Dollars For Scholars!*

WFS Grand Re-Opening Notice In Pasadena Star News, Sept. 27, 2008

This little blurb made it into the Pasadena Star News back in September of 2008, and was about the only mention of our "new" store ever in print when ownership changed.  Although it's hard to make out, the bottom of the paragraph shows that we dedicated a portion of the day's proceeds to The Quality Of Life Center, of which the Bright Future Scholar program is a part of.  This was the start of our wonderful relationship with the visionary head of the Center, Dr. Sandra Thomas, and her entire staff.

As I mentioned on our store's Facebook page this morning, Scott and I were honored to attend the graduation ceremony of the Bright Future Scholars, held this afternoon at the Pasadena Convention Center.  I say honored, because this is such an incredible program for high achieving school kids who would otherwise be unable to take advantage of such opportunities.  In academic achievement, the Bright Futures Scholars Support Program, when compared to others with similar demographics, ranks at the top state-wide.  100% of the seniors enrolled in the program go on to enroll in college.  Today's graduating seniors are going to a variety of top colleges, including Harvard, Columbia, USC, UCLA and UC Santa Cruz  - and we couldn't be prouder of them!

It costs nothing but high grades to become part of the Bright Future Scholars.  It does cost quite a bit, however, to mentor those kids and take them on the yearly retreat to Washington, D.C., or to Sacremento, CA.  It costs a lot to make sure there are people from the Center ready to help whomever needs it, whenever they need it.  It costs the students themselves, and their families who have little to spare, a tidy sum to attend college and to provide for living and school expenses as well.  When the question of who would like to pledge a scholarship for a Bright Future Scholar graduate in 2012, Scott and I had to step up!

We pledged not just one $500.00 scholarship - we pledged two!  One scholarship will be from Webster's of Altadena, in honor of the Webster family's long tradition of service to the Altadena community.  The other will be in honor of my grandfather, Dr. Robert I. Elliott, who was Superintendent of Schools, State of Nebraska, Broken Bow County and was later president of Chadron State College for 40 years.  Chadron State College is celebrating their 100 year anniversary this year. 

As you can see by my family's history, education is important to us.  It's even more important that those who are doing well in school be able to go on, despite their economical or situational challenges.  You know I've been saying that our businesses should all be working together toward a healthy community, and making sure that our non-profits stay viable is a top priority.  No longer can we think of ourselves only - I advocate for a more holistic approach.  That's why we're putting our money where our mouth is.  Now, we've got to get busy and make enough so that we can honor (there's that word again!) our commitment.

In other news, this next Saturday is our monthly wine pairing event with OddBallGrape.com.  This time it's "Cabs For Dads And Grads" and we'll highlight different combinations of Cabernet Sauvingon with grilled meat (or grilled vegetable) sliders.  Amy's Patio Cafe will be providing the sliders and there will be much merriment as we learn which wine tastes best with what!  Mark your calendars now - the fun starts at 4:00 pm and lasts until 7:00 pm - a whole hour later than we normally close.  If you haven't been to one of our wine tastings, you're really missing out - Anne Bannon and Mike Holland of OddBallGrape.com are lively, funny and extremely knowledgeable about the vino!

Have a fabulous week ahead, my friends!

*We have collection jars in our store, at each register, for customers to drop their change into, to benefit The Quality Of Life Center.  Please make it a point to drop yours in next time you're at the store - we appreciate it!

Post Grand Opening Benefit News

I wanted to share with you how our Grand Re-Opening and Benefit for the Quality of Life Center went. Those of you who participated know what a fabulous time everyone had. If you couldn't make it, no worries....there'll be more functions soon.

We're deeply indebted to all who helped make this such a success....Bo Astrup and Revvell Ravati of Photobooth Los Angeles; Laura Gladden, who made the wonderful cakes; The Altadena Chamber of Commerce; our manufacturor's reps - Laurel from the Lynn Mitchell Group, Robin from Sales Producers representing Accents de Ville, Chris Holmes representing Greenleaf, Mindy from the FlemingChalef showroom, Marshall from SP Richards and Karen from Golden Sales; our artists Donna Barnes-Roberts, Dianna March, Penny Palumbo and Athena Meltzer; our staff members who worked their behinds off - Michelle, Leilana, Christian and Rose (in no particular order....you're all fabulous!); Christine from Waste Less Living; my daughter, Parisa and her best bud, Michelle; and finally, Dore Charbonneau who gave me such great advice.....thank you one and all! I also want to acknowledge our team member, Betsy Lopez, who couldn't be in attendance because she was recovering from giving her little sister a bone-marrow transplant....such a selfless and caring sister. We ask everyone reading to say a prayer for the Lopez family and when you come into the store, let Betsy know you're praying for them.

