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PUBLISHED ON DECEMBER 25, 2008:

Local Heroes

People whose good deeds make Tucson a better place

By WEEKLY STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS email the Weekly
Local Heroes
Naomi and Elizabeth Caraballo

Naomi and Elizabeth Caraballo
After a horrible tragedy, these two sisters decided to assist moms in need

At From One Mother to Another's headquarters, piles of toys and clothing line the walls, and spill out onto the tile. Naomi Caraballo ignores the upheaval; she's adjusted to living in a house that doubles as a charity.

For co-founders (and sisters) Naomi and Elizabeth Caraballo, the dream of gathering starter items like cribs, clothing and diapers to donate to needy families began six months ago. As the economy took a plunge early this fall, the number of families needing assistance skyrocketed.

"In the beginning, my sister and I had two or three families, and every other day, we would go and drop off donations," Elizabeth said. "Now, with over 300 families, we hardly see each other."

With financial woes looming, time constraints are the least of Elizabeth's worries. According to the duo, at a fashion-show fundraiser the agency held last month, From One Mother to Another actually lost money.

"For this particular event, we had an unexpected bill which put us $1,400 in the hole," Elizabeth said. "This was supposed to be our seed money, so that we could finish our 501(c)(3) (tax-exempt) status and become recognized as a nonprofit agency by the government and apply for grants."

Elizabeth tears up as she talks about her agencies' recent disappointments. It wasn't long ago that she was a single parent herself, pregnant with a child whose father had been murdered. With the help of friends and family, Elizabeth was able to take two weeks off of work after the birth of her now-2-year-old daughter.

"I started to search for single-mother help, or starting-family help, just to see what's out there," Elizabeth recalls. "Outside of AHCCCS and DES (the state Department of Economic Security), there really wasn't much."

After being laid off by a health-insurance/cost-containment company, Elizabeth decided it was her turn to spread generosity, like her friends and family had shown her. Elizabeth's first effort--a low-profile MySpace charity page--had little impact, because few friends showed interest in sponsoring one family a month.

Now Elizabeth and her daughter, Naomi (named after her aunt), live with Elizabeth's parents, a sacrifice Elizabeth made as From One Mother to Another continued to grow.

"What we have done is, basically, we've created our inventory through donations, but everything outside of that--from the storage space, to the gas it takes, to the man hours--has all been on our backs," Elizabeth said.

That's why From One Mother to Another, in collaboration with Park Place Mall's The Body Shop and Little Gym at 7225 E. Broadway Blvd., is asking people to offer a $3 dollar donation to help fund the processing fees associated with applying for 501(c)(3) status. The Body Shop is also hosting a giving tree for the agency.

"We've been in purgatory for six months, because we just can't afford to get through the next step," Elizabeth said. "I want so much better for what we are doing--and I see something terrific; I see something that's needed."

Elizabeth begins to tear up again, but this time, her sister intercedes with a childhood song that "drives Elizabeth nuts." Within moments, a smile spreads across Elizabeth's face--she's acknowledging her organization's accomplishments.

"I just focus on the fact that today, I gave somebody a bed who has never had one--and he's 4 years old," Elizabeth said.

To donate items to From One Mother to Another, call 904-4555, or e-mail. For more information, visit the Web site.

Megan Neighbor

We were in the paper today!

In today's Tucson Weekly From One Mother to Another was in the Local Heroes section!

Here is the link if you would like to read the article!

http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/Currents/Content?oid=oid:120004.

Christmas is around the corner!

We wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Holiday! Thank you all for following us on our ups and downs and we are looking forward to a great next year!

Civano Community School

We want to say a HUGE thank you to the Civano Community School! They collected a whole truck load of items for our families and we truly appreciated it! I forgot my camera but it was a sight to see. The students helped me load up the truck and I was so excited to have so many great items!

Thank you Civano Community school!

What amazing food!

Tonight was a party for a private networking group we are a part of, The New York Life Networking group. It was hosted at Enoteca on the corner of Congress and Church. I was the best food I have had in Tucson in a long time! Thank you so much to the ladies they donated $250 towards our 501c3 application!

Thank you for a wonderful night!

Saturday Night!

So in spite of our already long day we headed out to walk in The Parade of Lights that started at Armory Park. We got the opportunity to walk with The Little Gym and hand out T-Shirts to the crowd!

If you have never been to The Little Gym now is the time! They are a drop off location for donations and they are always looking for ways to be involved in the community! Here is the front of our section!

Saturday Morning!

We started Saturday with a trip to the Historic Train Depot. They were doing a huge Christmas Celebration there. They had a craft fair, jumping castles, kids rides and much more!

It was really fun to watch the kids make letters to Santa and Christmas decorations!



Then we got to see SANTA!!!! He rode up with his Elves and Mrs. Claus on their Harley Davidson Motorcycles! The kids were so excited!



We want to thank the Historic Train Museum for adding us to our event and thank you to all the families that brought donations!

Lets start with Friday!

So it is Sunday and we have had a HUGE weekend. First we will start with Friday.





