2014 Lovin' Award Winners Announced!

We have announced our Fourth Annual Lovin' Award Winners! The award recognizes young visionaries who are committed to and involved in programs that foster respect, inclusion, and personal connections between people ...with and without differences.

One national winner and four regional winners from around the country were selected from students ages eight to 18 for their involvement with Special Olympics and other organizations that are designed to create more accepting communities.
Our national Lovin' Award recipient is Maggie Leppert, 17, of Belle Meade N.J. Maggie was nominated for her profound commitment to social justice and inclusion, exemplified through her work as the founder of her schools' Project UNIFY and for her role as an advocate of acceptance and dignity for her peers with intellectual disabilities. Project UNIFY is an education and sports based program focused on increasing athletic and leadership opportunities for students with and without intellectual disabilities.

Maggie Leppert (rt) and Ethan

Maggie is also recognized as a respected counselor at Camp Shriver, an outdoor sports camp created to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. She has been assigned the most challenging athletes because of her exceptional gift for communicating with individuals with intellectual disabilities. For Leppert, spending time with the special education students isn't service; it's genuine friendship. She enjoys supporting them in Special Olympics competitions, just as they support her by coming to her theater performances. Leppert's passion for helping others motivated her to learn sign language and to choose a career as a behavior therapist. 

Maggie (rt) and Andrew

Maggie & fellow volunteer at "Spread the Word" pledge table

As the national award winner, Ms. Leppert will receive an engraved plaque, certificates for a one year supply of Lovin' Scoopful ice cream, a $100 gift card, the opportunity to compose multiple blog postings throughout the year, a letter of commendation from Maria Shriver, and a $500 donation for her chosen nonprofit organization.

The regional winners are: 

◦Christopher Yao, 17, of Jericho, N.Y., was nominated for his dedication to helping children in developing countries who could not afford cleft surgeries, post-treatments, and therapies. Christopher began Kids Change the World, a nonprofit organization to leverage the power of motivated young individuals to change the world for causes they cared about. To date, his charity has funded approximately 70 cleft surgeries for children in developing countries. More information regarding kids change the world can be found at www.kidschangetheworld.org.

Christopher Yao

◦Michaela Morris, 17, of Seabrook Beach, N.H., was nominated for her dedication to Special Olympics New Hampshire (SONH), where she served as an assistant for their swim team and has volunteered as a timer at various swim and track and field meets. Always pushing to increase her involvement with Special Olympics, Michaela is working with staff members at SONH to establish a Young Athletes Program in her town this coming fall.

Michaela Morris (rt) and friend

◦Taylor Swarers, 17, of Orange, Texas, was nominated for her many years of involvement with Project Unify Meet in the Middle Club, an initiative encouraging typically developing and special needs middle school students to develop greater understanding of and appreciation for each other. Taylor has attended conferences with Special Olympics, became certified as an aquatics coach, participated in Unified Track meets and Unified Bocce Tournaments, and been a fan in the stands for our Special Olympics athletes. She has donated her time and energy to promote inclusion and respect for those without a voice.

Taylor Swarers and training athletes

◦Lindsey Erin Mendelsberg, 17, of Aurora, Colo., was nominated for her commitment to foster respect, dignity, and friendship between those with and without disabilities. She is Co-President of the GHS Project UNIFY Club, Global Messenger for Special Olympics CO and representative to Washington D.C., and an organizer of Spread the Word campaigns. Lindsey participates in UNIFIED basketball and track and wants to begin a UNIFIED volleyball team.

Lindsey Mendelsberg and friends

The regional winners will each receive certificates for a two-month supply of Lovin' Scoopful ice cream, a feature on the Lovin' Scoopful blog, Facebook and Twitter pages, a letter of commendation from Maria Shriver, the opportunity to compose a blog posting about their chosen nonprofit, and a $250 donation for their chosen nonprofit organization.

The Lovin' Award winners were selected by a panel of judges, including Maria Shriver and Tim Shriver, for exemplifying characteristics that promote human rights, inclusion, equality and leadership through education. For more information about the national and regional winners, visit http://www.lovinaward.com/.

Thank you to all that nominated someone! We will soon begin accepting early nominations for our 2015 Lovin' Awards.  Visit our Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/LovinScoopful) for details in upcoming weeks. 

Being a Lovin' Dad

Our world is changing and expectations we have of fathers have changed with it.  Just as our roles transitioned as mothers moved into the workforce, many times we’ve focused on how difficult it is as mothers to fulfill our roles with all that we manage, but with Fathers Day around the corner I think we should talk about what the new family dynamic has meant to dads. 

Today’s fathers are trying hard to lead by example.  The old school “Do as I say, not as I do” was never a good parenting motto and it certainly won’t fly today.  We expect a lot from Dad.  We still need our fathers to be strong and decisive, but they can’t be unyielding and they have to be patient and kind.  As women we’ve learned to be tough.  We’ve gained power and financial freedom that our grandmothers and great grandmothers didn’t enjoy.  I want to recognize fathers for what they’ve done to adapt. 

So, for our diaper changing,  soccer game attending, bandaid carrying Dads out there, we salute you!  Your efforts to help us provide gentle nurturing as well as patience and discipline for our families have allowed us as mothers to become the strong women of today.   Thank you for being a Lovin’ Dad.

Visit www.Facebook.com/LovinScoopful to find out how to request a coupon for a free container of Lovin’ Scoopful Gourmet Light Ice Cream for your father.  Hurry, supplies are limited!

