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If I had a Million Dollars 02 November 2009

For most of the Treasure Valley, August 13th was like any ordinary day, with workers clocking in and children enjoying the last breath of summer. But for one lucky woman, it would be a day that would remain etched in her mind forever.
Stephanie Gornichec never imagined she would win a million dollars. Since being laid off in July 2008, she had submitted over a hundred resumes to businesses all over the valley, but had not found a job over a year later. Though Stephanie’s husband Shaun was still employed, the loss of even one income was enough to put them in financial straits. Unable to pay their bills, the Gornichec’s vehicle was repossessed. The couple decided it was time to file for bankruptcy.

But one knock at the door on a summer morning changed all that. Publishers Clearing House had come to reward Stephanie for participating in its Search and Win program, an online search engine she had used for over a year. Only three days earlier, a letter from the iconic sweepstakes organization notified her of her winnings: a thousand dollars. The same letter mentioned a 1-in-211 chance of winning even more money—a million dollars more. Shaun was optimistic. Stephanie clearly remembers his words: “We are going to win!” Sure enough, three days later, a giant check, a bundle of balloons and a bottle of champagne appeared and the Gornichecs were millionaires.

“Did I ever think that someone would knock on my door and give me a check for a million dollars? Not really,” Stephanie says. She was hopeful, but realistic enough to make time to apply a fresh coat of nail polish that very morning. “Everyone in their right mind will tell you they’re skeptical right up until the end where someone’s screaming at the door, and even at that point, I continued to paint the two toenails I had left.” And when the man of the house begins to scream, it’s time to take notice. “I know my husband’s voice enough to know that when it hit that octave, he is serious,” jokes Stephanie.

So what’s it like to win a million dollars? “It was the most overwhelming, best experience I’ve ever had—besides having my children,” says Stephanie. She calls the experience “surreal,” adding, “the emotion was so high…you’ve got people talking to you a mile a minute about what you should do, what you shouldn’t do—and that’s before the checks arrive!” On the flipside, the Gornichecs received a lot of “strange phone calls…people sending you letters saying, ‘I’m broke, give me money.’” Stephanie’s e-mail account was stolen by a hacker, claiming she was stuck in Europe and needed her friends and family to send money to an overseas moneygram. “There’s a lot of buzz that comes around you that you’re not expecting but we have a well grounded family,” says Stephanie.

Surprisingly, the Gornichecs’ standard of living has not changed since winning the million dollars. “We were pretty much middle class before, and we’re now continuing that type of lifestyle,” says Stephanie. In fact, their biggest expense has been the landscaping of their backyard, which incidentally has employed a handful of local, struggling families. Explains Stephanie, “We’ve done a little bit more in the valley to make sure that people have money, because if you spend, you help.” In fact, “Everybody that we deal with is in a local capacity,” she says.

Possibly most inspiring is what winning has done for the Gornichecs’ own start-up company, Golf Addicts. When the couple first met, they were together by a mutual interest in golf, so the idea to sell golf equipment and travel specials sprouted over five years ago. However, they never had the time and resources to promote the endeavor. Now they were able to. “I quit collecting unemployment immediately and decided to do nothing but work on our own business,” she says. “Winning the money has given us the ability to rebuild the Web site so it looks more professional,” says Stephanie.
Initially, the travel business had been more of Shaun’s idea, with Stephanie insisting that she had to find a “traditional job” and work sixty to seventy hours a week. Now she has a different perspective: “I firmly believe that if you don’t get your own business or find a niche outside of the traditional workplace, you will not succeed as well as in the past.” The Gornichecs seem to be doing well. The business is growing every day and they are more optimistic than ever. “We’re here to promote travel and golf and that’s really the future we want,” says Stephanie.

The Gornichecs’ site is a great option for jetsetters who want to save a little green. Pre-purchased blocks of getaways are made available at a discount on golfaddicts.com. The site offers discounts and cash back for internet shopping as well. The benefit of using such a site rather than booking a vacation independently? “You can call me,” says Stephanie. “You can talk to a live person who actually studies travel and makes it their job to know what’s current [and] what the prices are. We spend a lot of time studying.” Clients can also sign up for newsletters that highlight travel deals that can’t be missed.

A year ago, Stephanie Gornichec’s spirits had been as low as the stock market. She experienced the gamut of emotions that come with losing a job: anger, guilt, depression and anxiety. But she found those feelings to be self-defeating. “When I get to be in those really negative ‘I’m going to feel sorry for myself’ days, it really hasn’t ever worked out,” she says. “I’ve never bought into a victim mentality. I’m just not that type of person.” So with the birth of spring—and several months before winning the sweepstakes—came Gornichec’s new lease on life. She changed her perspective from one of doom to an outlook of hope that better days were just ahead. “The funny thing is, even though I had lost my job, I never truly believed we were going to lose anything,” Stephanie says.

