Amongst the Great Ideas: Lend 4 Health

This month's fundraiser is for Lend 4 Health. Read on and you will see why this is such a great idea and you can help...

Julian (Courtesy of Lend4Health)

When Julian was 18 months old, he was diagnosed with autism. He was spinning the wheels of his cars non-stop, had terrible eczema, wasn't speaking, and wouldn't look when his parents called his name. "I didn’t want to believe this was it," said his mom Rachel from Texas. "I mean, here is my Julian. I thought maybe he’s just a genius and is just interested in finding out how things work? Maybe he just doesn’t like being around lots of people or kids, he’d just rather play alone. I mean don’t kids play alone sometimes?" When he was 3 years old, his parents enrolled him in an Early Childhood Program at the local elementary school. At this point, he was still non-verbal and would only make sounds with constant echolalia. He had limited or no eye contact, bouts of vomiting and loose stools, and would wake up a lot during the night.

Rachel did some research and learned about the biomedical approach to treating autism. She started Julian on a gluten-free/casein-free (GFCF) diet, and she gave him some vitamin supplements, as well as a calcium supplement. "Slowly," said Rachel, "all of that stopped." Julian's eye contact improved, his language came in, and he just kept getting better. At that point, Rachel looked into making an appointment with a DAN! [Defeat Autism Now!] doctor to see what else they could do for Julian, but their insurance wouldn't cover it, and the cost was prohibitive.

Rachel's husband is in the Air Force, and they were soon stationed overseas in the United Kingdom. Soon thereafter, her husband was sent to Afghanistan, and Rachel was left to fend for herself in a new country, with an autistic son, another 1 1/2 year old son, and a husband in a war zone. Rachel made a goal for herself for the next 4 months that her husband would be gone: "My goal is to get Julian to a DAN! Dr. here overseas to help us through this journey to recovery."

Rachel found The Autism Clinic in the UK and heard good things about it and Dr. Tommey. An initial consult was $380, and a follow-up was $91 -- none of it was covered by their insurance. And while $471 wasn't a huge sum of money, it was more than she had at the moment. What to do?

Rachel turned to Lend4Health, a new website that facilitated interest-free "micro-loans" for biomedical autism treatment. Julian and his story were posted on the site, and two weeks later, her loan had been funded. Seventeen people had come together online to contribute to her $471 loan request. One lender was Matt, who follows Lend4Health on Twitter but didn't know Julian or anything about autism. He loaned Rachel $10. Rachel's relative James lent $100. Other relatives, friends, and strangers made loans of $11, $20, and $40. When Rachel called her husband in Afghanistan to give him the good news, he couldn't believe it. "Strangers that we don’t know loaned us money for Julian?" he said. "That’s amazing!” (Although we would say his courageous service in Afghanistan for us -- strangers -- is just as amazing!)

Two weeks later, Rachel had her first appointment at The Autism Clinic, with money in hand from those 17 people who had read her story online and wanted to help. Julian was started on a treatment plan overseen by Dr. Tommey, and Rachel finally had some direction and some hope. She started paying the loan back, interest-free, at $26.16 a month. Sometimes she had extra and would pay back more. A few months later, she had fully repaid her $471 loan to Lend4Health, and all of her 17 lenders got their money back. Many of these lenders then re-loaned their money to another family on Lend4Health.

This past Spring, Rachel's husband came back from Afghanistan, safe. She wrote to her lenders, "Julian is doing great so far on his supplements/vitamins. I see lots of changes happening and all are good. My husband has seen changes physically in Julian too, like no more dark circles under the eyes, speech improvement with lots of new language and sentences he’s using on his own, and he’s so much more social. Really too many things to list in the 4 months he was away, so it’s been good! Your support means so much more than you know. We are forever grateful!! We will continue to keep everyone posted on his progress. Our family thanks you from the bottom of our hearts!!"

Julian (right) with Mom and little brother the day Daddy came home from Afghanistan.

Lend4Health was founded in June 2008 by Tori Tuncan, a mother of two, including one diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder, living in the Washington, DC, area. Inspired by the online microlending site Kiva.org, Lend4Health facilitates community-funded, interest-free microloans for optimal health. Currently, Lend4Health is covering loans for the biomedical treatment of children and adults with autism spectrum and related disorders. Other health issues may be covered on Lend4Health in the future.

As of this writing, there are three open loans on Lend4Health for 3 year old Lil' Joe from California, 6 year old Ashleigh from Texas, and 4 year old Will from Canada. To date, 55 loans totaling more than $34,000 have been funded on Lend4Health. Twenty loans have been fully repaid, with more than $8,700 sent back to the lenders. No loans have defaulted.

