Ok everybody!!! I'm sooo excited, I just got a call back from ultimate fundraising and I am gonna sell Candles to raise money for the Red Balloon Learner Centre. I have to sell 100 candles in order to get free shipping and I have sold 10 already, so.... so far I have made about $40.00 canadian for the school. Do you think I can do it?? I am so so so excited. 100 candles is a lot, but I know a lot of people and I'm gonna force them to buy some, plus I can go door to door if I want. We'll see how it goes.

Hi Carla, thats good news for the red balloon house. I am sure you'll do it, you have that fighting spirit in you.

I have also asked friends about donating for the ebay aution and once I have a few things lined up I will then aution it off. Just waiting till I have quite a few so not autioning bit by bit.

Good luck with your selling!!
all the best

I have sold 37 now, and I havn't even left my house yet!!!

it's wonderful that james will finally be getting a memorial in his name. it's so important and a really approriate cause. i'm especially happy for his mom because she can now focus her thoughts and energies on this. i was so saddened when she said at the press conference that for 15 years she's only had the circumstances of james' death and the two boys who did it on her mind, how horrific. i always prayed that she found some peace but i guessed that would really be asking a lot. now she has something positive to focus on, which is great.

it was also sad seeing the video of james as i had never seen any video footage of him before. such a dear, happy little soul.


carla, i don't know if you are in my area though i suspect you might be? i'm in calgary and if you need help selling the candles or anything else, i would love to help out. i'm thinking of making buttons and selling them with all profits going to the memorial. your vending machine idea is really generous and i think that at the same time it will make people more aware of the cause and hopefully they will go online and donate. i noticed one type-o in the second paragraph (since you asked for feedback). i think the statement is very clear reads well.

Oh was it "Curremtly"??? I probably wouldnt have noticed that if you didn't point it out, so thank you.. If you want to do the Candle fundraiser as well I can get you all the information. I think if we did it together then it would be so much easier. Also I know some people in Calgary who you could hit up if you want. But im In Saskatoon now. Used to live there. I have the guys email who got me set up and I can just let him know that I found someone else who wants to help cause he was asking me if I had anyone else who wants to help out in Canada or the US. Just let me know and I can give you all the details.


Also, I am so excited!!! I sent Denise a message on facebook and she sent me a message back. I was so shocked I thought tons of people had prolly sent messages to her and she wouldn't even have a chance to reply, but she did. So I'm really happy.

I contacted someone from Red Balloon because I had a few questions. I asked how much was raised offline so far because we can see how much is raised online and she said nothing has been raised offline yet, but that she hadn't been to the post office for a bit so she was gonna go today. So.... so far they have raised 2,300.00 pounds.

2300 pounds isn't very much but i think one million is a goal that can be achieved and, considering that the annoucement was made only about ten days ago, the amount is promising.

i think that paolo, the gentleman who wrote "justice for james" has made a link on his website to a fundraising cause that denise used to be involved in. perhaps he can also make a link to this cause? i'll go into the other thread and suggest it to him.

anyway carla, about the candles i am very interested. i also just had another idea this morning: on the anniversary of james' murder i wrote up a memorial page with his picture on it and a poem, as well as a message about protecting all children as they are vulnerable and innocent (one of the most disturbing things to me was how many people saw james in distress and could have done something to save him, but didn't). i handed it out downtown and in the evening at the mall and i think that a lot of parents read it. i'm thinking about doing a smaller version that includes some info about james, the red ballon learner centre and the details about where to donate, attaching the cards to red balloons and letting them go all over the city at regular intervals. it won't cost me much but it would be a great way to bring the cause to people's attention and suggest that they look into the website and donate a little money for such a good cause. i mean, everyone remembers this horrific murder. i think not a lot of people have thought much about james or his family but maybe this way they will, if they see how much it still hurts 15 years later, how many people are still touched by it.
well that's my idea and i think that everyone can try it and who knows, maybe it will even get some publicity and catch on. i might try doing it once a month or so, with 18 balloons to commemorate what would have been his 18th year.

What did Denise say Carla??

carla- quick question: is denise on facebook, because i can't find her? i suppose that she must have a hidden profile but if you have any info as to how to reach her there i would really appreciate it. i want to let her know that we are behind her with the red balloon center and that we'll help her achieve her goal, and send her some words of encouragement too. thank you.

Hi Julie, talked to you in email, so answered that.

Hi Irina, look for the James Bulger Red Balloon Learner group and join, Denise is one of the officers of that group. Stuart is the administrator. They have over a thousand people who have joined. I can't get on to facebook right now cause I'm at work and they blocked that site otherwise I would send you the link. Also if you want to add me as a friend on there, I'm Carla Hough. Cause if you have a hard time finding the group, I am in it and you can find it through my profile. Lets talk more later, I have to get back to work.

This is probably a stupid question, but I'm just wondering, have many of you made your donations to the online 'Justgiving' site? I hardly use my credit card online, so am wondering if you think it would be safe. Otherwise, I thought to get a money order to send from New Zealand, but then I'm worrying that it might get lost in the post. My Mum also wants to send money, but I just want to make sure it's all safe :0)

I have not made my donation yet cause I'm doing some things. But I am sure it is a secure site and everyone else on there would have made their donations online as well.

