Day 37: Help Kimiko!

Hi there it's Olivia!
There is a student here on campus with a family friend with neuroblastoma (NB), a form of cancer. Her name is Kimiko (Kimi) and she is five years old.
After doing some reasearch on NB, I found that it is a common  childhood cancer, but it is still very rare (about 600 cases/year in the US). NB develops from the tissues that form the sympathetic nervous system (the part of the nervous system that controls body functions, such as heart rate blood pressure, and digestion). 
Kimi was diagnosed with Stage 4 NB in September. She is undergoing six rounds of chemotherapy in total, but on Monday she is having a stem cell transplant. This is a very painful and dangerous procedure, especially for children. The student on campus was having a "Get Well Card for Kimi" get together on Sunday, but I decided to make my card for Kimi today! I found out about this event through Facebook, and about 75 Loyola students said they would stop by. But since the event will be outside, hopefully even more people will take a minute and make a card for Kimi!
To learn more about Kimi and NB, visit http://www.helpkimiko.org/ where you can also give donations.
Help Kimi beat cancer!

Day 36: Parent Infant Center

I was walking back from the gym today and saw about 10 adorable little kids running up to me asking me to buy their "plants for sale!" Having no money, I told them I would come back later. They were still hard at work a half hour later when I returned, still with the same enthusiasm they had when I had seen them earlier. They were members of the Parent Infant Center of Philadelphia, selling flowers and herbs for their scholarship fund. This organization is a day care for the children of Philadelphia. Children from all backgrounds and economic status are welcome. The money they were raising today was specifically set aside to their scholarship fund. I asked the little boy if he would sell me his flower (in his homemade painted pot!) and he got even more excited when I asked him to be in a picture with me. Now I am studying in the library and carrying around a little potted flower. I will probably give it to one of my academic advisors!

http://www.parentinfantcenter.org/

Day 35: Another routine Bristol Lodge Day

On the 4th Thursday of each month, about 25 volunteers from St. Jude Parish, make dinner for about 60 homeless men and women at Bristol Lodge in Waltham. http://www.mhsainc.org/soup.htm
The dinner is the same every month and consists of 4 items----meat loaf, au gratin potatoes, any vegetable and any dessert--fruit, squares or cookies. We are divided into 4 groups and rotate each month to a different food group and we are asked to make enough for 15 people no matter what we are to bring. Some people drop off their donation at the home of the lady in charge and others drop off theirs at the Immanual United Methodist Church where dinner is served. Still others have us pick up theirs and take on to the church. Some of the "street people" come out to help us unload the car which is about 15 boxes of food. There is a coordinator from Bristol Lodge who oversees the serving of the food by a few of our group and their children . It is heartwarming to see the young people helping out. The people at St. Jude's of whom I am happy to be one, have been participating in this work of mercy, "feeding the hungry" for over 32 years . May it continue for 32 more!

Day 34: Donating Blood

Paul here.  I've been meaning to give blood for at least a decade, so I thought this Service Challenge was just the motivation I needed.  After seeing Buppa give what probably adds up to many gallons over the years, I am long overdue.  Unlike some people in my family (Hi Olivia) I have never had a problem being poked for blood.  I guess my veins are easy to find.  As I've driven past countless blood drives over the years, it never seemed to be the right time, and when it was the right time, I could never find a nearby facility.  However, I just discovered it is so simple.  Just go to  http://www.redcrossblood.org/  and click on Donating blood, then click on "schedule an appointment".  You put in your zip code and all the blood drives in your area pop up.  

Who knew?

It took about an hour, most of which was taken up with a screening process that asks you all kinds of  interesting questions.  Everyone was very nice and you get free crackers and apple juice.  All you want!

I won't wait so long next time.

Day 33: Donating Leotards

It is Sophia here. Today I decided to donate the leotards that I have outgrown to my gymnastic's club. There are a lot of children that are smaller than me and would probably love to get a new leotard in perfectly good condition. I know I do! I have gotten hand-me-down leotards in the past and it is much appreciated. It is always fun to recieve and wear a new leotard.....since you need one 4 days a week at the gym!

Day 32: Box Tops for Education

Hi it is Sophia. For the past months, we have been collecting "box tops" to give to my school. http://www.boxtops4education.com/  Today I brought them into school.

Box tops are little cut-out coupons that are found on many household grocery packages. (i.e. Kleenex, Juicy Juice, Betty Crocker, Hefty) The box top foundation has distributed $49 million to their contributing schools. It only takes a little time to cut out that coupon that could really help a school!

Day 31: Happy Birthday Aunt Rita!

