I'm the VERY PROUD mom of a 14 year old boy with a heart of gold!

Tad is a GREAT kid! He never gets in trouble and never has a mean word to say about anyone, ever.  He's a very kind and gentle person. Tad was named Spanish Student of the Year 2015-2016. As a well deserving student with great grades and no disciplinary issues, he is eligible for the trip of a lifetime! Norfolk Public Schools is sponsoring a trip to Costa Rica for eligible 8th and 9th grade students. Tad is working hard to fundraise so he can plan to go to Costa Rica in June 2017 with his peers from NPS. He has asked that I chaperone & join him on this monumental trip. Financially speaking, in order for us to be able to make this dream a reality, we have to do some serious work!

We're working on all kinds of fundraising opportunities. Currently, we're making meals together! Our goal is to help make it easier for more families to be able to sit down and have dinner together, while also raising funds for our trip.  Families today are busy! Sitting down to share a meal is becoming less possible than ever before; so Tad and I are working together and hoping the convenience of having dinner done and ready to go - will be a win/win way for us to raise money! Tad and I are working side by side to provide busy families with a meal option that will make it easier to have dinner, together, as a family. We're also planning to bake treats for our four-legged family members too! All the profits from the meals will be used to fund the Costa Rica trip.

Another idea we've had is to offer a Christmas gift wrapping service. You provide the ribbon, tape and paper - and we'll wrap all your gifts! Talk about a HUGE time saver! No need to take your entire day off to wrap gifts OR make dinner! We'll do both for you! We trying to think of many ways we can EARN money for our trip to Costa Rica.

And, if you know us, you know we AIM HIGH. We're determined to raise enough money to be able to bring a donation to the local students that Tad will meet and learn from while we're in Costa Rica. We're planning to investigate what is most needed and how we can help make a difference for other kids. Tad and I also share a HUGE  "love of sloths". Unlike other mammals, sloths cannot regulate their body temperatures, so they can only live in humid, warm environments. For this reason, protection of their Central American habitat is vital to this species' continued survival. Every day, hundreds of sloths are falling victim to the land development, urbanization, and habitat destruction occurring in South and Central America. From power line electrocutions and dog attacks, to road collisions, habitat loss and human cruelty – it is a long and sad list of threats. Thankfully there are a number of individual groups working tirelessly to protect the sloths through research and/or rehabilitation programs. Tad and I would like to be able to help make a difference and make a donation to help the groups and individuals that are working so hard to help save the sloths! We're thoroughly investigating the different sloth sanctuaries in Costa Rica. Our goal is to be able to hand deliver a generous donation to the sanctuary that we feel is most deserving. We would like to raise enough to potentially donate to more than one group. So many of the organizations that are working to protect the animals of the rain forest operate solely through donations and volunteers. It would warm our hearts to be able to give back!

Many people we know and would love to reach, just don't live close enough to be able to benefit from our meals or gift wrapping services. And, for that reason, via this page, I am also making it possible for donations to be made towards the trip. Please let us know if you make a donation and would like for us to include your name among the list of generous donors when we give back to the students and the sloth sanctuary.

Quite honestly, It feels awkward for me to ask for a donation without being able to offer something in return. I've hesitated, on multiple occasions, to create a way for people to donate since we aren't able to provide something in return. Although we may not be able to offer anything tangible for your donation; please know that your gift is sincerely appreciated. You are helping make the dreams of a really great kid come true! Tad is my first born, and he had me all to himself for 3 and half years. But as many of you can relate, as your family increases, your individual time spent with each child has a way of decreasing. My two younger children have required a lot more from me in the past few years, and often it makes me feel like I'm not there for Tad as much as I would like. When he asked me to please chaperone the trip, I saw this as a way that I could give back to him. I am so grateful to potentially have the opportunity to experience these 10 days of "firsts" with Tad. I will work tirelessly to make this trip a reality.

Please know that your generosity is greatly appreciated.