Green Halloween....

Now that the leaves are officially piling up it can only mean one thing... Fall has fallen!   In my last message we focused on our lawn and leave solutions that make the big box store look like the tiny tin box.  Our bundle of 50 lawn and leaf bags made from recycled paper content will get the job done with room to spare.  One thing I wanted to share on this topic for you out there looking for a fall or harvest themed activity... How about a bundle of bags to be decorated by your group with stampers made from pumpkins, gourds,  and corn.  Roll the corn into water based paint and carve out fall shapes from the pumpkins to create stamps that are function AND biodegradable/compostable when your done using them.  

http://greenfundraiserstore.com/index.php?option=com_aceshop&Itemid=143&route=product/product&product_id=151

Our bags come with no company imprint or advertising for a clean canvas for your fall art projects.  Then... package them with garden twine in small packs of 3 or 5 for a take home gift for the family or neighbor.  OR... perhaps sell them for $5 a bundle for an easy fall fund raiser for your group.  

NOW... We turn to preparing for Halloween and that always means more candy than we know what to do with.  Do something different and bold for Halloween 2012 with our "Green Halloween" alternatives.

http://greenfundraiserstore.com/index.php?searchword=green+hallo&ordering=&searchphrase=all&Itemid=53&option=com_search

Kids love tattoos and our non toxic soy based tats are just the answer.  OR try our eco friendly Halloween themed pencil erasers.

Top reason's why kids love Green Halloween??

1. Pumpkin & Ghost Tattoos for Green Halloween® (50 per pack)
(For Fun)

The kids will love these cute and spooky pumpkin temporary tattoos! Made with FDA compliant non-toxic inks. Sold in packs of fifty (50).

2. Green Halloween® Crayon Sharpeners (1 package of 20)
(For Fun)

Kids sharpen by turning the crayon in the small plastic cone. There are NO metal blade and it's too big to swallow (passes industry standard choke-tube test. Features the GreenHalloween® logo sticker ...

3. GREEN PUMPKIN® Green Halloween® Soy Bean Crayons (20 boxes per p
(For School)

Sold in packs of twenty (20) boxes.  Three crayons per box (red, yellow, and blue). Box displays the Happy Hallogreen® message. "Good for People, Good for the Planet, Good for the Community!"   ...

4. GREEN PUMPKIN® SPOOKY NIGHT Activity Pads (1 package of 10 )
(K- 6 Coloring & Activity)

Combine with our Green Halloween® soy bean crayons for the ultimate holiday kid pack!  ...

5. Green Halloween® Door Hangers (1 pack of 10)
(For the Home)

One for the house and one for the office! Let 'em know you're celebrating in a Healthy, Eco-Friendly way! The back side contains tips for "thinking green" on Halloween.  ...

6. Green Halloween® Hand Fan Masks--BLANK (1 of 20)
(For the Home)

Traditional costumes are old hat. Grab some of our soy bean crayons and let your kids go wild designing their own monster mash masks! Made from 100% recycled paperboard and printed on with soy ink.  ...

7. GREEN PUMPKIN® Green Halloween® Labels 1 roll of 250 per roll)
(For School)

Wear 'em on your sweater, put em on your correspondence, stick em on bags of homemade healthy goodies. Raise awareness of Green Halloween®. 2" circle.  ...

8. GREEN PUMPKIN® Halloween Goodie Bags (10 per pack)
(For the Home)

 Green Halloween is a community movement towards a healthier and more eco-friendly holiday.  ...

Good "Green" Fun!  

Order's placed this week through mid next week guaranteed delivery by Halloween Day!   

Green Fundraiser Store - Lawn and Leaf Paper Bag No print

They say time fly's when your having fun.  We must be having a real blast because summer has made a late appearance in 2013 and like Ernie Harwell used to say as the voice of the Detroit Tiger's.... "It's long.... Gone...".

This is a good time of year to get ready for the fall projects that you may have put off during summer and will come ready or not.  Check out our Amazon store http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html?ie=UTF8&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&me=A38FNHOO6IEX53 for some of our most popular tried and true home helpers.  

