Special Announcement from Break the Chain Apparel

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Break the Chain Apparel's Chevelle "Faith" Project

1969 Chevrolet Chevelle

Blood Sweat and Tears Kustoms build team

Working on the frame

Doing a little welding

Getting her ready for powder coating

Welcome to the Chevelle "Faith" Build. Six  Dallas, Oregon High School students under the supervision of Bill Carter, owner of Blood Sweat and Tears Kustoms have taken on the latest Break the Chain transformation project.

This 1969 Chevelle looks like it is destined for the junk yard instead of the car show circuit, but under the watchful eye of Bill Carter these teens are going to transform this car into a fantastic machine that will speak out against social issues like Bullying, Violence and Addiction by simply showing up.

With the partnership between Break the Chain and BST Kustoms these young people will have an awesome opportunity to not only learn a trade, but also a lesson in life.

Below is the list of items that we need right away to continue the build.

Ball joints upper and lower, Brake lines, wheel cylinders, spring kits, Fuel lines, Wheel bearings, Master nut and bolt kit, Rear end assembly with rebuild kit, Sand paper grits 80, 150, 220, 320, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000,Wire wheels, Rear lower quarter panels (both sides)Body filler- fiberglass, icing, and glaze20 gauge sheet metal, Epoxy primer and High build primer.

Below is our Wish List to date:

12 bolt posi Suspension system (air management)Tubular control arms, Disc brake kit, Wheels and tires (size and style depending on suspension set up).

If you or your business would like to donate parts or financial support to the Chevelle Project please contact Bill at bstkustoms@yahoo.com

Not just skin deep but even deeper.

One of the questions I get asked frequently is, why do we include skulls and skeletons in our designs? I am sure my answer may surprise some of you. I am reminded every time I see a skeleton that we are all the same underneath. That popularity status, income bracket, what we drive, where we live, whether we are married or single, race, creed or religion doesn’t matter. The common denominator is that we are all human.

You see, what a skeleton signifies to me is that we are all equal under our skin.

Beauty is not only skin deep but even deeper. Beauty comes from within. When I look at a skull or a skeleton I am reminded that we are all human. We all arrived in this world the same way, and none of us are exempt from death. I am also reminded that we only have this life to make a difference here on earth.

The one thing that sets us apart is our choices. We can choose to be a productive member of society, or we can choose to not be.

I guess what I am trying to say is, we are more than our skin, and who we are comes from within.

Journey

 I look back at the journey over the last 5 years and stand in awe at the distance we have come.  It’s like going across country.  Some of the roads are straight up and winding while others are flat.  No matter what you are doing in your life there will always be peaks and valleys. 

Life has certainly thrown more than a few curves at us over the years but we have remained strong and committed to bringing this important message nationwide.  We have had the opportunity to work with The National Network to End Domestic Violence.  That was, and still is an exciting opportunity.   Break the Chain’s, it’s Not Love if there’s Fear t-shirt was brought out on Capitol Hill in Washington DC in April.  A portion of the sales of that t-shirt goes back to the NNEDV.  For those of you not familiar with what they do I have included a link. http://www.nnedv.org   They are an amazing group of people making a difference everyday in the fight against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.

I am also proud of the Racing to Break the Chain Team.  What a fantastic group of people they are!  Pat and Nikki James and there souped up S10 drag truck,  Kailia Walter and her  Mazda Miata, Bry Taylor with her 3:16 dirt track car, Jonathon Brown and his racing carts, and  don’t forget “Hope” our Monster display truck that once a year turns into a real monster.

2012 is going to be a great year!   We have added another addition to our Racing to Break the Chain team!  Bill Carter is the owner of BST Kustoms.  He and his crew are going to restore our 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle!  Bill has an incredible talent when it comes to paint and airbrushing!  Make sure and check out his company.   http://bstkustoms.com/index.htm  We will make sure and keep you up to date on the process with lots of pictures.  His plan is to include high school students in a one of a kind, hands on training.  We at Break the Chain Apparel are proud to list Bill and BST Kustoms as part of the team.

Together we can and will make a difference.  It is going to take all our talents and voices to bring into the light all that is broken.   We appreciate every fan, and every person wearing our gear that has spoken out by simply getting dressed the past 5 years.  We look forward to many more!

