Campaign…ing again!

Posted on 17 May, 2013 by Carole Brown

Back on the road at long last in California and resuming our campaigning for MG Awareness, meant adding some new information to The YesWeCan CamperVan. Before any work began, we had to have a cuppa in our new VW mug …

Next some new additions to our traveling message ……

…. and then the small brochures from our last post …

…. followed by a few bits and pieces on the dash …


…. and checking one of the old signs from last year …

Hoping that one day MG will be as well known as MS, and that we’ll have a cure for both of these auto-immune neuro-muscular diseases!

PLEASE spread the word AND click below ! 

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2013 Campaigning trail

Posted on 10 February, 2013 by Carole Brown

Food for thought!

After I celebrated my birthday last week, I took a photograph to post here with my other VW paraphernalia and some leaflets for MG. As I start to think about leaving the UK for another campaign for MG in USA, there’s so much to prepare!

Birthday cake, The YesWeCan CamperVan stickers and leaflets for MG education

I like these leaflets from the Myasthenia Gravis Association UK, and think I’ll take some with me.    

 
     

Looking at the request for donations on this leaflet was what started me thinking about asking for donations from friends for my birthday last month. I’m happy to say that my ‘justgiving’ Fundraising Page (of which I wrote in my previous blog post) received donations from friends outside the UK who were not able to be physically present at my birthday party in London.

How wonderful the world wide web continues to be … and I am so grateful that social media allows each of us to reach out beyond our normal horizons. By adding your comments below, you could extend this reach still further.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE AND ANTICIPATION :)

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MG Fundraising site is live!

Posted on 3 February, 2013 by Carole Brown

To celebrate my birthday and in memory of my mother, Gladys Brown, who gave birth to me on 31.1.55 after 10 years of really struggling with MG between 1944 and 1955, I set up an MG Fundraising Page.

Justgiving.com provide easy design templates and can forward money raised to any registered charity. On this occasion, I chose the Myasthenia Gravis Association UK and my personal fundraising page looks like this as of today (3 FEB 2013) …

I’m delighted with the generous donations given by friends at my birthday party in London and also from friends outside the UK, who were not able to be physically present but were with me in spirit . It was such a lovely surprise to hear from them.

Spurred on by this, I then set up a TEAM page …..

… in the hope that friends can easily join and then host their own coffee hour, tea party, walk, run or even drive with me and The YesWeCan CamperVan to raise some extra pennies for the Myasthenia Gravis Association and the great work they do.  

Both pages shown above are linked to the actual web pages, so if you click on them, you will go directly to the fundraising pages.

It’s the first time I have done anything like this and would really appreciate your comments and suggestions on:
1. how to spread the word to get donations
2. how to encourage others to join the team and host a fundraiser
3. anything else you’d like to say about raising awareness for MG (Myasthenia Gravis) 

THANK YOU
:)  

 

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Please take a look at us on Pinterest

Posted on 22 January, 2013 by Carole Brown

Vehicles Working For Causes‘ (VW4Causes) now has a presence on 

I have posted images under several boards including:

CAUSE no.1: MG Awareness

and my Vehicles that work for VW4Causes

 Vehicle 1: The YesWeCan CamperVan

and

Vehicle 2: A BW with 15 Windows

To see what you think, please click on the photos above to take you to the respective boards and explore the pictures and messages that I have posted so far.

Will these boards on P-interest help us get more people to view this website and draw attention to our causes, I wonder?

If you think yes, please click like below, and if no, please write your comment in the reply box and your suggestions for how we can get more attention for MG and other lesser known auto-immune diseases.

Thank you :)

P.S. if you have your own Pinterest board, please consider following us or re-pinning our pictures to help spread awareness of the work we are doing. 


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2013 New Year wishes

Posted on 2 January, 2013 by Carole Brown

Today there’s a new paragraph about 2013 on this website on the page entitled Why drive for vw4causes.org and MG Awareness?

It reads:

In 2013, we are hoping we’ll be joined in both the UK and USA by many other classic vehicles, so that we can host some fun car shows at which our public education programs can raise awareness for the little known causes that deserve much more attention. If you drive a classic car or know someone who does, are an avid supporter of a classic car club or own a business related to classic vehicles (or none of the above) and would like to volunteer to drive or attend a show in support of auto-immune diseases, we would love to hear from you.  Just add a comment in the reply box below and it will reach us. Together as classic vehicles we know we can make heads turn. Our aim is to direct that attention to raise awareness and support for those who’ve received very little to date.  THANKS!

Our 2013 wishes are that:

  • this will be a breakthrough year for little known autoimmune diseases like MG,
  • people will start to realize that this is a major health issue, with more than 150 autoimmune diseases identified so far and more people are affected than by all types of cancer,
  • that the increasing numbers of children and babies affected will demand much needed attention,
  • people will ask the question “Are we going to stand by and watch and continue to see little improvement for the lives of those affected, or are we going to do more about it?”
  • one or two sponsors will step up to the plate and fund an educational campaign and one or two classic car events to raise public awareness.

