MISS Foundation - San Antonio Chapter

We are wrapping up our Amazing Women series by featuring two special women and an amazing organization that holds a special place in our hearts here at BuySparklers.com.

Many of you know Nicole Sparks, who is the heart and soul of BuySparklers.com.  She is the gal who answers every phone call and email and she makes sure that each order is shipped with care.  Today, we honor Nicole and her friend and colleague, Jennifer Soos, who together founded the Alamo City MISS Foundation.  http://www.alamocitymissfoundation.org/

www.AlamoCityMissFoundation.org

The MISS Foundation provides support to families before, during and after the death of a child at any age, from any cause.  They have created a community of compassion and hope for grieving families and what they provide, in my opinion, is nothing short of heroic. 

Please help us honor and support this organization!  We will donate $1 for every LIKE or SHARE on Facebook of this post between March 25 and April 10.  The link to this post is:  https://www.facebook.com/buysparklers?ref=hl

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BuySparklers.com is celebrating our 10th Anniversary by sharing the stories of women and organizations who do amazing things. Do you know someone in your community who has gone the extra mile and changed the lives of those around her? Send us a message with her story and we will feature her!

Sparklers on Sale!

Spring is in the air and is bringing all the beautiful sunshine and warmer weather!  I am fortunate to live in a climate that is already getting warm and is shaking off old man winter's coat! The warm weather means that I will begin to start seeing invitations for weddings appear in my mailbox!

www.warstoweddings.com

With the wedding season on the way, we have lowered the price of some of our more popular sparklers by 20%.  We know how expensive a wedding can be and want to pass some savings on to the bride.  Our #14 Gold Wedding Sparklers, #20 Gold Wedding Sparklers, #14 Gold Party Sparklers and our #20 Gold Party Sparklers are all discounted and are on sale.  If you ware wanting to purchase sparklers for your grand exit, now is a GREAT time to do so!

Not only have we lowered our prices, but we have implemented a shipping guarantee.  If your order does not go out by the next business day - it is 50% off.  We stand by our committment to getting your order to you as quickly as possible.  In many instances, orders have left our warehouse the same day it was placed to ensure it arrives in time for an event. 

We have taken all the stress of ordering sparklers away!

Best Kiss Photo

Whether the bride or groom are planning on departing from the wedding ceremony or the reception, a lot of planning goes into a grand exit that will leave guests with something to talk about.

Mary Alice Macias sent me this photo from her grand exit which was at the beautiful Granberry Hills right here in San Antonio.  Sparklers not only bring excitement, but also they add a warm, elegant touch to any exit. 

exposetheheart.com

Mary Alice and her new husband Eric chose our #14 Gold Wedding Sparklers to have their guests hold up to make a tunnel for them to stroll through at the end of their reception.  What I really loved about this photo was that Mary Alice and Eric stopped at the end of the tunnel to share a tender kiss.  What a beautiful moment that photographers Irene and David Castillo caught!

This picture wins our Best Kiss Photo!  Although we didn't actually have a category for best kiss, but if we did, it would have certainly won first place.  This photo was too beautiful not to share!

Thank you to Mary Alice for sending in her amazing picture.  And a special thank you to Irene and David Castillo for allowing us to share it with you,

Gretchen Garceau-Kragh, Nancy Diehl and Marley Diehl – The Cannoli Fund

We are celebrating 10 years of sparklers with a series of blog posts that tell the stories of inspiring women and how they make a difference in the lives of others.  We are so excited to share these stories and we hope you will help us spread the word, too!

Today, we would like to introduce you to Gretchen Garceau-Kragh, Nancy Diehl and Marley Diehl, co- founders of The Cannoli Fund.  The Cannoli Fund provides assistance to the residents of the King William and Lavaca neighborhoods of San Antonio, TX who wish to get their animals, or those they are feeding, spayed or neutered. 

The Cannoli Fund was named after Gretchen's spirited cat Cannoli, a feral rescue she took in when he was five weeks old.  The organization has an active and growing fan base on Facebook and also writes a quarterly newsletter called "Cat Chat with Cannoli", which answers questions about caring for cats and dogs.

We think that Gretchen, Marley and Nancy are doing something very special for their neighborhood.  These lovely ladies saw a need and filled it with information, resources, action and enthusiasm.  The best part of this story is knowing they are raising awareness about trap, neuter and release (or TNR) programs in other communities, too!

http://thecannolifund.org/tcf/projects/contact/

To read more about The Cannoli Fund, see this article written by Collette Orquiz that was recently published in Local Community News:   http://thecannolifund.org/tcf/projects/local-news-february-2013/

Help us support Gretchen, Nancy, Marley and The Cannoli Fund!  For every LIKE to this post on Facebook, between now and March 15, we will donate $1 to The Cannoli Fund. 

Do you know someone in your community who has gone the extra mile and changed the lives of those around her? Send us a message with her story and we will feature her!

Yale's Diwali Celebration

Diwali, known as the Festival of Lights, was celebrated on November 13th in 2012.  This Indian festival is a 5 day long celebration that takes place all across the world.

I was thrilled when Debra Rohr from Yale University sent me this fabulous photo of the Hindu Student Council enjoying the festivities.  The University hosted its 8th Annual Diwali Celebration on their campus.  They had a beautiful prayer ceremony, followed by the students lighting their sparklers, then a traditional Indian dinner was served.

http://www.haroldshapirophoto.com/

Debra and I talk each year around Diwali to ensure their Festival of Lights turns out incredible!  This year she decided to use our #20 Gold Diwali Sparklers so the students could enjoy the sparklers longer since it has a 2 minute burn time.

I always look forward to hearing from Debra and about their upcoming celebration.   Thank you Debra for sharing your Diwali picture and a special thank you to Harold Shapiro for allowing us to showcase his incredible work!