mama earth

Greetings from Germany

andreaM — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 02:54:59 +0000

The team at 4mamaearth.org was so pleased to receive email correspondence from a young woman in Hamburg, Germany by the name of Mina. Her enthusiasm and dedication to using her time and energy to focus on theatre, dance, music and helping others inspires us and we are PROUD that the work we are doing is resonating with so many people of all ages and backgrounds.

Read her story below and let it inspire you to do something good wherever you are. We are happy to say we have 4mamaearth family doing work just like this in Indonesia, the UK and now Germany. Get involved!

Mina Zulal

Dear Mrs Bayot,

I‘m Mina. I‘m 13 years old and from Hamburg, Germany. I’m in 8th grade and after school I act in a theatre, I dance and I also play piano, drums and guitar.

I think charitable work is really important so I have been part of a youth group of Greenpeace and Amnesty International since I was eleven to realize projects with them. I also help a youth organisation called “Youth Against Aids” and I collect money for a school in Afghanistan. I am also planting trees with “Plant for the Planet” but my favorite hobby is interviewing! I am a young reporter for a German childrens’ news magazine. Maybe one day I will interview Bruno Mars, this would be awesome!

I‘ve got one older brother and one older sister.

On the 5th of October, I went to a Bruno Mars concert, the first concert of my life. It was just amazing! Before the concert, I wasn‘t a really big fan but now my whole room is full of posters of him! As I learned more and more about him, one day I saw a picture on Twitter of your little son and him boxing. After awhile I realized that he also has siblings, so I have looked at your Twitter page and I saw this website “4M.A.M.A.Earth”. I have visited it and I think this is just a great organisation! Now I love 4M.A.M.A.Earth!

At my school, I‘m the pupils’ representative and I was looking for a cool organisation like this to realize some ideas of yours with my classmates and raise money for your causes. Since I was eleven, it has been my aim to estabilish an organisation like 4M.A.M.A.Earth!

Recently, I’ve had time to create a little concept of how I can support you. These are my results:

1. I am going to organize a flea market and I want to sell donated stuff from my family, friends and of course mine!

2. Every month I want to sell homemade cake and waffles at my school.

3. I also want to organize a school party with a raffle. I have already organized a party like this before and we donated the proceeds to the earthquake victims in Haiti.

4. At each of these little “events”, I want to distribute flyers (maybe a list of 25 things you can do to make a difference) and sell wish bracelets. It would be awesome if you could send me the package.

Mina & her friends raising money to make a change for the better!

This past Thursday and Friday, we sold cake during school break. I made all the cakes and my awesome friends helped sell it together with me! We have earned 200 € ! It was really successful! I have never earned so much money by selling cake! We’ll be purchasing the 4mamaearth fundraising bracelets with the money we’ve earned and we’ll use these to raise more money or give them away with a purchase/donation at future cake sales and fundraisers.

I really hope that you don‘t think that I‘m just a crazy teenie, because I am not. I am really friendly and most people say that spending time with me feels like they’ve known me their whole life, although we’ve only spent maybe ten minutes together.

A lovely Sunday and greetings from Germany, Mina.

Calling all fashionistas, designers & entrepreneurs!

andreaM — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:43:15 +0000

Handbag Designer, Gina Alexander

One of our favorite m.a.m.a.s, Los Angeles-based top designer Gina Alexander will host the first ever “Handbag Laboratory” to give young designers the essential tools needed to start and grow their own business in the multi-billion dollar a year handbag industry on Friday, March 2 at the California Market Center in Los Angeles. This one-day only symposium brings together leading industry professionals from design, manufacturing, retail and e-commerce to give insight, experience and advice to students and beginning entrepreneurs about the ins and outs of the lucrative and highly competitive handbag business.

“I want to share my story and experience of starting and owning a business based on my passion and creativity with other people, especially the next generation of young, fashion designers,” explains Gina, “because it’s important to me not only to inspire young designers but also to be able to give them the tools they need to succeed. The fashion world is part knowledge and part experience. You can’t teach this in school.”

