Try Change is Now Bi-Coastal!

We have exciting news! Try Change is in our first store on the West Coast – Decked Out Clothing! Thank you Bobby and Omar for giving Try Change the opportunity to be in your new store!





Decked Out Clothing is located in the Vista Town Center at the corner of Hacienda and Melrose in Vista, CA (Hours are M-Sat. 10am - 8pm & Sun. 10am - 7pm). They carry brands like Zoo York, Levis, and Tap Out along with shoes and women’s clothing & accessories. Decked Out just had their grand opening so please go out and support them and Try Change!

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We also want to thank everyone that voted for us during the Pepsi Refresh Challenge! We truly appreciate all of your support! Though we didn't win the grant, we ended up #41 and made some great contacts!

Thanks again!
Vince & Chrissie

Pepsi Refresh Challenge - Refresh Everything! Vote for Try Change!

We have some exciting news here at Try Change…We have been accepted into the Pepsi Refresh Challenge Project! Pepsi is giving away grants to individuals and organizations that are striving to bring about positive change or fill a need in their communities.

As you may know, one of the main reasons why we started Try Change was to help bring about positive change and to encourage others to also make changes in their lives. Try Change has highlighted many personal and community causes but the one we have chosen to fight for personally, and as a business, has been to end homelessness. We participate in volunteer activities and donate a percentage of our t-shirt sales to programs that support ending homelessness. The goal – To End Homelessness One T-Shirt at a Time!

This grant from Pepsi Refresh would allow us to expand Try Change to our new home base in Southern California. But we need your help…The sheer number of homeless in the San Diego area has reawakened our passion to do something about it- not just encourage others but really do something about it…We cannot do this alone. We need your support. And we need your votes.

Please go to PepsiRefresh.com and vote for Try Change!

You can vote once a day every day until the end of July. You can also text your vote: Text* 107299 to Pepsi (73774) to vote from your mobile. (*Standard text messaging rates apply.)

Thank you everyone for your continued support!
Vince and Chrissie

http://www.refresheverything.com/tshirtstoendhomelessness#
http://pep.si/jCCL2o

http://www.trychange.org/

Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-Atlantic

At Try Change we like highlight individuals and organizations that are making a difference in our communities. We feel it's up to each of us to reach out to those who are less fortunate, especially in these tough economic times.

Try Change would like to introduce you to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-Atlantic. I recently met Ms. Jessica F. Soklow, the Community Relations Manager, at a company event last week. At the meeting Ms. Soklow informed me of all the great things Make-A-Wish does for children with life threatening medical conditions. What impressed me the most were the many fundraising opportunities there are for individuals and companies looking for ways to make a difference in a child's life. From car washes to bingo parties, there's something for everyone!

About Make -A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-Atlantic

As noted on their website:

"The Make-A-Wish Foundation® of the Mid-Atlantic, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that fulfills the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. The Foundation serves children who reside in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Northern Virginia.Founded in 1983, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-Atlantic, Inc. has fulfilled the wishes of more than 6,000 children fighting life-threatening medical conditions such as cancer, pediatric AIDS, cystic fibrosis, Duchene’s Muscular Dystrophy and heart disease. A wish fulfilled creates a memorable experience for a child fighting a life-threatening medical condition and gives him or her something positive to think about instead of medical treatments and hospital visits. Recent wishes include visiting Walt Disney World® Resort, taking a family vacation, receiving a home computer, having a bedroom redecorated and meeting the Jonas Brothers. The Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-Atlantic, Inc. is affiliated with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America."

Please visit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-Atlantic's new website. There you can learn about volunteer opportunities as well as the organizations latest news and events.

Jessica, thank you for taking the time to inform us about your great organization!

Thanks for making a difference!

