Over 100 supporters of Wheels for Kids, including Sharon Quercioli from Sprouts, gathered for the Grand Opening of McCormick & Schmick’s in CityPlace on Friday, February 5 to support a worthwhile cause and enjoy one of the acclaimed eatery’s signature dishes.

Wheels for Kids is a nonprofit organization that provides custom wheelchairs to children with special needs living in Palm Beach County who are unable to purchase them on their own and do not qualify for funding from public or other charitable sources.

“I have been involved with Wheels for Kids since its inception in 2003,” said Quercioli. “It is so rewarding to support an organization that makes such a huge impacted in the  lives of children with disabilities. Wheels for Kids gives the gift of mobility by providing children with custom-made electronic wheelchairs.”

For more information or to Support Wheels for Kids, call (561) 752-0799 or visit www.wheelsforkids.org.

Sprouts, a long time partner of the Office Depot Foundation, is looking forward to taking part in a “Memories Make a Difference Day” fundraising event on Saturday, February 27 in Boca Raton, FL.

The event hosted by the Office Depot Foundation, in collaboration with Creative Memories is a daylong program for participants who want to learn and enhance their scrapbooking skills and explore new ways to preserve their treasures.  The day will be full of fun, raffles, games and prizes!  Each participant will receive a light lunch and a bag full of scrapbooking goodies! Funds raise will support the Office Depot Foundation’s programs to assist children and families in our community.

For more information, or to register for the event click here.

Event Information

Date:  Saturday, February 27

Time:  10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Place:  The Auditorium at Office Depot’s Global Headquarters, 6600 North Military Trail, Boca Raton, FL 33496

Healing Touch Buddies, Inc. held a fun-filled fundraising event on Thursday, January 21 in the heart of PGA Commons - one of Palm Beach Gardens’ most fashionable shopping districts. The party featured live entertainment, delicious food catered by Zuccarelli’s, wine and champagne, silent auction, raffle and much more.

All net proceeds went to Healing Touch Buddies, Inc. - a local non-profit health and education organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of those challenged with breast cancer; providing patients with Healing Touch and volunteer practitioners with instruction and support. HTB’s additional intention is to gather data on the impact of Healing Touch upon specific symptoms associated with breast cancer and its treatment.

Sprouts, Inc. donated a gift basket toward the silent auction as part of its ongoing commitment to Healing Touch Buddies.

“I’m proud to say that I’ve served on the Board of Directors for HTB since its inception six years ago,” said Sharon Quercioli, owner and founder. “I’m also a healing touch practictioner and can attest personally to the therapeutic benefits of healing touch,” Quercioli added.

To learn more about Healing Touch Buddies, contact Betty Ann Baker, Executive Director, at (561) 309-0167 or visit www.healingtouchbuddies.com.

As part of Sprouts mission to give back to the community by partnering with leading nonprofit and charitable organizations, we have teamed up with Hospice of Palm Beach County, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation that provides hospice care for over 1,200 patients daily throughout Palm Beach County.

Sprouts has created a special webpage for Hospice of Palm Beach County featuring an array of beautiful eco-friendly Plantable Seed Paper Note Cards and Memorial Cards. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Sprouts products on this page will be donated to Hospice of Palm Beach County.

“We are honored to support an organization that provides such exceptional care to our community,” said Sharon Quercioli of Sprouts. “By doing our part we are helping them provide services to families at their time of greatest need.”

Click here to learn more about this special partnership between Sprouts and Hospice of Palm Beach County.

For more information on Hospice of Palm Beach County and its services, please visit their website.

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Is your charity or organization interested in starting a Green Fundraising campaign?

Sprouts offers unique and Eco-Friendly Fundraising Programs!
Contact us at info@sproutem.com or (561) 840-8089 for information

Sprouts!, Inc., an innovative West Palm Beach-based company that uses 100% recycled, handmade paper embedded with flower seeds to create a diverse array of environmentally friendly products, is playing an active role in this year’s ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival by printing beautiful note cards featuring the prize-winning artwork of local students.

“We are thrilled to be involved in this year’s Festival and especially proud of our work with the youth artists,” says Sharon Quercioli, Sprouts owner and founder.

The company’s note cards, featuring prize winning student artwork, will be available for sale in the Sprouts booth, located in the Youth Art Gallery. A portion of the proceeds from each box of cards will go to support the ArtisGras Art Education Fund.