Ask and you shall receive

It started out like any other day, meetings, phone calls, and a list of things to do a mile long.  I headed out the door to attend the Santiam Referral Group meeting at De Nova Café in Sublimity. Cathy Hemshorn of Country Financial heads up the meeting and does a great job.  I had a seat and ordered lunch and listened to the guest speaker that day.  After the meeting Paula Newman and I headed over to Cathy’s office to take a look at the painting she had done.  As we were standing there I looked over and saw a closed door.  I asked Cathy what was in there, and she said, “Oh it’s an empty office with all my stuff in there.  Then she said, do you know anyone looking for a space?”  Before I could stop myself I blurted out that I would love to have a Break the Chain storefront but that the timing wasn’t right.  She looked at me and said, it’s yours we’ll figure it out together!  Paula and I walked into the room; it was small about the size of a small bedroom.  I told Paula I could bring my desk in and file cabinets and we would use it as an office.  About that time Cathy walked up and said, “What are you doing in my file room?”  I said, isn’t this the space, and she said no silly it’s over here.  She opened the door and I literally fell to the ground.  Paula looked at Cathy and said, “I’ve never seen her have this kind of reaction before!”  I cried and looked around at the space.  It was exactly what we needed to start out.  Cathy had been storing her things in the space as she had just moved into a smaller home and didn’t know what to do with it all.  She said she didn’t have a truck or anything to move it.  I laughed and said oh I have a truck and a 16’ ft cargo trailer!  I called the fire dept and talked to the chief who is a friend of both Cathy and me.   He brought over all his reserves.  We had that place empty and all her belongings to her new home and put away in 3 hours!  We had received the space on Thursday October 13 and this was Friday.  Cathy was amazed that we got it done so quickly!  We began to see the importance of asking for help.  She had an empty office space, and we had a truck and trailer.

The next day was Saturday and my friend Linda emailed me to let me know that her parents Bridal Store was going out of business, and did I need any items for the new store!  Wow we went and picked up everything we needed.  The next day Cathy and I were standing in the store, she said you should paint the walls and do what you want with the floor.  We stood together for a long time, then walked down to the hardware store together and picked out the paint.  I decided to tear out the carpet and Mike and Steff our dear friends who own a flooring company came over and sanded and put a coating on the floor to make it look like a garage floor.  It is beautiful.  Of course none of this would have been completed without the help of my super hero husband Jim.  Then we painted shelves hung clothing and finally opened our doors on October 31 2011. We had lots of help getting it all together and it has been a great journey. 

We are having our Grand Opening on December 2, 2011. Our hours that day are from 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.  The address of the store is 102 S Center Street Ste B Sublimity, Or.   We will have most of our Racing to Break the Chain team at the store to sign autographs and show off their race cars and trucks.  Even “Hope” the Monster display truck will be there!  If you are in the area we would love to have you come by and say hi!  There are a lot more adventures that have taken place at our storefront, but I will save them for another day.  I guess the most important message I can give you is never give up, never underestimate the power of prayer, and don’t forget to ask for help, because you never know who may need something you have, and vise versa.

Weeding lifes garden

When I woke up this morning and heard the weather report for the next week, I decided I

needed to get out and weed our garden. It was completely over taken with weeds and I

could barely tell the difference between what were weeds and what were plants. The task

seemed as if it would be endless, but as I got going I realized that it wasn’t as difficult as

I thought it would be. As I worked, I also came to the conclusion that if I had taken the

time throughout the summer to weed a little here and there, I would not be in this

situation to begin with!

Slowly I pulled and yanked and dug out the weeds that were smothering my bounty. Our

tomatoes were small and withered, along with the giant zucchini we had which were

unable to be seen due to the weed growth. It became apparent to me that our lives are

similar to our gardens. Relationships get tangled with problems that are left to fester and

grow until they all but choke them out. Life’s weeds are what we need to get rid of.

