String-Ring Friends

Vanessa’s Big Heart Foundation is committed to funding research into the causes and cures for pediatric heart disease. In the process we also hope to help "Little Kids With Big Hearts" better enjoy their lives, and to support the Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation's (CCF) online support system. Each year Team Big Heart will run the Houston Marathon to raise money in support of this mission and to keep Vanessa's memory alive.

In addition to giving our early marketing efforts a big boost by posting a nice story about us, we enjoy the blog and give-aways at Operation Nice. Big thanks Melissa. From the Operation Nice website: "If everyone was a little bit nicer to the folks they encountered each day, perhaps the world would be a more pleasant place. Operation NICE was initiated to remind you that a little NICE goes a long way."

Bryan Boyne, owner and GIA Gemologist at Gem Diamond Company not only helped us find my beautiful, unique wedding ring, he was instrumental in helping us find the right manufacturer to produce our ring design.

Rachel Scott was the first person killed at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. Her acts of kindness and compassion coupled with the contents of her six diaries have become the foundation for one of the most life-changing school programs in America.

Rachel's Challenge is a program that inspires, instructs, and enables students to bring positive change to your school atmosphere.

This organization celebrates the 17 years Amanda Renaud lived by fulfilling her mission of helping others. The website, created by Amanda's mom, Rebecca, describes how she continued after her daughter's death and learned that creating good out of tragedy helped her heal.

Visit The Kindness Revolution

Here is another one of my favorites blog gems inspired by Kindness! Amanda & Jenn share inspirational art, kind projects, hope and loving encouragement at Kind Over Matter. These ladies love all things kind and beautiful ~ oh how I adore my muses.

If you need a smile, you're sure to get it here!

Tabitha is another crusader bringing smiles to those who need it most. She runs this non-profit, A 5-Oh-4 Uplifting, solely to give people in hospitals, homeless shelters, and nursing homes a free goody bag and a smile. Tabitha is all too familiar with the struggles facing these folks, having spent several years of her life in a children's hospital. She is terrific and has an amazing story to tell of encouragement, determination, and love.