I do know the most amazing women!

In this picture, Glori Meldrum, Founder and Chair and Janelle Watson, Operations Manager)



Inspirational News


It’s exciting to announce that Little Warriors Founder and Chair, Glori Meldrum was the proud winner in the Social Entrepreneur category at this year’s Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. Not only is Glori the first recipient awarded in this new and prestigious category, she was also the only winner from Edmonton, Alberta.


A big hug and congratulations to Glori for all of her hard work and dedication to Little Warriors, plus her strong determination to help those affected by child sexual abuse. An extended thank you to the Little Warriors volunteers, board members, staff and supporters. Without your help, this honor wouldn’t be possible.


Founder and Chair, Glori recently went to Ottawa, Ontario to participate in a Standing Committee Against the Commercial Exploitation of Children and Youth in the pursuit of building safer communities across Canada. The purpose of this trip was to educate members of Parliament about child sexual abuse and to bring awareness to the vision, mission and mandate of Little Warriors.

In addition to presenting a Be Brave Doll to Senator Romeo Dallaire, Glori also met with the following parliamentarian members:

- Alberta caucus including Senator Claudette Tardif, Senator Grant Mitchell, Senator Joyce Fairbairn and Senator Tommy Banks.

- Canada's Attorney General, and Justice Minister The Honourable Rob Nicholson.

- Marion Laurence (executive assistant to Romeo Dallaire).

- MP's Joy Smith, Mike Lake, Ed Fast, and Laurie Hawn.

- Senator Yonah Martin.


- Senator Tardif made a three-minute address to her fellow Senators regarding Little Warriors. You can read the statement by visiting the Little Warriors News and Events page.

Recently, The Minerva Foundation held their Annual Gala Dinner. Honoring their event theme of "giving back", The Minerva Foundation proudly announced their $150,000 partnership with Little Warriors over the next 18 months.

Little Warriors was honored at a private Little Warriors function, helping to raise over $87,000. A genuine thank you is extended to Marshall and Lisa Sadd, whose contributions surpassed all expectations.

Keeping the generosity going, Marshall Sadd and Lloyd Sadd Insurance donated another $45,000 US through their winnings at a golf tournament in the United States. Way to go guys!


Recently, Pure Elements Spa in Sherwood Park, Alberta hosted a special gala in support of Little Warriors. Warm thanks to Chad Stewart and the countless incredible volunteers and sponsors for making this event a great success.

Other recent contributions to Little Warriors:

The Kinette Club of Edmonton donated over $28,000!

The Edmonton Snowmobile Club donated over $21,000!

Thank you to these two wonderful Club’s for helping to stand up for our kids.


Upcoming Events
Gift of Hope - The new Be Brave Boy doll, named Jesse, is now available Donations exceeding $120 after May 1st, 2009 are eligible to collect the ‘Gift of Hope’, which includes the Jesse doll, and The Little Warriors Jesse Song.

December 2009 - Little Warriors Annual Help Kids Be Brave Doll Delivery Little Warriors would like to personally extend out to you an opportunity to participate in an inspirational day. Be Brave Dolls will be delivered to selected healing and support service agencies. Space is limited. Please RSVP by Monday, December 7th, 2009.

Regions available for delivery:

Edmonton, Alberta based deliveries: admin@littlewarriors.ca

Winnipeg, Manitoba based deliveries: jennifer@littlewarriors.ca


Calgary, Alberta based deliveries: jane@littlewarriors.ca


December 4 & 5 (6PM to 9PM) First Choice Tree Nursery & Garden Centre is hosting "A Very Cherdarchuk Christmas" (Home & Yard Tour in Morniville, Alberta) Please come out to support Little Warriors at this event through the purchase of a Snowflake of Strength ornament. 50% of the proceeds will be donated to Little Warriors. Additional donations will be accepted.

Recent Poll
Little Warriors recently posted two important questions on the Little Warriors Causes Facebook page.


Question One: What are your thoughts on available resources for survivors of child sexual abuse? Are there enough resources for survivors? Any suggestions to what resources are required?

