Blue Lollipop Road

it’s blr play it forward event kick-off day!

Wahoo! Could I be any more excited? It’s been go, go, go since my arrival back from the Adirondacks and I am loving every minute of it.

Today is Friday July 12 and time for Play It Forward round 2!

I’ve picked up jerseys (pink and blue) for registered alumni, and the t-shirts (white) we will be selling tomorrow:

2013 BLR Play It Forward jerseys and tees

(Kids white tees $10 and adult white tees $15.)

I’ve picked the lollipop supply (Thank you for the donation for the second year in a row Willy’s Bakery & Variety Store!):

Blue lollies!

(We might force you to eat one when you come to the field tomorrow:)

I’ve picked up the farm fresh goodies. (Thank you for the donation for the second year in a row Clear Brook Farm!):

Clear Brook Farm Veggies

(Of course I had to test out a couple of my recipes last night. Twist my arm sampling such yummy locally grown food! Guests at Howard Park tomorrow get ready for some good healthy eats!)

Clear Brook Farm Veggies

Clear Brook Farm Veggies

I have the Vermont Voltage coming tomorrow to hand out free tickets to their July 17th Premier Soccer Club game at Apple Jack Field:

Vermont Voltage Logo

Finally, We have picked a winner for the 2nd Annual Blue Lollipop Road Memorial Scholarship that’s awarded in honor of teammates Maria Green and Brandy Brown who we lost in 1994. This scholarship winner will be announced at 1pm tomorrow during the Strong Mojo Summit at Howard Park before our 2pm Alumni Game. I’m thrilled to give another travel scholarship to a deserving current female soccer player from my hometown, and I can’t wait to reconnect with all the inspiring alumni who come out to play, and all the great old friends, teachers, neighbors, and other wonderful community members who come out to support BLR!

We kick-off the weekend of fun events tonight at the Welcome Back Party at 7pm at Madison’s Pub and Brewery, so come one and all! Husbands, wives, partners, friends, soccer players, non-soccer players, everyone from the community is invited! Madison’s has agreed to donate a % of bar sales after 7pm back to Blue Lollipop Road! Yay!

Tomorrow night (Saturday) we have Celebration Cocktails at Pangea Lounge at 8pm to wrap up our weekend. Pangea has generously offered to donate 10% of all sales from BLR Play It Forward event traffic, so please come out to join us for some specialty cocktails created by their staff just for us!

Donations from all of you out there during the year are what keep BLR/BLR Play It Forward/The Blue Lollipop Road Memorial Scholarship Fund going and growing, so a huge thank you to everyone for such amazing support to help this dream come true again in 2013! Together we can encourage people of all ages to stay curious, to maintain a healthy & active lifestyle, and to be fearless in pursuit of goals.

Here’s to a most fun and memorable weekend for the whole community!

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free vermont voltage soccer tickets to everyone who attends blr play it forward this weekend!

Here’s a sweet deal:

Come out to Howard Park in Shaftsbury, VT this Saturday July 13th, be our guest at BLR Play It Forward and get a ticket to attend the Vermont Voltage game on July 17th- free!

Vermont Voltage Logo

I was thrilled to learn about the Bennington Sports Center as I’ve been spending time back in my hometown this summer. Owner of this facility and the Vermont Voltage Premier Soccer Club Bo Vuckovic welcomed me to drop in for a tour last month after I emailed him about hanging up event posters. The instant I walked in I was impressed; the space, Bo’s vision, his positivity and obvious drive to create this incredible community space for sports and more in Southern VT are in a word- awesome. If you are reading this and are like me, who always had the desire to stay active and entertained growing up as a small town kid but often felt “bored”, you know what mean when I say- I wish this kind of place was around when I was young! In fact, I would love to see this kind of place available in every town in America and beyond! The Bennington Sports Center has taken over a gorgeous old elementary school and renovated it into this clean, beautiful, and inspiring place that I believe will change lives, and keep kids healthy & active for years to come. BLR is all about that!

Bennington Sports Center Logo

Bo was quick to offer any help I needed with BLR Play It Forward (for this year and the future) as he toured me around the grounds. I thought the free ticket to the July 17th Voltage game was a perfect idea for this years Play It Forward event. I hope to work with Bo on future BLR events. He is definitely my kind of people. It was very clear to me from the minute we met that he really cares about doing good for the community. Three cheers for that!

