M.I.S.S Foundation..

CHECK OUT THIS WONDERFUL ORGANIZATION

They Have been my backbone for the last 9 years.....Michael..


About MISS

More than 120,000 children die every year in the United States. Of those, more than 80% die before their first birthday...
The MISS Foundation is a nonprofit corporation committed to helping families discover hope and eventually heal from the trauma of a child's death.

More information on the MISS Foundation visit our information packet link:
http://www.missfoundation.org/news/mediakit/index.html

Vision

That our programs will serve to strengthen families and communities when a child has died, and that through education and research, we will help to reduce the number of child deaths. No family should have to endure the pain of a child family member's death alone: The MISS Foundation is committed to building interdisciplinary communities that provide long-term support to families after a child's death. We are committed to the memory of the children who lived, who died, and who continue- even in death- to matter.


"A community of sorrow is the strongest community of all."

Memorial Donations

You may make a memorial donation in memory of a child. Acknowledgements will be listed in the MISSing Angels Newsletter and acknowledgement memorial cards sent. The monies will be used for our Emergency Services program, which provides free literature, books, and support group brochures to families who have experienced the death of their child. You can sponsor an entire Emergency Packet. We will also include a Kindness Project card signed in honor of your child or grandchild.

Memorial Donations or Emergency Packet Sponsors can send their gift to:

MISS Foundation- Memorial Donations
P.O. Box 5333
Peoria, Arizona 85385-5333

Or Donate Online

All donations are tax deductible

To contact the MISS Foundation:

International Office
1.623.979.1000
1.623.979.1001 fax

Toll Free in the U.S.
888 455-MISS (6477)

Written inquiries:
PO Box 5333
Peoria, Arizona 85385-5333

Email:
info@missfoundation.org

About the Kindness Project
The Kindness Project began in October of 1997 as a way for families to honor their deceased child and to help themselves heal. Now, years later, more than 500,000 Kindness Project cards have been used around the world to perform random acts of kindness in memory of a child, parent, friend, or spouse who died before their time.
The idea is to perform random acts of, usually anonymous, acts of kindness in your community. A little card is left behind so that the person who benefits from the kindness knows that someone's life and death continues to matter. This beautiful movement has helped thousands of families to heal and find positive outlets for their overwhelming grief.

The History of the Kindness Project


The Kindness Project is a worldwide movement to share our children (or other loved ones) with those who never had the honor to meet them. Let me tell you why I am so excited about this project...

My daughter, Cheyenne, died in July of 1994. It was the worst day of my life. I never imagined myself laughing or ever experiencing joy again.

I began to seek out ways to keep Cheyenne's memory alive to my family and to the rest of the world: I wanted to create a legacy. I wanted people to know that she existed and, more importantly, I wanted to help change the lives of others because of her presence on this earth.

So I set out on various missions of random kindness. On a daily basis, I looked for opportunities to reach out and do something unexpected and unusually kind for someone else. Most often, strangers were the recipients of these good deeds. I began to feel a sense of peace in knowing that Cheyenne was the reason for my enlightening.

The Kindness Project blossomed out of the extraordinary experiences I had while doing things for others. Because truly miraculous things happen to our spirit when we reach out to help others, I sought a way to share that movement with others.

It is our hope that through the Kindness Project, we can make incredible transformations within our communities, in our families, and in ourselves. Just imagine if every person touched by death would participate in helping to transform the world into a gentler and more altruistic world! What an impact this would have on so many levels!

The Kindness Project reminds others that our children, and other loved ones, are so very important to us that we are willing to extend the life and love of our child and share it with others! It is a legacy that transcends death. It is a legacy of love.

Joanne Cacciatore
joanne@missfoundation.org







Kindness Stories Read stories about how others have used the Kindness Project to share their lost loved one with the world!

More Kindness Stories! Here you can read more stories of Kindness acts as well as post your own kindness story! Share *your* loved one with the world on the Kindness Project forum board.

Kindess Project Ideas The first step in Project Kindness is to seek out ways, look for opportunities, to do something nice for someone. This takes very little creativity, as I have found kind deeds waiting to be done thousands of times.