Feedback:

"There is so little support for mental conditions caused by childhood trauma like this, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (in my case). They do little to help offset the months and months of work I have missed do to extreme social anxiety." Anonymous Canadian Citizen

Question Two: What do you think is wrong with the justice system when it comes to child sexual abuse?

Feedback:

"I definitely feel that a sex offender should be regarded as a dangerous offender! When abusing a child, they are affecting that child's outlook at a very influential time of their life. If that child grows up without the proper support and therapy, that child could then become an offender himself or herself. That would continue the awful cycle of abuse and lead to even more children suffering. I also agree that the sentencing for sex offenders needs to be extended dramatically. A child who has been sexually abused goes through their whole life with the effects, living everyday with the hurt unfairly put on them. They have to suffer through so much in healing, and spend most of their life doing so. An offender should be dealt no less than what the survivor has to live with. 2-3 years is NOT enough time to have any real affect on an offenders life, not when survivors have to live with it for far longer." Anonymous Canadian Citizen


Testimonials
Landing Trail Elementary School, Edmonton, Alberta
The professional staff participated in the Stewards of Children Prevention Program. Not only were they impressed with the program, but the school has now made a goal to teach the remaining staff members the valuable information learned. "We came away feeling much more informed about the prevalence of sexual abuse. We also feel empowered with the knowledge of how to act appropriately in cases of suspected sexual abuse. There was good discussion around the ways we can ensure our children at school are never put in vulnerable situations." Anonymous Representative, Landing Trail Elementary School

"Wonderful training - would be nice if all schools, daycares, group homes - any place that has children present - the staff/volunteers "must" have this training. Thank you" Anonymous Participant from Yorkton, Saskatchewan

"It taught me alot of things I was unaware of or just hadn't wanted to think possible." Anonymous Participant from Prince Rupert, British Columbia

"Thanks for giving me the tools needed to recognize the signs of sexual abuse. I now have the tools I need to help educate my children and keep them safe; thus protecting other children as well. Together, as educated childcare providers and parents we can stop this cycle. Thank you. Together, we can make a difference." Anonymous Participant from Prince Rupert, British Columbia


Our Supporters
A big thank you to our valuable supporters for helping in child sexual abuse prevention efforts.
"Know that you are helping to make a difference and helping to shape a child's future"

Anonymous Quote


http://www.littlewarriors.ca

new from the Brag Girls!

Lovely little clutch purses with wit and whimsy!
I have posted these ladies before and I do have a Brag- to protect those lovely and expensive bras we own- a lady does not want those crushed while travelling. I also own a matching panty case--- (see past posts) the little panty bags are so cleaver! One side is a little pocket with a solid fabric- for the 'not so clean' and the other side is a little mess for the 'clean side'. So smart--- also extremely well made!
These are simply cute little purses!


http://www.thebragcompany.com/

Lovely message from Kirsten's Chocolates- Yummy!

Dear Fellow Chocophiliacs,

It may not feel like winter yet, but the holidays will be soon upon us, and we would like to tell you about our offerings for the season. As you may have noticed, there was no newsletter last month, so please excuse the length of this month's newsletter. We have a lot of interesting news to report!

December Challenge: Name That Origin!
After the big response to our city-wide Easter Egg Hunt this spring, we decided to create another fun event that you can participate in. This one will be a challenging task that will push your knowledge of chocolate to the limit. Do you know your cacao? Are you ready to prove it? Like with fine wine, each cacao growing region in the world produces beans with a distinctive flavor. With practice, almost anybody can learn to tell the difference between chocolates made from beans from different countries. We want to find the people with the greatest palates in the city. We call this contest the "Name That Origin" game. It will run from Dec 1st to Dec 22nd. The rules are simple, and there is no fee to play! Here is how you do it:

