With Thanksgiving coming tomorrow, I have been very busy thanking each and every flavor of Glee Gum for existing. 

Of course, I’ve also been feeling grateful for a lot of other folks. Including, but not limited to, the pals who inspire me! I’m talking about real stand-up guys, great role models for a humble mascot like myself. 

So hardy, heartfelt THANK YOUs to

- Cracker Jack
- Tony the Tiger
- Pillsbury Dough Boy
- Kool Aid Man
- Toucan Sam
- Charlie the Tuna
- Hello Kitty 
- Michelen Man
- all the Keebler Elves (hiya, fellas!)
and 
- that burly Brawny Paper Towel Man, who also inspires me to occasionally hit the gym.

Hm, whom am I leaving out? Quite a few, no doubt! Email gleeguy@gleegum.com if you can think of other proud product mascots I should thank!

In the meantime, know who else I’m thankful for? YOU! Thanks for being such faithful gum chums! And here’s wishing you and yours a happy holiday tomorrow!

… is a great woman! 

After all, John Adams had Abigail, FDR had Eleanor, and Mr. Obama has Michelle. 

And what about me? Okay, so your friendly neighborhood chewing gum mascot may not be presidential material. But the Glee Guy’s got a First Lady all right! 

Introducing (drum roll, please) the one, the only… Deborah Schimberg! She is the fearless leader of Verve, inc., the maker of Glee Gum! 

Debbie, as we Gleeful folks call her, loves to travel. On one fateful trip back in ’92, Debbie visited Northern Guatemala. It was there that she first met a few chicleros, the skilled laborers who harvest chicle from the sapodilla trees in the rainforest. She learned that chicle was once the basis for the entire chewing gum industry, but was later replaced with synthetic materials. As a result, chicle-producing communities had become economically depressed. 

Debbie hoped that by purchasing chicle and creating a chicle-based product, she could help support the sustainable harvest of chicle– which in turn helps to conserve the rainforest. So she did, starting with the Make Your Own Chewing Gum Kit and ending with a full line of Glee Gum! Yum! 

Debbie recently received recognition of her aforementioned fearless leadership from the Center for Women & Enterprise (CWE). The CWE has just certified Verve, inc. as a woman-owned business meeting the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council criteria. Woo hoo!

The CWE is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women start and grow their own businesses. To learn more about them and all the great work they do, check out their website at www.cweonline.org. 

The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) is the nation’s leading advocate of women-owned businesses as suppliers to American corporations. For more information on their mission, events, and programs, check out THEIR website at www.wbenc.org.

According to the Center for Women’s Business Research (www.nfwbo.org), women-owned businesses now make up 40% of all privately held businesses. The Center says, overall, there are 10.1 million women-owned firms employing more than 13 million people and generating $1.9 million in sales as of 2008! So the facts speak for themselves. Behind every great woman is… another great woman!

Gum chums, I’m guessing there’s a great woman (or twenty) in your lives. I recommend giving her a token of your appreciation today. And nothing shows you care more than a pack (or twenty) of delicious, delectable Glee Gum!

Hiya, friends! 
How you be? 
Me? Well, as usual, I´m full of Glee!

And this website o´ mine is full of fun facts about Glee Gum. But what about the special stuff that gives the yummy gum good chew?

GUM BASE is the part of Glee Gum – and all chewing gum – that gives it that terrific chew-y texture! 

The gum base in Glee Gum (and the Make Your Own Chewing Gum Kit) is a mix of natural rubbers (chicle!!!), waxes, and resins. When combined with sugar, syrup, and flavor, it becomes delicious, delectable chewing gum! But did you know some folks like to chew our gum base PLAIN? It´s true!

Our gum base has a subtle, woodsy taste. It has no nutritional value, can be chewed in pellet form, and makes a great carb-free snack between meals! 

Some people chew our plain gum base as a smoking cessation tool. A mouthful of gum means no room for cigarettes! Woo hoo!

Others chew plain gum base as a handy dandy way to snack without disturbing their restricted diets. For example, patients on the ketogenic diet– a diet used to aid in the treatment of childhood epilepsy– can´t eat many carbs. So some dieticians order the carb-free gum base by the pound for use at children´s hospitals, and multiple families order it for consumption at home. For more information on the ketogenic diet, check out the Epilepsy Foundation website´s explanation here. Who knew?

We even know a fella who uses plain gum base as fishing bait! Of course, being vegetarians, we can´t help feeling a bit sorry for those gummed up fishies!

Our gum base is available in 4 oz. “Refill Kits” which can be purchased directly from our website. For information on buying it by the pound, you can also contact us directly at info@gleegum.com.

Maybe you can think of other uses for this amazing stuff! Let us know if so! Until then, gum chums – cheerio!

With all the anticipation and excitement brewing in Washington, DC right now, who wouldn’t want to be there? So I am bringing some of my best gum chums and Gleeful ambassadors down this very weekend! 

We’ll celebrate all things green and spread Glee in between at the Green Festival. You should come too! 

When? 
Saturday, November 8, 2008, 10 AM – 7 PM 
Sunday, November 9, 2008, 11 AM – 6 PM 

Where? 
Washington, DC Convention Center 
801 Mount Vernon Place, NW 
Washington, DC 20001 

Why? 
The Green Festival is a joint project of Global Exchange and Co-op America, and it is sure to be a hoot ’nanny of a good time! It features over 100 scintillating speakers, 300 great green businesses, loads of cool classes, wacky workshops, fabulous food, live music, and much MORE! 

But Wait! Guess What? 
As exhibitors, we have a few complimentary Green Festival one-day passes up for grabs! If you live in the DC area and would like to attend, head to the Exhibitor Registration station located at the base of the escalators (at “East Registration” in the Convention Center). There, our first 20 guests can announce that they were invited by Verve, inc./ Glee Gum and receive a one-day pass to this fun-filled event! These 20 passes will be available on a first come, first serve basis, so hurry over if you have any hankering to attend! 

More Info? 
Check out greenfestivals.org for a full list of speakers, exhibitors, and activities. 

See you in DC! Yippee!