We Walk Because We Can - Chita's Angel's

We had a great time walking this weekend at the ALS Walk to Defeat ALS!

Take a look at the group shot from the day.

Thanks to everyone who donated to Taylor's page!  She met her goal three times!

Pretty Chita

We have been away for a few weeks and it is with sadness that we write this post. As some of you may know, each year around this time we start gearing up to raise awareness and funds for our Tia Chita and the ALS Association through an annual benefit and a 5K walk. Well, this year we did the same but the tone was very different.

Early Saturday morning, September 3rd, our Tia Chita passed away after battling ALS for 6 and 1/2 years. She was at home with her husband and her mom, but the house was soon filled with family and friends for hours, days, and even weeks. She was a deeply loved women who inspired so many people with her life and her love for Christ and others. And per her last wishes we tried to show her just how much we loved her by giving her a "funeral to die for".

I guess to understand her request you must know a little about our Tia Chita. She loved having fun, being around family and friends, and dancing. She loved dressing up and going to parties. Even after her diagnosis she would love it when we would gather at her house for meals and celebrating birthdays. On her last night she had her family and her ACTS brothers and sisters gathered with her at the house singing and dancing and worshiping together. We weren't there but from what we heard she had a blast, tapping her foot and having our cousin raising her arm higher and higher into the air. What a great last night she was blessed with! After that night, she had told Juan, like she had said a few times before, that she was ready to go home (when the time came).  It's never easy to lose the ones you love, but knowing this gave us a little more peace.

After she passed she told our family, via a letter left to us, that she wanted us to make sure she was the talk of the town for a few days! Well, we didn't really have to try hard to make that happen. Like I said, she was an inspiration to a lot of people. We had family come in from a lot of different places and friends from all over town. Along with the services that we were planning, our 5th annual benefit for Chita was set to happen the day after the funeral. And the day after she passed the Jerry Louis Telethon was airing on TV and we found out they were going to air an interview that they did with her the year before due to it's success last year. So like I said we didn't have to do much to get people talking!

That week was hard but we made it through as a family and we all cried till we buried her - just as she had asked in her letter. But there was still a lot of work to do in order to pull the benefit together, which was changed a bit in order to be more of a celebration of her life.  People quickly gathered tons of smiling, family pictures and a beautiful slideshow was put together with some of Chita's favorite songs to honor her that night.

As our part of the benefit we had said that we would print the shirts for the family. At the time we were only talking about 75 shirts or so, but with all the extra family that was now coming in we ended up printing close to 200 shirts! A blessing in disguise because there would have been no way we could have ordered those extra shirts from a printer to have ready over the next few days.

Everyone did their part and we pulled off a very successful event! We met our goal plus a little extra, all in memory of Chita.

Now it has been two weeks and life is starting to get back to some kind of normal for us. She will always be missed in our hearts but we know we will see her again, and that she is looking down on us when she's not too busy dancing. ;)

We are still raising money to find a cure for ALS because there are still people that need our help and that is why Chita wanted to start having the benefit in the first place.  The money that we have raised for research has proven to be really helpful as they have recently found a common cause of the three types of ALS and now know what to look for when testing medication.

If you would like to be a part of finding a cure, please visit Taylor's Walk to Defeat ALS page or any "Chita Angels" member page. All funds go to the the South Texas Chapter of the ALS Association.   

Juan, Frankie, Chita, and Taylor at the CHF Banquet 2010

Thanks you all for the support that you have given us through texts, emails, and cards. It has meant a lot to us.

We love you Chita, Always!

Walk to Defeat ALS 2010

Menu Monday and Lots of Updates!

Back in Houston after a wonderful weekend of friends and family... for a few days anyway! I feel like we are in our car more then in our apartment this month. First a parade, then a camping/girls night, CHF Banquet, and this weekend is our second yard sale for water, then the 5K walk for ALS. All in San Antonio or around there - kind of makes you wonder what in the world are we doing in Houston. We have been wondering and praying about the same thing...

But today we must focus on today and not worry about tomorrow. And today we need food! So we came up with a list last night and I will be headed to the store on my way home. Here is our list:

Bread - 2 loafs

Eggs

Some fresh Fruit

Tomatoes

Corn

Ground Beef

Pork Chops

Pasta

Pasta Sauce

Beans

Peanut Butter

Jelly

Snacks

We don't normally buy meat, let alone two different types, but we think we might be able to fit it in. :)


We have so much to post this week! Like I said earlier we are having a Yard Sale this weekend to raise more money for out water well in Africa though charity:water. This is our second since the first went so well- we raised over $500! Saturday's sale will be in Pleasonton, TX and we are starting to become overwhelmed with items! We have been pricing things for awhile and we are still looking for more! In fact I am taking the whole day off on Friday and we are going to be driving around San Antonio, Devine, and Pleasenton collecting items from family and friends. We are even working on a few projects at home to start selling this weekend.