a) Come in to Kerstin's Chocolates (10139 112th St.), and fill out an entry form. You will then be given 4 small pieces of chocolate to taste.
b) You will have to figure out the country of origin of the cacao used in each of the chocolates (all chocolates will have a single country of origin for the cacao.) and write you answers on the entry form.
c)If you don't name the correct countries of origin you will receive a 20% discount card and will be entered in the wildcard draw to compete in the Chocolate Tasting Challenge.
d) If you do get them all correct, you will instantly win one container of our Chocophilia drinking chocolate (Spicy or Dark, an $18.95 value). You will also be invited to a special a Chocolate Tasting Challenge event on Dec 22nd. At this event, there will an extreme chocolate identification challenge for all the winners of the first tasting and the wildcard entries. The person who prevails at this event will win a $400 gift certificate from Kerstin's Chocolates and the title of "The Top Taster".

For more details and updates on the contest, please see the contest web page.

We hope many of you will take on this challenge and increase your knowledge of chocolate at the same time.

Christmas Line-up

A lot of people have been asking what our seasonal line-up will be this month. Here is what we will be offering in our store starting on Dec 1st. If you would like to put in a request for a large order, please call us or e-mail us before Dec 5th, as we cannot guarantee availability after that date.

We will be bringing backour selection of molded chocolate Santas using the finest Valrhona milk or dark chocolate.


Will you be needing any truffles? Here are some of our seasonal specials that will be available through Xmas:
-Tiramasu You.
-It's a bit Nibby out there!
-To Rum With Love
-A Nod To Eggnog
and more!

We also have gift baskets of many sizes and arrangements and custom baskets are also available. You can build your own in the store.

We will also bring back our Christmas Chocolate Trio in either milk or dark chocolate bark. Three delicious, Christmas inspired barks packaged beautifully in a box that won a design award! Also returning are our Christmas Towers, a 4 tiered box filled with truffles, melt-aways, spiced nuts and dipped fruit. Perfect for holiday parties and gift-giving.

Coming back soon to the Store: Domori

It's been a long wait, but we have finally found a new supplier of Domori chocolate! Famous for their prized "Porcelana" bar (thought to be the best bar in the world) and other gorgeous chocolate. We also have their amazing chocolate and hazelnut spread and a white chocolate bar with licorice!
A new shipment of Zotter bars are also arriving shortly. These truffle based bars from Austria combine great fair trade chocolate with imaginative ingredients such as "Black Beer", "Sour Cherry and Sesame" and "Walnut and Cheese"!

Finally, we have some incredible salted caramels from France, seen here!

Ten more places to find our Chocophilia Line of products around Western Canada!
We are announcing the following new partners in BC, SK and AB! Please tell your friends about these places where you can now buy great chocolate!

Vancouver/Lower Mainland: Nuestra Familia Cigar, Pacific Cigar, Casa Dolce Coal Harbour, Petra's Arts Kafe
Vancouver Island: Creekmore's Coffee (Coombs), Fresh Cup Sidney, Cargo & James (Victoria)
BC Rockies: Meet on Higher Ground Coffee House (Radium)
Alberta: The Orchard House (Edberg, Camrose County),
Saskachewan: Great Western Coffee (Prince Albert)

For addresses and maps to all these locations, please see our locations page.

January/February Tastings and Chocolate Making Classes announced
We have opened ticket sales for our first 2010 workshops. Our next chocolate tastings workshops will be on Jan 20th (Wed) and Feb 12th (Romantic Chocolate and Wine Tasting). Our next chocolate making workshops will be on Jan 29th and Feb 10th and 11th. Please get your tickets early as these events sell out quickly, particularly the pre-Valentine's Day classes (You get to take home all the chocolates you make!) Purchase your tickets securely on our web site.

Congrats to our Contest Winners
Thanks to all the people who visited our booths at the Edmonton Home Show and Rocky Mountain Wine and Food festival. The two winners of our contests were Amanda A. and Deborah D. Congrats, and we hope you enjoyed the Grand Chocolate Lover's Box!

Twitter usage and New Fan Page on Facebook
We have been trying to use Twitter regularly to announce timely info (such as this weeks feature items and other news). If you would like to follow us, just click here!

