Honestly, it’s not even about selling umbrellas—that's just the hook. The whole point is raising donations and getting the word out about what the organization actually does. We'll walk anyone interested through all the different ways they can help, and if they know someone who could really use a hand, we'll give them the right contact info to reach out.
People stopping by the stand know upfront that the umbrella is basically just a little thank-you gift for their donation.
Everyone just gives whatever they can afford or feel like giving.
Some folks drop a couple of bucks, others might chip in a bit more.
For a $10 donation, you get a small umbrella, and if you give $40 or more, you get the big one.
Plus, any kid who comes by gets a blue balloon as a little gift. Donations are always appreciated, obviously, but it doesn't matter—whether it's ten cents or nothing at all, the kids are still getting those balloons.🙂
I know this is kind of off-topic, but I figured I’d share a quick heads-up:
We're giving away 10 school supply kits to kids who could really use a hand. If you know anyone in the neighborhood who might benefit from something like this, please let us know.
I'll drop the concert details here once we have everything locked in.
The umbrellas don't have any logos or anything—they're just solid, bright blue.
We’re going to be hanging out at Times Square this weekend from about 10 AM to 3 PM. If anything changes with the plan, I'll post an update in this thread.
You can never have enough volunteers. Over 70 people reached out this past week, so we're putting together a big meeting next week for all our volunteers (both current and new) to divvy up tasks.
Any forum members who want to get involved with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, just shoot me a DM and I'll send over the time and place for the meeting.
Grab an umbrella—it’s for a good cause. Help out the kids at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Boys & Girls Clubs of AmericaKimberly Roberts30Working alongside the grassroots initiative...Save Dinamois putting together a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Clubs of AmericaBlue UmbrellaIt’s gonna run for about a month—wrapping things up with a massive charity concert and a huge watch party for the big game.
The whole thing’s going down right in the heart of Washington, D.C.—we're doing a symbolic sale of Blue Umbrellas, and every single cent from that goes straight toward helping kids in need through the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
If you're looking to get involved with this drive, you can either grab one of the umbrellas or just send a direct donation straight to the organization's account. Simple as that.
The sales spots are gonna shift around throughout the month—but the timing? That’s staying exactly the same.
Every single weekend since... Around 10 to 1 p.m. Catch us downtown on November 4th, 2010.
The Blue Umbrella crew is hitting up Times Square on October 9th and 10th.
Honestly, you just gotta be straight with people—tell them it's not great because it was poorly made 😁 then they probably won't bother offering you anything ever again 🤣
hollowtrucker77 said:And that whole bit about how they survived during those famine years...
Honestly, give me a break. If they were actually smart enough to realize they were starving back then, they probably would have been smart enough to figure out they weren't hungry anymore by now.
exactly. I just don't get this whole "eating until you pop" culture.
People don't show up to socialize, they show up to force unnecessary amounts of food down their throats.
Whenever I go to a wedding, it honestly makes me feel sick.
I guess they figure since they're already there and paid for, it’d be a waste not to gorge themselves on everything in sight.
Like, I don't care how gourmet the food is—if I'm not hungry, I'm not stuffing myself.
hollowtrucker77 said:Honestly, the whole thing is just blatant self-promotion
I mean, come on, give us more of the same—just a bunch of housewives and amateur cooks playing pretend Look, I’ve actually put in the work myself, you know? That’s what real home cooking is. This stuff we're seeing? It’s mostly just guys acting like they're master vintners when they're really just hobbyists with an ego
They couldn't care less if you're hungry or thirsty or anything else; all they care about is getting a pat on the back for their "hard work" so they can feel like they're the absolute best in the business
Exactly.
It's not like they're worried about you dying of hunger... honestly, they'd probably prefer if you choked on their "culinary masterpiece" instead.
Honestly, they’ve driven me so insane that I’m basically dodging any possible family get-together if there's even a slight chance I can slip away.
This whole thing with chasing down plates and dishes has become my literal nightmare—they just keep coming in endless waves, hitting me one after another.
There’s actually one more thing on my end—just another little detail to throw into the mix.
People keep acting like they totally forgot I’m vegetarian—they'll just hand me a slice of pepperoni pizza like, "Oh, here, it's no big deal..." It’s honestly kind of ridiculous. I haven't touched meat in 17 years... you'd think people would have figured it out by now. 😵
Honestly, nothing beats dealing with some old lady trying to play me—she’s out here insisting there’s zero meat in everything I'm eating, acting like I've lost my mind or something. Like, excuse me? As if I wouldn't notice the sheer amount of fat just floating on top... please.
My exes always seemed to "forget" that I don't eat meat... honestly, I spent half my weekends eating plain risotto because they just couldn't be bothered to remember—and we were only together for six years. Back in the day, I used to swing by their place for lunch with a baggie of soup just so I’d actually have something decent to eat.
