Author Archives: Nate

About Nate

Co-Founder of Love Drop. Changing the world in 15 minutes a week.

Episode #2: Strength and Love

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Nate

(Episode #2 of 4)

This episode gives us an inside look into the strength and love that surrounds Lucy and the rest of her family and friends. Her attitude in life has always been contagious, and no less so now that she’s dealing with her sickness. Her steadfast faith that she will work through the pain and come through on the other side has inspired those around her to be stronger, both for her and for each other.

It’s evident how much everyone loves Lucy, which goes to show you the depth of her own character. It’s going to be our privilege to meet this awesome young woman face-to-face in a couple weeks. :)





Posted in Lucy | 2 Comments

Felicity’s Love Drop!

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Nate

(Episode #4 of 4)

This was one of the biggest Drops yet, team! We drove down to Atlanta to hang out with little Felicity and the rest of the Withrow family, and to help them out a little bit with all the medical costs incurred from battling Felicity’s brain cancer.

We were blessed this month to have visitors and special guests at the Drop from all over the country, all gathering at the (almost) farm of one of our team members. Especially cool was a very sweet presentation from Kat Cole, the president of Cinnabon, who came down to join in the celebration. All in all, our community raised over $5,000 to help with expenses, plus threw a surprise baby shower for Amanda, delivering tons of extra gifts!

Thank you all for making this month special! Click here to learn about Felicity’s entire story :)

Total gifts given to Felicity and family:
[To check out the pictures, click here.]

  • A check for $5,287.26! – You guys REALLY outdid yourself this month! And a perfect family to come together for too, as the Withrows can really use this support right now:) There are a ton of medical bills that come out of cancer treatments as you can imagine, and with a new baby on its way, they were incredibly thankful to hear the news. A special thank you goes out to Cinnabon and its president, Kat Cole, a long-standing member of Love Drop, for pushing us over our $5,000 goal this month, and then taking it a step further and actually SHOWING UP to celebrate with us! It was an incredible treat (bah-dum-ching)!
  • A customized Cinnabon Party! – Not only did Cinnabon show up to BE a part of our Drop, but they also surprised the Withrows with a fully-catered “make your own Cinnabons” party the next time they need one for any event :) They’re opening their company doors to them, and will soon be having fun baking them right there in their R&D offices (or wherever the Withrows choose). Pretty unique gift!
  • $750 worth of custom organization!! An incredible gift by The Stow Company, and its local affiliate SpaceMakers. They’ll be building out some killer shelves/organizational areas for one of their closets/pantries, or whatever they really need help with. Thanks so much, guys! Great surprise.
  • Dozens, and dozens of hand-made cards full of love and support – Made by the wonderful kids at St. Andrew Lutheran Church Youth! And headed up by our very own Love Drop member, Emmy. Not only were these made to cheer up, and support, the Withrows, but also to be delivered to the other kids at the hospital where little Felicity currently gets treatment every day. Really really cool idea, and always meaningful coming from little kids just like her :)
  • A hand-made “Love Drop” blanket for Felicity – Designed, and created, by Jacqueline Mukweto Designs :) This was absolutely incredible.
  • A FULL DAY’s worth of house cleaning! – Courtesy of Rosie & husband from Rosie’s Cleaning Service :) That was so gracious of you two.
  • A *large* gift card from special guest Anissa Meyhew of AimingLow.com – who not only gave such a generous gift, but ALSO provided an enormous amount of emotional support for Amanda and family. One of us overheard that it was actually the highlight of the event for Amanda :) So thankful you could be a part of it, Anissa!
  • A Kindle, and Kindle cover! – From long-time member Diane Mettam – mom of Joy Stalnaker!:)
  • Also a whole bunch of yarn, and a pattern book – From Diane
  • Family tickets to The World of Coke!! – Another *awesome* gift by Coca-Cola (along with their partner Cinnabon).
  • Family tickets to Cirque du Soleil – Courtesy of Goldstar.com (thx, as always!)
  • A handful of $25 gift certificates – from a whole bunch of people including Robin Greene and Jacqueline Mukweto (thx guys!)
  • $50 gift certificate to Texas Roadhouse — Which we celebrated at the next night, and we thoroughly enjoyed :) (with our own money, haha, not *their* gift card!) Thanks Roadhouse!
  • $35 gift certificate to Jump in The City – Woohoo!
  • Passes & tokens to Chuck E. Cheese’s – Double woohoo!
  • A beautiful stuffed horse for Felicity – lovingly given by Elizabeth Daniel :)
  • Fully catered munchables by Chick Fil A – Huge thanks Shannon!)
  • A couple of kiddie bags, full of books and toys to keep Felicity and Brennan occupied during their hospital visits :) (Good idea Sarah!)
  • Two beautifully designed custom hand prints – crafted by Nicole Gray from Piggies and Paws!
  • 6 months of meal plans courtesy of MealPlanRescue.com (Thanks for always participating!)
  • 6 months of coaching services from JRRSEHopeCoaching.com – Solutions for midlife parents, troubled teens, single moms & career challenges.
  • Hand-picked toys for each child from Cute-Stuffs.com
  • Computer lessons from Brandon (thx man!)
  • And a photo book to capture the entire Drop’s celebrations. You rock GroupStory.