Kindness Cards Here are samples of the Kindness cards, available in two styles. Order yours today and start spreading kindness wherever you go!

Articles - Read articles that have appeared in local newspapers about the Kindness Project. Random acts of kindness are showing up all over!



"Above all we must realize that each of us
makes a difference with our life. Each of us
impacts the world around us every single
day. We have a choice to use the gift of our life to
make the world a better place - or not to bother."
-Jane Goodall

Crime of Cowards / Stop Hit and Run in Arizona

After losing my Daughter to a hit and run driver in 2001, , I feel the strong need to have a place for others who have lost someone to this conscienceless crime, As I watch the nightly news here in Arizona, there is not a night that goes by that there isn't a story about another hit and run, And as I watch this I relive our loss...Hoping to build support here to help increase penalty for this horrible crime!

This New Website will feature Hit and Run drivers for all to see \

http://crimeofcowards.com/

Classic...Elvin Bishop

Growing up in the 1940s on a farm in Iowa with a loving but non musical family, Elvin seldom heard music as a kid. "This was before TV," Elvin says, "and on the radio you got a lot of Frank Sinatra and 'How Much Is That Doggie In the Window' type of stuff." The family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, when Elvin was 10, in 1952. Tulsa was "totally segregated," says Elvin, "I mean, hard core." However, "the one thing they couldn't segregate was the airwaves. When rock and roll started up in the mid-'50s, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and Little Richard showed up on white radio."


And then, late one night when Elvin was 14 or 15, the atmospheric conditions a little rough, Jimmy Reed's harmonica came cutting through the static from WLAC in Nashville, and Elvin Bishop's life was changed. The song was "Honest I Do." "That piercing harp came through, cutting in like a knife, and I said, 'Oh, man, that's it.' I found out that blues was where the good part of rock and roll was coming from." And about that time, he started trying to play guitar. "I wanted to play it from the beginning," Elvin says. "I kept trying and then quitting it. Hurtin' my fingers, playing those old pawn-shop guitars with the strings two inches off the fret board. Nobody I knew played." But he kept after it. "Not being able to dance, and seeing how the musicians did with the girls, and loving the music, I finally stuck with it."


Hooked on the sounds emerging from the radio, Elvin had to find out where they were coming from and who was responsible. When he was awarded a National Merit Scholarship in 1959, he could have gone to pretty much any college he wanted, but chose The University Of Chicago, because that's where the blues were. And so he landed in the middle of one of the richest and most vital scenes in blues history. "Any night of the week you could hear Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Hound Dog Taylor, Otis Rush, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, Magic Sam, Bobby King, Eddie King, Little Smokey, Big Smokey, and a whole ton of people you never heard of."


His first week in Chicago, he came across Paul Butterfield, who was sitting on some steps drinking beer and playing blues on guitar. "We fell together right away," says Elvin. "I was amazed to find other white guys into blues." After playing with a lot of different people, including J.T. Brown, Hound Dog Taylor and Junior Wells, Elvin hooked up with Butterfield to form the legendary Paul Butterfield Blues Band, with bassist Jerome Arnold and drummer Sam Lay, who'd been Howlin' Wolf's rhythm section. Producer Paul Rothchild of Elektra Records encouraged them to add guitarist Michael Bloomfield. "I'd met Bloomfield before, in a pawn shop," says Elvin, "when I was looking for guitars. We got to talking. He got a guitar out, started playing circles around the world."


In 1965 the Butterfield band went into the studio and recorded The Paul Butterfield Blues Band album, which turned out to be a sea-change record for thousands of rock fans and musicians. An integrated band playing blues music in 1965 was unheard of. It introduced a lot of people to the blues, and to the musicians who had influenced the Butterfield band. After several more albums with Butterfield, including the pivotal genre bending East West, Bishop took off on his own. "I wanted to stretch out, see how far I could take it on my own," says Elvin. Bishop had visited San Francisco with the Butterfield band during the Summer of Love in 1967. "I loved the people, the weather, and not having to watch my back all the time." And like several other Chicago musicians he ended up moving to the Bay Area.