Back in the day, the old folks used to pull the same exact stunt... they'd invite me over for lunch and then basically tell me, "Oh, there's plenty of stuff in the fridge, just whip something up for yourself." Either they call me in to help out at the BBQ—and then I just end up standing there watching everyone else eat—or whatever.
And then they just give me these pitying looks every thirty seconds—like, seriously?—asking if I’m sure I don't want anything to eat.
Honestly, I’m about two seconds away from filing some official paperwork declaring that I’m officially off the grid when it comes to food—like, just tell everyone I'm not eating anything anywhere so they can all collectively pout and finally leave me alone.
And honestly, for some people, just having kids is basically their entire personality it’s like they have nothing else to offer the world besides churning out more taxpayers they actually think sitting around at home is some kind of massive contribution to society—and they judge everyone else based on it, too
There’s actually some data out there showing how a higher standard of living tends to shrink family sizes it works pretty much the same way with education levels too
Usually, you see the largest families among people with the lowest incomes and the least amount of schooling
And look, I’m not just talking about random one-off stories here—I mean actual percentages
And honestly, there are definitely logical reasons why things play out that way
dustyfox4 said:I’ve noticed the exact same thing. That’s why I usually prefer seeing male gynecologists—they tend to be a bit more patient and always do a better job at explaining things clearly.
I haven't really tried going to a guy myself—my first experience was so awkward I just gave up and stuck to female doctors.
He was this old dude who seemed totally out of it and had serious bad breath, so I basically bolted before they even called my name.
Besides, I've never had any bad run-ins with female gynecologists.
We're drifting pretty far off topic here... we should probably get back to the point before the moderators come sniffing around.
Richard Richardson68 said:I mean, giving birth to a kid—like, a full-grown human being—and thinking it won't hurt? You can't even imagine that 🙄. It hurts in plenty of other situations too 😁 so why wouldn't it be like that then? And it’s just... I don't know, it feels like it's tearing you apart, just in case. Or maybe a lot, depending on how it goes. Then they just sort of shove a baby into you after a few minutes without even asking, "Hey, is this okay?" I'm positive it hurts.
But then again, if it's like that, why do we even have kids in the first place?
I'm genuinely curious how long it would take for humanity to go extinct if men were the ones giving birth—including all the medical stuff from the groin down.
And I bet a huge chunk of them would be just dying to have five kids on the go.
Actually, I think most people would just call it quits on reproduction entirely if their doctor gave them a rectal exam during the first checkup.🤣
Maybe some old lady is offended because she’s just bitter—seeing someone else's family reminds her of her own wasted youth, I guess. Or maybe it's some narrow-minded jerk who thinks he should "keep his wife at home just to produce kids." Or honestly, it could be a couple that spent their whole lives trying to conceive, finally coming to terms with the fact that they'll never hold their own baby, only to have some young mom show up whining about how hard her life is and how much pain she went through during labor... while they're sitting there thinking, "Must be nice to actually have those problems," you know?
But most people? They aren't even bothered.
Honestly, I’d say the ones most offended are the ones who went through the exact same thing but would never admit it—mostly because there’s this weird social pressure to act like the "perfect woman" who doesn't feel pain, everything is wonderful, and she'll just keep sacrificing herself for her kids until the day she drops dead.
wearyowl29 said:It doesn't fit the "perfect motherhood" narrative. I mean, an exhausted, frazzled, sleep-deprived, and frustrated mother isn't exactly the beautiful image of a healthy society we like to project... besides, it's always easy to judge when you aren't the one in the trenches. Just when you finally raise a whole basketball team and get them out on the court—dealing with everything that comes once they become independent and start looking for their own way—they drop grandkids on you... then you can talk about how easy it is.
My neighbor actually has heart arrhythmia issues because of her grandkids... man, every single weekend she's on duty with two of them while the parents shamelessly dump the kids off on Friday night so they can catch up on sleep and recharge their batteries for the corporate grind on Monday. Meanwhile, Grandma is babysitting all through the weekend just so she can spend Monday to Wednesday lying down and popping pills. When she finally said no once (just because she was too tired), her daughter threw a massive tantrum and asked, "How could you be such a terrible grandmother?"😂
And she's the only one I know...
it's basically treated like a taboo subject... especially if you dare to say anything remotely negative about it.
In every movie ever made, they act like having a baby is this cosmic explosion of pure joy and love. But the second a woman admits it was actually the most grueling, nightmare experience of her life—and that she wouldn't go through it again—everyone acts like she’s lost her mind because nobody talks about it like that.
Everyone knows the script: you give birth, you're suddenly flooded with this divine love, everything is rainbows and butterflies, the pain vanishes instantly, and you're ready to do it all over again immediately.