Share the Lovin' outside!

Most of us have had a long harsh winter, but spring is on the horizon!  Daffodils are emerging and afternoons are warm, beckoning us outdoors.  As you plan your springtime events, don't forget to include Lovin' Scoopful Gourmet Light Ice Cream.  We have a couple of tips that will help you keep it frozen when there isn't a freezer handy.

Dry ice is one of the most convenient ways to keep ice cream and cold when a freezer is not available.  Although when shipping frozen products with dry ice the ice is placed on top of the food item, this can freeze ice cream at such a low temperature that it’s difficult to scoop.  Avoid this problem by putting the dry ice UNDER the ice cream.  Carefully break the dry ice into smaller pieces (fist size or smaller) and cover the bottom of an ice chest with the pieces.  On top of the dry ice layer several sheets of newspaper, then put your containers of Lovin’ Scoopful Ice Cream on top of the newspaper and close the ice chest lid until you’re ready to serve.  Check your ice cream periodically to be sure it’s staying solidly frozen, but not too hard to scoop.  To increase the cooling effect you can add a little bit of dry ice onto the top of the ice cream packages, but be careful not to get it so cold that you have difficulty scooping it!  

Always follow proper safety procedures and handling when dealing with dry ice.  Most grocery stores that sell dry ice have handling instructions they can provide upon request.

Love is in the Air!

Although there's a chill outside, our hearts warm when looking at our combined efforts to help others.  Lovin' Scoopful was created to serve as an ongoing source of revenue for Special Olympics and helps you help Special Olympics athletes by donating 25% of profits to the organization providing a safe and supportive environment where athletes with intellectual differences can have fun competing in sports.  Your efforts are appreciated by the athletes, their families, and the coaches that help make it all happen.

Spread the Lovin' this year by encouraging others to donate, volunteer, and buy products that support the causes that are important to you.

Happy New Year!

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.

Have a Lovin' Holiday!

Tis the season to be stressed and tired for many.  There are parties and family gatherings and so much delicious food.  We hope you’ll remember to pick up a container of Lovin’ Scoopful gourmet light ice cream for your next event.  It’s a delicious way to put a smile on everyone’s face PLUS it has ½ the fat and fewer calories than premium ice cream.  You can also feel good knowing that a minimum of 25% of our profits go to benefit Special Olympics.   Visit our store finder (www.LovinScoopful.com/findastore.aspx) to locate a store near you!

As a gift to thank you for serving Lovin’ Scoopful at your event, if you post a picture on our Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/LovinScoopful) of your family enjoying Lovin’ Scoopful at a group holiday gathering we’ll send you a certificate for a free 56oz container!  Send LovinScoopful a message on Facebook after it’s posted and I’ll process the request for your freebie.

Happy Holidays from Lovin’ Scoopful!

Be a Superhero!

Halloween is here and the superhero costumes have been flying off the shelves (even for adults).  We want to be a hero and most of us just don’t exactly know where to start.  I’ve met some REAL superheroes and you might be surprised at how many are in your midst.  These heroes don’t tend to don the requisite comic book tights and capes and more often than not, no one sees or acknowledges their efforts, but they are changing the world none the less by standing up against bullying and showing kindness and compassion to those around them.

The world could always use another hero.  If you want to be a beacon of hope for the world, begin by being a friend to someone who needs one.  Your compassion will make the world a better place.

We Need YOU!

We have big plans for building our blog post and we need your help!  Take a moment to become a Lovin' Nation follower and we will send you a certificate for FREE Lovin' Scoopful.  Lovin' Nation followers will stay in the loop on upcoming promos and on limited quantity or limited time promotions Lovin' Nation followers requests and entries will be processed first. 

All Lovin' Nation followers may sign up any time this summer for a FREE 56 ounce container of Lovin' Scoopful ice cream.  Visit our address entry page and use LOVINNATION as the promo code.  Again, this promotion is available only to our friends following our Lovin' Nation blog.  If you're reading this post from our website page (http://www.lovinscoopful.com/blog.aspx) you will need to go to http://www.lovinscoopful.blogspot.com/ for the option to follow us.  We will process the requests at a later date and follower status will be verified at that time.  Offer is eligible only in areas where Lovin' Scoopful is sold and is limited to one per family. 