The 70's saw Elvin hit the charts with solo tracks like "Travelin' Shoes," "Sure Feels Good" and what would become his biggest hit, "Fooled Around and Fell in Love," with a powerful vocal by Mickey Thomas (later of Jefferson Starship). During the 1980's, Elvin spent most of his time on the road, "entertaining the people and maybe having a little too much fun myself." Later in the decade he hooked up with Alligator for a number of excellent albums that grew right out of his blues roots.


Elvin's brand new release "The Blues Rolls On" on Delta Groove Music, harks back to Bishop's roots, paying tribute to the musicians who helped give him his start. A who's who of blues musicians support Bishop on the album, including B.B. King, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, George Thorogood, James Cotton, Kim Wilson, Tommy Castro, John Nemeth, Ronnie Baker Brooks, and Angela Strehli. Bishop handles the majority of the vocals, with Nemeth and others pitching in as well.


Bishop revisits his own '70s solo hit "Struttin' My Stuff" with Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks, Junior Wells' "Come On In This House," and the Butterfield Band's "Yonders Wall" and Hound Dog Taylor's "Send You Back To Georgia." He also contributes the autobiographical boogie "Oklahoma," played solo electric. Sessions for the rollicking album ranged from Jacksonville, FL to Clarksdale, MS, and to a cruise ship off the Mexican coast.


Bishop is a slide guitar great with 45-years of blues under his belt. Rolling Stone has tagged Bishop's music as "raucous," praising his "careening slide and razor-edged bursts, all delivered with unflagging enthusiasm and wit. "The Blues Rolls On" is another defining moment in Bishop's long career and a welcome reminder that the blues is still alive and well.

Memory Lane

Too Wild To Tame

DIRTY DAN BUCK OF THE BOYZZ | Myspace Music Videos

THE BOYZZ FROM ILLINOIZZ /TY FOR ALLLLLLL THE GOOD TIMES

Bobbitt Family Update

Crisis runs in the family

Bobbitt Family Update

In a recent news broadcast, it was announced that Lorena Bobbitt's sister Louella was arrested for an
alleged attempt to perform the same act on her husband as her famous sister had done several years ago.

Sources reveal the sister was not as accurate as Lorena.

She allegedly missed the target and stabbed her husband in the upper thigh causing severe muscle and tendon damage. The husband is reported to be in serious, but stable Condition, and Louella has been charged with...?
?

A Misdawiener!

Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich

YOU WANTED THE RECIPE ?? HERE IT IS.............
The Italian beef sandwich is serious business in Chicago. We're not fooling around here. Everyone has their favorite place. Once people make up there mind that's it. There's no changing it.
Let's separate the favorites by territory. Taylor Street has Al's No. 1 Italian Beef, Elmwood Park has Johnnie's Beef, River North has Mr. Beef, Buona Beef in Berwyne and Max's Famous Italian Beef on North Western Ave., AND my FAVE Frannies in Schiller Park, just to name a few.Where I come from many of us grew up with Al's. After trying all the rest Al's still remains my favorite.
Now that I touched on the legendary Chicago Italian beef sandwich lets get to my not so famous recipe. You can try it at home. It's good and you'll enjoy it but don't even tell me the ones I mentioned are better, I'm sure they are. They've been making them a lot longer than I have.
Still I guarantee this Italian beef sandwich will be one of the best home recipes you'll make.

INGREDIENTS 5 pound rump roast 6 cloves of garlic chopped fine 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp of dried basil 1 tsp of dried thyme 1 onion slice 2 cups of beef broth 1/2 cup of red wine 1/2 cup of water 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper 1 tsp salt 3 red and green bell peppers Italian Rolls PREPARATION Mix garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Rub mixture into beef. Massage it thoroughly. Like you're on a date. Place the beef in a large plastic bag and add 1 cup of broth, wine and onion. Let marinate in the refrigerator for about 4 hours or overnight. Heat oven to 350 degrees Place roast in a roasting pan and pour the marinade over the roast. Add the remaining broth and water. Roast with no lid for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours turning once within that time. Remove roast and let stand till cool. Reserve juice. Slice beef thin on a meat slicer. If you don't have a slicer, get one. You'll use it for a lot more things than roast beef. Place beef in juice. Cut peppers into slices and saute in oil until done.Slice your rolls and pile on that juicy beef. Add sweet peppers or giardinera and eat. Don't forget those napkins. In the summer, try this recipe on a grill. Oh my goodness!

