Ever imagine riding 109 miles through the southwestern desert with a peloton of professional cyclists (and amateur enthusiasts of course)? Next month I have an opportunity to do just that.

Every year a  group of local riders travel to Tucson to participate in El Tour de Tucson. Not only is this road race a blast (if you don’t crash), but it is a major source of funding for the University Medical Center and an organization called Tu Nidito.

For the past 12 years, Tu Nidito has been the primary beneficiary of El Tour de Tucson with cyclists raising more than $200,000 for the cause each year. These funds are essential to Tu Nidito programs, providing more than 25% of their annual operating budget and supporting hundreds of children each year.

to read Michelle's story, click here

This will be my first year having registered to Ride for a Child at the University Medical Center’s 27th El Tour de Tucson. I have been paired with Michelle, one of the special Tu Nidito kids. Each of these children has had their life impacted by the diagnosis of a serious illness or the death of a loved one. With our help and the support programs provided by Tu Nidito, these children have the tools, resources, comfort and support they need to get through these difficult times.

read more about Tu Nidito

Local picture framer follows Andy Warhol’s prediction and gets 3 minutes closer to his 15 minutes of fame! Jan Marion of H. Marion Framing Studio recently participated in a promotional video for Tru Vue’s Museum Glass® Feeds America program, through which H. Marion Framing will help generate up to $25,000 in donations for Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief charity. Customers will have a chance to win up to $500 in-store, or $150 in Discount Certificates toward future art & framing purchases at H. Marion Framing Studio.

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Jan Marion of H. Marion Framing recently celebrated a milestone birthday and received a truly surprising and heartfelt gift; one designed right in his own frame shop and assembled at his production facility. Unbeknownst to Jan, his mother Florence had assembled for him a memory box, composed of a special photograph and a pair of rather eccentric suspenders to commemorate the occasion. The suspenders, worn by Jan’s late father, Hal Marion, are displayed in an “M” configuration and depict a pseudo-monogram, which encompasses the photograph of Jan and Hal on a whale-watching excursion. The overall composition is very effective, both in terms of meaning and its ability to keep the viewer’s eye moving around the piece. It creates a simple, yet dynamic presentation.

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July 26, 2009, Rickey Henderson accepted his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, where he was presented with a plaque, commemorating a career spanning nineteen years and nine different teams. While there are dozens of amusing anecdotes circulating about Rickey’s quirky behavior throughout his career, our favorite is this true story about a $1 million bonus check that Rickey had framed for display in his home.

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What do Michael Jordan, Abraham Lincoln, Jane Addams, Frank Lloyd Wright, Ray Kroc, Cammi Granato and Joseph Cardinal Bernardin have in common? All seven famous personalities are featured in an educational installation at Loyola University Medical Center’s Ronald McDonald Children’s Hospital and were recently given a “facelift” by local framer/art consultant Jan Marion of H. Marion Framing Studio.
The installation employs life-sized images of the personalities, along with name plaques that detail information about their lives and accomplishments. While the display is an important educational tool for the RMCH ward, it also provides stimulating relief from the barrage of tests and procedures that young patients endure during their stays at the facility. (more…)