Next weekend is the ALS walk and if you want to help with that, the post is below this one! There is a link on how to give. We even talked about offering ad space here on Taylor Frankie to anyone who makes a donation to that cause. So if you have a product, business, or blog and have a picture, logo, or ad let us know. And we will be posting a little more on that in the next few days.

We will also be posting about the banquet this past weekend, because if you follow us on twitter you know something that we haven't announced here on the blog yet! ;) That will also be coming in the next few days.

So hold on tight because we are about to hit warp speed!!!

ALS Benefit Update!

We made it to the ALS benefit a few weeks ago, but we had misplaced the photos during the game of musical laptops we've been playing at home. So here's our exciting update!!

Everyone really came together on this one! It was held in a new venue, but that didn't matter a bit! We still filled the space with people and had a blast! Someone from the ALS Association came out to speak and there was food, music, live auctions, 5 tables of silent auctions items, carnival games, a bake sale, and two separate raffles! After the night was over we raised a grand total of $7,635.00!!! Woohoo!!! Here's some pictures from the night:

1 of the game baskets we donated to the silent auction

the crowd!

the carnival!

Taylor the clown!

Sisters!

Family fun!

Bernice, Chita, and MeMe dancin the night away!

Chita's son, Xavier and his wife, Mel

Frankie and Chita's daughter, Tina

Tina and Taylor hanging out at the Silent Auction

Our mini-carnival turned out really great, too! We had about ten games and raised almost $80! Even though we only had about 10 kids, we had a lot of fun, and every penny counts! This was a great first run and we look forward to more carnival fun in the future!

And our efforts aren't through yet. Our second event of the year is a 5K walk put on by the ALS South West Chapter. We are setting our sights high again- mine and Taylor's personal goal is to raise $1000. We have set up a site and are trying to get 50 people to donate in the order that they come. (Ex. 1st person would donate $1, 2nd would donate $2, 3rd would donate $3, etc.) We realized that we could not donate an amount as $1, but our great friend Ann Ray fixed that problem by claiming spots 1 through 9! Thanks Ann!!! We took spot number 10. So we are waiting for number 11 now...

If you want to help us reach our goal just go here. All proceeds go to the ALS Association. All support is very appreciated!!! And if you want to join the team as a walker or a virtual walker there is still time for that too! :)

4th Annual ALS Benefit!

On our birthday we shared a little with you about the ALS Benefit but we want to share a little more...

Every year, our family and friends put on an ALS Benefit to raise money to find a cure for Lou Gehrig's Disease. We put in the time and the money and the people in our little town rally together to put on a fun and eventful evening. Our inspiration is our Tia Chita. :)

This is taken from a letter that she wrote two years ago...

I am living one day at a time and thank God everyday when I wake up. ALS has changed my life and the lives of my family. I am enjoying my grandchildren and watching them grow. I didn’t know how they were going to react to my walker and electric chair, but come to find out, they enjoy them. Tori, Gabby & Diego have made my life easier to cope with my disease. I have trouble doings the things I loved to do, so I just manage do them in a different way. My legs are weak so I am using a walker to get around the house, my electric chair when I go outside, and a wheel chair when I go to the Drs and to the mall. My voice is not as strong (loud) so I am using a Spokesman Voice Amplifier. I had surgery in August, 2008 on my vocal cords to help me with my speech and voice. In January, 2009 I had surgery to have a Baclofen pump implanted to help me with my stiffness and plasticity on my legs. In June, 2009 I had another surgery on my vocal cords because again I was straining my voice. My voice is harsh but I can talk. Using the phone has become difficult but texting has become very handy. It takes a while to text but I can do it.

Our second annual benefit was a huge success. Our goal was $10,000.00. We raised $11,000.00+, which put us in 3rd. place, second year in a row. Thank you so much. :) The funds raised stay here in the South Texas Chapter. These funds help me and other ALS patients with equipment and some medical expenses to make our day to day living easier. We (ALS patients) need your support so we can find some kind of cure to this dreadful disease and be able to live longer.