From 6pm to 8pm we were at The Little Gym wrapping presents that there members donated for our families. It was so much fun! Everyone was wrapping and the kids were playing and wearing themselves out!



They collected gifts for From One mother to Another and New Beggingins for Women and Children. In the end there were over 150 pairs of shoes and gifts for our two organizations. They called this Event Kids helping Kids! What a success and we can't wait till next year! Thank you to The Little Gym and all the families that donated!

Some new pictures

We got more pictures from the Tucson Fashion Feast. Here you go!

It is going to be busy!

It is going to be a busy weekend! So keep checking back as we will be posting pictures on all our events!

Thursday!

So it is Thursday! We are looking to have a huge volunteer day the weekend after Christmas! Please email us info@from1mother2another.com if you would be interested!
KOLD 13 should be there to!

Another day, another dollar

So here we are the 9th of December and still 500 shy of our goal of $800 in 10 days. So if any of you are waiting to the last minute to pledge now is the TIME!

We got the opportunity to attend the NAWBO Holiday Auction and luncheon and it was an eye opening experience. We truly hope we can have an event that well run and profitable in the near future. Thank you Lola and Ellen from Effortless HR for inviting us to attend. We had a great time at the Manning House!

Giving Tree

For those of you that really want to give we have a giving tree at "The Body Shop" in the Park Place Mall. Go by and say hi! to our good friend the manager Alex!


Thank you for your constant support Alex!

Now is the time!

Hello All!

Now is the time to spread the word about From One Mother to Another if there ever was!

First, there are a lot of families in need and we are here to help!

Second, there are a lot of families in need and we need help! There are two things we must accomplish by the end of the year or we are not sure how we are going to continue on. We MUST raise $800 to finish our 501 c3 application. We also need to rally volunteers to help us deliver to the families in need before the holiday's. We would love all of our families to have a great Christmas and we need a lot of help to get there!

Please tell your friends about us! Have them follow our blog so we can see how many people we reach! Have them email us at info@from1mother2another.com so we can truly make a difference with Tucson's children!

One of the newcomers Cyran Clothing designed this elegant dress.

This is my favorite dress of the evening, a gown by Phillip Manus.





This is gown by DL-Couture.

Tucson Fashion Feast

I thought I would add some photos of our last event The Tucson Fashion Feast. Sorry I haven't posted much lately! I will get back on top of keeping you all updated on our happenings!

Family Friendly Halloween

Tucson Children Museum Events

TARGET TYKES TIME -- Pumpkins of Every Shape and Color
Come hear "The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin" by Joe Troiano, then create a sponge painted pumpkin patch, just like in the book!
October 25th & 28th
Please note this program is specifically for children 4 years and under. 11:30 AM

HALLOWEEN LANTERNS
October 28th & 31st
Decorate your very own Halloween lantern. 3:00 PM

NOT SO SPOOKY HALLOWEEN
October 31st
Bring the little ones down for a fun Halloween celebration. Activities include a costume contest, face painting, spider making (with the Sonoran Arthropod Studies Institute), trick-or-treating, and more!

$1 Admission for this event only 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM



Fourth Ave. Events

Saturday October 25, 2008 Spooky Kids Halloween Costume Contest 5pm to 9pm
Come join the Fourth Avenue Merchants Association for a safe Spooky Kids Halloween Costume Contest. Free, Saturday October 25, 2008, 5pm to 9pm,

* Costume prizes and goody bags
* Kids costume contest at 6pm
* Scary Movies
* Live DJ
* M/C "Kini Wah-deh"

FREE Fun for the whole family / trick or treating all along the Avenue



Barnes & Noble NW Event

HALLOWEEN STORY TIME. Get ready for Halloween with readings from Aaaarrgghh! Spider! by Lydia Monks and Queen of Halloween by Mary Engelbreit at 10 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 22; and at 11 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 18. Free. Call for more information. Barnes and Noble. 7325 N. La Cholla Blvd. 742-6402.




Tucson City Parks & Rec. events

Oct. 25 - 5-8 p.m. - Free

East District presents Nightmare on Clements Street, 8155 E. Poinciana. Join us for a night filled with games, haunted house and costume contest. Contact: 791-5930.

Oct. 29 - 6-9 p.m. - $2 or 2 cans of food

Northwest Center's, 2160 N. 6th Ave. Haunted House will be open for other recreation center field trips. Annual Halloween Haunting arrives Oct. 30. Contact: 791-3247

Oct. 30 - 6-9 p.m. - Free

Northwest Center, 2160 N. 6th, presents its 2nd Annual Halloween Haunting for the family, featuring creepy games, haunted house, costume contest, food and fun. Contact: 791-3247

Oct. 31 - 6-8 p.m. - Free

It's Halloween fun at El Rio Center, 1390 W. Speedway, with a haunted house, trick or treat alley and more for all ages. Contact: 791-4683.

Oct. 31 - 6-9 p.m. - Free

Here comes Howlin' Halloween for the family at the Rodeo Grounds, Irvington and 6th, featuring two haunted houses (one for kids), jumping castles, free candy, costume parade, D.J., dancing and entertainment. Food and snacks will be available for purchase. Contact: 791-5909.

