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“Be afraid. Be very afraid” is a popular quote from the 1986 horror film The Fly. It is said by Geena Davis’ character Veronica in a scene where she emphasizes the danger presented by Jeff Goldblum’s character, the titular The Fly. The now famous quote was actually added to the script after Blazing Saddles director Mel Brooks suggested it to The Fly’s director David Cronenberg. In addition to including it in the film, the quote was also used as the film’s tagline. 

Company founder Russ Berrie started his eponymous business with $500 in a rented garage in Palisades Park, New Jersey. Berrie intended to design, market, and distribute “impulse” gift items. From the start, Russ Berrie & Company produced a string of hit products that quickly found their way onto countertops, desks and dashboards across the country. Among the company’s earliest creations: Fuzzy Wuzzies (tiny fur ball-like critters bearing messages like “You’re My Best Friend” or “Wild Thing”), troll dolls (squat gnomes with plumes of brightly colored hair) and the Bupkis Family (a motley collection of endearingly ugly rubber figurines). The owner believed in the power of “transformational giving,” partnering with energetic, visionary leaders to change the world for the better. He took an entrepreneurial approach to philanthropy, using his keen interpersonal skills to identify people and causes in which to invest and working closely with partners to hone strategies and set expectations.  “There is nothing more important in life than helping a fellow human being.” — Russell Berrie (1933-2002)

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In 1934, members of the Zor Shriners in Madison, Wisconsin, decided to develop something unique as a means of garnering attention in the annual Shriners’ parade. The result was the purchase of three camels and the development of the Zor Camel Patrol, the purpose of which was to care for and train them. The idea to use camels (which are found on the emblem of the Zor Shrine chapter) was suggested by Mrs. Rufu F. Wells.

In 1937, several members traveled to Syria to acquire genuine trappings and equipment to assist in caring for and dressing the camels. They were housed at the Vilas Park Zoo, where free rides are still given to children each Sunday.

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In the summer of 1989, a convoy of seventy women traveled from the United States to Central America to provide humanitarian aid to women in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Due to the political and economic climate at the time, many citizens were left lacking basic necessities such as food and medical supplies, so the Women’s Convoy to Central America was developed as a means of coordinating relief efforts between women’s groups in the affected regions and abroad. The slogan for the convoy was “Between women, there are no boundaries,” and the trip lasted for approximately five weeks.

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Winterlude, or Bal de Neige, is a three week long festival that takes place in the National Capital Region of Canada during the month of February. The festival began in 1979 as a way to celebrate Canada’s northern climate and hosts a variety of winter-themed activities. It includes athletic events like ice skating and a winter triathlon, a winter sculpture playground and crafts, as well as ice-carving competitions and musical performances.

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Wintersköl is an annual winter festival that has been held in Aspen, Colorado since 1951. Wintersköl was originally created by Jack DePagter, a local Aspen bartender and lodge owner, to attract tourists to the area during Aspen’s slow post-holiday season. Celebrating Aspen’s unique Nordic lifestyle, Wintersköl takes place over a four-day period in January. Early Wintersköl festivals were pretty wild, with costumed skiers, rooftop pool diving, and snowmobile drag races down Aspen’s main street. The festival has morphed into a popular, family-friendly event that includes mountain bike races, live music, theater, comedy shows, fireworks, and even a canine fashion show.

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The annual Wharf to Wharf Race has been an event in Northern California since 1973 and it is held on the fourth Sunday in July each year. Runners from all over the world come to California to run in the six-mile race from the wharf in Santa Cruz to the wharf in Capitola along the coast. It is limited to 16,000 runners and sells out months in advance. The race has been put together by a non-profit called Wharf to Wharf Race Inc. which has raised millions of dollars for Santa Cruz County youth sports programs.

The Wharf to Wharf Race features live entertainment called the Roadshow. They present over 50 bands, dancers, singers, and other performers along the race route to provide a fun atmosphere for all the participants.

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The Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts broke ground on the site of their new building for the museum in April of 1991. This building included an auditorium, a library, studios, classrooms, archive storage, and galleries and it was designed by Robert A.M. Stern, an architect from New York. Festivities were held to celebrate the building's construction.

Norman Rockwell was an American artist and author who was most famous for his paintings of American culture and his cover illustrations for The Saturday Evening Post magazine and Boys' Life magazine. The museum in his name holds the largest collection of his art in the world.

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The Washougal “Pow-Wow” was an annual rodeo held in Washougal, Washington featuring 5 performers who were paid $200 for each even they participated in. The event was hosted by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, which was established in 1936 and continues to host rodeos nationwide. The city of Washougal continues to host rodeos each July including Miss Vancouver Rodeo Queen and the Fourth of July Rodeo.

“Pow-Wow” is a term that has historically been appropriated by popular culture as a colloquial term for any gathering or event, in this case a large-scale rodeo, but the term and events associated with it hold special meaning to the First Nations community and use should be limited to describing tribal organized events.

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The March of Dimes Foundation has a walkathon event every year with over 1000 communities participating across the United States. The first walkathon took place in 1970 and was the first charitable walking event to take place in the country. March of Dimes is a non-profit organization founded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938. It was first known as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis which worked to combat polio. The organization grew, after funding the polio vaccine, to include work on preventing birth defects and infant mortality as well as funding research to prevent premature birth.