If your like me you pick up a bundle of lawn and leaf bags here and there when your around town.  Why not have us ship you the mother load with a bundle of 50 bags?  It will cover you for the big leaf fall and perhaps a few left over for spring clean up.  I know this looks like a giant lunch bag... but it is actually a standard 16 X 25X 35 50 pound unprinted biodegradable lawn/leaf bag.

 
Hey... look up... better yet... look down.... Wow you better get ready to grab a rake and get busy!  The big box store tries to impress you with their impulse crate of 3 or 5 bags... but let's face it... do you really want to promote "Stuff Mart" at your curb?  Do you overflow with pride when you drag their bag to your curb.  I didn't think so.  GO BIG or GO HOME with the greenfundraiserstore fall special bundle of 50... that's right... a few left over for spring cleaning next year... AND your buying from a company with a B corp plan of action.  That means that a stated percentage of our proceeds goes toward a stated social mission of  "Education, Awareness, and Advocacy for Green Shift's in the course of daily living.

Good news... we  just received notice that Greenfundraiserstore.com has been recognized as one of the 101 Best and Brightest Sustainable Companies for 2013.  We are happy to accept this honor for a second year in a row.  We are happy to receive the award and will continue with our mission of promoting "Green Shifts" in the course of daily living! 

They say that if you stand still for too long.... the grass will grow under your feet.  To that point... change is inevitable and I think a very exciting concept.   This month we are moving into the next steps of the development of the greenfundraiserstore.com movement.    It is a new green offshoot that has been under construction since the very beginning.   Introducing to you.... "The Little Green Store..."    

http://www.facebook.com/donaldman.1?fref=ts

From day one in the development of the GFS I struggled with the decision of whether to be a "green product store" that does some great things in the way of "green shift" product offerings...

OR

to be a green product fund raising company  focused on education, awareness, and advocacy for "green shifts" in the course of daily living and unique fund raising.   Those of you who have followed us know that we went with the model of  fund raising first model.

Today we now feel as though we can offer the best of both worlds in that those who simply want to purchase our products can do so by visiting the web page and shopping on line at and clicking SHOP NOW

http://www.greenfundraiserstore.com/  

OR

for those who enjoy the Amazon shopping experience you can shop with a more limited offering at

http://www.amazon.com/shops/greenfundraiserstore


AND NOW....

You can walk in the door of  The Little Green Store and see, touch, smell, taste many of the products you've seen on our web site from the beginning.

In fact... one of the new features that we rolled out in the spring of 2012 are the educational offerings we can do at your school, church, business, or any group who wants to engage in our "Shift into Green...." education sessions.  By clicking on the link below.... as they used to say on Hawaii Five-O.... "Book it Dan-no..." .

 http://www.greenfundraiserstore.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=149&Itemid=142

Rather get out of your space and come see us?  No problem as we aim to please.  Bring your class to our "Little Green Store"  and learn on site about how to "Shift into Green....".   Our programs are fee based and intended for groups in the store to under 30 participants.   At this time we are accepting reservations through the same link as above.... with remarks to indicate "Store visit" .

I can tell you that just a visit to the store will tell a unique story about "Going Green..." since there really was not much at all about this space that was green when we got a hold of it in 2006.  There is so much to talk about in the changes and development of this project... but I will save the details for later.

We have not yet officially "opened" since I have been working on the final touches throughout the summer. Each day we are getting closer and will soon make an announcement to provide hours of operation.   Make plans to "walk through the door... of The Little Green Store..." located at 94 S Washington, Oxford, Michigan.

We are 10 miles north of the Palace of Auburn Hills if your coming from Detroit or northern suburbs.   Take the Lapeer Road Exit on I-75 and head north on Lapeer road which is also known as M 24 or Washington Street once you enter into the Village of Oxford.  Use the map on the right to locate us.... ;)  We are kind of easy to spot... since we are the only place I know of that has a compost tumbler and rain barrel on the front porch placed with family of scare crows.  Got that?  ;)

Last thing... get engaged now with our Fall fund Raising campaign by down loading the latest version of the on line brochure.   Printed fund raising forms will be available at the end of the month.