We then surprised Amanda with a fun baby shower! (With over $1,000 worth of stuff. And by “we,” I mean our AWESOME Love Drop members – Desiree Miller & Shannon Henrici :))

  • Fully catered snacks by our Cinnabon friends! (We called them “bons in the oven,” haha…) As well as a beautifully packaged gift basket.
  • $300 Pampers gift card – Along with a ton of free baby wipe certificates (Thx Jolly mom & Pampers!)
  • A diaper cake & a whole bunch of hats – So cool :) Huge thanks to Little Boo Creations
  • A GREAT mommaRoo baby swing! – Thanks so much 4Moms!
  • A K’tan Baby Carrier! – Thanks Michal :)
  • A slew of hand-made baby bibs, blanket, booties – Lovingly sewn by Jacqueline Mukweto yet again!
  • A huge gift bag full of cool baby stuff – Courtesy of Cool Mom Picks
  • Another basket of goodies – Including a $50 salon gift certificate (Thx again Desiree!!)
  • And ANOTHER gift basket :) – This one including a bunch of Episencial all natural skincare lotions

You guys killed it again! Our 2nd biggest $ amount raised yet – thanks to everyone who participated and made this Drop happen :) Especially Cinnabon, Shannon, Desiree, Stow, and both of our lovely photographers for the event: Brandy Knight and Joy Knight Photography (no relation, haha…). Love ya!

Posted in felicity | 3 Comments

Episode #2: The Strength of Family

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Nate

(Episode #2 of 3)

In this episode, we get to see the strong family bonds that hold the Aubin family together, especially through Sheila’s tireless work ethic. Everyone not only pulls their weight, but helps each other out along the way. They’ve stuck together through thick and thin, so this month we’re happy to help lighten their load just a little bit, and let them focus on the transition as they move into the next phase of their lives.

In the next video we’ll learn more about the family’s journey and sacrifice…



Posted in Aubin | Leave a comment

The Stalnaker’s Love Drop!

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Nate

(Episode #5 of 5)

Guys, this was one of the most fun Drops we’ve ever done. A 1,000 mile road trip, Southern hospitality, a big giveaway, a fantastic surprise, local special guests, and working with high school kids . . . such an awesome time!

The Stalnaker family was a pleasure to be around, and Joy’s class helped make every moment fun for us. Also, guess what? The video you’re watching here was shot by two students from her class. We loved getting everyone involved, and you’re gonna love the video. Enjoy!

Thank you all for your help in making this month special for our family! See you next time…





Total breakdown of all gifts given:
[To check out the pictures, click here.]

