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Dear List-family.... WOWIE! I've just had a week long education on promotional items, plus an lesson about the major national PD organizations. Last week I contacted the company that did the promotional items I used when I had my own business. I got a complete cost breakdown for PD pins (several different design choices), T-shirts, painters-caps, sweatshirts, and pens and scratchpads (just wanted to cover everything that might be of value as a PD promo item). We were offered a 10% discount immediately, once I mentioned any items ordered would be to encourage Parkinson's awareness amongst the general populace, with a possible additional 5%. While I felt the prices to be very reasonable, there appears to me to be a coupla major problems in starting a project such we discussed here on the List over the past few weeks. The national organization - the NPF - I spoke with turned down the opportunity to provide us the with seed money we'd need to make our initial order (what EVER it was we decided to order), stating that they are solicited daily by assorted PD support groups and individuals looking for similar assistance. I'm inclined to believe the other national PD orgs. are also bombarded by such requests (tho I haven't called any additional ones yet as my mom had a medical emergency the past few days and I've been busy that) There's no problem in having a terrific pin of just about any design, (and I still prefer the hourglass with "TIME IS RUNNING OUT") on it, but for an order to be placed, we must order in bulk, which would cost several hundred dollars, plus a $20 setup fee. The individual pins run from $1.40 each for a lot of 300, with the cost-per-pin decreasing a bit with increasingly larger orders - by 500-pin-lots. Frankly, I'm at an impasse with this and can't muster up the interest and/or energy right now to take it any further (the daily problems with my mother's declining health, coupled with her having dementia, plus the miserable daily 100+ degree heat have REALLY wiped me out!). Are there any volunteers in the wings willing to pick up the baton and run with it (so to speak) regarding the PD pins/other items? If so, I'd be happy to forward the catalogs that were sent to me, plus provide an introduction (if desired) to the promo-sales-rep I've dealt with. Golly, I wish it was December or January already! <sweltering away here in L.A's San Fernando Valley) Barb Mallut [log in to unmask]