MUSTACHE-A-THON - 2012!

The holidays are on the way and that means it's that time again. That's right, Mustache-a-Thon 2012 is in full effect! This year I've decided to pay special tribute to the great highway construction men of southwest Florida. Admittedly, my skin lacks the appearance of Corinthean leather peppered with asphalt and cigarette stains, my shirt is a bit too clean, but I'm trying my best to capture the mystique. What's it all for? Aside from the fact that Elaine loves this look, I'm trying to raise some bucks to assist families with sick babies in the NICU. 

As you all know by now, Maddy and Milo stayed four months in the Alta Bates NICU. We spent anywhere from 6 to 12+ hours at the hospital every day while the kids were there. We were very fortunate to have great insurance, supportive employers, and enough savings to pay for all the expenses that come along with our daily visits. Many (most!) families are not so lucky. Please consider making a donation to help a truly great cause. Every nickel goes towards direct support for families. We've used the funds in the past to help NICU families purchase things like car seats and strollers; clothing and baby supplies; pay for parking and food at the hospital; purchase holiday gifts; and so forth.   

So how can you help? Easy, contribute whatever you can - NO AMOUNT IS TOO SMALL (really!). Whether your reason is to spare my poor wife heartache and embarrassment or the more noble cause of supporting NICU families, please give! I don't have any particular system for collection, and you'll have to trust my accounting. You can donate a few different ways: OPTION (1) The method that gets you a tax deduction - visit this website http://www.altabatessummit.org/nicuedu/fac.html and click the "Donate" button.  Be sure to select the "NICU Family Advisory Council Fund." (If you want, you can indicate the donation is in honor of Milo and Madeline Stiles.) OPTION (2) If you have an account with PayPal, use PayPal to transfer money by going to www.paypal.com. Login, then select the "Send Money" tab; enter email address rstiles3 at gmail dot com (obviously write it like a normal email address - that's just to protect me from spambots); then enter the amount; and select the "Personal" tab and the "gift" option. OPTION (3) Send a check to me (email me for the address if you don't have it); or OPTION (4) the easiest, hand me cash. If you prefer, you can buy the gift certificate yourself -- there is a Whole Foods right next to Alta Bates and I'm sure something like Babys-R-Us would also be welcome.

Thanks very much and happy holidays!