We started off the Spring season in great form at the 22nd annual Lawn and Garden Show in Sioux Falls. The days of preparation and construction paid off as we showed the River of Hope story off to nearly 10,000 people throughout the weekend. One of the best things about the show was raising nearly $1000 through our putting contest “Holes for Hope”, silent auction, and “Guess the Fish” contest. Of course the weekend would not be possible with out the great support from our friends at Rock Garden Nursery, Combined Pool and Spa, James Dugan, and Backyard Broadcasting.

While waking up to an inch of snow on the ground put thoughts of winter back into our minds, it was only a brief thought. I was quickly back to thinking about all of the nominations that we have that we are working very diligently to be able to provide healing environments for this year. Our projects average about $5500 each and with over 40 nominations already in and funding tight we are left to figure out how many we will be able to do this year. The River of Hope Foundation truly does only exist with your support. If you or someone you know would like to become a partner, sponsor a project, or contribute financially please contact us for more info. We are making a difference in the lives of those affected by cancer, but to continue helping as many people as possible we need your help!

Thank you,

Nathan

Be sure to stop out to the Great Plains Golf Expo February 26th and 27th. For $5 you can play 9 holes of mini golf on a custom designed course with all proceeds going to the River of Hope Foundation.

Click for Website

Our first new episode of River of Hope of the new year will re-air this Saturday at 5:30pm on MyUTV and Sunday at 10:30am on Kelo. Michelle’s story of her fight with colon cancer will re-air. Thank you for watching, and helping us share our mission!

Although the name suggests you may need money to participate, today is simply a day for all to step outside of ourselves even if only for one day. That’s right, in a world so content on blaming everything on a “down economy” we can all go out of our way to do a random act of kindness even if we have nothing to give. Today is a day when age, race, popularity, social status, or lack thereof have no relevance. Did you see that person with the hood up on their car along the side of the road and say “oh I’m sure they have a cell phone” or did you sacrifice having time to get your coffee to make sure they had someone they could call to help? Was the person walking up to the door more than 10 feet away and going to end up opening the 2nd door on their own anyway? Or was it a great opportunity to say “good morning, I hope you have a great day”? Do you really need that coat that’s been in the closet just in case the zipper breaks on your other two, or is there someone downtown in a hooded sweatshirt hoping the weather man is off by a few degrees? I think it’s safe to say that the list could go on for much more than one day.

Granted it’s easy to say what’s the world coming to that I have to be told to do something without expecting anything in return on a specific day. Or, maybe you already did your good deed for the year yesterday. Maybe you are one of the people who does something everyday, and I applaud you, but please take time to reflect on the meaning behind this one day and see how it compares with the rest of your life.

My father-in-law is a very giving man. He gives his time, talents, and treasures on a daily basis and I’ve never once heard him say “well I just helped someone yesterday.” In fact, most every Sunday afternoon you can find him walking in and out of the nursing home and assisted living center making the rounds, stopping by to visit. You may not think that sounds so great, I visit my grandma there every now and then, but in his case he’s not visiting family, he’s just stopping by to say hi to anyone who may need a friendly face. Random act of kindness, or a way of life?

So today, give if you have something to give, pay for something for someone if you can, but at the very least, stop and give a heartfelt hello with a smile without fear of having to actually have a conversation with someone who may have a story you don’t want to hear.

Movember will be in full swing this Friday night at the Attic Bar and Grill in Sioux Falls! The Attic will be hosting it’s 2nd Annual Stache Bash on Friday November 19th 8pm-close, and this year it will be benefiting Team River of Hope’s Movember team! We will be there collecting donations, and the Attic staff will be selling signature cocktails with the proceeds going to Team River of Hope.

Movember

Guys grow your staches, ladies grow what you can!! The Attic will also have Hamms cans for $1 all month, along with 5 for $10 High Life Buckets, and it’s All Jacked Up Month with $3.75 Jack Daniels. On November 19th, the Rat Pac will be playing from 8pm-close. We will have judging for the best and worst staches with prizes from Jack Daniels, Miller High Life, and Attic Bar Tabs. If you weren’t here last year, you gotta be. Check out last year’s pics in the Photo Album. The best part is all of this fun will be helping raise cash and awareness for men’s cancer!

No it’s not a typo! Today we join thousands in starting out the month with a clean shave as we work towards growing mustaches for the entire month to raise money and awareness for men’s cancer. The mustache, or as some call it, the “Mo” combined with November to create “Movember” a creative and fun way to get the conversation started about mens health. We are encouraging everyone to join the River of Hope team and help us spread awareness and collect donations.

Join Team River of Hope

About Movember: The Mo, slang for moustache, and November come together each year for Movember.

Movember challenges men to change their appearance and the face of men’s health by growing a moustache. The rules are simple, start Movember 1st  clean-shaven and then grow a moustache for the entire month.  The moustache becomes the ribbon for men’s health, the means by which awareness and funds are raised for cancers that affect men.  Much like the commitment to run or walk for charity, the men of Movember commit to growing a moustache for 30 days.
The idea for Movember was sparked in 2003 over a few beers in Melbourne, Australia.  The plan was simple – to bring the moustache back as a bit of a joke and do something for men’s health. No money was raised in 2003, but the guys behind the Mo realized the potential a moustache had in generating conversations about men’s health.  Inspired by the women around them and all they had done for breast cancer, the Mo Bros set themselves on a course to create a global men’s health movement.

In 2004 the campaign evolved and focused on raising awareness and funds for the number one cancer affecting men – prostate cancer. 432 Mo Bros joined the movement that year, raising $55,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia – representing the single largest donation they had ever received.
The Movember moustache has continued to grow year after year, expanding to the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, Spain, South Africa, the Netherlands and Finland.
In 2009, global participation of Mo Bros and Mo Sistas climbed to 255,755, with over one million donors raising $42 Million US equivalent dollars for Movember’s global beneficiary partners.

Joining the River of Hope team is the easiest way to help out and stay connected. We will be having many fun contests throughout the month. Register, share, donate, and show your support!