  • Ford Mustang Convertible! WE DID IT GUYS!!! We got Joy a new car! Huge enormous thanks goes out to Britt and family for making this happen and completely putting their hearts behind it. The power of this community is absolutely incredible, and we wish them nothing but luck on their RV trip around the country. Thank you THANK YOU thank you! (And to Church Point United Methodist too)
  • $1,200 Check from the Love Drop team. Icing on the cake!
  • $450 from Kart Ranch – a family owned and operated family entertainment center. They sent over $200 worth of gift cards, on top for a check for $250! You guys rock.
  • PlayStation 3 as our team’s “special gift” this month :)
  • $50 Gas card from Pointe DE L’Eglise Texaco (thx guys!)
  • $50 Amazon gift card for Kindle books (thx Trinnie!)
  • $25 Food card to (and from) Parrot’s Pointe
  • $25 Coffee card to (and from) Community Coffee
  • Cinema Package! Courtesy of Crowley Cinema. Not only did they give the Stalnaker’s free tickets and food and special posters for the kids, but they delivered it all IN PERSON! It made such a difference that Joy even started crying. Seth and the Crowley crew didn’t know it, but they hadn’t been out to the movies together in over a year. It was awesome to have them celebrate with us.
  • Children’s Museum of Acadiana Package! Physically brought, and shared, by the lovely ladies of the Museum too! Adding even more joy to the entire presentation :) They brought an artistic basket full of crafts and membership passes for the entire family – which just so happens to be little Bradley’s favorite! You all rocked it out. (The next time anyone’s in the Lafayette area, I highly encourage you to check it out – it’s awesome!)
  • Lafayette Travel Package! Full of gifts and toys and a whole bunch of VIP tickets to local attractions. Thanks so much Lafayette Travel!
  • 1 year family membership to the Zoo of Acadiana! (Great idea, Carey!)
  • Framed newspaper of Super Bowl champs, The Saints Given by Joy’s mom, and original Love Drop team member, Diane! It was wonderful meeting you guys in person!! Thank you for being a part of such a special day :)
  • Bags full of toys for Bradley & David – Packed with bubbles, chalk, battle axe (haha…) coloring stuff, water toys, and a whole mess of other fun kid stuff… big thanks to Sarah, Em and the gang for putting all this together :)
  • 6 months of meal plans courtesy of MealPlanRescue.com (Thanks for always participating!)
  • 6 months of coaching services from JRRSEHopeCoaching.com – Solutions for midlife parents, troubled teens, single moms & career challenges.
  • Star Wars DVD set sent over by Love Drop member Aldo
  • Nice journal from Love Drop member Sarah :))
  • Computer lessons from Brandon (thx man!)
  • Hand-picked toys for each child from Cute-Stuffs.com
  • And a photo book to capture the entire day’s fun by GroupStory – mad love as always.

Thank you so much to everyone who made this day special for the Stalnakers! All our Love Drop members, our Forum members, Church Point High School, all the kids who participated throughout the month, Aldo & Josh for our free stays, and a special thanks to Catherine Guidry Photography for capturing the day’s events for us. See you next month! :)

Posted in Stalnaker | 13 Comments

Episode #3: A Teacher in the Truest Sense

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Nate

(Episode #3 of 5)

When you think about teachers who have made an impact in your life, you think of the ones who not only help you understand the material, but will go above and beyond to make sure you’re doing the best you can with the knowledge, not only in the classroom, but also in life. Joy Stalnaker is that kind of teacher.

In this episode we get to hear from many of the kids she teaches and mentors at Church Point High School. It’s so cool to get to hear firsthand from the lives she’s impacted, y’all. We can’t wait to get down there next week and meet everybody!

Next episode coming shortly… it’s going to be a fun one ;)



Posted in Stalnaker | 1 Comment

Episode #2: We Meet Brenna

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Nate

A strong little girl
(Episode #2 of 5)

In this episode we learn more about Brenna’s story from the people who are closest to her. It’s amazing to hear about all the things she and the family work through on a daily and weekly basis, and yet they remain firmly grounded in the fact that they love each other, have fun together, and share the same strong bonds that all healthy, happy families do.

Our favorite part of this video is when our videographer asks Brenna’s brother Nathan if he tries to take care of her, and he replies “…she for the most part can take care of herself.” This is a strong family, y’all. In so many ways. And little Brenna may just be the strongest of them all. :)




Posted in Kahlen | 3 Comments

Our Friends at BlissDom

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Nate

In late January, J. Money and I were invited to attend the BlissDom conference in Nashville, where I also had the pleasure of speaking. We were blown away by the intimate, real-life relationships existing within the web of such a large online community – it was great to see such a relevant group doing it right.