Great! I just changed the charity group link on the jamesbulger site I created so that the donations with a free download of the song JUSTICE FOR JAMES will now go to the JAMES BULGER HOUSE.

http://jamesbulger.110mb.com

http://jamesbulger.tk

Peace.

DONATION REQUEST VIA VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCwLl3pd2oE

Paolo, I have read some of your posts, and I read where someone accused you of using James for attention or whatever. I dont think that is so, what you are doing is good and anytime you do something good it can be met with resistance. Keep your head up, no good deed goes unpunished.

The total raised on and off line is now £ 4,322.00. I was just looking at the justgiving and noticed, so thought I would share with y'all.

I have donated online & have had no problems. Went through quickly & was sent a receipt. The Just giving site has "widgets" you can post everywhere. I did notice the donations did take a huge jump a day or two back, it is now around $4300 GBP, they must have checked the mailbox. Bev & I noticed that even though this is on Facebook, nothing was on Myspace!! We did start a space with Red Balloon's blessing. http://www.myspace.com/redballoonlearnercentre

Spread the word, we have a long way to go :)

Oh thats great Carla!! The money is going up slowly but surly.

BTW Beverly and Becky, I love the myspace page. Love it!!!!! You guys are so awesome and so is Paolo for doing what he is doing and everyone else for what they are doing if they even can only make a personal donation, doing what you can is just awesome. But I am sure that Denise appreciates all the extra effort that people put in when they can. I feel awesome too about what I am doing and I'm so glad that we all have something positive to put our energy into.

Thank you James for being so special to us all. THis is going to change a lot of lives and I'm proud to be a part of it.

I think James would be proud of each and everyone here who has poured their hearts into these causes. His favorite song was "Heal the World" by Micheal Jackson...very interesting if you ask me...

I see at the bottom of the online page there is now an amount they have also collected offline which is good to see.

I just last week recieved 1 of those petitions as an email 4 wee James. Until then i hadnt known his story. I have spent the last few days in tears and have been on the net reading . I dont know what to say. Its really hit me hard. Cant sleep or anything. I have lost a son myself but still i cant even begin to know what this gorgous wee mans mummy must have been through love and kisses to all who have supported the family. You all deserve a medal.

Welcome to the forum Susie, you have definitly come to the right place if you need to talk about it. We all understand.

Thanx 4 replying 2 my message. That means a lot. My children have been reading up on wee James also and I think they feel as strongly as I do. I am just so amazed at how much this has affected me. I find myself bursting into tears at the strangest times. I have spoken to friends and family about this and they have all taken an interest in James. Some even remember when it happened.

Thats great that you family have taken and intrest in listening to you cause I had trouble finding people I knew to talk to about it. I did talk to people, but I found more comfort here. My mom will talk about it with me, but I don't think she really understands how much it affected me. But one thing I can say is that I feel different than I did two years ago, two years ago I was really really haveing a hard time, and focussed so much on the negative and hating Robert and Jon for what they did, but now with the new charity I have something to focuss on that is positive, so hopefully that can be something that will help you as well. I think the charity has given all of us something positive to focuss on and we are proud to be a part in helping any way we can.

Susie, I had the same experience you did. I couldn't agree more with Carla as it's so comforting to know that others have been affected by James the way I have been. It reminds me that there are so many good and caring people in the world. Making efforts to support James' memorial feels really good and it's great to know there are so many others who also care and who are doing the same!

yes I agree it is great to know there are others that feel the same way. And I d have to admit that I have soooo much hate and anger for those rotten boys. When i 1st recieved the e petition I was only too pleased to sign . My partner said it would be a prank so thats why I decided to look wee James up and was shocked when I read what I did. Although I bawled and bawled my eyes out I felt I owed it to James to know everything. I found myself going to various sites and reading more. Its going to take a long time for me to accept this. My son passed away coming up 6 yrs now. He vomited in his sleep 2 weeks before his 2nd birthday. Jayden was his name. gorgeous wee chap just like James

Oh Susie, I'm so sorry to hear about you little man. God bless him x x x x

Susie, my prayers are with you, I have never lost a child and hope to God that I never do. We have lost two children in our family, one who died three hours after birth last year and our Jason, who died when he was 10 after battling cancer for two years, he was in remission, but then it came back with much more force. I think thats one of the reasons that Im affected by James story as well, because I have seen the grief that parents go through and its incomparable to anything, there always seem to be an underlying sadness to the parents, even on their best days. Also because it just doesnt seem right, for a child to be taken from this earth so soon, exspecially by the hands of a killer, Im a spiritual person, but I always question things like this, they stole James journey in this life from him, from him being able to learn and grow, in a way that even the most sick person knows is wrong and they have caused Denise, Ralph and their parents to be tormented, which for me, is the most heartbreaking part of all because they werent there, so you have to think, how many times their minds have wondered into the depths of hell to figure out what happened to their son. I believe James though, is safe in heaven, but I also believe that we have to help in these situations, and we have to think about the victims families, as well as what lead the killers to do such a heartless, vicious thing in the first place.