Father’s Day is Sunday June 16th, 2013

Each of us has our own idea of what makes our Father special, but one thing often in common is the love they have for their children.  Let us help you show your appreciation for Dad.  From now until Fathers Day you can request for us to send your Father a certificate for a FREE 56 ounce container of Lovin’ Scoopful Gourmet Light Ice Cream (if Lovin’ is sold in his area).  Visit www.LovinAward.com/address_entry and give us your Father’s address.  In the notes section specify promo code FATHER2013.  We’ll include the poem below in the mailout unless you request it not be included.  Please read the fine print below for basic offer restrictions. 
 

Thank you Daddy

When I was a child I turned to you when scared

You wrapped your arms around me and reassured me all was well

As I grew older I tried to prove I could do it on my own

I flexed my muscles and stood firm to show I was strong enough to take care of myself

And you patiently waited on the sidelines for when I needed you

I’m older now, and so are you

But I still see you watching out for me…. quietly… patiently

Waiting for a moment to catch me in case I fall

Thank you for all the times you saved me

There were probably some I never even knew about

Thank you for being my guardian, my guide, my advisor, and my friend

Thank you Daddy

The fine print:  Please submit only one request.  Although you may have several father figures in your life and several email address to send the request from, we kindly ask you to request only for one.  We also ask that you not request for your spouse unless doing so on behalf of your young children living at home and then only submit one request, not one for each child.  For any person or address there will only be one coupon mailed.  Multi requests for one person or one address will be treated as one request.  If Lovin’ Scoopful is not available in your father’s area, no mailout will be sent unless you specify that you would like the poem to be sent even without the coupon.  Please note that the mailout will NOT arrive until AFTER Father’s Day.  Be sure to submit your request no later than June 16th, 2013.  This is our gesture to honor your father and we will take care of it as soon as we can and hope to have all requests mailed soon.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.  If you have any questions or concerns please email TamaraGordy@LovinBrands.com.  We wish you all a very happy Father's Day!

 

New $1 Off Coupon Available!

Back by popular demand, Lovin' Scoopful is again offering $1 off coupons that you can print from home.  Visit SmartSource and follow the simple directions on the screen.  We appreciate you and hope you enjoy even more Lovin' this summer!

Enjoy Memorial Day!

Memorial Day commemorates the men and women who have lost their lives in service of our country.   This year we offer the families who have mourned their loss the small token of a certificate for free Lovin’ Scoopful (see rules below).  Lovin’ Scoopful spreads the message of love every day and we know of no greater love than sacrifice. 

As families join together today and over the course of the summer for family reunions and other events, we hope you’ll bring along enough Lovin’ to go around.  Lovin’ Scoopful was created to serve as an ongoing source of revenue for Special Olympics.  25% of our profits (a minimum of $50K each year) go to them plus we do all we can to help spread the word about theirs and other great programs that foster inclusion and respect for those with intellectual differences. 

Memorial Day Free Product Request Rules:

·         Address submission must be made before May 31^st 2013 midnight (PDT)

·         Offer is for those who have lost a friend or family member in active military service

·         For certificate to be mailed to you, you must enter your mailing address at www.LovinAward.com/address_entry  

·         In note section of address entry form (link above) include promo code MEMORIAL2013

·         Also in the note section tell us who you lost in military service. 

·         Please review the fine print

o   Only one request per person, only one request per household, only one request per email, only one request per IP address.  Most simply put this means you can only enter one time and can only have one coupon sent out. 

o   Lovin’ Scoopful reserves the right to limit or cancel the offer at any time and for any reason. 

o   To reduce cost, we avoid mailing certificates to areas where Lovin’ Scoopful is not yet available.  To find out if there’s a store in your area, go to www.LovinScoopful.com and key in your zip code in the box at the upper right hand corner of the screen.

Helping Others

Sometimes it surprises me when I hear about a family struggling and find that no one has offered to lend a hand.  We wanted to help raise awareness regarding needs and our ability, even with limited income, to help.  When my husband dropped our second grade daughter off at school today he looked back to see in horror that she slipped and fell walking in.  Right away several little girls and one teacher went to help her on her feet.  As children we seem to do this more instinctively than as adults.  We’ve all seen situations where we’ve jumped in to help and have wondered why others were just walking past.

