Join Join Join!!!

Hey everyone! If you haven't joined our team and would still like to.. please do so soon! We would like to have an idea of how many will join us on walk day! There is no minimum donation amount in order to walk with us! We just really would love to have a large show of support for Luke.. to show him how much he is loved and supported by his family and friends!!! Donations are GREAT as well if you can't make it! Or even come to our craft night October 10th and make a craft for yourself or a gift for someone!! Any type of support is appreciated!!! Thanks to all who have joined so far! For all the info.. just scroll down this blog! If you have any questions.. just email me and I will get back to you real soon! Thanks Tara

New walkers and Craft night!!!!

Yeah!!! We have new walkers!!! The Hill family and Sandy Pippen!!! Thanks guys for joining! We also have had some more donations come in! Thanks Pippen girls and their friends!! We now have raised $710.00 for JDRF in Luke's name!! How exciting! We are getting pumped up for Craft night on October 10th! See the information below! Thanks to Stacie Crawford for letting us steal her idea :) She holds craft nights here in Queen Creek and this was one of her projects!! She was so kind to let us reproduce it! Thanks to Curt Pippen for helping to cut all the wood. We will probably have to put a limit on the amount of people coming with all the wood that needs to be cut.. so make sure to sign up early if you want to come! Mandy has her work cut out for her too ... with all the vinyl she has to prepare. I guess I need to get busy getting paint and ribbon! If you know anyone that wants to contribute to our raffle.. please send them my way! We have some wonderful prizes but can always use more! Well, everyone take care and thanks for checking in! Here is the info on craft night!!

1st annual Luke and the Jedi Knights
Craft Night
October 10th, 2009
Two sessions- 4:00-600pm and 6:00-8:00pm
Come make a craft, snack on appetizers, mingle and chit chat!
(Castlegate subdivision)

All proceeds to benefit the
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the
2009 Walk to Cure Diabetes



$20.00 minimum donation to make this wonderful family decoration above!
We will also have a raffle at the end of the night with many great prizes! ( Free photo session and CD, handmade quilt, free karate lessons for kids, a hand made glass bead jewelry set, Mary Kay gift set, gift cards and more)
Please RSVP to BearTT27@cox.net with a preferred time slot
by September 26th to ensure enough room and supplies!
You don’t need to be crafty to attend- all you need to do is have a desire to help us find a cure!

$510 raised so far

Yeah! I had a $1000.00 goal for our team and we are half way there already! I am so excited! Thank you for everyone who has sent out a fundraising letter! I am so excited! Thanks also to my good friend Jena as she has joined our team as well! Way to go people! We will for sure get more money in with Chalice's photography, Melanie's Jazzercise... and our 1st annual Craft night! ( more info to come.. but keep October 10th from 4-8 pm open in your calendar!) Lukie says thanks!!!

Melanie and Tavi!

My friend Melanie is so awesome! She is a Jazzercise instructor in Cave Creek- and her group has set up their annual Halloween Jazzercise class as a fundraiser for JDRF! Thanks Mel! Also- my wonderful sister-in-law Tavi does an annual charity poker night! Next year is dedicated the JDRF as well! I love the support! It makes me so proud of my friends and family! I am so lucky to have so many caring people in our lives! Thanks everyone!!!!

new walkers and a great fundraiser!

Yeah!! We have some new walkers!!! My neighbor Lisa and my dear old friend Melanie Pippen Benjamin!! Thanks guys! Also- please please check out the blog www.chaliceleamanphotography.blogspot.com. This is the photographer who took pictures of my kids a few months ago. Chalice is such a wonderful person who has two siblings with type 1 diabetes. She has joined our team as well. She has even listed on her website that if you book a photo session with her in October- 20% of the session fee will go directly to JDRF in Luke's name! She does the most amazing work and is so reasonably priced as it is! I know you will love the photos- so go book an apt. now!!!

Thanks everyone!!!

Our team so far!