The Art of Spoken Word

Helped 120 children in the first 90 days!

We filed our articles of incorporation on April 28^th, 2008. Since then we have helped over 75 families and over 120 kids!

We have personally delivered:

• Over 1,600 parcels of clothing
• 150 packages of diapers
• 120 pairs of shoes
• 75 car seats
• 60 strollers
• 50 cribs

Two sisters with a mission and a goal reached these families with 3 kids in tow. We are proud of our accomplishments and we want to do more.

We need your help!

We are in need of operational donations:

• (3) 36” industrial shelving
• (1) 72” industrial shelving.
• (10) Twin mattress covers Ø
• (1) Outdoor Rubbermaid shed storage unitØ
  
• (1) Large laundry sifterØ
  
• Lots of drycleaner laundry bags to deliver the clothes inØ
  
• (4) Clear or slotted hampers

Volunteers needed to:

• ^Ø Sell tickets for our event on September 13^th
• Ø Drop off donations
• Ø Pick up donations
• Ø Technical support
• Ø Follow up calls

We also need corporate sponsors to help us accomplish funding our goal of reaching over 1,000 children by year’s end.

Join us on September 13^th, at the Leo Rich Theater, 7pm,

The Art of Spoken Word,

for a night of entertainment & giving!

www.from1mother2another.com

info@from1mother2another.com

Naomi Caraballo (520) 904-4555

Elizabeth Caraballo (520) 979-5514

The guitars are here!

From the beginning we have been hinting that From One Mother To Another was donated signed guitars from the Doobie Brothers and Chicago. They are here! Here is a picture of both guitars. Keep your eye out for a live auction of these two amazing donations!

New Location!

We are excited to be changing the location of "The Art Of Dance" to the Copper Room in Club Congress! Thank you so much to Dahlia's Gallery on her support and we can't wait to see what our partnership brings in the future! So please come and support us at Club Congress!

The Art Of Dance

We are so excited to be announcing our first fund raising event. It is called "The Art of Dance." The event will be held at Dahlia's Gallery and Boutique on Stone. As we get closer to the date I will posting more information!

We need help!

So we are beginning a new chapter of this book. We truly need help. Since there is only me and my sister we are beginning to realize that there is just not enough time in the day. We are in need of volunteer to coordinate pick ups and drop off. We need foot soldiers to flyer neighborhoods and business. We need forward outgoing individuals to help us gain support throughout the community. We have been overwhelmed with the wonderful giving families that have come to our aid so far, we just need more! So please contact me, Naomi, 520-904-4555 or Elizabeth 520-979-5514.

A new group of friends!

Last night I attended the Sahuarita Giving Circle. It is an inspiring group of women that give to various charities throughout the year.
The were gracious enough to choose From One Mother To Another this month. What a response!

I left with a packed car and a whole new group of friends! They were so welcoming and gave us so much of what we really needed. Check our website for more exciting events with this amazing group!

A step in the right direction!

We were so glad to hear back from the Arizona Corporate Commission today. Our Articles of Organization has been approved and we are one step closer to finishing our 501c 3 application. Although daunting it is a relief to know we are headed in the right direction!

Looking for volunteers

We are growing rapidly with mothers in need and people willing to donate. We are looking for a few volunteers to help coordinate drop offs and pick ups around town! We also are in need of some foot soldiers to hand out flyers in neighborhoods and parks. If any of you are interested please call Naomi at 520-904-4555 or Elizabeth at 520-979-5514.

Thank you to all who have given so much already!

What a day!

It was a great day! We had 4 strollers, 2 usable car seats, 2 pack n plays, a bed and mattress, crib bedding, clothes, shoes, a high chair and lots of toys donated today. It literally filled up my truck.

We delivered today the bed and mattress, all the strollers, both of the car seats, both of the pack n plays and almost all of the toys and clothes.

We also received 3 more mothers today. Each one needs a pack n play or crib, car seat and bedding.

Giving is the cornerstone of our nonprofit and today was a good day! There is no better feeling than knowing what you are giving makes a huge difference in that child's life. One little girl got a bag pack filled with a princess teddy bear and toys her smile made driving in traffic worth it!

Thank you to all that donated today! And thank you to all that allowed us into your lives to help!

WISH LIST

We thought we would post the items we are in need of!

Pack N Plays

Strollers

All sizes of Car Seats

High Chairs

Clothes of all sizes including adolescents and teenagers

Thank you for donating!

The beginning!

This is our first post on our blog! So much has happened that we want to keep everyone up to date on our trials and success.

As most of you know we are dedicated to helping Tucson's children. We are trying to accomplish that goal by providing support to their families. Our support comes in the form of cribs, stroller, diapers, clothes, wipes, and much more.

We are still waiting on our 501 c3 so we are working strictly off of donations from the community. We are in need of pack n plays, strollers, summer clothes off all ages and car seats.

We are excited to be working with WIC and trying to form relationships with other agencies here in Tucson.

We have two drop off sites here in Tucson. The Little Gym on Broadway and Kolb and the Tucson Birth Center on Grant.

We will be posting more of what is going on and all of our upcoming events!