 Today is a beautiful day.  It is the Passover season, it is Easter Sunday, and today is also the 29th birthday of our dear Aunt Rita!!  

We would like to honor her birthday with a contribution to the fund established in Uncle's Eddie's name at Temple Beth El in Portland. 
http://www.tbemaine.org/

We love you Aunt Rita; we miss you Uncle Eddie

Day 30: Patriots Hall of Fame

 Jacob was with us for a short time while Michael and Dale took Sarah to tour Tufts.  (Abigail stayed in Bethesda for a crew event.)  Uncle Jim and Uncle Paul used Jacob's presence as a great excuse to go to the Patriots Hall of Fame.  A true paradise for a Patriots fan.  We had a great time re-living many of the glorious moments of Patriots history.

The experience provided motivation for me to make an on-line contribution to Tom Brady's favorite charity, Best Buddies(http://www.bestbuddies.org/) 

They help people with intellectual disabilities.    They sponsor a bike trip every year, and of these days I'm going to sign up for it. 

Day 29: Big Brother Big Sister Donation

Few organizations make it as easy to donate clothing and small household items as the Big Brother Big Sister Foundation.  http://www.bbbsfoundation.org/  All you have to do is schedule a "pick-up" with their offices and then leave your bag filled with donated items on the front porch.  Today was the day a BBBS truck driver was in Sherborn and we were happy to contribute to the town-wide collection.

All the Cutler's are especially interested in this deserving charity as we have two member's of our extended family who have been highly involved with this organization:  Aunt Meredith has served as a Big Sister in the Boston program; Aunt Debbie has served as a BBBS Board Member in California, where she and cousin Rachel have done a lot of fundraising for the organization.  We applaud, and respect, their commitment and dedication to this amazing service/mentoring group.

Day 28: Dessert for the Sherborn Council On Aging

It's Thursday again already, and once again, I was able to make a dessert (coffee cake) to contribute to the weekly drop-in luncheon for the local seniors.  And once again, they were extraordinarily gracious and appreciative.  Such a sweet group of people who make me smile....  Maybe someday I'll ask them if I can take a picture!!
Patricia

Day 27: Communion Visit to Shutins

Every 2-3 weeks, I visit 3 persons in the St. Jude Parish and bring them Holy Communion. These people are homebound ( as the title suggests) due to illness for short term or long term. I have 3 ladies and each of them is always delighted to have me come and love to chat about what is going on in the parish. Today, I only had 2 as one had a medical appointment. Since it is a few days before Easter, I brought them each a tulip. They were delighted and each though in different houses said the same thing--"a sign of Spring--if it ever gets here!" Eucharistic Ministers (of which I am one) have a special container in which to carry the hosts called a pyx. We have a book and say certain prayers from the Communion part of the Mass and give them the host--just like at Mass. We usually have a "chat" for a half hour or so and then I am off to the next. Each of them appreciates being connected to their church and I am filled with satisfaction knowing I have kept them close to their God and their church.One of them had a bunch of mail to go out, so I said I would take them. Buppa went off to the mail box, so he did an act of kindness too.

Day 26: Clothes for St. Vincent de Paul

Hello it is Sophia. I just got back from donating our old clothes the St. Vincent de Paul organization. The SVDP (St. Vincent de Paul) is an organization that give person-to-person service for those in need. The members are called "Vincentians" and they believe that their gifts (time, talent, or treasure) can be shared to help others. The Vincentians are young, old, and any shade of skin color. Now-a-day, some 12 million people are helped anually by the Vincentians in the United States. I donated a mostly filled bag of clothes that went into a collection box in front of a store. This is one of many causes that we donate our old items to. To learn more about this organization, go to http://www.svdpusa.org/

Day 25: Supporting the The Boston Marathon!

Three cheers for the runners!!


It's great to live in Boston on Marathon Monday.
It was a gorgeous day for the event, and Sophia and I made our familiar trip to Natick Center to cheer on the runners.  We had helped sponsor one of the runnner's who was raising money in her niece's name to fight childhood cancer.  It's always so inspiring to see how many runners are wearing shirts that are part of a team with a cause.  We saw loads of people running for Dana Faber, Children's Hospital, Mass Eye & Ear and BC Campus School. 


Sophia's good friend Ali had brought all kinds of cut fruit to offer nourishment to support the runners, so we all had a good time...and a lot of laughs...trying for successful "hand-offs" when the runners would grab for the oranges and strawberries!

It's so much fun to be part of such a great Boston.