In the mean time.... the leaves are falling and for what ever reason we feel the need to chase every last one down and put it in some type of bag....so... get yours now... we sell them by the bundle of 50.  Great time to buy in bulk... do a class project of decorating the bags in Halloween or fall themes and then hit the streets as a unique fall fund raiser item.  Bundle 3 decorated bags with natural twine... sell to family , friends, neighbors and.... just like that... your truly making the most... of your compost!  


  http://www.greenfundraiserstore.com/index.php?option=com_aceshop&route=product/product&product_id=151

Last... Last thing.... Green Halloween items... order now by October 15th for guarenteed delivery by Halloween.

http://www.greenfundraiserstore.com/index.php?option=com_aceshop&route=product/search&filter_name=green%20halloween

Happy Fall!

See you Soon!

Don Sherman
President and Founder of Greenfundraiserstore.com AND  "The Little Green Store..."

Fall Fund Raising with Greenfundraisrestore.com

Well they say that all good things must come to an end.... and that could never be a truer statement when it comes to summer!   I enjoy the seasonal change that comes with living in the mid west... but summer is THE best for me personally.   So.... without really calling it officially over.... as public service announcement.... I'm calling it the seventh inning stretch for sure.  For some of you it might already be the bottom of the ninth!  

Seasons change, the students in the classroom change, sometimes event the color of the paint on the classroom wall changes.... but one thing never changes.... the need for the ever elusive, hard to come by, and challenging to keep.... FUND RAISING dollars!  

This year I would like to invite you to take a close look at what were doing over here at Greenfundraiserstore.com.  Tired of the same old idea's that seem to rise to the surface every year? 

Had enough pizza kits and cookie dough?  I love these tried and true concepts... it's just that my waist line

cannot handle it all like it used to!  

http://greenfundraiserstore.com/

We will be releasing our Fall Fund Raising Campaign in the next week and cannot wait for you to see all the

unique and fresh idea's to help you reach your fund raising goals for the coming year.   One of the most exciting elements of this year's program are the customized imprint items we can create for your school, civic group, sports program, or church.   

Last year we heard a lot of positive comments and feedback about our Michigan Green Schools Eco Tee.

This iconic tee helped raise funds to offset some of the costs to implement these programs in the State of Michigan.  Oakland County has always been our biggest supporter so we were able to help offset some of 

their costs.   We were also able to help at the state level and truly appreciated the warm reception and support. 

Please visit our web page and take note of the new category to "Book Events" and our new Amazon Store link.  We have shipped green products all over the United States this year from our relationship with Amazon and now we look forward to continuing our partnership with schools, civic groups, and community organizations here in Michigan with our fall 2012 campaign. 

Greenfundraiserstore http://www.amazon.com/shops/greenfundraiserstore

Greenfundraiserstore http://www.amazon.com/shops/greenfundraiserstore

You may notice some new product additions such as the rain barrel and the compost tumbler.  These are exciting additions that can be added to any home or school and make an immediate highly visible impact.  They are made right here in Michigan from re purposed pickle and pepper shipping containers. 

With a renewed focus on urban farming and gardening these will make great additions to your current tools that will provide long term benefits now for next years garden.  We have these on display at a location at 94 S Washington in Oxford, Michigan.  We have had lots of questions about why we have kegs out on the front porch.... but those in the gardening and green world no better to ask!      

  

This compost tumbler comes with and easy to assemble wood stand and metal rod assembly for separating.  

Look for our brochure coming soon ,  check our "Book and Event" tab for your schools "Shift into Green" presentation, and see you back in the classroom!  

Best Regards,

Don Sherman    

President and CEO of Greenfundraiserstore.com 

866-752-6626    www.greenfundraiserstore.com  

101 Best and Brightest Sustainable Companies in Michigan.... 2012 Award Winner 

Best and Brightest Sustainable Companies 2012

   

Successful Summer Fund Raising.... 2012

Why are we always surprised when we arrive at this place?  Summer is winding down and I can feel it like never before.   Although there are still technically three full weeks left in August... why can I never fully enjoy them?   Because it is human nature to think ahead to what is coming and that usually means back to a routine we may not enjoy as much as what summer offers us.

