Greetings friends and family...the Christmas season is here!
It's time to announce the 4th annual Kurozawa Kids Christmas Wish Drive to benefit the Milwaukee Rescue Mission.
This year the donation drive is coordinated through @AMillion4Kids, meaning this year we are also able to accept cash donations.

Mia (6th grade) and Noah (4th grade) have enjoyed supporting the Milwaukee Rescue Mission the past few years, being able to bring smiles to children and families who are going through difficult times, but none of it has been possible with out the support and generosity of our friends and family.

This year Mia and Noah welcome their younger sister Isabela (Kindergarten) into the fold.

Below is a list of the Christmas Wish items that the Milwaukee Rescue Mission is asking for this year:
ChristmasNeeds
• New toys for children,
from babies to teens
• Watches and jewelry
• Perfumes
• Lotions
• Soaps and Luffas
• Women’s robes
and slippers
• Gift cards
• Wrapping paper—
we will need to wrap
hundreds of gifts!

HOLIDAYWISH LIST
Clothing
• Socks and insulated gloves
(men, women and children)
• Hats and scarves for men,
women and children
• Underwear (all sizes,
especially children’s
sizes 2-6, men’s &
women’s large sizes)
• Men’s belts
KitchenNeeds
• Juice
• Fruit
• Snack items
Personal&Baby Care
• Diapers (sizes 4, 5, 6)
• Pull-ups
• Baby wipes
• Spill-proof sippy cups, baby bottles
• Pain relievers, cough/cold/flu medications with
no alcohol content (infant, child and adult strengths)
• Hand lotion
• Deodorant
• Vaseline

Any help that you can provide between now and December 19th would be greatly appreciated. The kids are hoping for the largest donation to date for this effort.

Please pick something on the list…or if you are interested in making a monetary donation, please make checks out to “A Million 4 Kids” and put MRM in the Memo line.

For more information, please feel free to contact me at jon.kurozawa@gmail.com
The kids will be coordinating donation pickups between December 4-19, with final drop off on Monday December 20th at the Milwaukee Rescue Mission.

Thank you and God Bless this Christmas season!

Time for a little clarification on a few items from my last blog concerning Rob and his children…

1. His power was shut off a few months back. Yes I am fully aware of the WE Energies policies of not shutting power and heat between November 1 and March 1, but I am investigating whether they will turn previously cut off utilities back on after that time.
2. I know there are a lot of people going through similar circumstances this season…and I sincerely hope each and every person gets help. This one is close to my heart and I am willing to do anything for my friend and his children.

Now is the time to make something happen…I am looking for help in putting together a fundraiser…maybe as simple as a Tweet-up type event at a restaurant or family friendly venue, maybe a few silent auction items and a small cover charge.

Seems like I am always promoting something, whether it is for work or something for my kids…but this is something that I hope everyone considers helping with. Doesn’t matter what it is or how much it is, every little bit will help.

My promise to everyone that reads this…every single penny of money raised will got to the things that need to be taken care of…

Thanks and God’s blessings to all of you.

Earlier this week I posted about my friend Rob and his children and the help they need. I wanted to update all of you...and let you know the seriousness of the situation.

Rob and his children spent the day with our family for a Thanksgiving weekend celebration. It was at this time, later into the evening that we realized the gravity of the situation.

Once again his power (and heat) has been shut off, and he will not have any income coming in until after the first of the year (he works a part-time seasonal job and there are no hours available.
He has been applying for assistance and looking for additional work, but he has had little to no success.

Friends...I am asking you once again to help. Rob is trying to re-build his life for his children, get onto the path that we lead to a meaningful life for them.

They can not get started without some help...lots of it. My wife and I are doing what we can, but honestly we cannot do it alone.

I am going to directly ask....we need financial donations to help them get the following:
1. A new place to live (preferably a 2-3 bedroom apt that is not falling apart)
2. Caught up on their electric/heating so they can have power and heat
3. a stable job with income that can at least cover their bills

Yes I know there are thousands of others that need help...but this is my friend...someone that is dear to our family.

I need help coordinating some sort of a fundraiser for them in the next few weeks, plus the obvious financial contributions to get the ball rolling for them NOW.

This is a tough season to be asking for help, with so many organizations looking for help.

I have faith in the power of social media and the hearts of others. Please please please help Rob and his children

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Thanksgiving and the Holidays….after the “interesting” year the Kurozawa family has had, we are extremely thankful for our friends, family and the community that helped us out when we needed help.

Now our family focus goes to helping others, but primarily one family this holiday season.

Rob has been a friend for 25 years and is going through a situation I cannot imagine.
A single dad raising two young daughters, left in a financial mess thanks to a disastrous relationship, trying to get custody of his stepson who is in the foster care system.

Living in an apartment with a landlord that does not care about his tenants or their safety, limited income dues to employment troubles, and recently had his power shut off due to months of being able to pay.

Our family wanted to “adopt” Rob and his daughters this Christmas to make sure the girls get a visit from Santa, but getting them presents doesn’t seem to be the right thing to do when they are in such need.

Once again I turn to you, my friends, colleagues and social media family. You came to our aid in July, helped out the amazing family of @TeecycleTim…can we do it one more time?

The need here is immense: a new place to live, a job, money to help get caught up on utilities. I am personally asking for your help to give the greatest Christmas gift we can give Rob and his family.

