Pill Bottle Collection

This spring and summer we've seemed to have caught the sick bug and he must like our house because we've had him hanging around for many many months.

With the prescription pill bottles piling up in our medicine cabinet, I opened up the cabinet and had a flashback to an idea our friend Sonya had shared with me about something we could do for Noah's Kindness Project.

It's called Mathew 25 Ministries and it is a non-profit that accepts donations of empty plastic pill bottles to then be used in shipments of medical supplies to areas of need or for shredding and recycling.  To learn more about the program you can visit their pill bottle donation website.   The program fulfills the dual needs of improving medical care in developing countries and caring for our environment.

As I thought about our cabinet I wondered how many other families might have the same collection going on in their closets so we thought maybe we could volunteer to collect the  bottles for others and then ship them off to Mathew's 25 Ministries as  a part of Noah's Kindness Project.  

Here are a list of the acceptable collection items:

• Prescription and over-the-counter pill bottles
• Large and small pill bottles
• Pill Bottles with and without secure caps (child resistant)

If you are unsure if your pill bottle meets the requirements, you are welcome to include it.   If it does not, it  will be included with shipments to be recycled and the cash raised from recycling material is given back to the charity. 

There are some steps  we ask you to take if you want to participate.  We ask that you please remove all labels and any glue residue from the bottles before donating them.  If you would like to wash them before, please do so with very hot water and dish soap. If you'd prefer not, we will make sure to wash all before we donate them too.  

If you would like to donate, we will be collecting bottles starting now until October 5th.

Our home:  Please message us and we can pick up or send you our address 

and

C & D Rentals Office:  503 w Milwaukee St. Suite #2 New Hampton, IA 50659- Please drop in the sealed donation box located in the lobby.

And please remember all  pill bottles MUST be EMPTY.  Thank you in advance!

While we've caught the sick bug this spring, I know that our sickness in no way compares to what others across this world face.  While our efforts might not be huge, they can still make a difference.  Just like Noah, he was small and mighty and through our small and mighty efforts, we can make a difference too.

Thanks for joining us!

Until next time,

Angie

2018 NKP t-shirts!

This year, in keeping with theme of picking shirt colors that are found in the rainbow.  This year we  will have purple shirts... which just so happens to be Noah's Nana's favorite color.  

We are sticking with the same shirt company as last year as so many people told us last year's shirt was their favorite one to date, not only most comfy but the women loved the v-cut and the shirts washed up really nice.  

Men's Shirt

Women's Shirt

Kid's Shirt

The back of the shirts will remain the same as past years.  See below in the same order.

Men's Shirt

Women's Shirt

Kid's Shirt


This year we are going to be  moving up the deadline to order until August 27.  We want to make sure we don't cut it too close in getting the shirts to everyone, especially those who live out of state.  So please mark your calendars and place your order NOW!

The pricing of the shirts will be approximately $10-12 dollars and if you are from out of state please expect a few extra dollars for shipping.  We will help cover some of the cost as well!

While I was a bit hesitant to go with a purple shirt because I wasn't sure how men would feel about purple and then I saw the proof and realized I think they look great! We hope you like them as well!

To  place your order and for more information about sizing please visit: https://goo.gl/forms/spXxzm0mGrzLUkCN2 

 Please remember the deadline to order is August 27!

For those who have ordered a shirt in the past, I hope you find them to be what you expected or more.  I promise this specific shirt is amazing.  They are seriously one of my favorite go-to shirts because they are so comfortable.  If you know me, you know I'm the queen of comfort. What makes wearing my NKP t-shirt even more special is all of the questions, the comments and the "Hey I've seen that shirt before!"  To know what we are able to share the message of kindness with others by wearing our shirt makes me smile thinking of the differences that can be made all year round.

Thank you for your support and please remember to place your orders today!  Please share with others as well!

Until next time,
Angie

2018 Noah's Kindness Project

Please save the date and join us as we help spread kindness and honor Noah's legacy.

I've had lots of time to think about this year's project, already have some things lined up and it should be a lot of fun.   

Stay tuned...  more information to come.

Until next time,
Angie and Jarrett

A reminder of the little guy who help inspire us to share kindness....

Announcing the Celebration of “Noah’s Kindness Project” : Showing Love, Kindness, and Generosity

As many of you may know, our son, Noah James Haskovec, was born to us on June 13, 2015 following a week-long stay in the hospital.  We spent the next twelve days with him in the NICU at the hospital before he passed away on June 25.  Our blogdocuments his short but meaningful life with us here on earth. 

While Noah lived a short time, we truly believe and find consolation in that fact that his life was meaningful and impacted the lives of many others in positive ways.  Throughout our stay at the hospital, our many visits to see him at the NICU every day, and after his passing, we always felt the profound and genuine love, kindness, support, prayers, and caring offered and shown by so many people, including those who had been complete strangers to us and those living in states far away from us.  Noah’s Kindness Project is both an opportunity to remember and honor our son’s memory and to capture, recreate, and promote the kindness, generosity, and love people exhibited toward us during his life.

