Well, at least we hope to.
We are having a big fundraiser this summer involving garage sales. And we are looking for Garage Sale Hosts, which is where you come in.
All you need to do is host a garage sale and donate all or part of the proceeds to The Mentoring Project. In exchange for this, we will change a kids whole freaking life forever.
So in exchange for you selling this leg lamp over here on the left we recruit dudes like this on the right to throw kids in the air until they explode with happiness.
The last thing I want to do is manipulate your emotions. But I just have to reiterate the fact that if you sell your crap, we can provide love for a kid who isn’t as loved as he’s supposed to be.
See this sad kid. He’s shopping at a garage sale. You know why he’s sad? He’s sad because he wanted to buy a dad at the garage sale but they didn’t have one.
So here’s how you can get involved in three easy steps:
1. Decide to host a garage sale. This involves going to the nearest mirror and saying to yourself, I am going to host a garage sale.
2. Stockpile stuff in your garage that you want to sell.
3. Recruit your friends to stockpile their stuff in your garage for the garage sale.
4. Pick a date for your garage sale. Saturdays work best, with a blowout on Sunday afternoon. (The weekend after Fathers Day is the official TMP Garage sale date, but honestly, it doesn’t matter.)
5. Go through your friends stuff to see what you want to keep. Put those things under your bed.
6. Label that stuff with stickers for the big money.
7. Make some huge announcement at your church or in your cooking class.
8. If there are other garage sales on your block, spread rumors that their stuff has lice on it. Or dog pee.
9. Do live demonstrations for the various products. (Study up on the shamwow infomercials.)
10. Count the dough, then write us a check for some or all of it and send it our way.
You say, hey man, you said THREE easy steps, and I say to you, I grew up without a dad and so never learned to count. Why don’t you leave me alone you freaking bully!
And that’s about it.
Oh, also, register your garage sale with my friend Amy. She’s keeping a list of all the garage sales nation wide, so when yours comes up, we can let people know on this blog. Amy is at AmyKluttz@gmail.com
E-mail Amy today, and she will send you a fancy pdf with some helpful hints.
And thanks so much, to you and your friends, for selling your junk so we can throw kids around till they explode with happiness. Maybe little Tobias up there really will find that Father he is looking for at your garage sale. Maybe so, Tobias. Maybe so.
Sincerestly,
Don Miller
This made me laugh. Especially because it’s all reminding me of things you said tonight. Especially Sham-wow.
I’m working on a garage sale… so far none of my friends are jumping on the bandwagon, and I don’t want to set a date until I am at least doing this with someone else. But I have a huge pile of crap in my room that I gathered together while I was home over spring break with the intention of selling it at a garage sale. It will happen. And it will go towards The Mentoring Project.
I told my pastor I was going to organize a garage sale. He said he tried to get our church hooked in with The Mentoring Project but it’s not in the area right now. I’m excited to see how we can be a part of this once you guys go national.
Thanks for making this a part of your story.
Cracking up…that was funny!
Just FYI – from one professional garage saler here in TX Fridays are the best days if u can swing it and an ad in the local paper is worth the 30 bucks.
( I know that technically since I’ve had 72 garage sales in my short life span doesn’t make me a “professional grarge saler” but the alternative to that is…well…)
sounds like a great campaign…wishing u much luck!
Ps-u could do some sort of “weirdest thing” or “most jacked up piece of crap” at a tmp garage sale. Have picture submissions with a great prize. Could be quite humorous. This crowd (including me) seems like a crowd that could have an “unusual” trinket or 2.
Nothing insightful to say, except that I really appreciate your humor in pretty much everything you write. Perhaps I can host a garage sale and find Tobias a father figure.
This is a great idea. I wish I had a garage.
Maybe I can get one of my friends to host and I’ll organize.
Have you done this kind of thing before (or hear of it being done)? What was the outcome?
It seems like a great community building tool and hopefully a good fundraising tool too.
Wow… I love the picture of the kid flying!! It’s pretty amazing!
You know, Don, we’re a lot alike. I can tell that when you started doing daily blog posts, you wanted them to be serious and thought provoking, but you just can’t help yourself – you’re descending into madness. Personally I find it delightful, hahaha. I don’t know where you’re getting your pictures from these days, but they’ve been more and more awesome. It’s good to see that you’ve got enough versatility to be serious and poignant one day and hilarious and poignant the next.