Gina, who studied at the acclaimed Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, began her own business of custom photographed hand bags some thirteen years ago at a small kiosk in Hollywood. In her second year, she did $1.4M in sales and the business boomed. Soon, she began designing for a diverse celebrity clientele, making appearances on HSN and QVC and then being featured at Nordstrom, Saks and Red Envelope. Now, Gina Alexander, Inc. is the top photo handbag maker in the world.

Click the image to learn more.

This event is for all aspiring handbag designers and those in the fashion industry concerned with keeping production local instead of outsourcing to other countries. Guests & speakers at this event will include consultants to Fendi,
Salvatorre Ferragamo, Gucci, Christian Lacroix, designers for artists including Avril Lavigne, Gwen Stefani and Kim Kardashian along with contractors for luxury handbag designers like Louis Vuitton, Betsy Johnson and more.

A portion of proceeds from event ticket sales will benefit the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising and m.a.m.a earth. Participants are encouraged to bring their laptops (free WIFI), business cards and samples of their designs. General seating/registration fee is $99.00. For further information including purchasing tickets to the Lab, please click HERE.

Leeds mum creating community with henna

andreaM — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:07:23 +0000

Our heartfelt gratitude for the enthusiasm and support from Noreen Akhtar in Leeds, UK. Check out her story & her beautiful contribution to m.a.m.a. e a r t h’s vision.

UK m.a.m.a. Noreen Ahktar and her 2 children.

My name is Noreen Akhtar. I’m 30 years old and a full time mum of two, my daughter 11 and my son 8. As they both are growing up, I’ve more time to spare and would love to be a part of m.a.m.a. earth. I’m from the UK living in a city called Leeds. I’m very interested in helping with the m.a.m.a.earth charity. “I believe I’ve been given a purpose. My intention is to provide inspiring opportunities for others and experience how it feels to make a difference, while raising awareness on issues we all face.” I’m up for the challenge.

I wanted to inform you of a charitable fundraising event I hosted.

As it was my first time doing a charity event, I decided to have the event at home. I made invitations to send out to family and friends. This gathering was for the girls and ladies to come and get a henna tattoo for a small donation. As I like to do henna tattoos, I thought it would be a good idea to do it at the event. I decorated the room in a way that would make my guests feel comfortable and relaxed.

The event included refreshments, drinks and most of all, a chance for all the girls and ladies to have a fun, girly evening in.

With the weather here being cold and the day’s getting shorter and darker, everybody tends to stay indoors after school and work. I felt this would be a good opportunity for everyone to get together and socialize.

I thanked my guests for arriving and began with the henna I prepared a few hours prior.

1)What is henna?

Henna is grown in some of the hottest and driest places in the world. The leaves from the bush produce a red dye. The leaves are collected, dried and grounded into a fine powder. The powder is then mixed with plain water into a paste.

2)How is it applied?

Making sure the skin is clean and ready to have the paste applied, I use a cone to carefully squeeze the paste into designs. The process is similar to decorating a cake with icing.

3)Where can it be applied?

Henna can be applied to the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet. The next best place would be the tops of the hands and feet, also shoulders, hips, back and neck.

4)How long does it last?

Henna can last anywhere from 5 to 8 days.

I hope I’ve answered some of the questions you might of wanted to ask about henna.

Everybody enjoyed the event very much, I got a lot of positive feedback from the guests.

Aliyah, “I’ve never been to an event like this and I really enjoyed it.”

Sarah, “I felt safe and most of all my parents were happy giving me permission to go where they also knew I was safe and off the streets.”

Raisha, “I loved it so much and can’t wait for the next event, I hope for it to be soon.”

I’m very proud of myself as I’ve never done any charity work before. I never knew it would change me more as a person, it was hard work getting the event together and informing people but once I got the feedback from the guests and them wanting to know when the next event will be, it makes me feel very overwhelmed, proud and more positive that I’m making a change however big or small. I have managed to raise £120.00 towards the 4mama earth charity.

I will hopefully be planning to hold a future event in order to raise awareness and raise money.

I hope my first fundraising donations really help.

Kind regards,

Noreen Ahktar

Sunrise at the Summit, I did it!

andreaM — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 05:10:35 +0000

A letter from m.a.m.a. e a r t h board member, Francesca Hogi, on reaching the summit of Mt. Kilamanjaro.