Noah’s life brought out the best in so many.  While we were at the hospital, friends and family regularly stopped in to visit us and offer their love and support and brought or sent many gifts and care packages in an effort to make sure we had everything we needed and to show they cared.  So many contacted us by every medium imaginable – telephone, email, texts, Facebook, cards and letters, and others – to share a supportive note and to let us know they were thinking about and praying for us that it took us quite a while to get back to everyone.  A few days before Noah was born, some friends organized a meal delivery schedule to ensure that we would not have to be concerned about planning meals for our other children.  The meal deliveries went on for fully six weeks.  More friends and family than we can count offered to watch our other kids and dog for us throughout this time.  Some friends jumped in to take one of our sons to and from baseball practice and games.  People prayed for us – some for the first time in a long time.  We continued to receive a steady stream of letters, cards, flowers/plants, gifts, and other expressions of love and support from friends and family over the next many weeks.  Some gifts were for our other children and were offered to keep them happy and busy during this difficult time.  Once Noah had passed, the kindness, generosity, love, and support continued to flow, including some extremely moving gifts from strangers who read about and followed our experiences on the blog.  People followed our story – Noah’s story – throughout on the blog.  People rejoiced with us during the happy times, prayed for us during the challenging times, and suffered with us when he passed.  We felt lifted up throughout and were extremely touched.  Just when we thought people couldn’t possibly do more or be more generous to us, people did more.  It has been an amazing feeling.  
Each year, on the first Saturday in October, we will celebrate and honor Noah's life and legacy by performing acts of kindness in his honor.  Noah was originally expected to arrive on October 3 and we choose this time of year to give back, and extend a hand of kindness in his memory.  We ask you to please join us in spreading kindness...

Please take some time out of your day to do something nice for someone, to help someone in need or in distress, to volunteer or support a cause important to you, to pray and reflect, or to just make someone’s day unexpectedly better. 

Below are some ideas of the many different ways you can participate in Noah’s Kindness Project. 

• ·         Visit someone in the hospital or a shut-in person
• ·         Call or each out to someone in need or crisis
• ·         Volunteer for a cause important to you. 
• ·         Donate to a different group that helps others
• ·         Donate blood
• ·         Send a care package to someone who doesn’t expect it
• ·         Open a door for someone/help someone carry something
• ·         Generously tip a service person
• ·         Thank  healthcare worker, service person, firefighter, emergency responder for their service
• ·         Pay for someone’s meal or drink
• ·         Clean up a park, the side of the road or neighborhood shared space
• ·         Send an anonymous gift and note to someone in need or struggling
• ·         Give someone a ride to their doctor’s appointment
• ·         Share your talent in a way to make someone’s day better
• ·         Volunteer at an animal shelter

The act of kindness is really up to you.   Our goal is to have as many people as possible participate.  Your act of kindness can be as simple as holding a door or as generous as giving of your time and money to help.  All we ask is that you do it in memory of our son.  We will provide Noah’s Kindness cards that you can print out and leave with your act of kindness.  Our goal is to get as many people involved as possible and to spread kindness across the world. 

To see how far-reaching Noah’s Kindness Project can reach, we ask, once your act(s) of kindness is done, that you report back and post something about your experience.  Please use the hashtag #noahskindnessproject on Twitter, Instagram and join our Facebook group “Noah’s Kindness Project”.  Take pictures, share Noah’s Kindness cards, and encourage everyone you know to participate.  The world needs more love and concern for others.  Noah and his story brought it out in so many.  We ask you to please join us and be a part of Noah’s Kindness Project.

2017 Noah's Kindness Project in review

Noah's Kindness Project 2017

Hard to believe we are almost 2 weeks post Noah's Kindness Project.  I feel guilty that I haven't gotten anything posted on here to recap the amazing day that it was.  In full disclosure life has been slightly chaotic and I just can't keep up.  In addition to Noah's Project, the kids were on fall break, we moved to our final place (we found a house!) and I have been worn down... scratch that we all have.

Here's Jarrett and Madelyn yesterday morning after they got up once and already had fallen back asleep, and it wasn't even 7 a.m.

I have so many blog posts to catch up on but first I want to recap the amazing and special day that Saturday, October 7, 2017 was for us.  What better way to do that than to flood this page with pictures.... they really do tell the best story.

Up bright and early and excited to begin the day... Michael was still getting dressed! :-)

We started the morning at Feed My Starving Children!

 Madelyn was very excited she got to wear a shirt too, thanks to Nana's amazing sewing skills to shrink it down to her size!

We were excited cousin Katherine and her mom Annette from Chicago came out for the weekend to join us!  It was SO much fun having them with us!

These boys are getting so big pretty soon, we'll have to call them young men!  They were all about the competition to see who could box the most food.

 Always so grateful for my friend Trudi and her family for their support!  They joined us to help us make meals too!