 

Day 24 -- Walk For Hunger; Past and Present

This morning at the end of Mass, the CCD director spoke to us about a group of 9th and 10th grade students from St. Jude's who were forming a group to do the Walk for Hunger on May 1st. They were looking for people to join the group if they wished, prayers for good weather as it takes place "rain or shine" and/or donations. We contributed to the "donations" as it brought back memories of May 1, 1992, when Philip and I did this 20 mile walk!! When I mentioned this to Patricia wondering if the blog was already taken for today, she left a phone message saying it would be great. Followed it up by "didn't you guys do this once as I seem to remember the sticker on the dishwasher!!" God bless her memory---and she was correct. We got a mug which we still have as shown , but the sticker went off to the dump when we got a new dishwasher!!

For more information, the official website for Project Bread Walk for Hunger 2011 is http://www.projectbread.org/

Day 23: Bottle Return for the Lions Club

Hi it is Sophia! Today I returned empty glass bottles at the transfer station in our town. These bottles are soon collected by members of The Lions Club who return them to the stores for the deposit money.  I researched about the Lion's Club (http://www.lionsclub.org/) and learned that they are the largest service club organization that is involved in 206 countries or geograpic areas. It was founded in 1917 and is best known for fighting blindness but they also take care of the envirorment, feed the hungry, and aid seniors. I've seen a lot of bottles at the stations and I bet the Lions Club gets a lot of profits.

Day 22: BYOBags for Children's Hospital

 I love grocery shopping at Roche Bros in Natick. (http://www.rochebros.com/) As a company, I think they are totally top notch as they support so many important causes, both locally and nationally.  One especially commendable incentive program they offer to customers is that if you bring your own bags, you receive a 5 cent rebate per bag.  And then you have the option to put the rebate towards your grocery bill, or to allow Roche Bros to immediately donate that rebate money to Children's Hospital. Well... that's a no-brainer!!  Everytime Paul or I shop at Roche Bros, we always bring our own bags...even if it means we have to go back to the car and grab them because we forgot to bring them in the store with us!     Today was no different, and my 10 bags gave a whopping 50 cents to Children's Hospital...but if everyone who shops there is doing this same thing on a regular basis,  well, I believe that perhaps the hospital is getting a significant donation.  And they sure do deserve every bit of funding that comes their way.  Our family is close to Children's because my awesome niece Brittany trained as a nurse there while she lived in Boston.  She welcomed us to visit when the twins were looking to donate the left over scarvesfrom their "Stitch Away Sickness" business after they reached their goal of raising $10,000 for the American Cancer Society.  Brittany gave us a tour of the pediatric oncology floor, introduced us to some of her brave patients battling cancer, and showed us the "Resource Room" where we could leave the scarves for children and their families to drop by and take one.  It was a very moving experience for all...especially Bianca as she refers to that event as a "defining moment" in her decision to pursue a career in Nursing..... and I think of it everytime I shop at Roche Bros. 

Day 21: Supporting Golden Friends Through Golden Years

Our weekly (almost) visits to/with Bob and Nancy Spinney have certainly been an eye-opener to us regarding the fragility of life. Bob and Nancy and family are friends from "way back" and they have attended the weddings of Patricia, Marie and Tim. They had just gone to Florida last October when Bob became disoriented and diagnosed with brain tumor. Nancy is afflicted with a form of Parkinson's disease. When Bob was in Rehab, we took Nancy to visit him and now he is in a nursing home and Nancy is in the Assisted Living place attached to the nursing home. We go around the time Nancy visits him. Bob always brightens up when we come.  We always bring him cookies, brownies etc as he has a sweet tooth and he does appreciate them. Nancy always reminds him "he has to share!"

When we walk out after the visit, we talk about how fortunate we are to have our health and each other and are able to do this "work of mercy" to others.    Nana and Buppa

Day 20: FOP Research

Hi everyone,

As a kickoff for Spring Fling Week at UPenn, a concert is being hosted downtown by one of the fraternities on campus. Many fraternities and sororities on campus hold events like this to raise money for various charities. Tonight, all of the concert proceeds are being donated to FOP research. FOP (short for Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva), is a rare genetic disease in which bones start to form in muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the body (clearly places where they do not belong!) When these bone fragments start to develop and connect with each other, it not only restricts movement but also turns the organs in which they are growing into bones themselves and traps the body inside a second skeleton. Most affected individuals die before they reach age thirty. The condition is very rare yet devastating disease. Interestingly enough, the School of Medicine at UPenn is the only lab in the United States that dedicates to FOP research. Before buying my concert ticket I had no idea what FOP was or that it even existed. After researching online however, I realize how important it is to spread awareness about this disease. I was so surprised to find that UPenn was home to the only lab that dedicates research to this condition.

Below is a link to the official FOP website. Given Penn's student body, I am sure that at least a few thousand dollars will be raised in ticket sales tonight!

