TAKING CARE OF THE KIDS Local Entrepreneur Works on Behalf of Brentwood Children
	NOVEMBER 2005

by Tina Rohrer
Photos by Russell Byrne

My parents were always a great support system for me when I was growing up in San Bruno. They attended every sports activity, recital, and school performance I participated in. They were my personal cheering section and seemed to derive as much enjoyment from the things I participated in as I did. My parents are my role models when it comes to my involvement in my own children’s school or sports activities.

In August 2001, my family and I moved here for the typical reason that we were searching for affordable housing. The weather was a bit warmer than I would have liked, but I enjoyed the idea of a smaller, more personable city in which to raise my family and build relationships.

My preschool children, Spencer and Alyssa, needed someone other than me to play with and I thought, “What am I going to do?” I made some phone calls and decided to attend a MOMS (Moms Offering Moms Support) Club event. The club has become a support system, not only for me but for other stay at home moms. The club provided a means through which I could become involved in community-supported activities.

Reaching out to Home and Community
I believe we each have a purpose. At this time, my purpose is to spend time with my family and to reach out to the community.

I never participated in community activities before coming to Brentwood. Now these things have become a part of my heart. My passion comes from my special friend and mentor, Peggy Schuitemaker. A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of working with Peggy on a fundraising event here in Brentwood. That fundraiser marked the beginning of a crusade for me to do more for others.

Peggy changed my life for the better. She is what I call a “sparkler.” Her light never fades and her drive never tires. Peggy has a heart of gold and will give everything she has to help the schools, the community, or anyone in need. She is the force that drives and empowers me. She always has a positive attitude, never judges others, and looks for ways to make any situation better.

My family is the one constant in my life. The members of my family support me, love me unconditionally, and give me a reason to live. Nothing gives me greater joy than to see them succeed in anything they do — to be their cheering section, as my folks were mine.

My husband, Steve, especially empowers me. He is a third generation fire fighter and EMT for the City of Menlo Park. Steve is my sounding board, the one person in my life I can truly count on. He never lets me down and provides great support for our children. He makes sacrifices for my success, encourages me, and takes a sincere interest in my dreams. Besides all that, he is a hopeless romantic. After 15 years, I continue to treasure his humor. His laughter is the key to his soul.

Focusing on Kids and Other People
I have been team mom for my son’s baseball team, and am currently a Troop Leader for my daughter Daisy’s Troop, which is the first step into Girl Scouts for kindergarteners. I’m Co-Den Leader in my seven-year-old son’s Boy Scout troop. I appreciate how scouting teaches my children the core values of respect, trust, community involvement, and helping one another. Scouting runs in my family. I was a Brownie, my husband, and my father-in-law were both Boy Scouts; it is a value in our family.

I’m a K-5 substitute teacher in Brentwood and working in the Pioneer Elementary computer lab for part of the 2005-2006 school season. I have had the pleasure of teaching in my son’s class, which was awesome! His teacher said he actually asked her on one occasion, “When are you going to be out again so my mom can teach?”

I love being with the kids, seeing their smiles, and helping them learn. They are like sponges at that age; they absorb everything.

I’m on a mission these days of supporting other people, as well. For example, I’m one of over 60,000 Creative Memories Independent Consultants. We teach classes and help people get started in scrapbooking.

The other part of my mission is in promoting community events and activities that help make East County a better place to live, work, and raise families. I have volunteered my time on the hit show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, helped raise money for Breast Cancer, and have taken part in raising money for the Wheelchair Foundation.

I have also been a member of Kiwanis and am an Ambassador with the Chamber of Commerce. I have met some wonderful people through both organizations who I can call friends. Everything in my life seems positive these days.

A Basket Case
I received an AA degree from the College of San Mateo and a Business Degree in Marketing from California State University at Sacramento. I wanted something I could do at home while my kids were at school or asleep that would contribute to our family’s income, and for me personally, to have something to call my own.