Being handed a check for a million dollars certainly didn’t solve all the Gornichec’s problems. “Actually since we won the money, it’s been more stressful than when we didn’t have any,” says Stephanie. But it has helped them in other ways. “It has made us very appreciative. We don’t take it for granted.”

Written by: Tia Markland

EcoTrain Gets Job Seekers on Track 02 November 2009

The “Green Industry”, you hear the term used all over the place. But how do you define the “Green Industry” and how does one start a career in the “Green Industry”? If you check the Internet or newspaper it is easier said than done. That is because the “Green Industry” can be applied to any industry in the world, not to mention it is growing by the minute with new inventions, start up companies and scientific discoveries making it almost impossible to stay caught up and get your foot in the door. When sitting down with Kevin Pile and Dayne Johnson founders of Ecotrain Media Group LLC there is a sense of excitement and passion that surrounds them. But make no mistake they are shroud businessmen. Pile has more than 12 years of experience in the green industry from cruise lines to corporate sustainability consulting. Johnson has over 8 years of experience in design, radio, print, and television. When the two teamed up they wondered why they hadn’t collaborated sooner; especially being cousins. With Pile’s business and eco experience and Johnson’s creative design talents the duo created the Idaho based company: EcoTrain Media Group LLC. Their mission is to educate, entertain and inspire humanity.

The first creation to come out of EcoTrain camp was based on a one of Piles first visions. The vision was a useful career guidebook that transitions people into the “Green Industry”. Both Johnson and Pile saw a need to educate the public on the “Green Industry” to help stimulate job growth, personal development and protect the very planet we all call home. In order to bridge the gap between job seekers and the Green Industry, the two created the EcoTrain Green Career Guide.

The Green Career Guide is a annual publication that is broken down by sections that includes green career pathways, Green Industry projections, green education, a contact list for networking and a directory of over 1000 seminars world wide listed by region. With over 100 pages, the EcoTrain Green Career Guide is the only resource tool people need to learn about or land a career in the Green Industry. Not to mention the EcoTrain Green Career Guide is the only book of it’s kind in the world. The guide itself is printed on recycled paper and has ample note for appointments, leads and anything else that may be note worthy. The book itself sells for $45.00 but students and educational institutions can purchase the book for $27.00. Five percent of every purchase goes towards the EcoTrain College Scholarship Fund helping students who are interested in the “Green Industry” get the training they need to be successful in the Green Industry.

Currently Johnson and Pile have been on a book tour promoting the Ecotrain Green Career Guide, visiting most of the major academic institutions in the Northwest. They have plans to visit almost every state in the lower 48 by the summer of 2010. The EcoTrain Green Career Guide is perfect for students, job seekers, business owners, diplomats and anyone interested in the “Green Industry”. Contact EcoTrain Media Group and get on track for your next career destination.”

Last Updated ( 02 November 2009 ) Written by: Tia Markland

A "Real" Christmas Getaway 02 November 2009

If you haven’t considered taking a trip to Bethlehem this December, you surely ought to.

In the pursuit of finding meaningful ways to celebrate the Christmas season, many Treasure Valley residents are finding that a getaway to Bethlehem is just what they were looking for. For the past 14 years, a revolving door of Eagle youth have been recreating a glimpse of the “Holy Land” and reenacting the first Christmas right here in Eagle. Best of all, you can bring your whole family along and it won’t cost you any more than a donation of canned food.

Garth and Pat Wilde have been hosting the event for the past nine years, and the moment one sets foot on their property, the special nature of this production becomes apparent. Visitors begin their journey with a tractor-pulled hay ride to the guarded city gates where they are given instruction and taken by small groups into the city. As they make their way to the various checkpoints, it’s not unusual to pass a poor city dweller walking his donkey down the dimly lit street or see shepherds in the grassy fields tending their flocks of sheep.

Visitors to the city hear narrations from cast members and heavenly chorus from a choir of angels as their journey leads them to the eventual nativity set in a humble stable. Few leave this scene untouched, as visitors can place their canned food donation at the foot of the manger and bask in the spirit of what Christmas is all about. Most evenings of the live nativity are cold, so it’s no accident visitors are entreated with a cup of hot chocolate and a large campfire around which to huddle at the city exit.

