Giving

Yesterday was one of my most favorite days of the year.  As a Board member of a family Foundation, yesterday was the day we meet every year to....play Santa.... and give away $$$ to charities.  As a Foundation, we are required to give away a certain amount yearly and every member has their baby.  The neat thing is, we are all very respectful of each other and are 100% open to change.  Some long standing recipients got the boot yesterday, and on came two new ones.  Some charities really work hard for a donation and others have gotten a tad bit lazy.  Let me just say that my baby, The Big P,(Parkland) is NOT one of the lazies, and was given a very generous amount yesterday.  I am most grateful for that and know that while the same thing won't necessarily happen every year, I'm sure grateful for everyone's willingness yesterday.  Letters and checks will be mailed out shortly but I was so excited yesterday, I called my Parkland contact and told her, the minute the meeting was over.  She was on my front porch later that afternoon with a little goodie (yum sugar cookies) and a thank you note from The Parkland Foundation.  She and I talk quarterly, and she invites Fred and I to lunch several times a year to hear the most current scoopage on Parkland.  She is now a friend-- and a real delight to know. 

(Pictured above is just one of the reasons I am passionate about The P.  It's the remains of Brian's motorcycle jacket and helmet, post crash.  Everything else was cut off of him, and I later gave it to him in their paper sack, as a "momento".  Boy, when someplace saves your son's life, there's no limit to your gratitude.)

Let me just say that my Christmas is done, baby.  Getting to make that call was it.  I don't need another thing.  My contact did tell me this, which I found especially gratifying.  She said that this city really does care and stand behind Parkland, and if you need a sign of that, get a load of this.  She said in the last three days, over a half of a million dollars has rolled in the door--totally unsolicited--in big donations that were totally unexpected.  Well, hello, generous people of Dallas.  We are about to welcome the most cutting edge, state of the art hospital to our city, made possible by the people of Dallas, for the people of Dallas.  Parkland is no longer "the pits" and the hospital for the scrunge.  Yes, it's in transition with it's new leadership, but hold on tight.  When they are finished building the new one, it's gonna rock your clock, Mary.

I won't go into the list of who got what, but I will say the North Texas Food Bank also got a nice chunk of change to fill up their shelves, and hungry tummies.  Man, oh, man......giving just feels so good.  It's going to be a great Christmas.