(Click here to learn more about how this trip started.)

Francesca at the Summit of Mt. Kilamanjaro

All,

Thank you so much for your generous donations, your encouragement and well-wishes in support of my Mt. Kilimanjaro climb for the kids of Flying Kites. I had an amazing trip and made it all the way to the summit of the mountain, which was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done! I definitely thought of all of you back home who were pulling for me as well as the kids we were climbing for as inspiration to push through the pain.

The Kids of Flying Kites

For a few days prior to the climb, my fellow climbers and I stayed at the Flying Kites home in Njabini, Kenya. We got to spend time with the 26 kids of Flying Kites at home and at school and it was an incredible experience. All of these children are orphans, with no one else in the world willing or able to take them in. You might expect that their home would be a sad place, or that you’d be constantly reminded of all that they have lost or suffered, or at least that is what I expected. But instead I was pleased to discover that these kids are full of love and joy and optimism and they are wonderfully cared for and loved. They were a joy to be around and were so grateful and enthusiastic about our presence and our climb. Before we left for the mountain, all of the kids gave us advice, ranging from “keep your eyes on the prize” to “wear five pairs of pants and three hats and you’ll be OK.” And then we had a dance party!

Summit Sunrise

Again, I thank you for the support and I send my thanks on behalf of the kids of Flying Kites who are well aware that the opportunities they have been given are due to the generosity of others!

If you have any interest in participating in any future adventure challenges on behalf of the children of Flying Kites, you can learn more here: http://flyingkitesglobal.org/ac/.

If you’re interested in sponsoring a child or learning more about Flying Kites, you can do so here: http://flyingkitesglobal.org/. I can’t say enough good things about the amazing work they’ve done in Kenya for these kids. I won’t be climbing any more mountains (one was enough for me!), but I will definitely be back to Kenya to spend more time with these amazing children.

Much love,

p.s. For those of you who have asked – I am 71% of the way to my fundraising goal (hooray!) – my goal is $4000 and it costs Flying Kites $6000 per year to house, clothe and educate each child. This is the link to my fundraising page: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/francescahogi/francescahogisfundraisingpage

Meditations on the Garden

andreaM — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 04:05:55 +0000

2012. What seeds will we plant? What will we sow? My very favorite teacher, Dr. Caroline “Isis” Fuqua said, “Whatever you plant, you’re going to have to eat.”

A big component of m.a.m.a. e a r t h is the work of resident papa, Eugene Cooke, urban farmer and the Grow Where You Are! movement.

Local Food Worldwide.

Join us for Eugene’s upcoming talk, Meditations on the Garden, on January 15th, 2012 in Irvine, California at Center for Living Peace.

Just so you know what this m.a.m.a. e a r t h team is about, check out some of the things Eugene accomplished in 2011.

Designing and managing operations for the largest urban farm in Atlanta, Truly Living Well Center for Urban Agriculture at Wheat St. What can you do with a big slab of concrete where housing projects used to stand? You can turn it into a living, breathing food system and vibrant, thriving hub of a community. Check out this 3 minute video about Truly Living Well – you will be inspired!

Planted over 100 fruit trees with volunteers in celebration of the 25th Dr. Martin Luther King day in Atlanta, Georgia.

Took a research trip to Kenya from January-March, 2011

Created home gardens in California

Delivered a 4-part workshop series at Center for Living Peace. A place and a movement that is promoting a stronger sense of spirit and community for all. This year, Center for Living Peace also hosted His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Charlize Theron and Sir Richard Branson.

Hosted Dr. Cornel West and Tavis Smiley at Truly Living Well Wheat St. during their Poverty Tour.

Will Allen of Growing Power.org

Hosted Will Allen of Growing Power (retired NBA player and urban farmer in Milwaulkee) and other national urban growers at a strategy session in ATL. Growing Power implements their mission by providing hands-on training, on-the-ground demonstration, outreach and technical assistance through the development of Community Food Systems that help communities gain equal access to healthy, high-quality, safe and affordable food for all. Click here to learn more about Will Allen.

