B.L.A.S.T. Bold Lives And Strong Ties

The worst nightmare, being informed that our unborn child has Down Syndrome, became the most beautiful dream...  

Nine years after Michael was born, BLAST was born.

Blast was born of an idea and belief that our community wants to and is willing to give to those in need.  All one has to do is ask and be thankful.  The rewards are endless for the giver and the receiver. 

Organizations, events and groups that have shown this generosity are those such as Midway Bowl in St Paul, Children's Theater Company, Nature Valley Bike Festival, Get in Gear Races, Twin Cities in Motion  - Twin Citiies Marathon Running Events, Catholic United Financial, Claddagh Coffee, ASLIS, Alison Rinehart Memorial and our wonderful collaborators at the Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota.  At the risk of forgetting someone  - I do need to recognize and thank Pam Burkley and Family, Mark Gerard and Lee Penn who have been Strong Ties since Day One and made significant donations of time, love and friendship...

With friendship, emotional support, financial "breaks" we are able to move through this life with much happiness and we are here to allow anyone else in this world an opportuntiy to give. You have the opportunity to give in many ways. A few examples: Provide transortation to our members that would like to attend a play (attend the play with them!), be an extra pair of eyes at an event to help keep track of our craziness, coordinate an event (See "Santa at Claddagh")  that we can participate in, donate a BLAST t'shirt to a participant and yes make a monetary donation.  

We do receive generous discount from the above donors mentioned however there are some individuals/families that despite the reduced cost find it an economic challenge to participate. Members of BLAST have pitched in to cover the costs so that these individuals may participate.  Our group has grown and grown in the past year. BLAST has been "run" from my home office and any Wifi I can find between jobs in the Twin Cities Metro. 

Any money donated goes directly to people and families in need who directly request the funds.  For example: We are having a gathering "Santa at Claddagh Coffee". This is financially the most "extravagent" event we have organized.  We would like to have funds to help cover the cost of food, hot chocolate, a few crafts and for families that may need a financial boost to purchase a "gift from Santa" for each of their children.

Our vision is not to be as big as we can be or bring in the most money. The goal is to have enough.

$1000.00 is the goal. 100 people/organizations donating $10.00 dollars. 

"In a gentle way, you can shake the world"
                                                      Mahatma Gandhi 

"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion...

  If you want to be happy, practice compassion"
                                                       Dalai Lama 

We cannot afford to become a stand alone non-profit. Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota has been generous enough to take us under their wings so that we have opportunites like this that require "non-profit" status...