I have been blessed with a wonderful husband, and I am grateful everyday that we found

each other. We have a great relationship but we still have to pull weeds in order to

maintain our closeness. I want you to ask yourself what weeds need to be pulled in your

garden of life? Are you spending too much time on the computer instead of talking with

your spouse or children? Are you spending money unnecessarily just because buying

something new gives you comfort? Are you eating or drinking too much? Are you being

respectful of your spouse, children, friends or coworkers and listening instead of arguing?

Are you dealing with an anger problem that is escalating out of control? Are you taking

your weeds to work and school and letting them take over there to?

Take the time to sit down and write what weeds are in your garden of life and take the

time to work on getting rid of the excess baggage in order to live weed free!

As I finished the garden and looked back over all I had gotten rid of, I realized that I too

need to weed my own personal garden of life weekly instead of letting it grow out of

control. Once it grows out of control there is nothing left to do but till it up and start over!

If you have taken the time to plant it, take time to weed it so it can turn into the bounty

you expect it to be.

Beyond the limits

Is it possible to dream past our own human limits?  I say yes.  What is the definition of limit? According to the free dictionary it is,The point, edge, or line beyond which something cannot or may not proceed.  We are given choices everyday regarding limits.  When you go through a drive thru window you are asked if you want “Fries with that” or if you would like to upgrade to a larger size.  We know our limits with food, and seem to have no problem reaching past the full limit.  What would it be like to Super Size our dream limits?  Imagine envisioning your dream, and actually achieving more than what you thought possible!   

As many of you know might not know, actually having a monster truck has been my dream for many years.  I couldn’t  have known that the road I was on back then would lead me to where I am today.  Back in the early 90’s when “No Violence” was making its mark, I was sure we would have a monster truck.  We had our stickers on the Grave Digger and many other trucks that were running the circuit back in the mid nineties.  It wasn’t meant to be. 

Fast forward to 2009 as my friend Becky and I walked lap after lap at the Stayton Relay for Life.  We began to create a Monster truck t-shirt just in time for the Sublimity Harvest Festival.   We imagined that it would crush domestic violence, child abuse, addiction, and other social issues.  We laughed as the concept began to take form in our minds, and we continued to build on the dream. 

After the event I sent the idea to our design team, and they immediately called with questions about just how we thought this “t-shirt” should look.  I remember saying, “the truck is black”, and John saying, “No we need to make it green”.    As I look back I can still remember the looks on the designer’s faces as I began to explain exactly what I wanted the shirts to look like.  What is even more amazing is that we have been able to accomplish most of what we printed on that t-shirt.

On September 9 2011 our very first Break the Chain monster truck hit the dirt at the Sublimity Harvest Festival.  I got to watch it fly through the air and listen to the crowd roar with excitement!  Daron Basl our Break the Chain Monster driver walked away with the trophy for the evening.  Then came Saturday night and Daron hit a double to take home trophy number 2!  Sunday came and the Monster trucks crushed domestic violence, child abuse, child abduction,addiction, and many other issues were written on the cars.  It was the first annual Cause Day at the Sublimity Harvest Festival.  Daron drove our Break the Chain Monster and won the Championship!  You see, it did exactly what Becky and I had envisioned 3 years before.   
By the grace of God miracles happen every day.  We would like to thank the following people and businesses for making our dream a reality.  Daron Basl, Aaron Basl, Gary Basl, David Smith, Cascade Floors, Beyond Auto Repair, Stayton Tire, Service Graphics, CCC Inc, Santiam Towing and Recovery, Sublimity Insurance, D&W Automotive, De Nova Coffee, 1430 KYKN Radio, Withnell Motor Company, Stayton Auto Wreckers, B&B Auto Supply, Jim Burns, Brandon Hamilton, Matt Hays, Kris Stewart, Tom Ptacek, Neal Schumacher, Logan Nelson, Mike Klein, Ben Miley, our Sublimity Harvest Festival family and most importantly God for teaching me to dream beyond my limits. 

I know this isn’t’ the end of the dream but just the beginning.  I know that much bigger things are yet to come.  I dare you to dream beyond your limits.  To envision and follow the path that is waiting for you.  It definitely takes strength, faith, and love to push past the limits. There will be days when you think you just can’t take one more step, and others that you are on top of the world.   Like Jesus said, “It won’t be easy, but it’ll be worth it”.