Cheers,

Bianca

http://www.ifopa.org/

Day 19: Make A Wish

Hello!

Unfortunately, I was supposed to go to a meeting today to prepare for the Special Olympics swim meet on Sunday, but the event ended up getting cancelled because there weren't enough participants.

However, knowing I was in charge of the blog today, I looked at my email and the Make A Wish club I belong to needed volunteers to work the bake sale table today.
(The Make a Wish Foundation , http://www.makeawish.org/ , fundraises money for children with cancer to have a "wish" granted to them, whether its to meet a celebrity, go to Disney, or travel somewhere in the world.) There was a car wash last sunday (that I was unable to participate in), but there were baked goods sold there and there were so many treats left over that the club officers decided to have another bake sale. I quickly responded to the email saying that I'd man the table from 6-7.

The treats were brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and cupcakes. Luckily since this time period is when there are a lot of students in the main dining hall, there were many people that I could try to convince to buy a treat. I ended up selling 3 brownies, 2 cookies, and 2 cupcakes. It amounted to $12. Not too much money, but it's something! I was lucky that sometimes groups of kids came over, so I didnt have to worry about individual people coming over and only buying one treat at a time. I also called people over that I knew, and they often bought a small treat and wanted to support the foundation.

-Olivia

Day 18: Jump For Heart

  Every year, the Pine Hill Elementary School students participate in the Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser. For the past week I have been collecting donations for the American Heart Association. I wanted to be apart of this project because my close neighbor, Al, died of heart failure. He is in the picture with Olivia.  This is Al helping Olivia with a history project. He was a WWII veteran.  I remember playing with his dog Kona and trying to teach her tricks. He was a very generous and kind neighbor.                       

I turned in my $42 during gym class ($5 of my own) this afternoon. In gym class, there were 5 jump rope stations with  parent volunteers (my mother was one of them) with different  activities. Our class was put into groups and we rotated through the stations. My favorite station was the long-turning rope. You could've tried to dribble, pass, or shoot with a basketball while jumping rope. My friend who plays basketball was jumping facing away from the net took a shot and made it without looking while he was jumping. He is a very good player. There was a poster that everyone signed their name. www.americanheart.org/jump

Day 17: Special Olympics

Paul here. Today was a very challenging/rewarding day.  It started out in Hyannis, where we spent last night on the Cape so we could get to Sophia's final Mass. State Gymnastics Meet at Nauset Regional High School at 8:00 AM.  Sophia has been working hard all year for this final meet, but last Tuesday stubbed her pinkie toe (and re-injured it on Thursday) so her attendance and performance was in serious jeopardy.  Thanks to ice, rest, elevation and ibuprofen (and Sophia's competitive spirit) she performed beautifully.  Although not at her best, she gutted out some great routines and came away with some awards her age group.  AT THE STATES!  Mom, Dad, Olivia, and Bianca are very proud.

As these events take many (many) hours, we had to rush back to make my weekly 3:30 practice for the Wellesley Stars Special Olympics Swim team.  I made it just in time.  How ironic that I just left some of the states' finest young athletes to work with this group of Special Olympians. 
It turns out I was in for quite a practice.  I usually coach my lane with another coach or high school volunteer, but today I was by myself.  Not a big deal but it also happened that all my swimmers showed up, so I had 7 people by myself.  Also not a big deal, but with a meet coming up, each one has a specfic stroke (or strokes) they need to work on for their event.  Put it all together, and it was a wild hour and fifteen minutes.  Fortunately, for some unknown reason, the head coach assigned some of the most capable swimmers to my lane.  For the most part, these kids work as hard as any I have ever worked with.  The challenge has been for me to understand how to get the best response out of each athlete.  Today, I made a breakthough with one kid, who seems to try, but I never got the normal clues that he was paying attention.  Most of my instruction is directed to the group, and he just did not seem to "get it".  It turns out that after giving instructions to the group, if I say his name, and repeat the instructions, he joins in with great effort. 
In the end, it was one of my most satisfying practices.  I just hope that the people I am coaching are getting nearly as much out of the experience as I am.                http://www.specialolympics.org/

Day 16: Relay for Life and Children's Festival/UPenn

Hi everyone!

Got back at 4am last night from the Relay for Life. The night ended a little early. Only the strongest few stayed until 8am! The event was great. I got there around 6pm to help set up the survivorship dinner.

This is a picture of the survivors eating in the private room. We had

it catered by a local Italian restaurant. The head chef's granddaughter was diagnosed with cancer when she was 7, so he was more than happy to donate not only to the survivorship dinner but to the entire event. This is a picture of me with Brian, a sophomore at UPenn who was diagnosed with cancer as a senior in highs school. He is now in remission.

