editor’s note: This post was originally published in July of 2014 but has been updated to include recent events.
The first few weeks of grief after losing a child are a mixture of rage, sadness, helplessness and fear: An unstable concoction that can react and explode at any given moment. As someone who can now count himself among the unfortunate fraternity of those who lost a child I am sometimes asked by people to reach out to others who have recently suffered the same loss. The almost universal inquiry that follows is if I can say something , anything, that will help them or guide them along their path. Sadly, it is in those early days that words will have little or no effect. I cannot describe the hysteria that is felt in the immediate aftermath other than to say it is a wheel of emotions in perpetual flux. You … Read More
This one hurts and I’ve got a mix of emotions swirling inside. As you know, the ReesSpecht Life Foundation has always been about spreading kindness and positively impacting the world. Life threw me a curveball recently, and it turns out – I have trouble with the curve… As such, I felt it’s important to open up to you, our incredible community, because you’ve been there with us and our mission through thick and thin.
The Deception:
It’s never easy to talk about times when trust is shattered. I’ve always believed in the goodness of people and the power of coming together to make a difference. In some ways, because this is how I choose to see the world, I mistakenly assume that everyone sees the world this way. It’s precisely this thinking that helped create the ReesSpecht Life Foundation – and it’s precisely this thinking that allowed someone to take … Read More
Our 2022 Toy Drive is Officially on!
We have over 40 dropoff locations throughout Long Island – but if you can’t make it to one of our locations, click on this link to send us a Toy Directly through Amazon. Even better, make sure to add ReesSpecht Life as your charity on Amazon, and every toy you donate will earn us a little extra in donations through Amazon Smile. Go to Smile.Amazon.com for more info on how to do that and be sure to add ReesSpecht Life as your charity of choice.
Below is the list of our 2022 Public Dropoff Locations:
- All Saf-T-Swim Locations
- B.E.A.S.T. in Huntington
- Jazzercise in Nesconset
- All Smithtown Library Locations
- Adelberg Montalvan Pediatric Dental (All Locations)
- Tuscany Gourment Market in Miller Place
- Marinelli’s Pizza in Sound Beach
- Dance N’ Things in Smithtown
- DL Barn and DL Pasture in Northport
- Best Learning Center
- Long Island Museum
While there are lots of great perks available in our crowdfunding campaign to get “A Little Rees Specht
Stops a Bully ” published, our favorites, by far, are the “You are a character” and “Get Animated!” Perks. These perks let you put your child (or yourself!) in our next book or our upcoming animated pilot as one of the characters!
This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will only be available through our crowdfunding campaign until November 29th.
Our talented book illustrator Adam or our amazing 3d animator, Chris, will create a cartoon version of you that will live on in our books and animation forever.
This perk was one of the most sought-after perks from our first campaign for “A Little Rees Specht Cultivates Kindness.” The characters of Emma and Alexandra, who will be in the new book, came from our first fundraiser!
If you would like to claim either (or both!) of … Read More
For a limited time – and only through our website, we are offering a special perk in our crowdfunding campaign to raise the funds to bring our newest book to life.
Click the link below to get a signed copy of the book (with a custom message of your choice from author Rich Specht), 20 Pay it Forward Cards, 1 Car Magnet, AND 1 entry into a drawing to win an Oculus Quest 2 (128 MB) and Link Cable
We are limiting the number of spots to 33, so it is first come, first served. As soon as all spots are taken, we will do a LIVE drawing on our Facebook page (facebook.com/reesspechtlife).
Click HERE to get access to this secret perk.
… Read More
The time is here! We are thrilled to announce that our crowdfunding campaign to illustrate and print the sequel to “A Little Rees Specht Cultivates Kindness” is now live! We have 33 days from the date of this post to raise $20,000 to cover all the expenses to self-publish and distribute the book. If we don’t raise the funds in that time, we will be unable to make the book.
Failure is not an option. We are confident that the support of all of Rees’ pieces will make this campaign just as successful as the one we did to create the first book.
Contributing is simple:
- Click on this link HERE
- Choose a perk (This is where you can get your book – or just make a donation!)
- Checkout
It’s that simple! If we hit our funding goal by November 29th, 2022, the book will go into production and should … Read More