As many of you know, our new TallGrass mission statement is "to awe and inspire." Certainly, we want to awe and inspire you - our treasured guests - but also each other here at the spa and the rest of the world, too! It sounds like a tall order, but don't you agree that many actions can be awe-inspiring without being major undertakings? I'm thinking of random acts of kindness, views of nature, our Olympians, and survival in Haiti and other ravaged areas of the world.

Last week, I read an article in Reader's Digest about Ruthie Culver who, at age 103, has racked up more than 1,200 volunteer hours since the time six years ago, when she called the local hospital to ask if anyone there could use an extra hand. She started in the ICU reception area, then in the cafeteria, and now she folds laundry, at the Banner Boswell Medical Center in Sun City, Arizona. That's inspiring!

Here in Evergreen, we have so many who donate time and talents to important and valuable causes. Take Tom Hushen, for example. Congratulations, Tom, on being honored with the Volunteer of the Year Award by the Evergreen Area Chamber of Commerce. I applaud you and everyone who donates time to a non-profit organization.

Not only do I enjoy the time that I spend working with the Rotary Club, Evergreen Rodeo and other non-profits, I was blessed with an additional bonus when I volunteered with the Evergreen Chamber and met my husband, Chuck. If you aren't already involved with a charitable organization, I highly recommend that you consider it. I guarantee your life will be enriched by giving a part of yourself, not to mention that you'll help make the world a better place.

You can join Jennifer Schapiro on the Rocky Mountain route of the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer on June 26 and 27 - by signing-up to walk on her team or by donating to the cause. Jen, who is the Team Leader of the Hair Department at TallGrass, is taking the team approach to the 2-day, 39-mile walk from Keystone to Breckenridge in support of a cure for breast cancer. And, everyone is welcome to join the effort.

"Six people are signed-up for the team so far," say Jen "and each person is committed to raising a minimum of $1,800 in donations." To help the fundraising effort, Jen will have her own Avon Walk web site and it will be linked to the TallGrass web site, making it easy to recruit team members and donors. "I'm so excited," she adds, "because everyone I ask says 'yes.'"

Funds raised through he Avon Walk help ensure that women and men affected by breast cancer can get the medical care they need regardless of their ability to pay and also support the ongoing search for a cure. For more information, please visit AvonWalk.org and stay tuned because, in the coming months, Jen will be training for the big event and she'll be blogging about her experiences. So, we can share the excitement and cheer her on.