This year will be especially different as my first of four children heads off to college.  There is an added element of change in the household knowing that there will be change.  There is that word again!  My son Alex will begin his freshman year at Michigan State University and that has got to be exciting for him.   He is starting from a much stronger position than I could have hoped for coming out of high school.  A scholar athlete with good work ethic has created a good foundation to build with.  My only question to him is does he have an opening in the dorm room for me... perhaps I can go back and work on that Masters degree?

Although summer months typically run at  a slower pace for us at Greenfundraiserstore.com (and that is a good thing...) we did run a successful campaign for the Salvation Army Echo Grove Camp. The send a kid to camp campaign provided resources to help fund scholarships for children that likely would not have otherwise been able to go to summer camp.  Here is the web address for the Echo Grove Salvation Army Camp... and I think they have a link if you are so inclined to want to make a contribution.
http://echogrove.org/ 

We partnered with the Oxford Chamber of Commerce (Oxford, Michigan) and together were able to make these scholarships a reality.  The Chamber held their annual golf outing which was held at the Oxford Hills Golf and Country Club and raised funds for the Salvation Army Camp through some fun and exciting side games.  My Insurance Agency fielded a team and participated in the hole sponsorship's for the event.  We enjoyed the day and had a few highlights like a hole in one at the putting contents by my dad... the original Don Sherman.  We also participated in the red kettle collection to get a pro to take a tee shot for the team. The idea is that us mere mortals would never have a chance to stick a tee shot on the green on a "reachable" dog leg left and over the water hazard shot.  Sure enough our donation led to a great shot placed 5 feet from the pin which we finished off for an eagle!

All in all it was a great day with Team Sherman and we helped raise money for a great cause.... sending kids to camp!

I guess you can say the picture below says it all... Can you make a funny face for the camera?
 "Happy Campers" for sure!

 

Let's send a kid to camp....

After a successful weekend at the Detroit Green Festival held this past weekend at the headquarters of the Horatio Williams Foundation we now turn the page as we prepare for the Salvation Army Camp in North Oakland County.... also known as Echo Grove.   These two events may seem far apart on the surface... yet nothing could be further from the truth.

Let me start by saying that meeting Horatio Williams just a few weeks back was a great experience AND an eye opening one at that.  Many of us today take for granted the things we enjoy in part of our daily life such as family, support structure, mentors, and access to recreational opportunities.   In fact Horatio's first words to me were "We're just trying to do things for the kids.... ".
It seems that with the state of the financial situation in many of our urban centers... especially in Detroit... it has effected every aspect of services that used to be provided through traditional sources AND that includes parks and recreation opportunities for youth.  As a result we continue to hear and read about youth who have gone to other places for the sense of family and that place is often times not always the best choice.  Gang activity and violence is at unspeakable levels and when one examines the root cause... it seems to come back around to no support structure or a weak one that is not able to keep kids on a promising path.  Enter groups like The Horatio Williams Foundation.

http://horatiowilliamsfoundation.org/about/founder.html

  In 1992, Horatio Williams formed On Time Transportation Inc., a non-emergency medical transportation firm that provides 24/7 service for clients suffering various injuries. Horatio notes, “The obstacles of my accident led me to this business and it’s been a blessing.”

With 17 vehicles, he has serviced over 3000 clients and employed 32 people. He went from signing autographs as a college basketball star to signing checks…helping people provide for their families. “While I still miss playing basketball,” says Horatio. “Working with my clients and providing jobs has been an honor and I thank God for the opportunity.”

He established the Horatio Williams Foundation which has provided additional charitable contributions to the community. In April he sponsors the “Second Chance Basketball Game” so that high school seniors who did not receive college scholarships have an opportunity to play in front of scouts & coaches from across the country.

