The Moment You've All Been Waiting For

$1,000 to the Mario Lemieux Foundation!!!!

Yes, my friends, I officially have $1,000 in hand so that a check can finally be sent to the MLF!

Sidney Penguin, Marc Andre Penguin and Mario Penguin with the check

Mario is ready to wing-deliver the check!

Honestly, when this project first started, I hoped I could send $100 or maybe even $500 to the foundation. I never dared to dream that I would be writing $1,000 on there! But you guys enthusiastically showed up and made this a reality. I may stitch these little guys together and get them where they need to go, but this is YOUR money heading to Pittsburgh and you should all give yourselves a huge pat on the back!!

The boys take in one more game before heading north

So the plan is to mail the check along with these three penguins and a letter tomorrow. I wanted the MLF to see in person what this was all about. The letter includes this web site along with The Sidney Crosby Show.....hopefully they will check it out and see all the roaming the Roamers do! This is also why it's taken me so long to make this announcement....Jodie and I wanted everything to be up and running so they could see as many of the pictures as possible.

The Original Sidney Penguin says goodbye to his friends and wishes them safe travels

I really cannot thank you all enough for everything you have contributed to this. When I first went to Jodie with the idea, I asked "do you think anyone would even want one??" And seeing how you all have embraced the "roaming" idea and taken them places and gotten their pictures absolutely brings tears to my eyes (and makes laugh, quite literally, out loud!). You guys are so creative!! I love every picture.....from them helping you study to seeing them in the hands of a real live Penguin....they just blow me away. Your patience astounds me...that you would wait MONTHS for one of these little guys is just awesome. My only regret is that I can't finish them any faster!

And, of course, my biggest THANK YOU goes to Jodie! When I presented this to her, she embraced it and gave it a home. She allowed this project to take on a life of it's own on her blog. She took the time to create posts and organize pictures, all in the middle of hockey season and her transition from one job to the next. And then helping me set up this site! This project is truly a two-woman job and this announcement would not have ever been possible without her. Cheers, Jodie! We make an AMAZING team!!

So where do we go from here? Well, orders keep coming in and we are on our way to another check to the MLF :) I've always said, I will continue making these little guys as long as people want them. Jodie and I are cooking up another idea....so stayed tuned for that! (I know....more waiting!). I still have many e-mails of Roamers yet to post, so things won't slow down around here anytime soon. And I hope they never do!

And, so, on that note, I give you the classic Roamer photo:

Sid, Flower, and Super Mario are ready to ROAM!!