Memory of James Jigg's Kovin

REST IN PEACE MY FRIEND

Well it never gets any easier even as we are all "grown up"  Its been one year sinceI lost my Pal   James "Jiggs" Kovin. I use the term Pal because thats how my friend always referred to me as his Pal.My man Jiggs brought back that word Pal out of retirement and made it a word of value again We we met almost 10 years ago to the date I knew this was a good man, He was my friend, my mentor also as he always said he was my anger management guru....And he was  lol...When ever he would walk into the house he would always greet me the same   "Hows my man pots and pans...It became are regular saying along with some of the other nicknames he came up for me along with the crazy eyetie...We spent 9 great years together and building ourselfs quite a group of friends along the way.All of who always smiled when he came in the room.In life you get to meet a very few people like Jiggs and I realized what a great addition to my life he had become.My man you will never be forgotten as you were my PAL and loved you very much. Now my pal its time for you to rest and know you left a mark on the people that you have touched along the way even more than you could have ever figured.So rest in peace my friend and thank you for being you.....................Love always....... your man pots and pans

Spread the Stupidity

Spread the Stupidity

Only in  America  ...do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

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Only in  America  ...do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a Diet Coke.

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Only in  America  ...do banks leave vault doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.

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Only in  America  ...do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

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Only in America  ...do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight. 
 

Only in  America  ...do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.

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EVER WONDER...

Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?

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Why can't women    put on mascara with their mouth closed?

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Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?

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Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word?

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Why is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'?

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Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?

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Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

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Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

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Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?

Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?
 

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Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?

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You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!

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Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

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Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?

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I like this one!!!
If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?

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If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?

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Now that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread the stupidity

I Owe My Mother

I Owe My Mother

************************************** 1.. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE .

"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."


2. My mother taught me RELIGION.

"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."


3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL..

"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"



4. My mother taught me LOGIC.

"Because I said so, that's why." ;


5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC .

"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."



6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.

"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident.."



7. My mother taught me IRONY.

"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."



8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS .

"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."



9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISTS.

"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"



10. My mother taught me about STAMINA .

"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."



11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.

"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."



12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.

"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"



13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.

"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."



14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION .

"Stop acting like your father!"



15. My mother taught me about ENVY.

"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."



16.. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.

"Just wait until we get home.."



17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING .

"You are going to get it when you get home!"



18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE...

"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way."



19. My mother taught me ESP.

"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"



20. My mother taught me HUMOR.

"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me.."



21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT .

"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."



22. My mother taught me GENETICS.

"You're just like your father.."



23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.

"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"



24. My mother taught me WISDOM.

"When you get to be my age, you'll understand.."



And my favorite:

25. My mother taught me about JUSTICE ...

"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!!

Happy New Year

May The Year 2011 Bring for You Happiness,Success and filled with  Peace,Hope & Togetherness of your Family & Friends....Wishing  You a...*HAPPY NEW YEAR*

Happy Holiday's

We're thinking of you this time of year,
Wishing you happiness, joy, and cheer.
May all your days be warm and bright,
And your nights enhanced by holiday light.

Enjoy your delectable holiday foods,
As parties and gifts create holiday moods.
Favorite people play a meaningful part,
While treasured rituals warm your heart.

You are special to us in many ways,
So we wish you Happy Holidays!

Memory Of Dawn Sansone

Nine years ago today we lost our angel, Please visit here with your thoughts AND PRAYERS

This memorial website was created in the memory of our loved one, Dawn Sansone who was born in Illinois on January 02, 1978 and passed away on November 06, 2001 at the age of 23. We will remember her forever.
Those of you who knew Dawn, Knew she was full of life, A sweet and feisty little firecracker who's smile could warm an eskimo. She was taken away from us without warning and has left  large holes in the hearts of all who had the chance to see the smile that came from her always. Life will never again be complete without her being a physical part, Her heart will beat among us who loved her forever and ever

Please visit her site and leave your thoughts and wishes....Thank you
http://dawnsansone.memory-of.com/

Kiddieland ..Fond Memory

Kiddieland Closing

Sadly, Kiddieland Announced that it would close for good on September 27, 2009. Kiddieland leases the land that it sits on and the lease has finally come to an end. There will be no renewal of the lease. Addtional information will be posted on the website at a later date. All of us who grew up in Chicago in the 50's 60's and 70's  all remember Kiddieland...Ahhhh the good ole days !!