Spread the Lovin' this Mother's Day!

Show your Mother some extra special Lovin’ this weekend with Lovin’ Scoopful Gourmet Light Ice Cream!  Lovin’ Scoopful has ½ the fat and fewer calories that other premium ice creams PLUS we donate 25% of our profits to Special Olympics.  Lovin’ Scoopful isn’t just ice cream... we represent a kindness revolution.  As a company, we are committed to making an impact in the world by promoting love, kindness, and compassion.  You make a difference every time you purchase products tied to a cause you stand behind.  Help us cultivate kindness by taking time for others and spreading the Lovin’ word.

Keep the Lovin’ coming by entering your Mother in our LovinMyMom promotion.  100 lucky mothers will receive a coupon for a free container of Lovin’ Scoopful.  Go to www.LovinAward.com/address_entry to give us her name and address and in the notes section of that address entry page, put promo code LovinMyMom along with a note telling us what makes your Mom so special to you.  Visit our Facebook page  for more details and posts on other great promotions.

Cultivating Kindness

Our focus for the month of March will be cultivating kindness and I hope you will all join us in this effort to promote a little extra happiness in the world.  We all have it within us to be kind, but oddly I've found that sometimes it's easier for us to show compassion and kindness to a stranger than it is to those we know.  It's so easy to develop opinions and bias that we allow to cloud our desire to truly show kindness to all.  As part of our March effort to cultivate kindness, I want to encourage our Lovin' Friends and Family to commit an unexpected and beautiful act of kindness for someone that has wronged you!  This can be the family member that seems to always know how to push your buttons, the cashier that overcharged you un-apologetically, the customer that gave you a bad review, or anyone else that's created havoc in your life.  With Random Acts AMOK (Annual Melee of Kindness) tomorrow, what better time to show not only the meek, the deserving, and the humble some kindness, but let kindness really run amok by being nice to those showing you the least kindness.  Maybe in doing so we can set a new example and let a little light into what may be a dark place for them. 

Let's cultivate kindness by:
1) Showing compassion without bias
2) Being mindful of opportunities around us and committing acts of kindness on a daily basis
3) Pushing our own boundaries to intentionally be liberal with forgiveness and kindness to those we feel have wronged us.

We hope you'll take time to visit our Facebook Page and give us your thoughts or inspirational stories.  March 1, 2014 is Annual Melee of Kindness and March 8, 2014 is Good Deeds Day.  It's a good time to ramp up the kindness.  I don't think there's ever really too much to go around.  Remember... forgiveness can be an act of kindness, too.

Happy Valentine's Day from Lovin' Scoopful!

Most of you know that Lovin' Scoopful isn't your typical company.  We believe in doing more and we know you do, too.  To thank you for all the Lovin' you show us each year we want to return the flavor :) today.  We are offering our blog followers a promo code all your own.  If you follow Lovin' Nation (our Lovin' Scoopful blog) and began doing so before February 14, 2014 please go to www.LovinAward.com/address_entry and use promo code LovinNationValentine - <your blogspot ID> (so that we can verify you on our list of followers).  That promo code will be valid for you all month in case you don't get around to it today. 

For those NEW to Lovin' Nation, we have a code for you, too.  New followers visit www.LovinAward.com/address_entry and use promo code New2LovinNationValentine - <your blogspot ID> (for verification purposes). 

THE FINE PRINT
Our standard rules apply.  You can only enter any given promo once.  If you enter multiple time (be it using different names, different mailing addresses, different email addresses, different birthdates, different phone numbers, etc) it will void your entries.  All duplicates of any piece of information are investigated as well as checked against any previous entries since 2010.  Please do not enter for other people. We do not mail entries into areas where Lovin' Scoopful isn't sold, but if you feel you qualified for this promotion and you don't receive your coupon within 10 weeks please email TamaraGordy@LovinBrands.com and I will follow up for you.  Use that same email address if you have questions.

HAVE A HAPPY AND LOVIN' DAY!

Super Bowl Fever

Do you have Super Bowl fever? We do, too! In fact, we're letting our next COUPON PROMO CODE be determined by the 2014 Super Bowl winner! Between now and midnight Pacific time February 1, 2014 either submit promo code SEAHAWKS or promo code BRONCOS at www.LovinAward.com/address_entry for a chance at a coupon for a FREE full size container of Lovin' Scoopful. The winner of Sunday's game will determine which of the promo codes is valid.  Beware, though, that you cannot submit entries for both.  If your household submits more than one entry for the Super Bowl promo, all of your entries will be void so please submit only one entry. The first 100 entries with the correct promo code will receive coupons, but only in states where Lovin' Scoopful is sold. Visit www.LovinScoopful.com/findastore.aspx to see if Lovin' is available in your area. Enjoy the game! With Lovin' Scoopful in the lineup, victory can be even sweeter! 

Here are some tips that may be helpful:

• Be sure you use a working email address.  We often send verification emails.
• Do not allow someone else to use your email address.  Any email address appearing in multiple entries will flag the entry.
• Do not create entries for other people.  We've seen situations where one person would try to submit entries for others in their family or social group.  You can only submit one entry, so if you were to enter someone else's information, theirs would count as your one entry.  If they enter on their own as well, you may void their entry in doing so.  Because of this we do not allow people to submit an entry for another person or household.
• All duplications in name, mailing address, or email address are investigated.

If you have questions please email TamaraGordy@LovinBrands.com.