I posted a blog yesterday about my past....my sexual abuse, my drug addiction and a few other things.  Well, I want to share about my new addiction.  A GOOD addiction.  I would lay in bed feeling hopeless, and that I really had nothing to live for.  I felt like a bad person, which I was a bad person.  I was the "kid" that parents would make their kids stay away from.   I knew in my heart I needed to take the steps to be a good person and dedicate my life to something however, I had no clue where to start.  Right after my first daughter was born, i learned about a little baby who had leukemia.  I followed her mom's blog and I knew that I NEEDED to do something.  I first organized a Tupperware  fund raiser to help the family with medical bills.  Later that year, the beautiful baby girl died from leukemia and a group of blog followers formed a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's light the night team.  However, here in Reno, we did not have a walk here that year, so I called the office and asked if there were any other fundraisers that I could help out with.  They introduced me to the "Man Women and Celebrity of the year" event that they hosted annually here.  They asked if I would be willing to help out with that committee.  I accepted and that was pretty much the start of my new addiction, VOLUNTEERING!  Along with being on the committee, I decided to run for women of the year!  It really was a long shot and I was not doing it to win, just doing it to raise funds.  I was so grateful for it because that is where I met Vicky and Tori (I talked about them on my regular blog).  That year I ended in 3rd place....I made a little over $5000.  Not too bad for a first fundraisers.  The next year I was on the committee and ran for women of they year again, and then two years after that, I only served on the committee.  however, I raised over $12,000 for ALL of those years.  For two years, I would travel to Sacramento for Light the Night walks.  It was a long drive, but very much worth it.  However, in 2006, I got the news that I was waiting for, WE WERE GOING TO HAVE OUR FIRST WALK IN RENO!!!!!!!!  They gave me the honor of chairing that event!  We made almost $60,000 which was a GREAT amount for a first year in a smaller city. Also, the national team that I was involved in hit our million dollar mark!  It was amazing!  That year, I became involved with another charity called Wives Behind the Badge.  It is an amazing group of police wives who have changed so many lives. They have so many programs that help out police officers families.  I have been blessed with the chance help run a program within their non-profit!  Along with that, I have been blessed with the chance to be a daisy scout leader!!!!!!!  I now wake up every day feeling like I have a purpose.  I wake up knowing that maybe, just maybe someone will look at me as a good person.  and Just maybe I can change someones life!  I can only hope that I can be remembered as a good person and not some druggie teen.  That is why I am dedicating my life to others.  

I wanted to share a few pictures, two are billboards that I was on and the other is a milk carton that my name got to be on.