Presented a lecture at the 2nd Annual Black Farmers and Urban Gardeners Conference in the Bronx, NY

Consultant for farm projects and school development work in Jamaica with Brenda Isaacs of One Love Learning Foundation.

Eugene & the rest of the team at m.a.m.a. e a r t h are humbled by the scope of our work and look forward to more opportunities to be of service to our local and global communities.

Join us for Eugene’s upcoming talk, Meditations on the Garden, on January 15th, 2012 in Irvine, California at Center for Living Peace.

Get Glam in Hollywood with m.a.m.a. e a r t h & Runway Magazine

andreaM — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:22:16 +0000

Calling all the hot m.a.m.a.s! And all those that love them…

The 4mamaearth family has accomplished a lot this year. We raised money for such non-profits as Ashinaga in Japan, Earthroots Field School in California, national programs like Kid Healthy and Girls Inc, created an empowerment workshop series with young women in Los Angeles and raised money to buy supplies for orphaned children in the Philippines. It’s time to close out the year by celebrating our local and global community with some Hollywood glamour.

Join us at Drais Hollywood on Wednesday, December 28th as we celebrate the end of the year.

Common Kings will perform at The Music Box Hollywood Dec 29th

Let’s celebrate the m.a.m.a. e a r t h mission of giving locally and globally. Cover charge is a minimum donation of $20 and the benefiting organizations will be Kiwanis International – a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world, one child and one community at a time along with Southern California’s own Ecoffiency.org, an organization that is working to inspire an ethic of consumer responsibility, lifestyle choices, and individual actions that result in positive impacts on society and the environment.

Nenna Yvonne at Drais and The Music Box Hollywood Dec 28 & 29

Nigerian-born/New York-raised pop princess Nenna Yvonne will be performing. She is an Interscope artist that’s been endorsed by top DJ & record producer Space Cowboy who has worked with the likes of Lady Gaga and John Legend. Nenna has written for artists such as Jojo, Britney Spears and Rihanna in the past, but has now embarked on a path to promote her solo career. Her latest single “Go Around” is already causing a buzz in many circles and it is available to download in iTunes.

WED – DECEMBER 28th – Drais Hollywood sits 12 stories above the famous corner at Hollywood & Vine crowning the new W Hotel and proves just how good it is at the top, boasting a penthouse palace with over 20,000 square feet of state-of-the-art nightclub opulence and breathtaking city views with floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing the night sky. Drais is quintessential new Hollywood glamour.

Along with Nenna Yvonne, one of our favorite bands, Common Kings, will be rocking the stage. They never fail to get the audience going.

Adorn Thyself & Lend a Hand 4mamaearth!

andreaM — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 05:20:36 +0000

One of our favorite m.a.m.a.'s Amel Larrieux, wearing Zanne Jewelry

The m.a.m.a. e a r t h mission is all about utilizing music and artistry to help raise awareness and funds for local & global causes. Our work has helped men, women & children in Haiti, Japan, the United States, the Philippines and more. We try to make it EASY for folks to help make a change for the better in their own neighborhoods and abroad. 2012 has some exciting projects in the works for Hawaii, the Philippines, South Africa, Atlanta and Southern California. Not to mention 4mamaearth enthusiasts in Germany, Dubai, Puerto Rico… the list goes on!

Until December 20th, m.a.m.a. e a r t h “Auntie” Zanne is offering 20% off her new collection of jewelry with a portion of proceeds helping m.a.m.a. e a r t h continue the mission into 2012. Zanne’s jewelry has been worn by the likes of musicians such as Bruno Mars, Lenny Kravitz, and Goapele ~ actors such as Queen Latifah, Ellen Barkin, Paula Patton, and film director Sanaa Hamri ~ featured in music videos for Prince, Amel Larriuex & feature films such as Just Wright and Something New and TV shows like America’s Next Top Model.

Visit Zanne’s Etsy store and use code ZANNEMAMAEARTH2011 to claim your discount and adorn yourself or someone you love with the intention of making a change for the better. Support & stay in touch by “liking” the Zanne Jewelry Facebook page!