Carrie Leavitt, one of the nativity’s originators, marvels at how things have changed since it first began back in 1995. “That first year we didn’t have any props and kids showed up in their bathrobes. We probably had 100 people attend and it’s continued to grow every year.” Since that first production, volunteers stepped up to sew beautiful costumes and construct architectural features that now literally transform the Wilde’s acreage into a vision of the Bethlehem cityscape. And as the years go by and the secret of the city tucked away in the foothills of Eagle is uncovered, people are taking advantage of this getaway by the droves. In fact, according to volunteer, Jim Enzler, last year over 100 youth and 35 youth leaders were involved in hosting the nearly 1600 people who made their way through “Eagle’s Bethlehem”.

The increasing popularity of this production attests to the fact that it has become something more than a fun little jaunt through a recreated ancient city. The live nativity has become an experience that many cherish and choose to relive year after year. Enzler, who has volunteered since 2001, said, “I won’t deny it, there’s some angst each year knowing how much work this is to pull off, but to see what it does for people makes it all worth it. This event transcends all of the volunteerism and truly captures the spirit of Christmas.” That is certainly evident in looking at the fruits of this labor. Last year the production garnered a literal truck bed of canned food donations for the Eagle Food Bank.

And while this has proven to be a successful effort to benefit the less fortunate, most visitors would tell you they walked away with something far greater than what they gave. Pat Wilde, host of the live nativity, said she has been approached by literally hundreds of appreciative people that she doesn’t even know who have been taken back by the feeling they received from the experience.

So what is it about this event that draws this kind of response? What is it that makes comments like “this has become a favorite family Christmas tradition each year,” commonplace or the sight of falling tears less than unusual? Simply put, it is the message of Christmas embodied in a production by a group of youth—the message of the birth of a child who came into the world some 2000 years ago to save us all.

Written by: Tia Markland

Fighting Injustice One Coffee Bean at a Time 02 November 2009

What could be sweeter than your next cup of coffee or espresso making a difference in a farmer’s life and community! When you order a cup of coffee, do you think about the farmer who grew and harvested the bean? Eagle’s own Full Circle Exchange is a socially conscious company that actually does that by ethically sourcing, purchasing, roasting and selling only 100% Fair Trade, Organic coffee, tea and chocolate from small-scale farmers in Africa and South and Central America.

Full Circle Exchange empowers farmers and farm workers; guarantees a fair price for their products; provides safe working conditions, adequate housing, and ongoing education for children in the community, and scholarship programs to enable girls and women to access education they wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. This ties in with Full Circle Exchange’s mission is to address critical social issues locally and globally through the distribution and sale of fair trade and organic consumer products.

The Full Circle Exchange products include organic coffee, espresso, teas, and chocolates. Coffee is big business, one of the most heavily trade commodities in the world. Through conventionally traded coffee beans, the process leaves farmers with very little if any profit. At Full Circle Exchange, the Fair Trade and organic coffees are handcrafted in small artisan batches using only the finest and rarest quality coffee beans from small estates and co-operatives throughout the world.

Full Circle Exchange co-founders Mark and Jeanette Priddy state, “By purchasing Full Circle Exchange products, together we can cultivate change and inspiring hope. It is a way to claim our common humanity, while enjoying products grown with love and care.” You may know Mark and Jeanette through Rembrandts, making this coffee house and café a success through their love for the local community. Now through this new company, Full Circle Exchange, the Priddy’s continue to make a difference in the global community. Full Circle Exchange is committed to giving back by donating time, money and resources to fund global and local initiatives with partnering organizations such as children at risk programs, human rights, economic and social injustice, extreme poverty and environment.

Another sweet deal is the fundraising opportunities through Full Circle Exchange. This is an exciting alternative to your standard fundraiser in that you earn 40 percent of each Full Circle Exchange sale with an additional 10 percent going to local charities. “The fundraising program has a wonderful educational part in that children learn that it’s not just about their own needs, states Jeanette Priddy, “but it’s about what it means to be truly human—to come along side others in need and to make a difference in the world”. By participating in this fundraising program, you can support your local school, non-profit, church, sports club and other organizations while building stronger farming communities throughout the world. And the program keeps on giving through online orders, giving organizations 30 percent on all sales.

Full Circle Exchange has joined forces with a cross section of local community organizations such as The Landing Community Center, Treasure Valley YMCA, NGOs (non-governmental organizations), faith based organizations, and Foundations. Global partners include Connect Africa, Healing Waters International, Millennium Promise, Extreme Peru, Coffee Kids, Grounds for Health, Call+Response, and Invisible Children. Together through local and global partnerships, we can make a difference, help restore dignity, and bring hope and opportunity to families and communities around the globe.
So next time you order a cup of coffee, you can not only brighten your day but the day of a farmer in Africa or Central America by purchasing Full Circle Exchange products. Wake up to Justice™ and give a little bit more. By battling injustice, we can claim our common humanity while enjoying products grown with love and care.