With the support of my husband, I put my educational background and experience to work in starting my own gift basket business, called “Basket Arrangements of Brentwood.” A gift basket can become a medium for artistic expression. By creating unique and one-of-a-kind gift baskets, I am able to be creative and artistic. I tailor each gift basket to its recipient, adding extra touches and personal thoughts.

I recently made a gift basket for one satisfied customer who bought his wife a fragrance that she had worn when the two of them were newlyweds. Neither of them had heard of the scent for over three decades and he didn’t even know how to spell it.

I was able to track the product down and include it as a centerpiece in the basket that also held special treats and products that his wife preferred. By trusting me, he was able to give a well thought out gift instead of a sweater or gift certificate. His wife will never forget this gift.

I have been able to create baskets for various East County businesses and organizations. Past clients include the Mayor of Brentwood, the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce, various spas and beauty salons, loan consultants, and realtors, just to name a few. A number of loyal customers trust me with their business; they know that I will put together something special, so they do not have to worry themselves.

I get great pleasure from my clients’ satisfaction. Their appreciation keeps me going and pushes me to do better. I create gift baskets for charity events, raffles, silent auctions, and Cornfest. Creating baskets for these events provide other avenues in serving my community.

Come to Our Garden
My biggest passion these days is fundraising for the new Pioneer Elementary School on Shady Willow Road in Brentwood, which opened in August 2004. I’m on the Parents Club Board and I am the Fundraising Coordinator for the school. We’ve really been busy with a number of activities.

We recently held a fundraiser to sell flower bulbs. After the sale, the Pioneer Parents Club decided to host a School Beautification Day in order for Pioneer families to come together and plant donated flower bulbs from the fundraiser. The bulb sale and beautification day evolved into an exciting and rewarding experience because we took the project one step further and decided to also plant a garden.

We’re all proud of the Pioneer garden. We received donations from Brentwood and Antioch businesses. Parents, community members, and especially some of the area businesses got behind our special project.

We all worked side-by-side in planting lettuce, chives, peas, corn, and other vegetables. The kids planted herbs and spices, like thyme, parsley, and rosemary. We planted strawberry and tomato plants, and some orange trees.

The fourth and fifth grade teachers and students have taken on the challenge of maintaining the garden, which will become part of their learning experience as they incorporate the activities of planting, growing, and harvesting into their classroom studies. Members of a gardening committee support the project in any way they can.

Learning Lessons of Life from the Soil
The garden is becoming a focal point for children to investigate the world, which is the best learning of all. Bending over a tomato plant or working with the teacher in planning soil and water experiments, provides the best kind of real-world learning.

Our labors with the teachers and the kids in planning and planting the garden will provide opportunities, for example, to conduct hands-on lessons and labs. The garden also becomes a practical lesson in social outreach and concern, since we are donating the fruits of our efforts to needy people and organizations in the area.

Now we have a garden that we can all be proud of. It is surrounded by a picket fence and graced with a lovely arbor. We have a bench, which was donated by Rose Pierce, to sit on while we take in the beauty of our garden. The kids are in the process of landscaping their garden with stepping-stones. Each class will decorate a stepping-stone for the garden.

The principal, Dana Eaton, conducted a “Name Our Garden Contest.” The prize was lunch with the principal. Hailey & Gabriella submitted the winning name, “The Giving Garden.” The name was chosen from over 100 entries and is displayed on a wood sign that is hanging at the entrance to the garden.

The garden project demonstrates my highest ideals for a fundraising project because it involves many participants from both the school and local community.

I want to do things that will benefit the people in the school and in the community at large. I want people to buy into the idea of participating in school improvement and not merely to buy something that students are selling. I want to find a purpose in our activities that brings families together.

As I continue down my path of service, I hope to do even more in my community. I want to encourage others to become involved. I hope through my business to continue to make some special person even more special.

I want to live in the moment and I believe my moment is now.