“Sprouts is committed to supporting our youth and to educating the community about waste reduction and conservation through our products and environmental education efforts,” added Quercioli.

Sprouts products reflect the beauty and simplicity of a green message.

“Instead of ending up in the landfills, our products can be planted in the earth and produce flowers that create oxygen and provide food for small organisms, all the while beautifying the world,” Quercioli continued.

Founded six years ago by Sharon Quercioli, a lifelong entrepreneur with over twenty years in the recycle industry, Sprouts products include greeting cards, bookmarks, Blooming Boxes^TM and a host of custom marketing pieces - all of which grow flowers when planted. Sprouts products can be purchased directly from the company’s Web site (www.sproutem.com) or custom printed to accommodate various volumes, sizes and print specifications. Next time you need to send a greeting card or your company plans to send out a mailing or distribute handouts, consider using one of Sprouts “Green Greetings” or “Blooming Boxes.” It’s a fun, easy and environmentally responsible way to help tackle a growing problem.

If you would like to support the ArtiGras Art Education Fund but can not attend the event, Sprouts is offering the ArtiGras Youth Art Collection 2010 & 2009 on its website: http://www.sproutem.com/category/ArtiGras-2010-Note-Cards

For additional information about ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival please visit: http://artigras.org

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Is your charity or organization interested in starting a Green Fundraising campaign?

Sprouts offers unique and Eco-Friendly Fundraising Programs!

Contact us at info@sproutem.com or (561) 840-8089 for information

Here are four gifts that are perfect for you!

1. Valentine’s Day Cards

These are no ordinary cards…when planted they grow flowers!

Sprouts unique Valentine’s Day Cards are printed on eco friendly plantable seed paper.  Handmade from 100% recycled paper and embedded with flower seeds, when Sprouts cards are planted they grow flowers!

Visit our website or call 561-840-8089 to order!

2. Valentine Wish Sprouters

Share a message of love, friendship, hope, or joy with Valentine Wish Sprouters. Plantable Wish Sprouters are enjoyed by all.

Each Package contains 5 Wish Sprouters.

Visit our website or call 561-840-8089 to order!

3.  Blooming Box Garden Kit

A growing gift for the gardener you love!

Sprouts Blooming Box Garden Kit contains one of our Heart Boxes as well as a coir pot, pieces of our paper to plant and soil pellets. All you add is water!

Visit our website or call 561-840-8089 to order!

4.  Blooming Boxes

Deliver your loving sentiment with style! Sprouts elegant & eco- friendly boxes are made from plantable seed paper.  They are perfectly sized to hold candy, jewelry, and small favors or gifts.  Favor Boxes are sized to hold gift cards or business cards.

When the box is planted in soil, it naturally biodegrades and beautiful flowers grow - providing your loved one with a growing reminder of you!

Visit our website or call 561-840-8089 to order!

For example, one of the benefits drinking wheatgrass juice provides is its natural detoxification agent that is superior to carrot juice as well as other fruits. To find out more please read Dawn’s article What’s so Great about Wheatgrass? on pages 24 and 25 in the Going Green section of 24Seven Digital Magazine.

Sprouts has known about the benefits of wheatgrass juice for years and even offers a way to grow your own wheatgrass.  Our special Blooming Box Garden Kits containing wheatgrass seeds!  The kits have one of our Heart Boxes or Favor Boxes  as well as a coir pot, wheatgrass seed to plant and soil pellets. All you add is water!

If you would like to order your own Wheatgrass Garden Kit for $4.95 please email info@sproutem.com

Click on the link to go to 24Seven:

http://epaperflip.com/aglaia/viewer.aspx?docid=1b6ef0bdb09543869c0c2ee4a4386610

This year many of our friends, family, and colleagues New Year’s resolutions sound something like this: I’m going to exercise more, eat healthier, make more time to volunteer, and be more organized.   It’s the standard promises made to make the coming year better for ourselves.  Yet, there is one resolution missing in these goals we strive for: the green resolution, the resolution to better our environment and planet.

Some people think going green is going to terribly disrupt what they are used to or that it’s too hard to go green and recycling is enough.  For these people, baby steps are the best way to start the green change over.  If you are this person, then this coming New Year resolve to change one thing in your life to make your existence a little greener.  Maybe you change to more energy efficient light bulbs or use more environmentally friendly household cleaners.  Maybe you could carpool to work or replace a broken appliance with ones that are more energy efficient.  If everyone does something small in the effort to go green the impact on the planet will be huge.

