OUR WEB SITE HAS BEEN A WORK OF LOVE FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT FIELD. IT BEGAN WITH MY NEED TO BE HOME MORE TO CARE FOR MY MOTHER WHO IS 84 SOON TO BE 85 YEARS OLD. I HAD TO FIND A WAY TO FILL MY TIME AND PROMOTE SOME OF THE HOME-MADE ITEMS WE WERE PLANNING TO DESIGN. SINCE MY FIRST LOVE IS MUSIC, RUNNING A CLOSE SECOND IS TELEVISION WITH BOOKS AND MOVIES IN A TIE I JUST WANTED TO USE THIS FORUM TO TALK ABOUT THE DIFFERENT ARTISTS, ACTORS AND AUTHORS. WHEN THESE IDEAS STARTED COMING I WAS UNSURE WHERE THEY WOULD LEAD BUT I KNEW IT WOULD BE SOMETHING I WOULD ENJOY.
THEN I FOUND MYSELF OVERWHELMED WITH IDEAS AND GOALS BUT FIRST I NEEDED TO FIND AN OUTLET TO PRESENT. MY PARTNER FOUND "ANGELFIRE" AND WE PREPARED OUR FIRST PAGE. A DECISION WAS MADE TO DIVE INTO ALL FOUR GENRE'S WHICH AT THE TIME DID NOT SEEM SO BIG, NOW WE KNOW DIFFERENT. WE BEGAN SPREADING THE WORD THROUGH OUR FRIENDS IN HOPES TO GET A LITTLE TRAFFIC SO ON NOVEMBER 29, 2010 WE WENT LIVE. TO OUR SHOCK PEOPLE WE CLICKING AT FIRST A VERY SLOW PROCESS THEN EVERYONE WANTING MORE NEW REVIEWS, BIO'S, GRIPES AND KUDOS. THE WORD WAS GETTING OUT. THE WORK KEPT US QUITE BUSY AS WE WERE ALSO MAKING OUR SLIPPERS AND I SOON REELED IN A FRIEND WHO COULD HELP WITH THE BOOK REVIEWS. I KNEW SHE LOVED TO READ AS MUCH AS I DID AND WOULD HELP ME IN SOME OF MY COLLEGE CLASSES WITH HER WORD FLOW. READING A BOOK, ABSORBING AND BREAKING IT DOWN TO SEVERAL PARAGRAPHS WITH AN ADDED OPINION FINISHING IT OFF TAKES TIME.
AS MONTHS WENT BY WE FOUND OURSELVES BEING ASKED TO WORK WITH CHARITIES AND IT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN A BETTER AVENUE FOR OUR PROMOTION. HAVING SAID THAT I PERSONALLY HAVE CONTRIBUTED THROUGH DOLLARS AND PHYSICAL LABOR TO VOLUNTEER MY TIME FOR AS MANY AS I COULD IN THE PAST. ULTIMATELY, WE BEGAN WORKING EVEN HARDER TO BUILD SO IN TURN WE COULD HELP, ASSIST AND WORK WITH MANY CHARITIES. SADLY, CHARITIES IS ALSO BIG BUSINESS AND SO TIME CONSUMING THAT AFTER YEARS OF STRICT VOLUNTEER WORK, MANY HAVE HAD TO HIRE PEOPLE TO RUN THESE ORGANIZATIONS. EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS PEOPLE DO PROFIT DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF TIME AND PEOPLE IT WOULD TAKE IN A FULL VOLUNTEER LEVEL. SO OUR KNEW GOAL BECAME WANTING TO HELP THOSE WHO NEED IT IN ANY WAY WE COULD. WE WOULD OFFER OUR SLIPPERS UP FOR SALE THROUGH CHARITY EVENTS SUCH AS AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY. WE WOULD WORK WITH AGENCIES SUCH AS A MISSION OR CHURCH WHERE IF WE SOLD A PAIR WE WOULD DONATE A PAIR TO THE CHARITY.
SO WE HAVE ADDED A WAY TO PROMOTE AS WELL AS A WAY TO GIVE TO THOSE WHO NEED IT MOST. WE STILL ARE LOCATED IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK AND AS MOST KNOW EITHER FIRST HAND OR THROUGH THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OUR AREA CAN GET QUITE COLD AND THERE ARE TIMES WHEN SOME OF THE SHELTERS ARE OVERWHELMED DURING THE WINTER MONTHS. THESE SLIPPERS ARE A NECESSITY FOR THE LONG COLD WINTERS.
