Wheeler Mission's The Thirteenth Annual Drumstick Dash

  

Before you sit down and eat your Thanksgiving feast, why not participate in the Drumstick Dash? You can really work up an appetite and help those who may not have the luxury of a delicious Thanksgiving meal. Wheeler Mission Ministries needs your help Indianapolis. Skip the Thanksgiving parade this year and join in something much more meaningful. You can bring your kids and show them what it means to really be thankful and the joy in helping others. 

Here's more information about the The Thirteenth Annual Drumstick Dash:


Thousands "flock" to Broad Ripple and run to help the homeless       

INDIANAPOLIS – The Thirteenth Annual Wheeler Mission Drumstick Dash presented by Huntington Bank kicks off 9 a.m. Thanksgiving Day in Broad Ripple, with thousands of participants and volunteers raising awareness and funds for the homeless.

In 12 years, the Drumstick Dash has become one of the fastest-growing charity run/walks in the country and the second largest in Indiana. Last year, 15,630 runners and walkers participated in this fundraising event for Wheeler Mission, and race organizers anticipate up to 17,000 runners/walkers and nearly 1,500 volunteers for 2015.

Race organizers are gearing up for a record crowd this year. Steve Kerr, Wheeler's Chief Development Officer, said, "With the great weather predicted we think this could be our biggest year ever – which is a real blessing to us as all proceeds from the race benefit those experiencing homelessness in our community."

Continuing in tradition, Drumstick Dash mascot Jerry Gobbler -- a 6-foot tall turkey -- will start the race about 60 seconds ahead of the pack, and the first man and woman to catch him will each win a trophy.

New this year will be a live pre-race concert by local cover band Toy Factory and selfie stations along the course. As always, the Drumstick Dash will offer a 4.5-mile-long course, a 2¾-mile short course, and a free Lil' Gobbles run at 10:15 a.m. for kids age 10 and under.

This year will once again feature a Celebrity Challenge, with nearly 20 local media celebrities competing for a turkey trophy to keep for one year. 


 Founded in 1893, Wheeler Mission has been serving the Indianapolis community
 through a variety of programs for the most disadvantaged
 citizens – the poor and the homeless. Funding for
 these programs has always come from the private sector as
 Wheeler does not receive government funds. Proceeds from the
 Drumstick Dash will help Wheeler serve more than 315,000
 meals and provide nearly 135,000 nights lodging in
 2013.
 

Decorating your Car

Cars have personality. Sometimes it's from the way the car looks or the owner gives it personality. There are many different ways you can decorate your car to make it your own. As far as I know there aren't car decorators but that would be a pretty fun job to have. I thought it would be fun to talk about some different ways you can decorate your car. Some people really get into it and not only do they name their car but they almost even dress them up.

Did you know that you can get big false eyelashes to go on your headlights? I guess it gives the car an animated look. I am not really too sure about it though. It seems a little strange to me.

You can also be more traditional and by different bumper stickers or window clings to give your car a little bit of your personality to they can be anything from something from your kid’s school to a family cling, your favorite bands, your political affiliation, or just some funny thing that you like.  You can really find a bumper sticker for anything. You can even make your own online.

 Another way people decorate their car as they hang things from their rearview mirror. You have to be careful though because of its too big could block your vision. I had a friend who had a ribbon tied to her rearview mirror and memory of a child I lost. You can put fuzzy dice, lanyards, picture of your child, a macaroni necklace, or any other thing you can find. A lot of people just hang an air freshener from the rear view mirror.

Sometimes your kids can even help decorate to by putting stickers on the windows. My grandma's car had stickers on the window for like 5 years because my cousin had stuck them on there since you couldn't get them off.  

You can buy fuzzy seat for your car and all sorts of patterns and colors. You can get them from anything from beaded to pink leopard print.

If you want to decorate your car for an event there are easy ways to do so. You can buy car window markers and write whatever you want on the window be sure not to write it on the body of the car though because it might mess up the paint. I have seen everything from just married to cheering on a high school sports team to someone just writing a personal note on somebody's car.

Another way your kids can decorate your car is by their toys, some people put mirrors in the backseat to see there may be through the rear view mirror. It also keeps the baby entertained.  

There really is no limit on what you can do to give your car a little spice. Of course you can get custom paint jobs in any design and colors you could dream up. It’s a tattoo for your car. Someone told me that their friend has a Hello Kitty car and it's completely covered and Hello Kitty stuff.

However you decide to decorate your used car have fun with it be yourself make it your own give it some personality. I wonder if in the next 5 to 10 years instead of interior decorators will be car decorators.

Baby on Board

I am sure you have seen those really cute baby on board signs. They are a yellow diamond sometimes have a cute picture on them. I have always wondered what they were for. I always thought that they were just to remind others to drive safely because you have a baby in your car. I also thought it was a cute way to be proud of your new little bundle of joy. I never thought that there was an actual reason for it. It makes sense though because it’s important to tell someone when you have a baby in the car. If you are in a car accident, it will alert others, the police and the paramedics that there is a baby in the car. That way they know to look for the child if they aren’t in their seat or if their car seat is missing. It all started in 1984 to encourage safe driving. People tend to drive safer when they know a baby is in the car. It has also become a universal sign to emergency crews.

 It’s a good idea to take down the baby on board sign when the child is not in the car though. That way they aren’t wasting valuable time looking for your child who is safe at home or at daycare. To remind yourself you could place it on the car seat base or in the seat so you know that you need to hang it back up. If you are in an accident, you may not be able to communicate with the paramedics and mention your baby. Especially if your car flips over. Some fire stations will hand them out for free. I think they should come standard with every car seat. It’s also a good idea to place a sticker with your information on your child’s car seat, in case of an emergency. You can put your contact information and your child’s doctor and name. Be sure to include any medical conditions and allergies. I got a couple when Noah was born but you could just write it on an address label in marker.  Be sure to keep it updated if your phone number changes or allergies change.