Watch this space for updates on how we are moving forward to make a greater impact.

Also please add your comment below to provide a much needed spark and keep our home fires burning. We share a passion to make change happen, but it’s hard rowing against a tide even when that tide is about to turn, so please add your support by clicking the options below to share this page with your  friends and get the ball rolling. THANK YOU!

 

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A Yes for Vintage Motorbikes?

Posted on 18 December, 2012 by Carole Brown

I think it would be marvellous to have motorbikes in our Vehicles Working for Causes team, don’t you?

Do you have one and would you drive with us in 2013 for a good cause?

Especially some of these classic Triumphs. This old film from the Triumph Factory was made in 1954. Just listen to the commentary ….

and is that a VW beetle (1.54-2.00 minutes from start of video) I see …..
or am I mistaken?


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Happy Santas

Posted on 15 December, 2012 by Carole Brown

It’s time to wish all our readers a happy Christmas Season, in the true meaning of the word …..

ooops …. I meant to say the true spirit …… of the Christ-mas season ….

I’d especially like to thank all those named on our Thanks page for helping with our MG Awareness drive of 7853 miles this year :)

God bless x

 


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Fundraiser: VW T-shirt collection

Posted on 27 November, 2012 by Carole Brown

I am planning to sell my collection of ‘mostly VW’ tee shirts to raise money for VW4CAUSES for more campaigning for MG and other autoimmune diseases. These are new, never worn, special edition T shirts collected on my drive across the USA from Massachusetts to California in between Oct 2011 and May 2012. 

Can you please vote for which one you like most or pick your 1st, 2nd and 3rd?
I’ve numbered them to make it easy for you to refer to each.
Kindly make your comment below and let me know (hey, that rhymes!)

:)

1. San Tan VW Classic Show in Phoenix, Arizona – black XL

2. Official VW company T-shirt Blue/Grey Large

 

3. Official VW company T-shirt ‘Fender Guitar design’ in Navy Blue Large

        

4. Buses By the Bridge January 2012 T-shirt in Navy XL

5. VintageVW.Net T-shirt in Red 2X

            

6. LA Biker T-shirt in Cream 2X

7. RustyVW.com T-shirt ‘Toast Design’ in White XL

  

8. RustyVW.com T-shirt ‘Fat Chicks’ in White XL

9. San Francisco Vintage Apparel T-shirt in Grey 2X

 

COMMENT, COMMENT, COMMENT BELOW 

1st: ………
2nd: ………..
3rd: ……….

:)


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VW4CAUSES Vehicles

Posted on 18 November, 2012 by Carole Brown

Below are our Vehicles Working for Causes

Vehicle 1: ‘DEXTER’ is a 1971 Volkswagen Camper fitted out by Westfalia
Imported from Germany by his first owner to Oregon, USA. Purchased at an eBay auction October 2009 and collected on 15 December 2009. Named Dexter by first owner, and branded ‘The YesWeCan CamperVan‘ in order to build a following on Facebook and create the “The YesWeCan Journey” blog. Dexter and Carole have travelled around 16,000 miles to the east coast and back again to the west coast. Dexter is now in California awaiting Carole’s return.

On the first road trip east, Carole came to find out that her 71 VW bus got attention wherever they went. So then the next step was to work out for what to use that attention

Signage to brand our message and give the public places to find more information

Our major cause is to build awareness for MG (Myasthenia Gravis) and get it as well known as MS

Vehicle 2: ‘A BW’ is a Brazilian 15 Window Splitty
Imported into England by a Brazilian lady living in the UK, and purchased at an eBay auction this VW bus needed a great deal of metal work and repair of its structure to pass the UK inspection, followed by months of paperwork to register it in the UK after discovering the importer had not paid import duties. First driven in October 2012 from Bedfordshire to Kent, England, to work at a VW event called “Grill n Chill”.

With Brazilian number plates waiting for welding

Now with UK plates on the road in London and part of Team GB

Windows all around make a good storyboard for people to learn about MG and see photos of those with this little known and poorly diagnosed auto-immune disease

 

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Mascots tell a story

Posted on 2 November, 2012 by Carole Brown

Our newest VW4causes mascot is Tigger, chosen not only because, as shown here, he is bendy and can lay down thus mimicking the muscle weakness of MG, but also because there’s a very real and interesting link between this character and MG.

Apparently  A. A Milne wrote Winnie the Pooh stories for his real life son, Christopher Robin, who actually did suffer with MG.

Tigger is having a moment of weakness and has to lay down in the window of our green split window VW bus in Kent, England

The mascot that you may have seen before is my grey hippo, who I chose because his droopy eyelids illustrate one of the tell-tale signs of MG in children.

MG, the hippo, is the mascot in our VW campervan in the USA. He's so far traveled 8000 miles !

I find that my cuddly hippo is perfect for explaining the disease to young children who always seem so interested to learn about how muscles work and what happens when they don’t. They often ask what they can do to help children with MG. What would you like to suggest to them?

 


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