At Try Change we feel we can all make a difference. For us, we donate 10& of all our profits to Volunteers of America which serves the homeless in the DC,VA & MD areas. We also adopt a homeless family during the holiday season, donate clothes as well as hold an annual Charity yard sale for VOA.You can find our shirts at:

Fashion Mechanics in the Springfield and Manassas Mall
Evado in the Fair Oaks Mall
Shadows in the Forestville Centre
SWANK in the Pentagon City Mall
Millennium in Georgetown
Sport Zone- Selected locations
D-Block-Lakeforest Mall, Gaithersburg MD
First Thangs First- Waldorf MD
Next Level Clothing- Ellicott City MD
Turning Point- Laurel Centre Mall, Laurel MD
New York Fashions- Charlottesville VA
Fashion Kings- Bridgeport WV
Hot Stepper -Martinsburg WV
Urban Flavor- Old Town, Manassas, VA
Heartbeat- Lake Forest Mall, Gaithersburg MD
Fashion World- Hurlock MD
City Wear- Farmville, VA

Help us pass along the Try Change message by joining one of our blog communities and asking your blog community members to visit our blog.
My Space
Razoo
Idealist
Change.org
MyBlogLog
BlogCatalog
Twitter

The Crumley House

At Try Change we like to recognized individuals and organizations that are making a difference in our communities. One such organization is the Crumley House located in Limestone Tennessee. I recently had the pleasure to tour this facility during a trip to Jonesborough Tennessee.

The Crumley House specializes in the rehabilitation of individuals who have suffered brain injuries.

They offer over 20 programs including:

• Vocational & Pre-Vocational Training
• Independent Living Skills
• Behavior Modification
• Competitive Employment Placement
• Community Re-entry
• Job Coaching
• Daily Living Skills
  College Tutoring

With 14 rooms and plenty of land Crumley House offers it's residents not only some of the programs listed above but also exercise programs, fishing and swimming and an Equestrian program as well. The Equestrian program is a special source of pride for Crumley House since this allows some of the wheelchair residents to actually ride horses.

As discussed on their website:

"The Crumley House opened it's doors in the summer of 1992. Although from a far this may have looked like the beginning, the dream that became a reality was born in 1981. On a September afternoon, the lives of then 14 year old Lori Beth Ford and her family were dramatically and forever changed. Following a tragic automobile accident, this beautiful and vibrant teenager became a brain injury survivor.
After several weeks in a coma, Lori Beth awakened with a frontal lobe injury to her brain. She was unable to walk, speak, or eat. The accident ended years of ballet, horseback riding, cheerleading, and many other outstanding endeavors. However, it did not end her life The goals changed but the drive and support of her family did not. Ms. Barrett, who knew very little on the subject of traumatic brain injury, did not hesitate. She immersed herself in Lori's hands-on rehabilitation and recovery. She discovered throughout the process that there was a crucial missing link in the rehabilitation cycle. There was no place to support the transition between acute rehabilitation, community reentry, and independent living skills. From this idea grew what is now The Crumley House."

During my tour, I witnessed many moving experiences but if there was one thing that stayed with me it's this----

Anyone one of us , at any time can suffer a brain injury.

Don't think so? Here are some sobering statistics:

• Every 21 seconds someone receives a brain injury in the US
• Every 5 minutes one of these people will die
• Of those who do survive (70,000 to 90,000) will have a lifelong loss of function
• Traumatic Brain Injury is the leading killer and cause of disability in teenagers and young adults

The team at Crumley House is doing a fantastic job by helping victims of Traumatic Brain Injury re-enter society. Please help Try Change spread the word about The Crumley House. The Crumley House Brain Injury Foundations has been set up to accept donations to assist with a planned expansion and continuation of the much needed services they provide.

You can learn more about Crumley House at:

http://www.crumleyhouse.com/

Phone 423-257-3644

Toll Free 866-892-7246

Email- staff@crumleyhouse.com

At Try Change we feel we can all make a difference. For us, we donate 10& of all our profits to Volunteers of America which serves the homeless in the DC,VA & MD areas. We also adopt a homeless family during the holiday season, donate clothes as well as hold an annual Charity yard sale for VOA.
You can find our shirts at:
Fashion Mechanics in the Springfield and Manassas Mall

Evado in the Fair Oaks Mall

Shadows in the Forestville Centre

SWANK in the Pentagon City Mall

Millennium in Georgetown

Sport Zone- Selected locations

D-Block-Lakeforest Mall, Gaithersburg MD

First Thangs First- Waldorf MD

Next Level Clothing- Ellicott City MD

Turning Point- Laurel Centre Mall, Laurel MD

New York Fashions- Charlottesville VA

Fashion Kings- Bridgeport WV

Hot Stepper -Martinsburg WV

Urban Flavor- Old Town, Manassas, VA

Heartbeat- Lake Forest Mall, Gaithersburg MD

Fashion World- Hurlock MD

City Wear- Farmville, VA

Help us pass along the Try Change message by joining one of our blog communities and asking your blog community members to visit our blog.