I am working on arranging a bank account for donations to go to, but I need your help.
With a combined 1,900 friends on Twitter and Facebook, plus another 500 connections on LinkedIn, I figure we could all make a major impact with just a few dollars each.

Rob does not know I am doing this for him (any being the prideful guy he is will get mad) but his family needs our help.
Stay tuned to my Twitter account for updates…Thank you for your help!

A few days ago I was inspired to start writing the “Journey of Life” blog…but I was hit with another inspiration that is changing my vision for this blog, at least for the next 8 weeks.

These final two months of 2010 will be filled with thoughts of Thanksgiving and Christmas, two holidays that many of us have begun to take for granted. This is a time of the year that my wife and I have worked over the past few years to inspire our children to care for others and give more than they receive.

With that in mind, I cannot write a blog that is focusing in on my life.

In the spirit of the “Give This New Year Away” blogs from earlier this year, I will be dedicating the next 8 weeks to focusing on others in need.

There will be suggestions of ways to give back, stories of triumph during the holidays, listings of volunteer opportunities and special events to participate in. Plus I will feature people and families that may need our help in one way or another.

This will be something unlike anything I have done before…but I look forward to sharing with you and hopefully inspiring you, while I inspire my children.

Won’t you please join me and my family, as we embark on this holiday adventure. Share your ideas, stories and events with all of us.

In the words of Matthew West…let’s Give This Christmas (and holiday season) Away!

Food pantries have become a resource for an increasing number of families, supplying them with necessary items to be able to feed them.
Like many organizations of this nature rely on not only donations, but volunteers.
Sorting, packing and distributing are a number of the things that food pantries need to do. Without volunteers, people can not get served.
Find a local food pantry...whether it is one of the larger ones in you city or a small church or community based one...contact them and see what help they need. One day a month would be a huge help for them.
Take it a step further and organize a group from work, your church or even friends and family and go together a day to volunteer.

Spring is a time of renewal, of new growth, of new beginnings.

What a great time to help with new growth by planting flowers...at home, at someone else's home, at a business...there are many places to do it.

Get your family together and plant flowers for an elderly neighbor or at a retirement community.

Work with a group at your church and plant a garden at your church.

Get your company to coordinate planting flowers in the city, on a boulevard or median flower plot.

Looking for something longer lasting?
Get a tree seedling (or more) and plant them...creating a legacy for your family (and helping the environment at the same time)

Spring is the time of renewal; grass greening, trees budding, flowers growing.

It is also a time when we begin to see more fundraising efforts from kids (much like fall)
Personally I have seen a couple in recent weeks…Girl Scout Cookie tables at the grocery store (which I have a love for since my oldest daughter is a 5th grade Jr. Girl Scout) and Little League Baseball candy bar sales.

I know a lot of times we get annoyed with the number of these selling opportunities we see, and it may seem like we are getting bombarded. Please remember one thing (especially those of you without children) lots of times, these fundraisers are required or necessary. Many Little League organizations require players to sell a certain amount of candy (don’t blame the kids)

Though we can’t say yes to every single one of these (unless you just won the $258 million Powerball), consider saying yes to at least a few. IF you can’t buy, don’t just blow the kids off. Stop for a moment, find out more about what the kids are selling and if you can’t buy, respectfully decline.

Also…now is the time that more and more charity run/walks and events pop up. Pick one or two (especially if they are presented by family or friends) and consider offering some financial support. Even a $5 or $10 pledge can make a difference.

I know first hand how rough things can be financially, but one or two dollars here or there to benefit a group or organization is much more important that that bottle of soda, bag of chips or cup of over priced coffee is!

**Special note to those of you with kids that do a lot of fundraising activities: remember the people that buy from you. If someone that has bought from you comes around selling something…make an effort to purchase from them. Personally this gets a little tough for our family (considering how many Girl Scout cookies and Cub Scout wreaths have been sold by my kids) but we do our best. It’s not a one way street!

Today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, a day when we are all supposed to remember the amazing resource we have been given with our planet and do what we can to protect it and save it.
One of the easiest way we can do something to help it to look right at home, in our yards, neighborhoods and immediate communities. One of the things our family loves to do (when the weather cooperates) if go for a walk around our neighborhood.
Take a half hour or more today to do the same…go for a walk. But along with doing this, bring a couple plastic grocery bags with you. If you see some trash, pick it up. This may seem like a small mundane task, but if each of my 1,000+ followers on Twitter, 500+ friends on Facebook all did this, then encouraged all of their friends…pretty soon we have thousands of people all over the country taking a walk and cleaning up.
Go a step further, get a group together…from work, church or anywhere you participate. Find a local park to clean up. Go into a neighborhood that needs help. Go along a river and cleanup.
Do your kids play soccer, baseball…participate in scouting? Get those groups involved too.
Lots of simple little ways that we can make an impact. And of course there is always Reduce, Reuse and Recycle…the 3 R’s of making our planet a little better.
April 22nd is Earth Day, but let’s make everyday of the year Earth Day

Earth Day is just a few days away, when we start thinking of ways to save the planet. We will see a multitude of projects and events organized to clean up our cities and surrounding areas.

You can help in many different ways...by starting in your neighborhood. Take a walk, bring a bag...see some trash and pick it up.

Want to take it to another level? Get your family and friends together, pick one of the area parks and start cleaning up.

It doesn't take much for each of us to make an impact on the way our cities look...let's start it today.