Jewelry making is a natural extension of the creativity that Suzanne Hollingshead, nicknamed “Zanne,” has been expressing since her early childhood in Chicago. Her father, a visual artist, raised her in an environment where art was an integral part of her everyday experience… always making homemade cards and gifts for family and friends, spending Saturdays taking puppet-making class at the local community center, putting her behind the manual camera when she was barely strong enough to hold it. Suzanne was accepted to attend a “Laboratory” elementary school with a heavy concentration on the arts, and there had the freedom and encouragement to independently explore her creative gifts: mural painting, sculpting, building. At the age of thirteen she discovered and fell in love with metalsmithing and stones… and her knack for jewelry-making began.

Suzanne continued to express her creativity while in university and in the non-profit education world by styling and accessory-making. But after years of custom designing jewelry for herself and her friends in her spare time, the demand for her creations began to extend to private clients in New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, and overseas to France and Malaysia. Suzanne made the decision to devote her focus fully to her passion for adorning, and in 2003 Zanne Jewelry was born and is based in Los Angeles where she now resides.

m.a.m.a. e a r t h founder Jaime Kailani in Zanne Jewelry (right), Yaani King (left).

Zanne Jewelry designs are inspired by Suzanne’s craving to birth art that is unique, fresh and timeless. She combines concepts and materials that could be thought of as incongruous and makes them complementary and seamless. She chooses stones and metals that feel as exquisite on the skin as they look. Zanne creates shapes and designs that flatter the body and complement clothing. Some designs are limited edition due to the use of vintage and one-of-a-kind materials. Zanne Jewelry designs are always original and beautiful.

around the world in a day

andreaM — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 04:40:50 +0000

Liza Vosbigian

The 4mamaearth team is continuing our series of girls’ workshops at the Women’s Care Cottage (a program of Volunteers of America) in North Hollywood with the intention to have fun and share ways to inspire, shift attitudes, create conﬁdence, and cultivate a sense of empowerment and creativity. We took a virtual journey around the world with our dear friend, world-traveler and jewelry designer, Liza Vosbigian. It seemed only natural to have Liza facillitate our 3rd workshop with the girls of Womens Care Cottage, Girls Inc and L.E.A.D. since she is an excellent example of someone who has used her heartfelt passions and artistic talents to carve out an incredible life for herself traveling around the world, importing art, jewelry and textiles from places like Bali, Brazil, Morocco and continuing to design and create her own jewelry. Liza began painting in day care, doing bead work in elementary school and working with silver and stones in high school….and she has never stopped! She attended Art Center college of design in Pasadena and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. She learned henna tattooing from friends and studied books and photos of the designs of many different cultures before working with party planners and doing festivals. Her henna art has graced the likes of Alannis Morissette and Carmit Bachar (of the Pussycat Dolls).

Brazil

Morocco

Liza painting (Bali)

Our gratitude goes out to Liza for taking the time to share her life experience and help the young women in attendance open their focus to more of the world outside of their own immediate day-to-day realities and struggles. We really wanted to impress upon the girls the idea that we can all use our own gifts and talents to think outside the box and create not only livelihood and income but enthusiasm and passion for life. Not everyone was ready to share but as some of the group began to open up about their passions and talents, we discovered a painter, a poet, make-up artists, a photographer, a piano player and more in the group. We talked about saving a little bit of money to get a passport so that when an opportunity arises, you’re ready! (A perfect example: resident 4mamaearth papa & urban farmer, Eugene Cooke, who planted a garden with the girls at the last workshop, just returned from a trip to Jamaica installing edible gardens!)

Our gratitude also goes out to the many 4mamaearth supporters that donated to our recent IndieGoGo campaign. The money raised is helping us fund these workshops and provide art supplies and healthy snacks and lunches for the young women who are choosing to participate. We are looking forward to more gatherings with these young women who have faced some substantial challenges and are doing their best to better themselves and their lives.

Flying Kites with “Survivor” Alumni Francesca Hogi

andreaM — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:13:07 +0000

Did you know that there are over 2 million orphaned children in Kenya? Homeless street children forage the city’s garbage dumps for food, begging or stealing to survive. Children living on the streets are trapped in a cycle of poverty and despair from which it is all but impossible to escape. Flying Kites is a non-profit organization that seeks to raise the standards of care available to the world’s poorest children and strives to give these children the tools they will need – education, imagination, and resolution – to succeed in and contribute to a complex and changing world.