Since my main gal, Deb Halberstadt, was out of town, no professional pictures were taken. Not to worry, we have some coming by attendees who took pix....bear with me until they send them.

I'm very proud that we were able to spotlight The Quality of Life Center and Waste Less Living. We had many in attendance that hadn't heard of these two worthy groups and am gratified that we were able to get the word out about them. It was great to see the families whose childrens' portraits adorn our wall above the shipping area (if you haven't seen them yet, you're missing a treat!). The raffles were a blast, too....so many happy winners of wonderful merchandise and a grand prize of a $100.00 gift certificate (courtesy of SP Richards) to The Cheesecake Factory! Folks really had fun with the photobooth, provided by PhotoBooth Los Angeles (see link below)....what an exciting addition to any event!

Next on the horizon is our Holiday Open House....stay tuned for more information on that. Meanwhile, come in and enjoy the warmth of our Thanksgiving decor, have a cup of coffee or tea and a cookie sample....we're always ready to serve you!

Grand Re-Opening, Ribbon Cutting & Benefit for The Quality of Life Center

You don’t need us to tell you that times are tough lately. We will ask you to consider, however, that if you’re feeling the crunch of this economic downturn, how are charitable organizations faring these days? The answer is they’re scrambling to survive, just like we are.

This is a time when communities need to come together and step up to support our local non-profits and charities. We here at WFS feel so strongly about this that we’re dedicating 15% of our net sales on the 6th of November to the Quality of Life Center.

We’re holding this benefit simultaneously with our Grand Re-Opening and Chamber of Commerce sponsored ribbon cutting. We’ll be hosting a Chamber mixer at 5:30 p.m., after the ribbon cutting, and the store will remain open until 7:00 p.m. so we can all celebrate together.

That brings us to you and how you can support this important cause. First of all, if you’re not familiar with The Quality of Life Center and what they do, we urge you to take a moment and click on this link - http://www.qualityoflifecenterinc.com/ - to learn about their valuable efforts. Next, come into WFS on Thursday, November 6th, and make a purchase. Check out the lovely displays, have a cup of coffee or tea from Pasadena Coffee Company and enjoy some delicious treats. Meet the Bright Future Scholars and the principals of the Center and discover why what they accomplish for Altadena’s youth is so vitally important.

Along with the benefit for the Quality of Life Center, we are also introducing a new service company in Altadena called Waste Less Living. All the utensils, serveware and napkins will be supplied by them and are 100% biodegradable and compostable. Waste Less Living sets you up with everything you need for your function, along with compostable trash bags. To clean up, you dump everything, including food scraps, into the bags and they come take it away to be responsibly composted. We can’t think of a better way to help our environment and we welcome this opportunity to demonstrate the ease of how it works.

This has turned out to be a long missive and we apologize for that….we know you’re busy. The Center is a cause we here at WFS feel strongly about. We hope that you feel the same and will help support the at-risk youth in our community. Stop by any time on the 6th of November, the benefit will run from our delayed opening at 12:00 noon to our extended closing at 7:00 p.m. The ribbon cutting should be in the late afternoon followed by the Chamber of Commerce mixer at 5:30. The store will remain open for business during the mixer….we urge you to stay and meet some of Altadena’s business owners. Representatives from our various vendors will be on hand from 3:00 p.m., also, to explain their various products and answer any questions you may have. Meet and mingle with the local artists whose works are carried here at WFS. Best of all, there’ll be gourmet snacks, door prizes and a raffle for a fabulous basket chock full of our favorite goodies. To enter the raffle, simply leave your name, address and email address with any one of your WFS crew members before or during the festivities, and they’ll give you a ticket. You do need to be present to win, however, so please make arrangements to be here. As always, we’ll be playing our most favorite oldies station on XM Radio, so come sing along with us. We’re all very excited about our grand opening and benefit and we’re looking forward to celebrating with you!

WFS WELCOMES HALLOWEEN!

How we love Halloween at WFS! The very first of the fourth quarter holidays, ushering in the Fall season with fun and fabulous decorations....can't you just feel the excitement?

Scott and I, along with all of the WFS crew - Michelle, Leilana, Rosalie, Betsy and Christian - want to invite you in to check out our spooky yet elegant displays and all our wonderful new holiday themed merchandise. We're gearing up for a fantastic holiday season and, as always, we're striving to make your shopping experience an awesome one! Enjoy these pictures, taken by Deb Halberstadt of HalfCity Productions, and come visit us when you can.

Stay tuned for information about our Grand Re-Opening, Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and all day benefit for The Quality of Life Center on November 6th....I'll be posting about it soon. It's going to be quite the celebration!

Ahhhh.....September is Here!

School has started and fall is in the air, my friends. We’re now entering my very favorite time of the year and we’re just bursting with plans for the upcoming season!

