March of Dimes

All Stirred Up! has teamed up with the March of Dimes on 3 events to help give babies a healthy start. To do your part, visit www.weareallstirredup.com and purchase a bag of our Empowerment Coffee. Choose March of Dimes in the drop down box and they will receive $5 of every bag purchased. It's our Coffee For A Cause program and we need your help. Come see us at the Celery Flats in Portage on Saturday, May 1 where we will be serving coffee to all the walkers at this year's March of Dimes Walk For Babies.

what if you could buy everything out of a vending machine?

What if you could buy everything out of a vending machine? You walk through the mall, swipe your credit card, press E5 and out comes your girlfriend’s engagement ring, your prescription, or even the keys to a new car. You wouldn't have pushy sales people or big stores to deal with. Wouldn't that make life convenient? Maybe at first it would seem like it but I personally don't like doing business with a vending machine. What would you do if you swiped your credit card and the ring never fell down to that little door? What would you do if you had questions about that prescription? And how would you test drive a car you bought from a vending machine? Vending machines don't learn your name. Vending machines don't say thank you. Vending machines don't appreciate your business. Vending machines can't answer questions about their product or fix a problem when one occurs. They are strictly programmed to facilitate a transaction.

Doing business, no matter what you're buying, should be about the people you interact with. It should be an experience, not just a transaction. Why do we buy where we buy? I will pass several salons, probably offering the same service at lower prices, to go to my salon. Why? Because I like the people. They know me there. It's a great atmosphere where the experience is just as much about catching up with my stylist as it is about the haircut she provides.

We have beverage vending machines right in front of our kiosk in the mall. People approach us all the time and ask us for change so they can buy a drink from the vending machine that doesn't take credit cards or offer a change machine. Some stop and ask us how they get their money back when they didn't receive their product. While the machine may seem convenient, it is relying on people, my people, to do some of the work. At All Stirred Up! we are in the business of people serving people. Not just taking your money and throwing a product at you. While I can appreciate the need to drop your dollar in for a quick snack in a hotel or airport, can we get back to doing business with people and not machines?

Mariel Mauck is All Stirred Up!

Mariel Mauck is All Stirred Up! about helping children facing health challenges. 19 year old Mariel can relate. She was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 14 and has been living with the disorder ever since. But if you ask Mariel what stirs her up, she would say, "I started this project a few years after I was diagnosed with epilepsy. I wanted to help others who didn't have the Holy Spirit in them. I wondered what it would be like to be "alone" with this health trouble. Jesus wants us to help others, so I figured this would be a good idea to start with." So with all her passion, she started Operation Warm and Fuzzy. The goal is to make warm blankets to be given to children to comfort them as they fight for their health. "I have made a few blankets:
Blue with white, Cat with pink, fairy with purple, sports with blue, Fish with blue, cats with pink, rainbow with yellow, planets with yellow, and a few more." When I met Mariel, I was impressed with her generous spirit and she stirred me to action. I had to have one of her blankets for a friend's baby facing physical challenges. If you want to help Mariel provide blankets to children in need, go to our website www.weareallstirredup.com. Use the promo code "Mariel" and $5 of each bag of coffee purchased will be used to buy Mariel's blankets. Big organizations can do big things but never underestimate the power of a passionate individual. Keep up the great work Mariel.