OUR WAY OF PROMOTION NEEDED TO EXPAND AT THIS POINT. MY PARTNER BEGAN CREATING FLYERS COLOR AND BLACK & WHITE THAT WE COULD HAND OUT, PIN UP AND DISTRIBUTE. OUR FUNDS WERE MINIMAL BUT ARE HEART WAS HUGE AND SO WE MADE OUR ROUNDS ONCE A WEEK HITTING ALL THE PLACES WE COULD THINK OF TO PROMOTE. SOME OF OUR LOCAL ESTABLISHMENTS THAT WOULD GO HAND IN HAND WITH OUR WEB SITE SUCH AS: MUSIC STORES, BOOK STORES, MOVIE THEATRE'S AND EVEN SOME OF THE TELEVISION STATIONS WOULD ALLOW US TO LEAVE OUR FLYERS. WE HAVE THROUGH THIS WEB SITE BEEN A HUGE SUPPORTER OF THE "ERIE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY" AND THE NECESSITY TO KEEP THE BOOKS AVAILABLE TO THOSE WHO MAY NOT HAVE THE FUNDS TO PURCHASE BOOKS. KEEPING THE YOUTH READING AND BUILDING THEIR MINDS IS SOMETHING WE CAN NOT TALK ENOUGH ABOUT AT RUSTYSCAGE.COM. SO IT WAS A "NO BRAINER" TO PUT OUR FLYERS UP AT THE LIBRARY LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT WESTERN NEW YORK. WE HAVE BEEN WELCOMED AT SO MANY LIBRARIES IN ERIE AND NIAGARA COUNTY AND USED IT AS A FORUM TO NOT ONLY PROMOTE OUR WEB SITE BUT GET MORE YOUNG CHILDREN WHO MAY ONLY STOP AT THE LIBRARY TO GRAB A MOVIE OR A CD TO GRAB A BOOK PUT YOUR MIND INTO A STORY THAT CAN BE MORE IN-DEPTH THAN A MOVIE. SO I WAS SHOCKED ON MAY 12th WHILE PLACING OUR FLYER ON THE COMMUNITY BOARD AND WITH FREE NEWSPAPERS THAT ONE OF THE LIBRARY WORKERS WAS USING VOLUNTEERS AND PAID EMPLOYEES TO NOT ONLY TAKE DOWN OUR FLYER BUT REMOVE OUR FLYER FROM EVERY NEWSPAPER WE HAD PLACED OUR FLYER IN. "OMG" ARE YOU KIDDING ME! SHE BASICALLY TOLD ME I COULD NOT PROMOTE MY WEB SITE WHICH IN TURNS PROMOTES LIBRARIES AND THAT THEY WERE REMOVING OUR FLYERS FROM THEIR LIBRARY. KENMORE BRANCH LIBRARY USES OUR VOLUNTEERS AND PAID EMPLOYEES TO NOT PUT BOOKS AWAY AND NOT ASSIST PATRONS BUT REMOVE OUR FLYERS FROM THROUGHOUT THE LIBRARY. NOW I MUST SAY THAT I HAVE IN THE PAST WROTE ABOUT THE GREAT ASSISTANCE I HAVE HAD AT THIS LIBRARY AND NAMED SOME OF THE GREAT PEOPLE AT THIS LIBRARY. BUT THIS WOMAN IS SOMEONE WHO I DO NOT SEE VERY OFTEN AND HAS NEVER BEEN OF ANY ASSISTANCE TO ME. SHOCKINGLY, I PUSHED FOR THESE EMPLOYEES TO GET WHAT THEY DESERVED AS FAR AS PAY AND JOB SECURITY SO THAT PATRONS WOULD NOT HAVE MORE CLOSED LIBRARIES THROUGHOUT OUR COUNTY.
WE HERE AT RUSTYSCAGE.COM ARE A PART OF THIS COMMUNITY AND FEEL OUR TAX DOLLARS SHOULD NOT BE USED IN THIS MANNER. THIS IS THE MOST APPALLING THING WE HAVE COME ACROSS SINCE WE BEGAN THIS JOURNEY. NOW WE FIND OURSELVES FAR REMOVED FROM THE LIBRARY AND NO LONGER FEEL A WELCOME PATRON. THIS WOMAN SHOULD NOT BE RECEIVING OUR TAX DOLLARS IF WE AS A COMMUNITY CAN NOT PROMOTE READING IN WESTERN NEW YORK. IF THIS WOMAN IS ALLOWED TO DIRECT VOLUNTEERS OR PAID EMPLOYEES TO USE UP THEIR TIME DOING NON LIBRARY ACTIVITIES INSTEAD OF THEIR PURPOSEFUL DUTIES THAN SHE SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO WORK FOR THE ERIC COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM. I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ADD THAT I PERSONALLY WITNESSED HER TAKE A WORKER OVER TO WHERE OUR FLYERS WERE POSITIONED AND DIRECTED HER TO REMOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE. NOW SHE NEEDS TO BE REMOVED AND SO OUR TAX DOLLARS WILL BE USED TO HELP THE PATRONS NOT WORK FOR THE FREE MAGAZINES.
WE HAVE BEEN ASKED IN THE PAST AT CERTAIN ESTABLISHMENT NOT TO PUT UP OUR FLYERS OR THAT WE COULD NOT PLACE OUR FLYERS IN THEIR BUILDINGS. WHICH WE VERY KINDLY HAVE DONE. SOMETIMES THEY WILL SAY WE CAN LEAVE POSTED BUT ONCE THEY CLEAR THE BOARD OR ALL HAVE BEEN PICKED UP WE CAN NOT REFILL WITH MORE FLYERS. THERE HAVE BEEN SOME PLACES WHO AFTER VIEWING OUR WEB SITE AND KNOW THAT WE ARE POSITIVE HAVE ASKED US BACK, ALLOWING US TO PLACE OUR FLYERS AGAIN. WE TRY TO CREATE NEW FLYERS AS OFTEN AS WE CAN SO WHEN WE RETURN TO A LOCATION WE TAKE DOWN THE OLD AND REPLACE IT WITH A NEW FLYER. WE NEVER GO WHERE WE ARE NOT WANTED BUT TO NOT ALLOW US TO PROMOTE BOOKS AND READING AT LOCAL LIBRARIES IS A SHAME.
THE EMPLOYEES WHO WE HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT IN THE PAST FROM THE KENMORE BRANCH HAVE NEVER BEEN ANYTHING BUT COURTEOUS TO US AND HAVE ALWAYS WELCOMED US WITH A GREAT SMILE. BUT THIS WOMEN IS SHAMEFUL AND SHOULD NOT BE AMONG THE OTHER GREAT PEOPLE THAT WORK AT THIS BRANCH. WE SALUTE THOSE WHO LOVE TO PROMOTE THE RIGHT TO READ.