A little about Chita:

Chita, born September 24, 1954, is 55 years young. She is retired from AT&T after 26 years of working. Her husband, Juan, also retired from AT&T. The two of them worked at the same company and rode in the same car for an hour and a half to work and back for 26 years... and could not be more in love. They have two children, Xavier and Tina. Xavier is married to Mel and they have two girls, Tori and Gabby. Tina is married to David and they have two boys, Diego and Adrian. This is a beautiful family. As I was growing up, these people were not only my family but my neighbors, and Chita and Juan, my God Parents. My mom still lives there in the same house and Chita and Juan still live next door, but us kids have all grown up and moved away (except for Kathy because she is spoiled and will never move away ;) jk sis!) Our grandparents live across the street, we have an aunt next to her, and my dad and stepmom live next to her. And the rest of us are sprinkled around Texas. WE ARE ONE CLOSE, STRONG, LOVING, and PRAYING FAMILY! We believe that we can strike out this disease with your help and prayers, and our trust in God. We won't stop fighting and growing until we do. Each year our numbers grow and we get a little closer, but at the same time our Chita gets a little weaker. We would love for you to come out and show your support and love this weekend at our fourth annual ALS Benefit. Come eat, dance, laugh, play games, win prizes, and meet our family!

Come join the Chita's Angles team!

If you are in the San Antonio Area we are just under an hour away in Devine, Texas. Home of the Warhorses, Devine Acres, and Me! Ha, ha! ;)

September 11, 2010

Dinner

6:30 - 8:30

Dance

8:30 - 12

VFW

211 W. College

Devine, TX

Tickets are $10 for brisket dinner and dance or $6 for a to-go brisket dinner.

Tickets are available at the event!

All Proceeds Benefit the ALS (Lou Gehrig’s)

South Texas Chapter Association

It's time to celebrate! ~ Giveaway #1

In our past year of blogging we have made some great friends and have discovered some great organizations. We would like to formally introduce you to some of them through our giveaways today, as well as share them with you via our new pages feature on the "Our Friends" tab.

The ALS Association is one of those organizations that we love.

We have a big tie with this association because of our aunt "Tia Chita".

She was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) about five years ago. Chita has been strong through the whole process and has had our support as one large, loving family. One of the many fundraising events that we are a part of each year is the ALS Benefit and September 11th is our 4th one! This year, Taylor and I are putting together a small carnival to offer some entertainment for the kids. :)

So, for the giveaway part... Our first gifts are three Strike Out ALS bracelets!

And if you're near the Devine/San Antonio Area we can also offer you two free tickets to the event!!!

The evening includes: Dinner, Dance, Silent Auction, Live Auction, Games, and a Bake Sale. You will be able to meet Chita and hang out with us! (If you want to see Taylor dressed as a clown you may want to enter this one! ;)

Everyone is welcome to enter every giveaway today! Our typical rules do apply- you must leave a comment to enter and if you are a follower your name will be placed in the hat twice! You may become a follower to get a second chance as well. The three winners will be announced at noon today and so will our next giveaway!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

UPDATE!!!

Congratulations, Rachel! You win the two tickets, and everyone gets a bracelet!

ALS Part Three: ALS Walk

Here we are! All of that hard-work, fundraising paying off! Here at the ALS walk to D'feat ALS, all of the teams came together to walk for a cure! Free breakfast, fun games, jammin' music, free lunch, and free t-shirts for everyone who shows up on time and isn't in the car driving around looking for a parking spot as the opening ceremonies start... (the shirts were really cool this year, and we are really sad we didn't get one...). But we still had fun with all of our family and friends! Check out the photos!

Frankie representing!

Nothing but smiles on a beautiful day!

Here is the lady we are doing it all for!!!
We love you Tia Chita!! :D

We have big things in the works for next years ALS fundraising efforts! We'll be sure to share it here when it comes around!

Thanks to all our friends and family who helped support through Frankie's walk page! Ya'll are great!

ALS Part Two: Softball Tournament

The second event we helped out in was the first annual Chita's Angels Softball Tournament! We couldn't play because we had to be at a wedding later that day, but we did do our part by manning the concession. Although we didn't win, everyone had a lot of fun!

Taylor selling sandwiches. :)

Dad running home!

All the Angels ():)

ALS Part One: Benefit

Ok, so it may not seem like we've been very adveturesome, but actually we've been so busy being adventerous that we forgot to post! Ok, that and we were being a little lazy...
But here's what we've been up to:

Lately we've been busy on the weekends working to "Strike Out ALS". ALS is also known as Lou Gherig's disease. It's a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. Frankie's aunt, Chita, has been living with this disease for over 6 years. She's strong and inspiring and it's great to be able to help out and raise money to fund research and find a cure! Over the past couple months we have participated in a Benefit Dinner and Dance, a Softball Tournament, and the Walk to D'feet ALS! Here are some of the pics from the benefit:

The Family

We made cupcakes for the bake sale!

Buc-ees silent acution gift.

Candy Basket silent auction gift.

The outcome for this was great this year! It's always fun to get together with all the family and half the town of Devine and all together we raised a lot of money for a good cause!

Check out the rest of the cupcake pictures on Taylor's Facebook!