For those of you who already have incorporated green living in your daily routine, see if you can assist the people in your life with their transition into a greener lifestyle.  Sometimes our friends just need that extra push or someone to talk to about greening their lives.  See if you can inspire others to become as passionate about the environment and planet as you are.

Let’s make a resolution to not just better ourselves, but better our environment, better our planet and make the green resolution!

Below are more suggestions on how to live a greener life and commit to the green resolution.

1.    Recycle: Most cities offer recycling bins and it is one of the easiest ways to live greener.
2.    Send plantable greeting cards versus ones that can be thrown away.
3.    Buy locally grown produce at farmers markets in your community.
4.    Start a garden that will attract honey bees and other pollinators.
5.    Create a compost pile to fertilize your yard and garden.
6.    Donate unused or reusable goods to local thrift stores or collection agencies.
7.    Replace old or broken appliances with energy efficient ones.
8.    Invest in low flow toilets and showerheads.
9.    Walk or ride a bike to nearby places instead of driving.
10.    Keep reusable canvas bags in your car for when you go shopping.
11.    Use less water by only doing full loads of laundry, taking shorter showers, and turning off the faucet while you are brushing your teeth
12.    Replace you’re A/C air filter once a month.
13.    Unplug electronic appliances when not in use or attached them to a power strip and turn the power strip off.
14.    Switch to energy efficient lighting by using compact florescent light bulbs or LED light bulbs
15.    Use recycled paper products.
16.    Buy green non-toxic cleaners for your house, clothes, and car.
17.    Plant a tree.
18.    Adopt green friendly products as part of your normal purchasing routine.
19.    Purchase a reusable water bottle versus buying one time use bottles of water.
20.    Learn about local, regional, and national environmental issues and participate through volunteer efforts and raising awareness

Click here to send Sprouts Plantable Greeting Card to remind your family, friends, and colleagues to make a green resolution for the 2010 New Year.

To create your own Wintery Holiday Wreath you will need:
Many (25 to 45) sticks no more than a 1/2 inch thick and 12 inches long
Twine or String
Scissors
Sprouts Plantable Craft Paper

First you will have to gather up some sticks and twigs.  The best place to find good sticks (if you don’t have a lot of trees near your home) is to go to a local park.  You want the sticks to have various textures and lengths.  Try to find ones that are no bigger than half an inch around and no longer than a foot.  Also, inspect them for bugs and other critters so you don’t bring something in your home you don’t want there.

Place the sticks in several small bunches then tie them together.  Then take each bunch and tie them end to end bending them slightly to form a circle.  Use any left over sticks to slide and wedge in areas that look a little barren.

Now that you have the circle for the wreath, you need to make the leaves to decorate it with.  Trace out leaf shapes onto the paper (or you can use our template below to print on the paper).  Cutout the leaf shapes (or if you want snowflake shapes) and wedge the cutouts in between the sticks.  The amount of cutouts you will need will vary depending on the size of your wreath.

Use the twine/string to create a loop you can use to hang your wreath.

At the end of the holiday season the twigs and sticks can be broken down and used for composting along with the twine.  The leaves (constructed from the Sprouts Plantable Craft Paper) can be planted and will turn into wildflowers!

To purchase Sprouts Plantable Paper please click on the link: http://www.sproutem.com/category/Craft-Paper-and-Stock

Many local supporters turned out for the event including Sprouts owner Sharon Quercioli and 24Seven Digital Media Editor in Chief Glenn Swift, who enjoyed the momentous occasion sampling various international cuisine and fine spirits while sharing the evening with friends. Adding a touch of flair to the event were some local celebrities, including well-known broadcast journalist Tim Byrd “The Byrdman.”  Overall, it was a spectacular and most successful evening.

Also enjoying the good times was Zuccarelli’s PBG owner, Olimpia Zuccarelli, who recently added a first-class pizzeria to her highly respected family-style restaurant in PGA Commons.

A Great Evening for a Worthy Cause

Besides providing a great time for all, the event’s proceeds went to a noteworthy cause, Big Heart Brigade (www.bigheartbrigade.com), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide holiday meals and seasonal support to South Floridians in need.

To find out more about Taste of the Palm Beaches, please visit: http://www.tasteofthepalmbeaches.com

For more information on the Big Heart Brigade, please visit: http://www.bigheartbrigade.com