In June, he sponsors a free 2 week basketball camp for over 100 youth. In August, he sponsors a free trip to Cedar Point for over 400 youth. In September, he sponsors a back to school uniform clothing drive to provide school clothing for underprivileged youth

Williams is determined to expand his youth outreach, provide more programs and reach more kids. He is currently working on providing academic (tutorial) assistance to those students needing additional in all subjects and ACT/SAT testing preparation. As he says, “Life is about learning and I believe that kids can achieve their greatness if they are given an opportunity…I feel it’s my responsibility to provide them with a chance”

 The Horatio Williams Foundation is currently seeking support to win a grant through Art Van Furniture here in Detroit and you can help in their effort simply just by casting a vote for them on line.  That would be a great start to help support a group who is getting it done!

http://artvancharitychallenge.com/vote-today/

"Shift into Green..." at the Lake St Clair Water Festival

This week we were pleased and honored to be invited to present our "Shift into Green..." presentation at the Lake St Clair Water Festival held at Macomb Community College (MC3) North Campus.  It was kind of a homecoming of sorts in more than one way.  Personally.... for me it was going back to where I came from in the sense that I was raised in the suburban community of Sterling Heights, Michigan from early childhood until leaving the nest as a college bound teen.   Returning after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Education... with an emphasis on science... I accepted my first full time teaching position as a middle school science teacher in Roseville Community Schools... also located in Macomb County.

http://www.lakestclairwaterfestival.org/

 So it is with that brief history that today after a 23 year absence from the classroom that I returned to where I started.... at MC3.... into the classroom.... loaded with science tools and materials.... back to where I came from.  But there is more to this story.  Being my first time presenting at this event I really did not know what to expect in the way of the format.  My hopes and expectations were fully met in that the MC3 classrooms were fully equipped with the technology I hoped would be there to connect my lap top to the internet and display my presentation links to the various sites relevant to the day.  Keep in mind that none of these tools even existed for classroom use when I left my educational career to start my own business in 1990.

http://www.statefarm.com/agent/US/MI/Oxford/Don-Sherman-BFLZL1YS000

Now let me get to the real irony of this day.  My first group arrived just slightly ahead of schedule.  As I looked through the agenda of the 4 morning groups scheduled to come through my "Shift into Green..." presentation I noticed an unfamiliar name of an elementary school.... but since the group arrived early I had little time to research their background.... so I began my presentation with kind of an opening probing approach to find out a little background information on my first group.  "Tell me a little bit about you before I start to tell you more about me and our topic of discussion...."  As the hands popped up... I learned some names,  favorite colors, favorite sports, and then leading them into the points I needed to know.... I discovered they were from Roseville Community Schools.  "Really?  I said... this is interesting to me".  Back to where I came from... picking up where I left off 23 years ago.... teaching a science lesson to students from.... Roseville Community Schools?    Planned?  Ironic?  Fate?

As the day went on and group two arrived.... it became clear to me that my morning schedule in fact was booked with kids from Macomb County... of course.... but specifically from Roseville Community Schools.  What an irony?  As the third group came and went... I began feeling like it was a divine intervention experience and each group revealed more new information to me about their new school... 2 years old.... Michigan Green School.... kids even knew my old teaching Buddy Dan Crow who is still in the district as an Assistant Principle or Principle last we talked.  

The bottom line for me was that this was a very meaningful day in many ways that literally took me back home for the better part of the day.  In fact... my Mom and Dad are still in the area not far from the campus.  You may have seen a post I put up with a photo of my Dad working with me at the Michigan Green Schools event in Macomb County a few weeks back.   On this day I took the time to make a call... "Mom... It's Don... are you home?  OK... I'm on my way over to see you.... OK?"  "Sure"... she said and off I went.  Now I tell you this as I begin to wind down the story of "coming home" to Macomb County.   I am lucky in so many ways and in this case... that I had taken the time to do what many of us take for granted.  I admit... I have taken for granted the assumption that they are going to be here for ever... I can always make time to stop in... and... then you realize that isn't true.  So... the moral of the story today?  Take the time... your busy... you have more to do than you can possibly deal with... how can you take the time or make the time?  Do it.  While you can... while there here... put all else aside for just this one day.... and go back home while you still can!  ;)