BlissDom had signed on to be a Love Drop flagship partner before we even launched, and with such an influx of team members and nominations after our appearance there, this month’s mission is a perfect match for all of us. We’re going to focus more on community this month than on money, and we know that with these ladies on our side, it’s gonna be something special. :)

Check out the video intro from Alli Worthington, one of the principals of BlissDom, and then learn what they’re all about below:

About BlissDom:

BlissDom Events’ Alli Worthington, Barbara Jones and Paula Bruno host premiere social media conferences for women who find and express their bliss by publishing online in both the U.S and Canada. BlissDom conferences combine intimate-sized gatherings with a welcoming atmosphere in the ever-changing blogging world. Speakers and panels featuring the best blogging, public relations and social media pros gather to teach and mentor new and old friends alike.

BlissDom is dedicated to making sure its attendees have a meaningful learning experience, connecting and cultivating inspiration for her blog, her business, her family and her life. Our partners are excited to support ‘our bliss’ by sponsoring a rich schedule of experts, partaking in meaningful interactions with our influential women attendees plus engaging in abundant entertainment in both Nashville or Toronto.

BlissDom. Your Blog. Your Bliss. Your Conference.



Posted in katie | Leave a comment

Our First Bake Sale!

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Nate

When I reached out to Direct Supply, my previous employer, for help in raising money to help Ethan and Alex get their service dog this month, my good friend Robin suggested we hold a bake sale combined with a silent auction. Direct Supply would donate the space and access to their roughly 900 employees, and friends from the Marketing department would bake items and donate goods/services.

I’d never helped with a bake sale before, but this has been a month of historic firsts in my life, so I figured I’d give it a shot. I offered up my time to do whatever was needed, but Robin said that all I had to do was come up with some items to bid on in the silent auction, and they would do the rest.

So I talked to a few of my contacts both local and national, and they gave me some good stuff to auction off. Most notable was First Edge Solutions, a local print and marketing communications company, who provided some courtside tickets to an upcoming Milwaukee Bucks game, as well as two full rows of seats! Those big-ticket items accounted for almost a third of the total amount raised, so I want to say a big thank-you to them. Plus, I found out that I went to high school with Bobby Kraft, their CEO! I think we were even in the same class, actually. Cool how that works, especially since our high school motto at Marquette was “Men for Others.” Good stuff.

When I arrived at Direct Supply, I found everything all set up and lookin’ good already – I didn’t even have to do anything! Robin had organized it all with the help of Jen, Megan, Anita and Krisi, so all I did was shoot a quick video and plop down in the meet-n-greet chair. :)

Over the next few hours I got to hang out with some people that I absolutely love, and see a lot of old friends and co-workers. All in all it was a great time, a lot of fun, and people were so very generous. One woman came in and told us that she had taken up a collection from her department, and though they didn’t want to buy anything, they wanted to make a substantial donation. There were so many cool examples of caring, connected people.

I’d like to thank Bob Klein and Direct Supply for being a part of the Love Drop this month, and for bringing us around $1,700 closer to our $13,000 goal to provide a service dog for Ethan and Alex.

Um, did you catch that? $1,700! From a (mostly) bake sale! You all rock, seriously. Much love!



Posted in ethan-alex | Leave a comment

Kids Helping Kids

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Nate

Love Drop gifts from St. Robert kidsI was recently invited to speak at St. Robert elementary school here in the Milwaukee area. They had heard about Love Drop through our local paper, and they had been following along with the Rewolinski story in their classrooms, watching the videos online and reading the blog posts as they went up. I planned to speak to them about making a difference one person at a time, and the power that we all have to change the world.

I was a bit nervous, because I’d never spoken to kids before, and the whole school would be in attendance – I think 300+ kids from 1st through 8th grade. Then again, I’m nervous every time I speak, so I guess that’s not saying much. :)

But when the kids filed in, all the nerves melted away and I was totally relaxed . . . they looked so happy, and all the chatter made me realize that this was a special, fun assembly for them, and I had the honor of speaking to them. We had a great talk about the value of servant leadership, and how absolutely everyone can make a big difference in people’s lives. I think it went so well because these kids were young and open-minded – you could tell that they believed in the power of such a small idea, whereas most adults have been conditioned to pass over it.