I took an opportunity through social media to get feedback on how you help others aside from financial assistance.  I like the answers we heard.

When we can’t afford to help...   I understand that budgets are tight for all of us and certainly many of us can’t afford to write a check to help someone else, but there are many ways to help that don’t necessarily mean money out of the budget.  Here are some of the ideas we heard:

·         If you are retired or a stay at home parent you can offer to watch the kids for someone trying to find a job.  If they’re out of work they probably can’t afford childcare.

·         For those in business- Often the currently employed are at the top of the stack of resumes when hiring, but this doesn’t mean they are the most desirable, the most capable, or the most motivated.  ALWAYS give equal consideration to those not currently employed.  The fear is that they will more likely take a job even if it’s unsuitable because of desperation only to leave when something better comes along, but if we’re doing our jobs in researching candidates we should be able to find some real jewels in those out of a job. 

·         If you do repair work you have an amazing charitable opportunity.  If you spent just one lunch break a week to help someone with a repair they can’t afford you would be doing an amazing service to your community.  Even better, with a few phone calls you may find a parts company willing to assist your efforts by providing assistance with parts.  If not, we bet someone in the community would help cover the part if you covered the labor.

·         If you aren’t in the home and can’t help with childcare, have no hiring authority, don’t have the repair skills to replace a battery, and have no financial means to help, there’s still something you can do.  Sometimes all we have to share is a smile, a kind word, and a caring hand to help someone up that has slipped and fallen.

 We can all help in some way if we’re willing.  Thank you to the Lovin’ friends who contributed ideas.  We appreciate all that you do in your communities and we’re sure they appreciate you, too.

Share the Lovin' this Valentine's Day

We want to send you a certificate for a FREE 56 ounce container of Lovin' Scoopful Gourmet Light Ice Cream as part of our SHARE THE LOVIN' Valentine's Day celebration.  You can send a gift of Lovin' Scoopful to a family member, friend, or loved one. Until midnight Pacific time on Valentine's Day visit www.LovinAward.com/address_entry , enter the name and address you want the certificate sent to, and enter promo code LUVU13 in the notes section at the bottom.  Supplies are limited, so enter soon. 

As you may already know, Lovin’ Scoopful was created by Maria Shriver, her brother Timothy Shriver, and others to serve as an ongoing source of revenue for Special Olympics.  We donate 25% of our profit (a MINIMUM of $50,000 each year) to that cause plus we often sponsor other affiliated programs and events.  If you have not yet tried Lovin’ Scoopful, we hope you’ll take this opportunity to do so.  Besides the great things we do, Lovin’ Scoopful offers a delicious product with the best of ingredients.

 

 

New Years Resolutions

Every year starts with good intentions.  Many of us feel guilty about over-indulging in food or drink, some are reminded that they should visit family more often; others decide to keep a cleaner house, maintain or improve relationships, and so forth.  I don’t know of any creature that experiences and even self-imposes guilt like we do. Do yourself a favor this year and instead of guilting yourself into making better choices why not try something different?  Forget the guilt.  Instead, try making this a year of joyful positive choices. 

In the last three weeks I’ve seen a lot of unhappy dieters passing up foods they love because they promised themselves that they’d lose weight.  There’s a better way.  Did you know that by reducing your caloric intake by just 100 calories per day you could lose up to a pound a month? There are a lot of ways you can do that, but one way is by switching out higher calorie full fat foods for lighter alternatives that taste just as great.  Of course we hope you will include Lovin’ Scoopful in that plan.  Our Gourmet Light Ice Cream has 1/2 the fat and 1/3 fewer calories than regular premium ice cream.  We didn’t skimp on taste, though.  With delicious bold flavors you would never guess that anything this amazing and rich could be part of a healthy lifestyle plan, but it can! 

Here’s my challenge for you this month.  Find one high fat food that you enjoy and swap it out for a lighter alternative, but find one you love just as much. If you happen to select Lovin’ Scoopful for that lighter alternative and you’re not satisfied that the flavor is as amazing as what you gave up, we’ll send you a certificate to try the next flavor of Lovin’ on us…FREE!  Simply go to www.LovinAward.com/address_entry, use promo code RESOLUTION*, and tell us in the notes section what you didn’t like about the flavor you chose.  We will take your comments into consideration, recommend another flavor, and send you a certificate to try the next flavor on us.