My Space

Razoo

Idealist

Change.org

MyBlogLog

BlogCatalog

Twitter

Embracing Each Day

Embracing each day...this is what Sherri Lewis has learned to do. In the 80's she was riding around in limo's and had a hit record. Things started falling apart. Her label folded, she lost her manager and she turned to drugs. Then she found out that she had contracted HIV. Now she is sober and instead of letting the disease get her down, she is helping others who have contracted HIV. Sherri is also pushing for prevention. She runs support groups on the streets and teaches HIV education to high school and college students.

Some people may forget that HIV/AIDS is still a major epidemic in the United States not just in other countries. Education for prevention and support for those who are infected is still very important. This is what Sherri Lewis is trying to accomplish.

Click here to find out what you can do to help both here in the US and globally.



Help us pass along the Try Change message by joining one of our blog communities and asking your blog community members to visit our blog.

My Space
Razoo
Idealist
Change.org
MyBlogLog
BlogCatalog
Try Change Newsletter

Try Change Sponsors Bridge Walk

This evening was the sixth annual Springfield Bridge Walk and Try Change was a sponsor! This was the very first event that we've sponsored so its pretty exciting for us. The Bridge Walk is an annual event to commemorate the completion of the Memorial Bridge in Springfield as well as honor the areas Veterans. It is also a community event that celebrates the growth and revitalization that is happening in Springfield. The turn out was amazing! The boy scouts were there and several area politicians as well as many other community groups and citizens. I feel really proud to have been part of this . We hope to sponsor more events like this in the future because we do believe strongly in getting out there and supporting the communities that we live and work in.

And speaking of communities...please stop by and join one of our blogging communities or leave us a quick comment here on our blog. We would really love to hear about things going on in your own communities and how you are getting involved!

Thanks for stopping by!

Chrissie

The Power of Technology

Did everyone watch the YouTube debate tonight? I won't comment too much on the issues directly but I do want to comment more generally about the event itself. It is wonderful and amazing the way that technology has changed and advanced our lives. Real people have the opportunity to actually question our political leaders/potential leaders. It makes the whole thing seem so much more personal. I'm really looking forward to the next YouTube debate in September. This was very enlightening as well as entertaining. :)

The debate itself really touched alot on what Try Change is all about... Change. Positive change, whether Democrat or Republican, is needed in this country both politically and socially. No matter what political or religious back ground we come from we all should be descent to one another, encourage one another, and be willing to help and support those that haven't had the opportunities that we may have had. Like it was said in the debate...we are one the richest countries in the world...why do people have to suffer?

So I invite you to comment on your thoughts about the debate, the issues, the historical event itself...What issues effect you personally? Who do you think would best lead this country? How do you feel about the use of YouTube for political debates?

More Opportunities

One of the great things that has come out of starting Try Change is that I am always looking for ways to get the Try Change message out to the public. Whether at the gas station or like today at the grocery store, I always come across something that sparks an idea. Today I was at a Bloom grocery store when I came across Northern Virginia Magazine. As the title suggests the magazine covers topics that are of interest to Northern Virginia one of the countries fastest growing regions. I will shoot off a press release to the editor tonight. Perhaps they will do a article on Try Change. Chrissie updated the Try Change Home Page with new t- shirt designs today and you also can go to our shop page at http://www.cafepress.com/trychange

to see more t-shirts designs. One of the best ways to help us get the word out is through the purchase of one of our shirts. Remember a portion of all profits go to Volunteers of America Chesapeake.

Thanks for the support!

Vince

http://www.trychange.org/