At the end of the talk, the kids presented me with a gift for the Rewolinski’s: 20 decorated, heart-shaped boxes filled with change, bills, and letters written to the family. The kids of St. Robert had been saving up to help Love Drop get the boys their service dog the whole time they’d been watching the videos. Along the way they were pouring their little hearts into messages of hope and love for our family this month.

When all was said and done, before everyone left the gym, they sang a song for me. The entire gym full of kids singing “Go Make a Difference.” They’d been practicing it specifically for that day – I was so touched. Additionally, all the kindergarten kids went home with “Change the World” written on their palms. I was totally blown away, guys. It was hands-down the best speaking engagement I’ve ever done. I absolutely loved it, and I can’t thank Holly, Lauren and St. Robert enough for letting me come in and have that conversation.

St. Robert school logoOh, and one more thing – they raised almost $1,000 to contribute to 4 Paws to provide the service dog for our family. Wow.

Thank you all so very, very much. All you young people from St. Robert, I want you to know that you made a huge difference this month, not only for the Rewolinski’s, but for me. You changed my life, and for that I will be forever grateful.

(We’ll be presenting these gifts above to them this Saturday. Can’t wait!)



Posted in ethan-alex | 4 Comments

Episode #4: Inspiration

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Nate

Jill and her family reflect . . .
(Episode #4 of 4)

We love this episode because we get to see the strength and resiliency of Jill and her family during everything they’ve been through, and along the way we also witness the power of hope and love in a close-knit family.

Keep an eye out for our first interview with the kids, too – so cool to see the entire family sitting on the couch talking about everything. We get to go do the Love Drop tomorrow morning! We’ll air footage of it within the next week.

Stay tuned…







Posted in Jill | 2 Comments

A Little More Love

Posted on January 20, 2011 by Nate

Hey Jill, a few members of the ItStartsWith.Us/Love Bomb/Love Drop community wanted to say hello and send you some well wishes, so I made this blog post just for them. Click on the title (A Little More Love) and read the comments. Can’t wait to see you on Saturday!







Posted in Blog, Jill | 100 Comments

Episode #2: Building Back

Posted on January 10, 2011 by Nate

Jill begins to rebuild her life
(Episode #2 of 4)

This episode is all about Jill getting back on her feet and really doing things. She takes on school all over again to finally get that degree (yeah, Jill!!) and she absolutely soars.

She also gets involved with the good people at Bridge Communities who “connect homeless families to a better future.” They play a large role in Jill’s life, and we get to meet some of those friends behind the scenes.

We love you Jill! Next episode dropping later this week…







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Episode #1: Jill on Homelessness

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Nate

Jill begins to tell her story . . .
(Episode #1 of 4)

In this clip Jill gives you the introduction to what her family has been going through for the past couple of years.

You’ll catch a glimpse of her three kids, and we want to let you know that we’re cooking up something special for them too!

In the forum we have a list of some of the things we want to do for them, so if you want to help make them happy this month, jump on in and let’s make it happen. :)






Posted in Jill | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Another Chance

Posted on January 2, 2011 by Nate

Ian Axel’s got it right, folks – 2011 is another chance to turn it all around. Listen to the lyrics in this video, and watch the attitude. This is for us and our team this year.

Posted in Blog | Tagged | 3 Comments

Love Drop Starts Now!

Posted on December 31, 2010 by Nate

Here we go, guys – our first Love Drop starts . . . now!

And I’m gonna start by setting the bar low on my personal videos, okay? That’s me right there (Nate). In front of the map in my room. Yep, what you see is what you get. But don’t let that put you off – stick around for a while and be a part of something amazing with us.

This month is gonna be incredible. Special shout-out and much love to Kona Grill for taking a chance on us and being our first official partner. We love the people there, and we’re happy to be working with them.

Let’s do this!





Posted in Jill | 4 Comments