Currently, they are building The Flying Kites Leadership Academy, a home and school for abandoned, abused and orphaned children in Kenya. Located at the foot of the Aberdares Mountains, the center has become home to many children in need. Their goal is to affect change in development practice on a global scale. To ensure sustainability as they replicate the model around the world, they have developed a series of innovative programs that fund their projects and further their mission.

Flying Kites is dedicated to developing a model of childcare that will be extended and replicated, one that will change the way we think about options for disadvantaged children. We must change the way we practice charity and development; as a result, the children themselves will finally be able to change their world.

Francesca Hogi

You might recognize 4mamaearth boardmember and attorney, Francesca Hogi, from a little show called Survivor: Redemption Island. Francesca is an amazing woman and is participating in a trek to Mount Kilamanjaro as part of one of Flying Kites Adventure Challenge trips. One trip to Kilimanjaro will cover all of the costs associated with caring for one child at Flying Kites. Her trip will fund everything from a child’s clothing, food, and school supplies, to their teacher’s and housemother’s salaries for an entire year.

Visit Francesca’s fundraising page to contribute. 4mamaearth’s mission has always been to make it EASY for folks to give and make a change for the better in the world. Please donate now and spread the word!

promoting positive action with A Taste of Fall

andreaM — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:03:07 +0000

m.a.m.a.e a r t h is lending a hand to support the launch of The Positive Plate, an Orange County based sustainability program, helping restaurants, food trucks, and caterers implement individualized and comprehensive sustainability plans. This mission is dedicated to “strengthening the relationship between individual and community health by encouraging healthy consumer behaviors and lifestyle choices that result in positive impacts to our communities, and the environment. Connecting individual and community health is an important aspect of a sustainable society. Our communities can only be as healthy as the people who live in them.”

Join us for A Taste of Fall on 11.11.11 at the OC Great Park Second Harvest Food Bank.

m.a.m.a. e a r t h is excited to be a part of the launch of The Positive Plate. On 11.11.11 we’ll be celebrating the launch with an event featuring restaurants like Avanti Cafe, Haven Gastropub, Taco Asylum and Sol Cocina that have committed to be a part of this innovative program.

Tickets are only $60 and include all food and drinks! Get tickets.

Come eat in the name of feeding others. It’s fun for a great cause. Each restaurant will serve a sustainable dish that best represents their restaurant. All food and beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) will be included in the price of admission. Beer,wine, and cocktails will be served, along with a live performance by one of our favorite bands, Common Kings, bringing their upbeat and soulful sound. Common Kings hail from places like Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji, Samoa and their shows leave you feeling good. Also performing, Michael Castro of American Idol fame and singer-songwriter Jacob Luttrell.

The Orange County Great Park, with its 1,347-acre master plan, is the focal point of the redevelopment of the publicly-owned portion of the 4,700-acre former Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro.The Great Park features an iconic tethered helium balloon that rises 400 feet in the air, providing an aerial view of Park development.

A portion of proceeds will benefit:

Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County has provided more than 265 million pounds of safe and nutritious surplus food to now over 450 charitable non-profit organizations throughout Orange CountySince 1983, . The Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County is a certified Affiliate Member of Feeding America. Click here for more information about Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County or to learn how to help.

KID HEALTHY seeks to address healthcare disparities by measurably engaging school children from the most distressed, vulnerable, and underserved communities of our region. We seek to lower the incidence of childhood obesity – thereby preventing early onset of Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and other related diseases that threaten the quality of life of children as they age and disproportionately impacts those from low-income families.

OC Food Access Coalition‘s mission is to create access to healthy, local food options for Orange County’s most nutritionally vulnerable residents. They envision a transformed food system that supports all Orange County residents with nutritious, affordable and sustainable food options, and promotes economic and environmental sustainability. OC Food Access was founded in 2010 in response to a call for county–wide coordinated action to create the conditions under which healthy, locally sourced food can make its way into the kitchens, hands and mouths of people who need it most in our community.

For updates and more about The Positive Plate, check them out on and Facebook and Twitter.