Regarding the garage sale – unfortunately I’m but a destitute college student who cannot hold a garage sale… actually, I’m not particularly attached to this dorm furniture, and the semester is nearly over… hmmm…
What fun! I’m an ardent garage sale freak, so this makes me happy.
I hosted a garage sale like this years ago. I amassed a ton of stuff and sold it to fund a trip to California. I like your philanthropic slant much more!
Thanks for spreading the yard sale love!
ROTFLMAO!! And sharing with the department …
I have to work today, Saturday, which isn’t a bad thing ’cause I’m a children’s librarian and I love my job and if it’s not TOO busy, I get to READ! And there’s nothing better than that.
I’m thrilled I have to work today ’cause today is the Annual Warrensburg Community Garage Sale. (Where my in-laws live) And I get to sit inside and read while they have to do all the work! Including my husband and two lovely daughters who will surely be finding their stuff on the tables and sneaking it inside and under the bed!
I don’t like to have garage sales. I’m a shy introvert who would rather not haggle over prices and watch people paw my stuff even if I want them to buy it. Like I said, this is an annual thing, and I make sure it is a weekend that I have to work. And occasionally the in-laws use my home for a garage sale. Location, location, location. And I guarantee that I will have to work that weekend too.
That all being said. I think I owe you for the laugh. And I would be delighted to write a check to TMP after we finish counting what we brought in. I’m guessing I’ll email Amy next to get the address …
ohhh. I’d buy THAT lamp! It looks Italian. Who can say no to the glow of electric sex in your window?!
Don
Thanks for making me smile and sniffle a little.
TMP NEEDS to be up here in Canada, more specifically in my town of Lethbridge, Alberta. I’ve been talking to the Pastor of my Church about it, but he’s not biting.
Can you suggest something else I can do to get this happening up here? Would love to hear your comments.
Thank you for being creative in the pursuit of furthering the kingdom of God. You are a champion.
It’s not a lamp. It’s a major award!
I thought you were going to STOP writing posts while drinking? bahahaha
Bahahaha! Thanks for the laugh! And. . .I’m in! I need to have a yard sale in June because I’m moving to another state and I have a TON of crap to sell. This is a great idea – I’ll send some of my earnings to TMP!
You crack me up. And inspire me.
I love what you’re doing for kids. I grew up without a Mom since I was 5 and a pretty much absent father, and now I try to use what I’ve gone through to reach out to and love children in difficult circumstances.
I so appreciate people like you. We have to do all we can to make sure children know they have people who believe in them and love them and are willing to stand up for them in this world.
So thank you.
And thanks for making me laugh.
So I was at work, at a softball game, reading this post. I started laughing out loud , and people were looking at me, because it was an ackward time to be laughing out loud. Then your photos inspired me. Thankfully I was able to snap a photo of a woman who was wearing a strapless top, but she shouldn’t have been. I’m not very sly, obviously, and she caught me taking the photo, and she went home and changed. The world is a better place because of it, and because of people like you all who take seriously God’s command to take care of widows and orphans. Now if I could just learn to be more strealthy…
UMMM your freaking hilarious! And a remarkable tear jerker!
REALLY.
Why aren’t you at Story2010? Boo.
I am almost wanting to “DO SOMETHING”.
I laughed out loud about the playing on the emotions and the photo- it works! I remember when my husband and I were deciding about maybe looking into adopting and then we heard a song called “All I really want for Christmas is a family” and the video was full of children looking at the camera hopefully. We knew we were in for it at that point and started the paperwork! Play away on the emotions if it furthers the cause
…we are made to be relational, emotional, intellectual people.
THIS is what marketing should look like.
BWAHAHAHA!!! Thanks for the laughter!
If I didn’t live in Africa, I would be all over this. I will be forwarding this link to many of my friends in the States, though. This is an awesome idea and TMP is an awesome organization. Not enough of our young men have strong, male role models in their lives. Thank you so much for all of this.
“You say, hey man, you said THREE easy steps, and I say to you, I grew up without a dad and so never learned to count. Why don’t you leave me alone you freaking bully!”
hahaha!
Love the leg lamp!
Haha! Great post!
Makes sense… Why do people host “walks” to raise money anyway? How does that add value to the donors or participants? At least goods are exchanged in this scenario. Your junk is gone, someone has a new treasure to take home, and another kid gets a mentor.
Are the Pillsbury Pizza Pops on sale anywhere this week in ON ??? :shrug: Looking for the 400 gm ones which were on sale @ WM a couple of weeks