*Offer ends February 28, 2013 or while supplies last

Generosity

Isn't it odd how we hold onto things? A new friend was putting up a brand new tree today and I offered her some of my ornaments. I keep an ample supply because I change it up from time to time and I like to pull from various styles that remind me of different times in my life. I went into the attic and took out a couple dozen assorted ornaments and gave them to her. Later as I sat and thought about how many ornaments I was hoarding in the attic and how sparse a new tree can be when you're first starting to collect ornaments, I felt sad. I held on to so many that I should have sent with her. A few texts later she came back by and left with two arm loads of decorations and a big smile. Why did I hold back the first time? Why do any of us hold back when we know we have more than we need?

When I was in college studying manufacturing and inventory control we spent a great deal of time discussing streamlining manufacturing by managing inventory in a "Just In Time" manner (as opposed to "Just in Case"). With Just in Time you don't waste storage space and money stocking inventory for far into the future. It allows space for change, and change can be very good.

When we hold onto more than we need we aren't allowing space for change. I think letting go of excess allows blessings to flow through our lives.  I hope this Holiday Season we can all see the areas where we have excess and open our hearts to see the needs that excess can fill.  May God Bless you and bless others through you this holiday season!

Just a Small Taste (by Katie Pullano)

                I’ve been involved with Special Olympics for about 4-5 years and have seen many “brave attempts”, as so many volunteers have. My life was forever changed by 2 specific athletes and I’ve been continually blessed and enriched with the high spirits of many athletes since then. Recently though, I’ve received just a small taste of how harsh so many people truly can be.

                After being announced the “Lovin’ Compassion Award” Southern Regional winner, my local newspaper did a brief story on me. Being a 15 year old girl, I was thrilled. Until I got online. The article, which had been posted on the newspaper’s website, had over 75 comments. Again, I was thrilled! Until I read the comments.  There was a battle going on in these comments. The supporters sticking up for me, fighting for me, were being overthrown. Over half of the comments posted on the article were negative; criticizing not only the movement of Ban the R word, but also myself and my upbringing. Being a 15 year old girl, I was heartbroken.

                I had to take a step back to realize what was truly happening. I had always been questioned for my support of Ban the R word, but never had I been directly ridiculed for my beliefs and my involvement. The article’s comments were harsh, rude, and, in my opinion, absurd. But they were also just a small taste.  The comments were just a small taste of what is to come in my future involvement with the campaign. The comments were just a small taste of the harsh treatment that people with intellectual disabilities have received in the past, and sadly, continue to receive. The comments promoting the campaign were just a small taste of the love and support I have received and hope to receive in the future.

                Through all the put-downs I have never once regretted my involvement with Special Olympics and Ban the R word. People have always told me, “Stand up for what you believe” and Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world”.  This experience has taught me that if every person respected and agreed with what I had to say, I wouldn’t be doing my job. I wouldn’t be doing what my parents, and my world taught me to do. By winning this Lovin’ Scoopful award, I was given, not only a small taste of the real world, but a small taste of some pretty good ice cream!

The above post is submitted by Lovin' Compassion Award Winner Katie Pullano.  Katie is a kind hearted beautiful young lady and it saddens us that someone as giving as Katie would endure criticism. 

Labor Day 2012

Can you believe it’s Labor Day Weekend already?  The summer went too fast and we’re back to our hectic fall schedule.  Labor Day celebrates the social and economic contributions of hard working Americans.  To honor our achievements in manufacturing look at labels this weekend and see what’s available that’s made in the USA.  When you buy products made here the benefits ripple through the many businesses that supply parts and materials for those goods as well.

Have a great Labor Day Weekend and know that we appreciate everyone using their hard earned money to buy Lovin’ Scoopful ice cream and support Special Olympics!  Don’t forget that you can spend a little less if you visit http://coupons2.smartsource.com/smartsource/index.jsp?Link=RKPODIMXHZIEC and print two $1 off coupons to use the next time you buy Lovin’ Scoopful!