The Twelve Days of Christmas
We had our holiday wine & cheese party on Friday (a total blast, btw!) In recent years, the tradition in the days leading up to the party is to have a contest amongst several teams across campus to raise funds for the Great Plains Food Bank. This year, our little ol' campus in the middle of a corn field raised over $30,000 for our local food bank. $30,000. In less than 2 weeks. I happen to think that is pretty darn incredible! And the company I work for, regardless of what you think of our products / services / image… is an incredibly generous and community-minded company. For every dollar we raise, for any 501(c)3 charity, they match it = dollar for dollar. That means the GP Food Bank now has $60,000 which can help feed who knows how many families who are going through a difficult time in their life. Amazing!
And although my personal contribution may have been relatively small, when combined with all my colleagues and friends, it added up to something very big. Which made me realize:
It doesn't have to be much.
It doesn't have to be far-reaching.
It just has to be something.
So I decided to try a little fundraising of my own. Each day for the 12 Days of Christmas, I'm going to post a brief blog about the charity I choose to contribute to that day -- what it means to me and why you might consider giving to the cause as well. But please don't think you have to give to my causes… these are charities which support causes that are important to me. What I would LOVE to see is for you to give, if you can, to someone who has less than you do - support a cause that you believe in. There are thousands of wonderful charities out there! Cuz heck, if even 10 of my readers give $1, $10 toward a charity is better than a kick in the pants, right?
And I do this because I have a LOT to be thankful for…
A lot.
So I think it's appropriate that at Christmas, the season of giving, I try to give back a little. I may not be a big celebrity, I'm no hero, I certainly don't make the big bucks, and I don't know much of anything about anything. But I do know this: a little can go a really long way. So help me out if you can! But if you can't - pay it foward any other way you can!
*ahem* [sings, at the top of her lungs, and with flair, jazz hands & all]
"On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..."
TWELVE DRUMMERS DRUMMING
Everyone who knows my little Bam Bam knows how much he loves making noise. He loves playing my pots & pans with a spoon, and his favorite toy is the drum and shaker set he got for his first birthday. He beams with pride when he plays them and waits anxiously for us to applaud his, uh, "music". Such a little character. He fills our house with joy and giggles and keeps us on our toes with his destructive typical-toddler-boy behavior!! He has come a long way from that very sick little boy who spent the first 17 days of his life in the NICU.
Thanks to the March of Dimes and the research that they have spearheaded and funded, doctors and hospitals have come so far with medical advancements concerning preemies and newborns with health issues. Besides that, their NICU Family Support staff was incredible - they helped bring me through an extremely difficult and stressful time, because like any Mommy would, I struggled seeing my helpless tiny little newborn have to fight so hard. I am still in awe of the work the amazing doctors and nurses did during Noah's stay, I will never forget what they did for him and for our entire family. Today we have a perfectly healthy (no kidding, the kid is rarely sick - he just had his first dose of antibiotics 2 weeks ago, and he's 20 months old!) and smart and funny and loud and wonderful little boy who loves books and kitties and puppies and dirt and gives the BEST hugs and "hi- pive" (hi-fives).
So in honor of my little drummer boy, my 12th Day of Christmas charity is:
March of Dimes, North Dakota Chapter
Click here to donate to this cause:
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