Ahhhh Woman

The Husband Store 

A store that sells new husbands has opened in Scottsdale, just off Hayden where a woman may go to choose a husband. Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates:

You may visit this store ONLY ONCE! There are six floors and the value of the products increase as the shopper ascends the flights. The shopper may choose any item from a particular floor, or may choose to go up to the next floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building!


So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband. On the first floor the sign on the door reads:


Floor 1 - These men Have Jobs


She is intrigued, but continues to the second floor, where the sign reads:


Floor 2 - These men Have Jobs and Love Kids.
 'That's nice,' she thinks, 'but I want more.'


So she continues upward. The third floor sign reads:

Floor 3 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, and are Extremely Good Looking.


'Wow,' she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.


She goes to the fourth floor and the sign reads:

Floor 4 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Good Looking and Help With Housework...


'Oh, mercy me!' she exclaims, 'I can hardly stand it!'
 Still, she goes to the fifth floor and the sign reads:


Floor 5 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Gorgeous, Help with Housework, and Have a Strong Romantic Streak.


She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor, where the sign reads:


Floor 6 - You are visitor 31,456,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor.. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please. Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store.

PLEASE NOTE:
To avoid gender bias charges, the store's owner opened a New Wives store just across the street with the same rules.

The first floor has wives that love sex.

The second floor has wives that love sex and have money and like beer


The third, fourth, fifth and sixth floors have never been visited.

Meet Dr. Joanne Cacciatore / M.I.S.S. Foundation

Dr.Joanne Cacciatore specializes in counseling those affected by traumatic losses, most often the death of a child. She is Board Certified in Bereavement Trauma by the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress and the National Center for Crisis Management. She is also Board Certified through the American Psychotherapy Association.  Her therapeutic interventions include Mindfulness Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Logotherapy, and various post traumatic stress therapies, such as Repeated Exposure Therapy. She is an Assistant Professor and researcher at Arizona State University.

As the founder of the Center for Loss and Trauma/MISS Foundation, she is an advocate of “green” mental health care and holds memberships in: the American Psychotherapy Association, the Association for Contemplative Mind in Higher Education, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, and the National Center for Crisis Management. She is regarded as an expert in traumatic loss and child death in families, and has been counseling and aiding  individuals and families since 1996.  She spearheaded and now directs the Certificate of Trauma and Bereavement graduate program and is a faculty affiliate in the Family Communication Consortium at ASU.

Dr. Cacciatore is an acclaimed public speaker and provides expert consulting services in the area of traumatic loss. Her research has been published in peer reviewed journals such as Death Studies, Omega Journal of Death and Dying, Birth, Social Work and Healthcare, Social Work, and Families in Society.

Dr. Cacciatore received her Doctorate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and her Masters degree and Bachelor's degree in psychology from Arizona State University. Her work has been featured in major media sources such as People and Newsweek magazines, the New York Times, Boston Globe, CNN, National Public Radio, and the Los Angeles Times. She received the prestigious Hon Kachina Award in 2007, and the Sr Teresa Compassionate Care Award in 2008. She is a mother to five children, now mostly grown, she notes “four who walk and one who soars”. On a personal note, she has been a vegetarian since 1976 and enjoys hiking, reading, surfing, and rock climbing.

Her life changed profoundly in 1994 when her infant daughter, Cheyenne, died. 

The results of any traumatic experience can only be resolved by experiencing, articulating, and judging

Center for Loss and Trauma/MISS Foundation

In Sedona, Arizona on Brewer Road by appointment only

928.554.4394

In North Phoenix

2525 N Carefree Highway 7-152

Phoenix, Az 85085

623.979.1000

by appointment only