You know them. The t-shirts with the stick figure art and simple message. Life is Good, founded in 1994 by brothers Bert and John Jacobs is based in Boston, marketing everything from apparel to dog dishes to furniture, but its chief product is optimism.

Starting with $78 and an idea that life is basically good, why not celebrate its goodness, has grown to employ 206 optimists and rakes in $80 million in joyful dollars.

Life is Good opened a store in my town this month. Like any new business they wrote a press release and submitted it to the obvious choices. They had a ribbon cutting and when the first day was done, the shelves were almost bare and they'd drawn customers from all over NE Ohio and even out of state shoppers!

Two weeks after opening (this past Sunday) they hosted a Pumpkin Festival - entertainment and fun for family members of all ages. They already have two more events scheduled for this year.

The day was perfect for a pumpkin festival with pumpkin decorating, face painting, hay rides and a raffle for a free i-Pod. The local jazz band performed and families gathered together on the village green to enjoy a beautiful day, socializing and all the proceeds went to HomeAid. LIFE IS GOOD.

The national beneficiary of these 2007 Life is good Pumpkin Festivals is HomeAid, a leading provider of housing for today's temporarily homeless. In addition, each of the communities holding festivals selected a local charity serving children in need to benefit from the event.

Our thanks go out to more than 1,100 heroic volunteers, the generous folks who attended the Festivals or bought a Pumpkin tee to help the cause, our supportive sponsors, and all the fine communities who joined hands with Jake this year. Together you've made a HUGE difference in the lives of countless children across the country.

What an AMAZING entry into the community. In two weeks they have established themselves as a great place to shop that immediately gives back to the community both monetarily and by offering fun for the family.

Tip of the hat to Life is Good founders Bert and John and their approach to business!

Deborah Chaddock Brown
Writer