Lil' Joe's ChipIn:

Ashleigh's ChipIn:

Will's ChipIn:

ChipIn to Help Cover Lend4Health Admin Costs (May 2009 PayPal Fees):

20% of online sales of Dapper Snappers from 7/26 through 8/1 will be donated to help cover administration fees. Yes, I am aware my donation is not tax deductible. But I believe in what she is trying to do. So you don't have to donate permanently. You could just Lend 4 Health. It doesn't take much to help in a big way. If you don't need Dapper Snappers, please consider a loan. You can't beat the results!

This article was provided by Lend4Health because my muse is out of town on vacation or something and my ability to put a couple sentences together is severely diminished.

Got Quoted!

As you know, I'm signed up to receive HARO emails (Get Sourced, Get Quoted, Get Famous!). For the first time, and after many many pitches, I have finally succeeded in getting quoted! Check out this article on The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur (TPE) about Mom Entrepreneurs. My advice is #64, right next to my happy face.
Now, this won't make me famous by any means, but at least I know HARO works. I've experienced it for myself. I won't be famous until I become known as "That woman who was on Oprah that made those elastic thingies for little kids' pants. You know who I'm talking about...". In the meantime, I will work my little fingers to the bone, burn myself on the iron (which is what I did last night and now have a blister thank-you-very-much), and see the chiropractor every week because I was sitting cross-legged while quality checking Dapper Snappers which I should know better because "How many times do I have to tell you it's bad on your back Michelle? Now why don't you listen to me for once?" Yes Dr. D...I'm on my way in...again...

Something to Offer?

I don't write a lot, as you can probably tell. Most of the time I just don't have anything I think anyone would be interested in reading. Part of the problem is that I've always viewed blogs as an online diary. As I have found in the past year, blogs can be whatever people want, but the popular one's often give valuable advice or perspectives. I'm not sure that I have either. So then I pose the question to you and to myself; Do I have something to offer? I have plenty of opinions, however uneducated they may be. Does that constitute an offering worth anyone's time?
Then there are the questions; Will my post offend anyone? Will I look like and idiot? Will I miss something in my research and have the embarrassment of having someone else point it out publicly? Will anyone read this? I know. I worry too much about things that don't matter. Or maybe they do? If I spend all my time second guessing myself until I talk myself out of a post. I don't hold anything back on my personal blog, but this is my business blog. This is where I have to tread lightly. Or is treading lightly that which is holding me back from success?
So I don't write much. But I have a lot to say, just read my tweets! Or follow me on Facebook. Of course, most of that is 140 characters or less of nothing of real importance. Sometimes it's important...

Freedom to Choose

July is Freedom to Choose month here at Toddler Tech USA! What's that mean? Well, I've had a lot of people ask if there was any way they could buy 3 Dapper Snappers and pay the 3 pack price, a $2.90 savings. There is also the occasional request for 6 Dapper Snappers for the 6 pack price, a $13.75 savings(!). Well, for a limited time, you can. In the spirit of July and our independence, I am giving you the freedom to choose your colors and get the same great deal! From now until July 31st:

Use coupon code 07Freedom3 to get 3 Single Dapper Snappers for the same price as a 3 pack. Use coupon code 07Freedom6 to get 6 Single Dapper Snappers for the same price as a 6 pack.

Happy shopping!

Why a Monthly Fundraiser?

Why a monthly fundraiser? I get that question a lot. Here's the deal...

On June 28th of 2008, I started selling Dapper Snappers online. This is what I've considered to be the start date of my business. What started out as a "Hey...maybe people will buy these things?" quickly turned into a full fledged business.

The more the word got out, the more comments I would get about them. But the emails that touched me the most were about the impact I didn't know I had. Parents of special needs children would write to tell me how happy they are that their child has one less thing to worry about thanks to Dapper Snappers. And every time I would get one of those emails, I would get goosebumps head to toe and start to tear up.

A couple months ago, I was at a fundraiser for Yehu.org, a charity that provides micro-loans to Kenyan women to start their own businesses. It was then I decided to donate 20% of the online sales for the last week of that month. Last month, I received one of those emails that made me cry and decided to write a post about Laura Kate and donate 20% of the online sales for the last week to DreamHouseForKids.org, a charity that helps medically fragile children find their forever homes. I figured out a way to reach a lot of people and raise awareness about the charity. Sales went better than average, so my donation was up 116% over the previous month.

I didn't realize that there were so many other small charities out there, because they don't get the attention that the bigger charities get. They don't get the government funding to be able to afford advertising, or staff to help out. They are mostly volunteers just trying to help those that need it. With that realization came a new personal, and business, mission. I don't have much, but I will do what I can.

So on June 28th, on my 1 year business anniversary, until July 4th, I will be running a fundraiser for Reece's Rainbow. Andrea, the founder, works tirelessly to help children with Down's Syndrome born in other countries that were dumped off at orphanages because they weren't perfect. She matches these children with parents here and helps them through the adoption process. So far, she's been able to find homes for 190 children with Down Syndrome or other special needs. But there are so many more that need our help or they will die from medical neglect.

