#brewcityflood t-shirt drive at 8/16 IronCupcake

This past week, Milwaukee was hit with an EPIC rainstorm. Scenes of rising waters and destruction made it all the way to the national media. The town that I live in, Whitefish Bay, is a lakeside suburb of Milwaukee full of beautiful homes and tree-lined streets. Kids on big wheels and SUV's. I live in a beautiful area. Unfortunately, Whitefish Bay was also one of the hardest hit. The video above was shot by a neighbor a few blocks over.


Also living just a few blocks away, on the same street as the video, is one of my many new friends from the Twitterverse. Tim, Jess and their new daughter Clara were hit tragically. With no basement in their home, the water had no where to go...but EVERYWHERE. Not one room in their home was spared. Even Clara's, which has only been occupied for 12 weeks! I wanted to help, I am so lucky to NOT be experiencing any of this flooding aftermath first hand, but lets face it -- tearing up carpet and heavy labor are not my strong point.

But then I had an idea...a good idea. Tim & Jess are the founders of TEECYCLE.org. Some info from their site:

The goal has always been simple: Reclaim the best T-shirts available and make the best use of our resources. It's a simple and smart solution for being a friend to our environment.

Teecycle shirts are unqiue, one-of-a-kind "pre-loved" t-shirts hand-selected from rummage sales, thrift stores or donated by friends. When you own a Teecycle shirt, it says you care about the environment by re-using high-quality T-shirts with history, character and a unique story.

Your purchase also supports the River Revitalization Foundation. $1 of each sale is donated to restore urban river trails and waterways in the Milwaukee area. That's why our motto has always been Change your shirt. Change the world.

So here is how we can ALL make a difference...at the August 16th IronCupcake:Milwaukee TAILGATE challenge, we are holding a T-Shirt Drive for teecycle.org. For every gently worn, but no longer needed or wanted shirt you donate, you will earn an extra entry for our always awesome selection of doorprizes. Shirts for MEN, WOMEN or KIDS will work. So, start going through your drawers and closets now and find that classic shirt that you love but just don't wear anymore. They will go to a great cause!