Okay- I am so happy to have the following families already signed up to walk with us! We are so blessed!!! So, here they are:

Grandma Judy ( Papa's got some bum knees)
The Sapps
The Germans
The Frenchs and
The Leamans

Thank you all for already supporting Luke! Feel free to send this blog to your friends for fundraising!

I would also like to thank the following people who have made contributions online for our team!
The Todd Family, The Wolff family, The Wida Family, Veronica Thompson, Robert Fallon and Lorette Matteson

Please read my first entry, Our walk letter, to learn more about how you can help too!!!

Our walk letter!

Dear Friends and Family:

As many of you know, our 5 year old son Luke was diagnosed with type 1 (juvenile) diabetes on November 24th, 2008. He will be insulin-dependent for the rest of his life. Since then, Luke’s day revolves around blood sugar tests eight to ten times a day which consists of a finger prick then multiple daily injections. His food intake is also counted each time he eats to measure the amount of insulin he receives for each meal. This has been quite a process for Luke and surely not pleasant for any 5 year old to have to endure. Luke is always a trooper and rarely complains. As you’ve seen, he is full of smiles, laughs, and five-year-old mischief, amidst his daily diabetes routine. Luke continually amazes us and is a blessing to have in our lives as a daily reminder of spirit, humility, and a positive attitude.

Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes occurs when the body’s immune system attacks and destroys certain cells in the pancreas. Insulin cannot be produced and the glucose stays in the blood instead. If insulin is not given it can cause serious damage to all the organ systems of the body. People with Type 1 Diabetes must take insulin in order to stay alive. Scientists do not yet know exactly what the causes are, but they believe that, genetic and environmental factors are involved.

There are many devastating diseases in our world right now, and that saddens us. The difference with juvenile diabetes is that wiping it out of existence is extremely attainable and within reach. Luke often asks us, “When is my diabetes going to go away?” It’s a painful question to answer looking at his beaming and hopeful eyes. We feel confident a positive answer will be available before he goes to high school.

Please understand, we are not trying to have a pity session. We truly believe that out of every difficulty comes something good. As parents, it’s our instinct from the moment our kids are born to protect them from any harm. We must do everything in our power to help find a cure for him. It’s our mission to avoid the heart and kidney disease, blindness, amputation, and early death that is a reality for many people with juvenile diabetes.

Luke will never outgrow Type 1 Diabetes; the only solution is a cure. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is the #1 non-profit funder of diabetes research worldwide. One of JDRF’s largest fundraising events is the “Walk to Cure Diabetes.” This year, we have formed a team named “Luke and the Jedi Knights” .This year’s walk will be held on Saturday, October 31st, 2009 at Tempe Town Lake.!

If you are interested, there are two ways you can help us make a difference for Luke:
* Make a tax deductible contribution in support of “Luke and the Jedi Knights” ( cash or checks made out to JDRF). If you want to mail them, contact me at BearTT27@cox.net for a mailing address. You can also make an online donation by visiting http://www.walk.jdrf.org/. Type in “Luke and the Jedi Knights” under team name and choose Arizona as the state. This will take you to a donation page. Any donation large or small is greatly appreciated!
*Come walk in support of Luke on October 31st and be an active participant on our team. All we request is that you register ( again at http://www.walk.jdrf.org-/ and look for our team), collect money from folks you know, including yourself, and then join us for a fun day at the Walk.

We greatly appreciate your consideration and support of this most worthy cause. We look forward to having as many people as possible join us on October 31st. Even if you can’t join us on the walk, we appreciate any and all donations made to Luke and the Jedi Knights as part of our overall fundraising.

If you have any questions or need any additional information, please don’t hesitate to call or write us. I will not put our phone or address on this blog, but you can always post with a comment and email address and we will be happy to get back to you! Again, thank you from all of us for your generous support of Luke.

The Larsons,
Barry, Tara, Wyatt, Luke and Reese.

P.S. We will be getting team t-shirts, so if you do plan on joining, please join soon, so we know how many t-shirts to order! Thank you!!

P.P. S. If you want to learn more about Luke, please check out his you tube video at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8Rr-_fW3FI