Come out this Saturday and cheer us on as we play soccer and award a scholarship to a local youth female athlete at Play It Forward, and get your ticket to go see the Voltage play next week!

Thanks to Bo, The Vermont Voltage and The Bennington Sports Center!

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simply thankful

I’m starting to wrap up a full week off the grid around Upstate New York in the Adirondacks and Finger Lakes. My trip has been far more glorious, freeing, and fun than I ever expected it would be. There are many thoughts and things that I’d love to share here now, but in an effort to fully take in my last day of not-so-connected, I will just say thank you to everyone I have spent time with during my adventures all of these years. Thank you for the constant lessons, the laughter, and the unexpected surprises that I will never forget.

Here’s to staying hopeful and enjoying the moment.

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takin’ care of business

BLR Play It Forward updates in no particular order:

1.) Artist, coach, mentor and great friend Traci Molloy made a special piece of art for Play It Forward and still has a few prints available. The piece is titled “With love – Strong Mojo.” Size: 10×10 unframed. Material: Silkscreen on paper with hand coloring. Date: 2012. Edition Size: 30 (10 in each of the below editions are still available.) The prints are worth $250 but Traci would love people from our MAU soccer community to own them so she’s offering them for just $50! If interested please send me a note here, or email Traci directly: [email protected]

With love - Strong Mojo by Traci Molloy

With love - Strong Mojo by Traci Molloy

2.) BLR officially has Euro stickers. Whoop! Now you can help me blanket the earth with Blue Lollipop Road love and raise $ for Play It Forward & the Blue Lollipop Road Memorial Travel Scholarship fund! Click here and donate $3 or more and I’ll send your sweet sticker right out in the mail!

The BLR-Mobile with Euro sticker love!

3.) BLR Play It Forward 2013 tees are being printed this week and are for sale! Available:
*Youth white tees sizes SM-L ($12)
*Men’s white tees sizes SM-XXL ($12)
*Women’s cut white tees sizes SM-XL ($15)
Please send a note to me: Diane(@)bluelollipoproad.com or call 804.339.6514 if you’d like to purchase any. Checks can be mailed to:
Blue Lollipop Road
PO Box 276
Shaftsbury, VT 05262
~or~
You can click here to pay with PayPal.

Without your support and involvement, BLR Play It Forward and the scholarship wouldn’t be possible, so as always- a huge THANK YOU for all donations and support!

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thank you!

A big thanks (and big hugs) to my friends Jen and Chris Ponessi for their donation to BLR Play It Forward/Blue Lollipop Road Memorial Scholarship Fund 2013! Not only are these two donors, but they insist to keep an open door policy 24/7 for me to have a BLR “Headquarters” when I am in Vermont. They feed me, house me, and help prep, and schlep for event weekend too. Jen and Chris are the best kind of good old friends a girl could have! (Not to mention they’re super fun and have a ridiculously comfy couch:)

Thanks guys! Lucky me. I love you.

If you’d like to donate, please click here.

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so many things to cherish

I meet a lot of people in my travels, but my favorites are the ones who are truly following their interests and passions like Alicia Mohr, Designer of Ali’s Collection. I connected with Alicia in 2011 when I was living in Chicago. Funny story, I used to babysit for her in Vermont over 20 years ago. We grew up in the same neighborhood. We never stayed in touch, but the power of social media brought us together and we quickly became breakfast buddies during my Windy City time. Let two foodie, travel-loving entrepreneurs loose in Chicago with all those great noshing spots? We managed to eat our weight in indulgent pancakes at places like Bongo Room many times as we shared stories of each of our adventures around the world and in business.

Alicia started a series about Female Entrepreneurs on her blog Things to Cherish and asked if I’d be interested in doing an interview. (Of course I would!) Here I am. I’m excited to be in the mix of interesting and driven ladies doing things they love. I’m equally excited to have reconnected with a fellow Vermonter unexpectedly, who’s creativity and savvy way are great example of what can happen when you work hard and believe in yourself.

Thanks Alicia! Here’s to following your dreams and making things happen:)

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i like good news

I really like randomly meeting strangers who are fun, doing great things, and willing to help support BLR and the Play It Forward Event!

Whoop!

This first day of summer brought an unexpected meeting that resulted in more good news for our July 12th weekend of fun. Happy me. I will share soon so stay tuned! 3 weeks from today kicks off my favorite weekend of the year and one I’m so proud of.

Here’s to doing work you love and never forgetting where you came from.

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