At the beginning of the school year you’ll be matched with a student and you will exchange “getting to know you” letters via the In2Books website.
2. Your student will select his or her first book, and you’ll be notified by email what book you should read. You can purchase the book or find it at a local library.
3. Next you’ll write an online letter to your student about the book. Pen Pal Place, the In2Books website dedicated to pen pals, will provide you with instruction, tips and examples to get you started.
4. Once the teacher has approved your letter, the student will read it and respond back.
5. The process is then repeated for the next four books.

The program, a pilot for Savannah, fosters reading, writing, and critical thinking skills by connecting engaged mentors with children in the classroom.

Here’s how to sign up to volunteer for a Savannah student:
1. Go here and click on the in2books ICON to begin the registration process. Note: for the safety of students you will be required to complete a background check.
2. Be sure to enter Savannah from the dropdown list when asked for your affiliation on the registration page.
3. The next step takes you to the background check page. Make sure you use the following promotion code SAV469 on the background check page.

From June 8 – June 22, or until funding runs out, you can join the bone marrow donor registry for FREE. It normally costs $52.

Becoming a donor is very easy to do and you may be the ONLY match for someone needing a life saving transplant. Dawn was unable to find a suitable marrow donor in the bone marrow donor registry.

Go to this site here and click “JOIN”.

Need a motivation to do so? Visit this blog about a 28-year-old Charleston, S.C. woman who was unable to find a match and lost her battle with leukemia.

Somehow superparents Amber & Dove McHargue – mom and dad to 2-year-old triplet boys – manage to find time to volunteer.

That includes partaking in the March of Dimes’ March For Babies on April 25 in Daffin Park. The McHargue family got involved in the annual event after their triplet boys were born prematurely two and a half years ago. This will be their third time walking in the fund-raising event.

The McHargues would love to get more people involved whether it be sponsoring them, joining their team and raising money and walking with them or inviting others to start their own team. Click here for more info. on how to get involved.

Triplets Lex, Brody and Collin McHargue were born at 32 weeks gestation – which is 8 weeks early. Lex spent 18 days in the hospital and Brody and Collin spent 19. The triplets – pictured here shortly after birth – all weighed less than 4lbs when they came home.

Fortunately, all three are healthy and advanced for their age. But not all premies are so lucky. Often, preemies are at risk for physical and developmental delays.

The March of Dimes helps give such babies a chance by funding research and providing resources.

“These are babies that can fit their entire wrist through your wedding band,” says Amber. “These babies deserve a chance. The March of Dimes is dedicated, dedicated to improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.”

To sponsor the triplets’ team, click here.

Dianne Humes, a Savannah mother of two, has a rare form of lymphoma and needs a bone marrow match to save her life.

You may be her miracle match.

Dianne’s incredibly supportive friends have organized two bone marrow donor drives:

• 8:30 AM-6 PM, Fri. Feb. 13 in the Eckburg Lobby @ Savannah Christian Preparatory school.

OR

• 10 AM – 6 PM Sat. Feb. 28 @ Vickery’s in Southbridge.

Anyone, age 18-60, who meets the health guidelines, is eligible to donate and could end up being the life-saving match for Dianne.

We know y’all are busy. But donating is cinchy and will take only about 15 minutes. At the drive, you just fill out some paperwork requesting basic information as well as some health info. No needles. No blood. (Read more about donating by clicking here.)  A $25 cost pays for typing of the marrow and is 100-percent tax deductible. You will be given four cotton swabs to swab the inside of your mouth in the cheek areas. The swabs are then placed in a plastic bag and ready to go for typing. Viola.

The information is then confidentially placed on a NATIONAL DONOR registry. If you are a match, then further testing will be required.

There are thousands and thousands of different bone marrow types, says Dianne’s friend Suzanne Smallwood. “This is why it is so critical to get as many people on the list as we possibly can,” says Suzanne. “Our priority is to find a match for Dianne. But our hopes are that we will not only find Dianne’s match, but others as well.”

Once on the registry, you can remove your name at anytime for any reason.

We wish Dianne and her family all the strength in the world to beat this cancer.

(Dianne is pictured here with husband Chris and children Molly and Hayden)