Mesa’s Habit Salon, 3454 E. Southern Ave., Ste. 102,  will hold a fundraiser for the Nielson family 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22. All proceeds will benefit Stephanie and Christian Nielson, who were critically injured in a private plane crash in August. Patrons can donate $40 for a wash, cut and style; $25 for a wash and style or $15 for an eyebrow waxing. Homemade treats as well as hair accessories and raffle tickets will be sold. Bring cash for donations. Make appointments at hopefornie.com.

Christian and Stephanie’s sisters each have their own personal blogs, and sometimes offer tidbits about the couple. I love the post on Alice’s blog - she includes a photo of Christian dressed up at Darth Vadar with his son, Oliver, as Luke Skywalker, for Halloween! Check it out. And C Jane Run, a blog by Stephanie’s sister, reports she sat up last week with the help of therapists at Maricopa Medical Center’s Arizona Burn Center. Good news indeed.

I received this press release and thought I would pass it along.

The East Valley Chapter of Mothers & More will hold its annual Open House on Monday, October 6 at 7:00pm at the Arthur & Louise Price Community Room, next to the food court at the Chandler Fashion Center.

The open house will feature guest speaker Jose Villa of Child Shield USA, an organization that provides parents with easy-to-follow materials that empower children with the knowledge to prevent tragedies.  The event will be held without children.  There is no fee to attend.

The East Valley Chapter offers monthly meetings with topical discussions and/or guest speakers in addition to moms’ nights out, children’s activities, opportunities to connect with other mothers, and more.  Mothers & More offers a place where mothers can talk honestly about the ups and downs of motherhood and receive the support, friendship and affirmation of their many roles as a mother, a woman and a unique person. 

With over 120 chapters nationwide, Mothers & More is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of mothers through support, education and advocacy.  It addresses mothers’ needs as individuals and members of society, and promotes the value of all the work mothers do.  For more information or to join online, log onto www.mothersandmore.org.

To learn more about the East Valley Chapter, call 866-467-0562 or log on to the chapter website at www.azmothersandmore.com. 

It’s been a busy week at work, but my thoughts aren’t far from the Nielson family, whom I met last week. Stephanie and Christian Nielson, parents of four young children in Mesa, were in a private plane crash in August. They are both undergoing extensive treatment for turns at the Arizona Burn Center at Maricopa Medical Center. My goal is to check Stephanie’s sister’s Web site every few days. Here is her latest posting. It includes a tag at the end indicating Stephanie Nielson of Mesa will have skin graft surgery on Tuesday. Last week’s fundraiser at Mesa High School drew hundreds of people, according to the Tribune’s videographer. Tony d’Astoli got some wonderful video of the concert (click on “Hope Concert”). He said the line was out the door.

I received a press release in my e-mail that I thought I would share.

An organization has set up the Arizona Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day campaign for schools to share good news. Family, friends, teachers, students and administrators can post their stories online. Check out azschoolsmakeadifference.org. Send stories to info@azschoolsmakeadifference.org or submit them online at www.azschoolsmakeadifference.org/tellstory.asp

The famed-Milk Mustache Mobile Tour will be at Fry’s Food & Drug, 1915 S. Power Road, Mesa, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, July 14.The tour is hosting the Chief Health Officer Contest, which invites local Mesa residents to record a 30-second “mom-ination” video explaining why their mom – or a mom they know – is Mesa’s Chief Health Officer.

Mesa moms can also enter into the Chief Health Officer Sweepstakes, which also will reward a mom a $100,000 salary. Contestants may enter the contest at official Milk Mustache Mobile stops, or they can upload their own video entry or 50 word essay on whymilk.com. All entries must be received by September 30, 2008.