Madelyn wanted a hairnet and didn't seem to mind how silly we looked!

Say "Hi" Madelyn

Everyone getting trained on what we would be doing.  

Cousin Alex and Madelyn!

Even Julia and Ava were ready for the fun

We were trying to get Madelyn to turn around for the picture but she wasn't too interested

While everyone finished boxing the meals, Madelyn and I went to pick up the balloons and food for the hospital staff. Madelyn loved to play with them as we drove to the hospital

Thanks to our wonderful friend Stacey who joined me and helped SO much with transporting items, preparing food and entertaining us!

Our next stop was Banner Desert where we took gifts to the Antepartum unit and the NICU. 

We went up to the NICU to take some gifts for the families including handmade Angel Slumber bags for babies who leave us too soon, and tiny quilts for the babies to have their first blanket.  We also gave coolers filled with care items to the families to help them with those difficult days in the NICU, and our friends from Iowa, Jenna and Linda Roths brought preemie outfits for the babies!  We also brought meals for the hard working staff both day and night shift.

Aren't these beautiful?  These are gifts that families who suffer a loss like we did are able to bring their precious baby home in something beautiful and delicate, just like their babies.

Following that we had our annual balloon release where we wrote messages on the balloons and released them to Heaven for hopefully Noah to see!  This is one of my favorite parts of the day.

Our group before the big release!

Madelyn didn't let her balloon go at first and when she finally did we smiled, thinking she must have wanted her message to be the last one he saw.

After the release we went and made Kindness Stones.  This was so fun and people were so creative with what they came up with.  Here's Katherine making some to share!

So grateful for the family that spent the day with us. In addition to Annette and Kat coming from Chicago,  Nolan and Jarrett came from Seattle to spend the weekend, it was so nice to see them too!

 The Haskovec family all together!

After lunch and our kindness stones and letter project we went and returned grocery carts.  This is another fun activity the kids love and you should the way they race around the parking lot!

The crew who helped return a LOT of grocery carts!!!!

 Noah's Kindness Project is a day that is so healing and continues to remind us of just how blessed we are.  While Noah was only here for 12 days, his legacy is carried on through so many of you as you join us.  Words will never accurately convey just how much this means to us.  Jarrett and I can not say thank you enough for the ways you've shared love, support and kindness with us.  To know that Noah is remembered and honored through kindness is so important to us and we are deeply touched by your support.

We loved the shirts this year!  They are so comfy and soft! and cute I might add.


In addition to the acts of kindness listed above, so many people went out of their way to share kindness acts with us.  Here  are just some of the sampling that touched our hearts..

 Kindness Gift for a Stranger who waves hello!

 A message of love that touched my heart...

A fun surprise and such a cool gift... Honor rainbow bands to celebrate Noah and Miracle Baby KNOX! 

Look at these cuties with their bands!

Students at the Clear Lake school in Iowa showing their support!

And of course we wanted to join in as well.

Candy treats for those who work at a factory around the clock for when you need a little sugar pick me up!

One of my favorites, paying the parking meters for people so they don't get a ticket!  Such a fun idea!

And the generous act of kindness from Ron who organized a food drive at his work and at several of their different locations around the valley!  We were truly blown away by the amount of food they raised to help St. Mary's food bank.  A whole pallet of food was picked up by St. Mary's and went to help so many less fortunate. Thank you!

And even more acts of kindness!  My 93 year old Grandpa and Aunt Bridget brought treats for the people at the place where my grandpa is staying

And my mom and dad brought beautiful flowers and homemade treats to share with the residents.

Our friends from Campbell's Crew Care's put together homeless food bags to share with those we see on the streets! 

Tara and her beautiful kiddos took gifts to the Ronald McDonald house!

My best friend from 6th grade took food to a food bank collecting food for Puerto Rico

Lupe gathered food from many family and friends and brought it in to Jarrett's work to help collect food!

Josepha donated food to help area Tucson families as well!

Our friend Nancy took flowers to a memorial cemetery so that everyone's loved ones were remembered. 

Our friend Shelby gifted food to strangers she met and who it turns out had just been going through a difficult time of their own.  See the smiles on the faces her gift brought them!

Some of the gifts she shared.

And my Friend Debbie, who is an amazing cook, continues to bring meals for me at work throughout the month of October.  They are SOOOO tasty, I am SO lucky.  On the first day she brought me some amazing cookies from a recipe she made up.  She called the cookies.... Noah's Kindness Cookies.

http://www.deliciouslyinspired.com/2017/10/noahs-kindness-cookies/

I was (still am) so deeply touched and these have instantly become my favorite cookies, not only because of the name but because of how they taste.  So yummy! 

Oh the pictures could go on and on. So many wonderful acts of kindness which are so deeply touching.  We have found this year to be so healing yet again and are reminded that so many of you truly are the rainbow in our lives.

Thanks always, and until next time,

Jarrett and Angie