Memorial Weekend, the Springfield, MA Rubber Stamp Convention in the midst of cleaning up after a horrible tornado hit the city, my nephew leaving his wife of one year and three week old baby for his fourth tour of duty - this time in Kuwait, leaves me feeling sad as I head home to Chicago knowing that there is little I can do to change the conditions of what was, what is, and wondering what is to come.
We will not be attending the convention this weekend as vendors in West Srpingfield, MA. We chose to head home after hearing the terrible news and being told by the hotel management to change our plans as the roads were closed at the time we called them on Thursday morning to see what the damage had amounted to. The Expo Center was not harmed and the parking lot was accessible south of the city but still, as I watched the National Guard called in and the Red Cross show up, I knew that this was not the time nor the place for Bugawumps to be.
So we made the decision to turn back in Erie, PA and support those of you in West Springfield, MA by making a donation to the Red Cross on behalf of our customers who were directly affected by the the tornado. We needed to help those who suffered the loss of their homes, business, family, or friends with something more than a rubber stamp sale. We felt the need to give our support with a donation to the Red Cross instead of making a profit this weekend. We felt the need to help someone else.
We have attended shows in areas that had been hard hit by hurricanes and tornadoes in the past, Virginia Beach, VA and Houston, TX to be exact and the results were not good. So instead we chose to take the loss and use the dollars we saved by making a donation that would truly do some good for those in need.
For those of you who were hoping to see us in West Springfield, MA - we apologize and are offering ALL our customers free shipping along with 10 percent of the sale to be donated to the Springfield,MA Tornado Red Cross Fund if you place an order by phone or mail from our web-catalog between Friday, June 3rd through Sunday, June 12th.
In the meantime, prayers go out to all who understand that help is on the way and we are with you in spirit, hope, and faith for a better tomorrow.
Laura Anne and Bella Boo, Hubby, too