I just cant help crying. Its eating me up inside. My partner thinks im nuts but i just cant help it

I have done the same, they other day even i was thinking about things and started tearing up. My heart bleeds for Denise, Ralph and their families. I can't imagine living their lives after such a tragedy. Losing a child would be too painful to bare. I would never be able to survive after. And Susie my prayers are with you also, I'm sorry for your loss, I really can't imagine how hard it must be for a mother to go on after losing a child.

Susie, I am so very sorry to hear about your little boy. I cannot imagine how deep that pain must run. You are certainly in good company here. We have all felt such anguish over James, and I've often wondered why. I mean, it is a horrible, horrible tale, but why are some of us just shattered about it while others are able to hear about it, be sad and move on? I've often felt that there was some bigger purpose behind it. Perhaps we are meant to do something as a group--support the Red Balloon Learner Centre and maybe more? I don't know. I know my life has changed since I learned of James a year ago.

Your not nuts, your a compassionate human being, or else you wouldnt care. you know how some men can be, my husband said to me, "why do you even read that stuff, it will just upset you, you have other things to worry about, stop torturing yourself" Unfortunantly my mother said the samething. However, I told them both, "its as if James brought me here, there's something to learn, something I can do besides, I already read it, I already know, and I cant take that back" I wouldnt miss it looking back, yes I have went through alot of grief, yes it has changed my life in so many ways and how I view the world, but it also has opened my eyes. I also have my bad days where I cry for James and his family, but on my good days, I try to uplift people, teach them, and understand this world alittle better. I think this has definantly(through time and grievance) made me a much more spiritual person. I wouldnt have ever missed James for anything now...its been 7 years since I learned of him and Im grateful that I have had this experience even under these circumstances because it could have been worst...nobody could have ever cared and nobody would have never known him, like so many children go everyday under cruel and sad circumstances. James was a special kid and I think through him we are able to save other children. Thats what Mrs. Denise is doing right now by opening this house for bullied children. Its going to open alot of doors and in alot of different directions, so much will be learned. This is my point of view though and I can still remember that horrible day that I stumbled upon this website by accident, the pain will always be there, but the heart does open up through time and what you do in that time, to a bigger picture where so much now can be done. God Bless on your journey with James and keep him in your prayers.

oh wow i've been out of touch but i've been thinking about all you guys and the red balloon center and, of course, every day i think about little james. i have just been up to my eyeballs in crazy- taking care of my dad who has terminal cancer,living with my parents and my two-year old daughter, and working full-time, sheesh. well, so it goes.

carla- i really wanted to get in touch with you about the candles but my time has just been swallowed up by all these other things. when i get a chance i want to organize this t-shirt campaign. i had a really great t-shirt made by a friend who designs textiles and i wore it for the anniversary of james' death this year and on his birthday too.
i was thinking that selling this t could raise some revenue for the red balloon center. it says "remember me" and "james bulger"across the front (in a child's hand writing) and has a big picture of james and then his name and dates on the back. i wear it every so often and a lot of people ask me about it. so i'll have to figure out the cost with my friend and see what i can sell it for and donate the proceeds. right now it's just finding the time but i think i can get it going in the next couple of weeks. i'll take some photos of me wearing it and if anyone on here is interested in buying one, let me know. i suppose that what i'll do then is start a new thread just for the t-shirt.

Sounds great Irina!!!! I would love to see a picture and of course would like to buy the t-shirt. I'm finishing up the Candle fundraiser here in about a week and then I'm going to do lollipops, I just bought some more today at a wholesaler club. I first got a lollipop display with a hundred lollipops for 9.99 at costco, so far I havn't gone out with them onlyu because its been windy and even snowed here last week blahhhhhh, but believe me I will be going out with them and also going around to baseball games and stuff, parks, you name it I will be there with my lollies, lol. I'm also going to go door to door, which will work out better than the candles cause the candles where great for hitting up people I know, but the lollipops are better to go door to door cause the candles take two weeks to come back after you order them, some people don't like to wait. Plus the lollipops will bring in an 80% profit compared to the candles which is at 40%. I will keep everyone posted on how its going and I hope you keep us posted too Irina.

I just went out today with my lollipops and I was surprised how good I did, I had kyden with me and he was a bit of a pain cause he was running around and getting into peoples flowerbeds, they don't have any flowers yet, but still its not good, so I want to go out again when my mom will watch him. People were more than happy to buy lollipops to help out the cause and I also printed out on paper and cut them out, a whole bunch of little thank you's and on the piece of paper the link to the red balloon site and to the justgiving to donate directly to the James Bulger house, I hope that people will go online to check it out and make a donation as well. I'm so happy that the lollipops did good, I think its a good one if people want to try.

Carla that is great!! Good job!!

Ok, I'm done. Do I donate via the normal Just Giving site like we've always done? I'm paying by paypal. Hope you are all well xxx