I don't know about you, but I can't ignore everything around me. Spreading the word about these charities is one way to help them get donations. And it's so easy.

So then I ask you: Will you help? Will you spread the word on Facebook and Twitter (or whatever form of social media you use)? I'm only asking for one tweet or comment or post a month. It really isn't that much, but it can make a big difference. So will you do it? For them?

And lastly, to answer the question "why"?

Doing monthly fundraisers has been challenging, exciting, and gratifying. It's a lot of work but it is so worth it. I feel so blessed that I can help out this way. And it makes my heart feel good...

Happy Birthday to Toddler Tech USA!!!

My business, Toddler Tech USA, is 1 year old today!

One year ago today, I started selling Dapper Snappers online and it's been a roller coaster ride ever since. I've always said that this business is my 3rd child. It really is just like having a baby; keeps me up late at night, demands constant attention, makes me worry incessantly... In the past year I have made some amazing friends. I'ver learned what it takes to run your own business. I've learned that I didn't know anything about business. I made some more amazing friends. I've become a multitasking multi-hat-wearer. I've made good choices and bad. I made a commitment to customer service, customer loyalty and product quality. I've become quite the social media addict pro utilizing Twitter, Facebook, and my blog to spread the word about Dapper Snappers and Fundraising efforts for small charities. I've laughed, cried, and got goose-bumps head to toe. I've been scared of loosing everything and I've tried to win it all.

So what now? Well, I lost 50 lbs (11 to go), which is sort of business related since my big goal is to get skinny and get on Oprah. I'm trying to win it all again (Never give up! Never surrender! -Commander Peter Quincy Taggart - Galaxy Quest) and this time I may have a chance at it if I can get everyone to vote every day for the next 94 days. Most of the manufacturing has been moved to Little Buttercups, a local sewing contractor, so I can focus on other areas of the business that have been neglected. We've hired patent attorneys to help us get our patent though. We've gotten 2 new sales reps; Stacey of Giddy Up Kids and Elisa of The Treehouse Showroom, and are looking for more. Our goal this year is to have a store in every state selling Dapper Snappers. This next year promises to be amazing!

It may be Toddler Tech USA's birthday, but I want to give you a present. Here's a coupon code for But 2 Get 1 FREE: Happy1year

Happy Bizaversary! Here's to many many more.

Because of Reece

When Andrea and her husband were pregnant with their first son, they weren't aware of the challenges that lay ahead. The plan was to eventually go back to work after the baby was born. Plans quickly changed when Reece was born with Down Syndrome. Like many unsuspecting birth parents, she and her husband grieved for quite some time after Reece's birth. The life they had envisioned for themselves and their first-born-son was turned completely upside down. Nothing would be the same. But they found resources and support. In time, Andrea found the strength to turn a challenge into a mission. Reece's Rainbow was a vision Andrea woke up with one day in early 2006.

Reece (Isn't he adorable?)

After getting involved with an orphan aid organization supporting children in Ukraine, Andrea learned what Reece's fate might have been had he born in a different country. In these countries, children who aren't born "perfect" face incredible odds. Many of those children are killed at birth. The "lucky" ones are abandoned by their families and sent to live in orphanages and and "public care" (that's the nice way to put it). Although things are slowly changing aborad as a result of the work of Reece's Rainbow, these children are mostly viewed as outcasts with no ability to learn or be functional members of society. They languish in mental institutions, hidden away from the world in shame. Some of these wonderful children do not survive because of serious medical complications...some do not survive because of lack of medical attention, lack of food, lack of LOVE. Andrea was angry and appalled and moved to action. It was impossible to sit back and not defend children like Reece in every way possible! God clearly placed Reece in her life for a special purpose, so Reece's Rainbow was born out of passion, an intense love for her child, and a calling to make a difference, one orphan at a time. It started with 5 children from Ukraine placed with loving families, and has grown to 190 placed children from 32 countries around the world finding their families. Over 200 children are still waiting, and the program grows every day.

Reece's Rainbow is a registered 501(c)3 charity which promotes and facilitates the international adoption and rescue of children with Down syndrome in particular. Reece's Rainbow serves as a VOICE OF HOPE for these children who are suffering in orphanages and mental institutions around the world, when there are literally hundreds of families here in the US, Canada, and the UK who would rescue them if only the funds were available to do so! Grant funds from individual donations make the cost of adopting these beautiful children affordable for interested families. Even $20 can make a life-saving difference.

For June's Fundraising Week, I am donating 20% of online sales of Dapper Snappers from June 28th until July 4th to Reeces Rainbow. If you don't need Dapper Snappers, I encourage you to donate to Reece's Rainbow and help make a difference. Use this ChipIn Widget to donate directly to Reece's Rainbow today!

Most of this article was taken from several pages at http://reecesrainbow.com/ and "rearranged" by me.