Also, we have moved our Facebook page now that we have renamed the shop. It is now "Kerstin's Chocolates" rather than "The Cocoa Room". Please make sure to join this new group on Facebook!

Have a great November,

Kerstin and the Team


Kerstin's Chocolates Monthly Newsletter

From: Kerstin's Chocolates
10139 112th St.
Edmonton, AB, T5K 1M1
780-990-0011
http://www.KerstinsChocolates.com/

FALL STORE HOURS for The Cocoa Room:


Mon: closed
Tue, Wed, Fri: 11am - 5pm

Jennifer's new Gallery!

Yes, indeed I do know the most amazing women! This is Jennifer's new store front! I am so proud of her! In these crazy times, this incredibly talented, kind and wonderful woman opened her own gallery! Truly a reason to go to Palm Springs-- well that and a few restaurants down there!

Yes, I want to go to Palm Springs- see the gallery, eat- hang out in the 'flea markets', relax by the pool--- yes I do! Shop, yuppers shopping in Palm Springs is almost as good as Vegas! Hmmmmmmmm Palm Springs then Vegas!

Lottery anyone?

I know the most talented women!

Organic cuffs - this one is not for sale- it is on my wrist-- and I do feel so elegant! You can get your own!

Folded cuff- hmmm want this too!

plus I want one of the silver 'charm bracelets that she is out of right now!

Guess I shall have to put my order in!

In these crazy financial times- I do think we should support the local talent and shops in our own towns and cities. In Edmonton that is so easy, we have terrific restaurants, shops, bakeries, chocolate stores and fashion! Maggie Walt is a favorite of mine- and you will not be seen wearing the same thing as someone else on the street.
I was invited to a ladies showing of local artisans today-- jewellery! Hand-crafted original pieces made in a studio by a group of seven women!

One of my friends, a lovely stylish lady- who happens to be very talented-- designed and made the above cuff bracelets. She works in sterling silver and 12K gold-filled wire. She is truly modern Jackie O- and loves bold pieces that evoke memories of ancient kings and queens mired in silky waters- organic, fluid and ever so elegant pieces.
She uses fresh water pearls, citrine, mother of pearl and quartz to enliven and enrich your wrists!
She makes custom silver charms bracelets that I do not have a picture of-- but hopefully will shortly as I am so coveting one!
Should you wish to see more of her jewellery or for prices and availability please email me and I shall forward your request to her! Also, stay tuned for some of her stunning silver bracelets.
She loves bracelets and rings as she notes they are the pieces of jewellery the wearer gets to appreciate while wearing them-- and I must agree! I bought the top gold cuff (I have always wanted a gold cuff!) and while I am typing - in my Lulu Lemons--- I feel so elegant---almost as elegant as my friend naturally is--- (maybe not- but I do feel elegant and ever so stylish!).

The Red Piano

The Red Piano- actually has two white pianos!

Raw Oysters in the half shell

The Red Piano

Okay, I am a touch ashamed to say I went there for lunch- but please just hear me out!

I was taking my mother out for lunch a few Fridays ago and Earls on the West End of Edmonton is closed for a renovation, Chop another place on the west end was completely crammed- so much for the recession, The Keg was not open for lunch, Mikado (new on the west end was way to noisy) and the Cactus Club at West Edmonton Mall was also crammed- so on we walked to Bourbon Street expecting to go to Earls there.

I had been at the Red Piano once before for a few cocktails on a Friday night and while I enjoyed the decor, the crowd and the 'talent' was not to my liking- but the decor is to die for-- so I figured let's give it a try!

My mom ordered the steak sandwich and after testing out their raw oysters- one is never sure what one will get here in Edmonton- I ordered 8 more. The oysters were perfect, not the large mushy ones, but tiny, a touch sweet and not too meaty. My mothers steak sandwich was a surprise- it looked like a fast fry piece of liver----! Ughhh- but it was tender, seared on the outside yet still medium rare in the middle, tender and very tasty! We will be heading back there again for lunch!

http://theredpiano.ca/