Here now is our Back-to-School promotion….just look for the bright red schoolhouse and you’ll find everything you need for you or your child’s new school year. We’re making it easy for you by placing the items in one large display….come see, ‘cause it’s too cute! Remember to stay local, buy local - save gas and support your community! Staples, and big-box stores like them, may have killer deals, but did you know that when you buy from them your money doesn’t stay in your community, let alone stay in California? It’s true. Almost every big box chain store’s headquarters are located in some other state or country and your money is going there instead of here, where it’s needed. Just sayin’.

Those of you who have signed our guestbook at the store might have recently received from us an invitation to have your child(ren) professionally photographed and receive the gallery-wrapped canvas photo free of charge after they hang in our “Growing Up Gallery”. This is not a gimmick or a trick to get you to buy or a sham or a lie….this is the real deal. Penelope Palumbo, of Pasadena’s Studio P3, is a dear friend of Michelle’s, and wants to expand her photographic efforts here in Altadena. What better way, she thought, than to run a promotion through WFS….invite our most treasured customers to have their child’s photo taken at the Studio with every professional amenity available, have the completed canvas exhibited at WFS through the 4th quarter, and receive the canvas absolutely free after Studio P3 finishes with it? What an excellent gift this would make….who wouldn’t love a gorgeous photo of your child? Or you could, of course, keep it and have it hanging in your home for all to admire. Whichever, this is a fantastic opportunity to receive a large-sized piece of art and pay nothing….no strings attached. Oh wait….there will be a party held for the family and friends of the chosen models and we’ll advise you of the date for that later on. If you got an invitation, please respond soon, as there are only 10 available slots, 4 of which have already been spoken for. Multiple children in one photo is acceptable….if you have any other questions or concerns, please contact Lori or Michelle at the store.

I also want to keep you all informed of upcoming plans for more functions benefiting Dr. Sandra Thomas’ Quality of Life Center. As you know, we’ve partnered with the Center, as we believe there is nothing more precious than our children, and the future of our country lies in their hands. Our children, every one of them, deserves to have every educational avenue open to them so they can succeed in today’s world. We want to help Dr. Thomas realize that dream. We all need to be aware of the great need in our community for a program like this. Please take a moment, click on her link on this page and discover what the Quality of Life Center is all about. Help us support our future!

As a reminder, we’re receiving new merchandise all the time. Why not drop by and see? As always, there’s a hot cuppa coffee or tea waiting, just for you. See you soon!

High Hopes and Community Involvement

Forgive my sporadic posting, please....I'm still adjusting to having a blog to keep up. I'll get better at it, I hope.

I'd like to take a quick minute here and talk about what's happening next week, the Saturday before Easter specifically. WFS is having an Easter-themed coloring contest for the children of Altadena (well, actually, it's a raffle, because all the kids are winners in our book) that culminates Saturday the 22nd of this month. We're very excited to announce that the winning names, of which there will be 3, will be drawn by none other than the Easter Bunny himself. How fun will this be for your young ones? Bring 'em on in, there'll be wonderful Easter baskets for the prize winners and no child will leave empty handed......don't forget your cameras, either, 'cause you'll definately want to get a picture of your cutie and Mr. Bunny!

After you enjoy the Easter fun, you can browse our store.....you might notice the banner hung by our office windows above the cash station. This banner is announcing that 25% of our sales for the entire day on the 22nd will be donated to the Bright Future Scholars for the benefit of Antwan Havard. The Bright Future Scholars are a group of middle and high school high-acheivers under the wing of Dr. Sandra Thomas, Altadena's current Citizen of the Year. Being part of this highly respected group allows a child to expand their educational horizons, exposing them to real-life studies of current events that will contribute to shaping their lives. To that end, they are planning a Spring Retreat in Washington, D.C., this April. Each child needs $2,000.00 to cover their expenses for this important trip, and Antwan was anticipating going with everyone when April rolled around.....but the unthinkable happened and his grandmother passed away. Money that was earmarked toward Antwan's trip had to be used to honor is grandmother's memory, and because of that, his long-awaited trip is in jeoprady. One of my associates, Leilana, knows Antwan and his family very well and brought me a letter Antwan wrote requesting help getting to Washington, D.C. with the Bright Futures Scholars. What could I do, I thought, to help this child take this trip to our nation's capitol? I'd just been at the Chamber of Commerce dinner honoring Dr. Thomas and was so impressed with her accomplishments and moreso by the obvious pride she takes in "her kids", who were there in numbers supporting and cheering her on. I told her that evening that I'd love to do something to help.....this, I thought, is the perfect time to begin doing something. Webster's has been a presence in Altadena for well over 80 years and I believe that we should use that presence to help our community and its most valuable assets.....the children. So come by on Saturday.....don't feel pressured to buy anything, but all of us would sure appreciate it if you did.....you could just leave a donation for Antwan with one of us, if you'd rather.