Step2

The 8th Annual Saving tiny Hearts Gala is just 12 days away! To have some fun and count down the days leading up to this event, we’ve decided to share the love and offer “A Coupe a Day Giveaway.”

Over the next 12 days, you can enter to win 1 of 12 Easy Turn Coupes, in your choice of green or pink. As an added bonus, Step2 will donate $1 per entry received to the Saving tiny Hearts Society at the gala (up to $10,000). To enter, use the Rafflecopter below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. We hereby release Facebook of any liability. Giveaway is open to residents of the 48 contiguous US states, age 18+. Giveaway will close at 12:00AM ET on 6/2/13. 12 winners will be selected at that time and winners will be contacted by email within 48 hours. Winner may select a green or pink Easy Turn Coupe. One winner per Easy Turn Coupe. If you have any additional questions, feel free to send an email to thestep2team@gmail.com.

Words can lift a person up but they can also tear a person down. In Columbia, Maryland lives seventh grader, Noah Brocklebank, he suffers from depression and has been torn down with words by classmates. Noah thought about taking his own life on his thirteenth birthday to alleviate the pain from bullying and depression. He ended up in the hospital for eight days and during that time, his mother, Karen asked friends on Facebook to send Noah letters about how much he is loved and cared about. Instead of receiving a few letters, Noah received thousands of letters from all across the world. Now whenever, Noah is having a bad day he can turn to his letters from his thousands of friends. This Thoughtful Thursday is dedicated to the kind strangers of the world that know the power of words.

If you would like to send Noah a letter, visit Letters for Noah!

Step2 prides itself on being part of the excellent community of Streetsboro, Ohio. Step2 has been a resident of Streetsboro for nineteen years. Actively helping out around the community is something that Step2 enjoys. We are excited to announce that we will be participating in the first annual Streetsboro Employment Expo.  The Streetsboro Chamber and City of Streetsboro have united to make this expo possible. The Streetsboro Employment Expo will take place in the gymnasium at Streetsboro High School, 1900 Annalane Drive on Wednesday, March 20 from 5 to 7:30pm.

In addition to Step2 participating in this wonderful event, we are also one of the main sponsors. There will be a total of forty exhibitors that specialize in the industries of retail, commercial, industrial and professional businesses.

For job seekers attending this event, admission is free. Anyone can attend from college graduates, seniors, business professionals, high school graduates, interns, volunteers, to seasonal help. There is an opportunity for everyone!

Step2 is happy to be a team player in a fantastic community such as Streetsboro; we are honored to call this city our home.

To find out more about the Employment Expo, contact the Streetsboro Area Chamber of Commerce at 330-626-4769 or sacc@streetsborochamber.org.

Bill Watterson, the author of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes once said, “Things are never quite as scary when you have a best friend.” This quote exemplifies the friendship between two six year old boys, Dylan and Jonah.

This week’s Thoughtful Thursday is dedicated to Dylan Siegel for his heroic efforts to raise money for this best friend Jonah who has an incurable liver disease, Glycogen Storage Disease 1b.  Dylan and Jonah met during their second year of preschool and they have been best friends ever since. The book that Dylan wrote is about all things that he thinks are awesome. The term “chocolate bar” replaces the word awesome in the book.

Dylan’s goal is to raise $1,000,000 so doctors can find a cure for Jonah’s disease. So far, Dylan’s book the “Chocolate Bar” has raised $92,000. By going to the Chocolate Bar book website, you can help Dylan achieve his goal of raising money for his best friend. Jonah will never be alone when it comes to fighting for a cure for his disease as long as he has a friend like Dylan by his side.

A tragedy that hits close to home for Step2 was the Chardon High School shooting that occurred one year ago. Although precious lives were lost, the community of Chardon has held strong during this difficult year. Yesterday, Wednesday February 27, 2013, the students of Chardon walked to Chardon Square in memory of the fallen classmates. This act of kindness shows the compassion and dedication of these young people when it comes to honoring students whose lives were cut short.

In addition to the walk yesterday, this Saturday there will be a fundraiser in honor of Danny Parmertor, one of the students that was killed. The money will go toward scholarships for students at Chardon High School and the Auburn Career Center who are interested in pursuing an education in the computer-related field.

The first winner of this scholarship will be awarded in May 2013. This would have been the year that Parmertor graduated. These acts of kindness prove the love this community has for one another. As the German and French philosopher, Albert Schweitzer once said, “Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.”

*Thoughtful Thursdays will be a new segment on the Step2 blog to honor people in the news that take time out of their lives to help others. Any act of kindness is inspirational and generous. This is a day at Step2, we would like to say thanks to the compassionate people of the world.

Our children teach us just as much as we teach them. American author, Joyce  Maynard  once stated, “It’s not only children who grow.  Parents do too.  As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours.  I can’t tell my children to reach for the sun.  All I can do is reach for it, myself.”

Here is what our children have taught us:

What have your children taught you?