Written by: Tia Markland

Darth Beta 02 November 2009

One evening I took the three older kids, Melissa, Michael, and Jonathan to Petco next to the Boise Towne Mall to get some dog food. On the way, we mused about how fun it would be to surprise William, age seven, with an early Christmas present: his very own pet. William had mentioned that he wanted a pet of his own because Melissa had Casey, her cockatiel, Jonathan had Brindle the boxer, and Michael sort of had Twinkie the poodle.

I suggested maybe getting a goldfish because of the upside that they’re only14 cents each, in spite of the downside that they don’t live very long. I reasoned that even if we had to buy a replacement goldfish every two weeks, it would only cost $3.64 per year for twenty-six fish, or less if William lost interest sooner.

We discussed just getting a barebones system: a goldfish in a jelly jar—no air-bubble pumps, no sunken pirate ships on the bottom, and no colored rocks.
At the pet store we checked out the fish section. Sure enough, there was a 55-gallon fish tank loaded with 14-cent goldfish. We asked the young clerk if she could get a goldfish and asked if putting it in a jelly jar would be okay.

“Actually,” she replied, “you need a bigger bowl for goldfish because they get bored.”

Yeah, right, I thought. What are you suggesting? We hook up a TV with cable so the goldfish can watch Flipper reruns and The Little Mermaid? And just our luck, the fish will one day lose the remote and manually turn on the TV while still in the water. He’ll be electrocuted and we’ll have a fried goldfish and a very sad William.

“How come those pretty purple fish are in those little, clear-plastic drinking cups?” I asked. “They don’t seem to be getting bored in their confined quarters.”

“Oh, they cost more than a quarter,” the clerk replied. “Those are beta fish and they don’t get bored. They do fine in small containers and they live a lot longer than goldfish, like about two years. But they cost $3.00 each.” That sounded like a reasonable investment compared to the goldfish and all the required trips back to the pet store to get replacements. “Of course,” she continued, “you need to get this plastic fish bowl with a lid because beta fish can jump out. The bowl with the lid is on special right now for $2.00.

“But,” I pointed out, “you don’t have lids on these little cups.”

“Yes, but we know how to keep the fish from jumping out.” “But…”

“Oh,” she continued, “you’ll need to get some dried blood worms to feed your beta fish. They don’t eat fish flakes.”

“How much are dried blood worms?”

“$3.50 a jar.”

“You know, my wife will love having dried blood worms in the house.”

Not responding to my comment, she deadpanned, “Do you have soft water?”

“Yes.”

“Then you’ll need this additive for $4.00 a bottle. Add a few drops whenever you change the water.”

“What if we just use hard water?”

“You’ll still need the additive.”

Well, to bring home a pet for William, I thought we would need 14 cents, some water, and a jelly jar. Instead, we needed a second mortgage on the house.

But it was worth it—William was ecstatic! Like Jonathan did with Brindle the boxer puppy, William wanted some private time to bond with his new fish. William affectionately named his beta fish, “Beta Lu Ross” taking the middle name from Grammy (Nancy Lu), Terri Lu, and Melissa Lu, thus making “Lu” a four generation middle name. I preferred the name, “Darth Beta” but it was William’s fish to name. So Beta Lu lived in the bathroom on the counter in her plastic fish bowl with a lid so she couldn’t jump out.

After school one day, Jonathan had a friend over to play. His friend noticed Brindle, the rambunctious boxer, mostly because she was jumping all over the friend and slobbering on him. “Oh,” he remarked, nonplused, “you’ve got a boxer.” He then asked if he could use the bathroom. When he came out, he blurted, “Wow, you guys have a beta fish!!”

Several months later we took a family trip to see family in Seattle and William had the neighbor fish-sit Beta Lu. When we returned to Eagle a week later, TerriLu and Melissa noticed that Beta Lu looked a little different. They checked with the neighbors who said that the fish had died and they felt so guilty they went to the pet store and bought a replacement. We should have told them that if the fish died, not to worry. William probably wouldn’t have noticed since TerriLu and Melissa usually changed the water once a week.

We explained to William that Beta Lu had died, which didn’t faze him in the least, and that this was a new fish, which William happily and creatively named Beta Fish II. Sadly, that year, Beta Fish II also died. The autopsy confirmed that Beta Fish II had probably been “floating” for a day before anyone noticed. William just thought the fish was doing the back float or the backstroke. Jonathan deftly commented that the fish may have been practicing the back float when he had a bad stroke.

At any rate, Beta Fish II received an honorable burial at sea. More precisely, he got flushed down the toilet. And, unlike Disney’s Nemo, he’ll never really make it out to the real sea so a nondescript septic tank in Eagle, Idaho, will have to suffice.

Last Updated ( 02 November 2009 ) Written by: Tia Markland