We gave all of our survivors a sash and a purple shirt to wear as they took the first lap around the track (the gym, since we were rained out). Many of the survivors were quite young; some penn students even. I had no idea! We also had many student groups perform, including dance groups, stand up comedians, and a cappella groups.

Here is a picture of one of the east- asian dance teams performing. I had been to one of their performances before...they are very talented.

I also helped set up the luminaria ceremony that I mentioned in the last post. As various survivors were making their speeches and telling their stories, we lit up and spread out the luminaria bags to spell "HOPE." When the final survivor finished speaking,

everyone took a lap in remembrance of those who have been lost to cancer (while a slideshow was playing...both Auntie Ree and Papa's pictures were projected). During this time we rearranged the letters to say "CURE." It looked very cool. I hope you can see it in this picture... I had a friend take the picture on his phone because I was up there with the bags!

Here are a few picture of my team:

My friend Ibs and I having fun

More members of my team: Caroline, Jessie, Cole, and Lina

http://www.relayforlife.org/

Also, as a bonus to my relay service, I attended a Children's Festival this morning. After getting home at 4, I woke up around 8 to go meet my scholarship donors at the nursing school. I came back home to sleep and woke up at 1:30 to a text from my friend Ibs telling me to come to this Children's festival on campus. He had apparently showed up to volunteer and I ended up going to see what it was about and working an arts and crafts table for a half hour or so. It was so cute to see all the kids!!

Enjoy the weekend!

Bianca

Day 15: Committee Member for Relay For Life/UPenn

Hey Everyone,

Bianca here. I am posting my Volunteer Committee work today and my Relay For Life event experience tomorrow as both Friday and Saturday are all about RFL for me. 
Unfortunately our Relay for Life event must be held indoors this year because of the weather. This afternoon, I am in charge of helping to set up the Luminaria Ceremony. Each Luminaria bag represents someone who has suffered from cancer. A lot of people bought a bag and wrote the name of a loved one on the front. At the beginning of the ceremony, we will line up all the bags to spell "HOPE" on the bleachers. After the Survivor Lap, we will change the letters to spell "CURE." The whole thing is really cool because it is all done in the dark, with only the glowing candles in the bag for light. It's a little difficult to visualize but a picture will follow on tomorrow's blog.  My Committee Member commitments also include helping out at the registration booth, and after that, helping with the Survivorship Ceremony. This means that I will be dining will all of the cancer survivors attending the event. I am also in charge of coordinating a Musical Chairs game (at 4a.m!) so I'm sure I will be kept quite busy the whole night. I am really excited for this event because my committee has dedicated so much time and effort into making Relay for Life happen. We have spent months fundraising and publicizing for this event and it will be so rewarding to see the results of our hard work.

There is also a slideshow that is going to be playing at some point during the night, displaying pictures of those who have lost the battle against cancer. I sent in pictures of Marie and Papa, so it will be very moving when I see them during the first lap.

Off to go prepare more, but I will punch in tomorrow and share about the night!

Bianca

Day 14: More desserts for my senior friends!

Another Thursday means another opportunity to support the Sherborn Council On Aging at their Drop-In-Luncheon for members.   Irish Soda Bread and Brownies  were today's contribution from the Cutler Kitchen.

What's especially interesting to me about volunteering with this organization is that, until now, I realize my volunteer focus has almost always been in support of youth groups....ie..school, sports, CCD, Girl Scouts...all organizations connected to my children.  Volunteering for the COA marks the first time I have reached out to senior gatherings,  who are every bit as deserving and in need of neighborhood support as our youth. And the seniors are ever so appreciative and generous with their heartfelt "thank you's".

Maybe it's my age?  But clearly, I feel tremendous joy in knowing that these senior men and women have a weekly venue to celebrate life and each other together.  coa@sherbornma.org


My on going joke with Sophia is that after we drop her off at the University of Somewhere in seven years,  I'm sure I'll then drive right to the nearest Nursing Home.  But now I'm convinced I'll stop by the COA before I sign the papers!---Patricia

Day 13: Got Books?

Hey All--
Does everyone know about this great organization? 

http://www.gotbooks.com/

They'll come to your house to pick up books, or you can place your books into one of the many donation kiosks they have  conveniently placed at so many accessible neighborhood locations. In Sherborn, it's at our local transfer station, but I read that the kiosks are also located at schools and other public areas.

We've got tons of great reads in the Cutler household that are long overdue to find new homes.  Today I was able to go through some of our all-over-the-house book collections and make the first of what I'm sure will become many more visits to the GotBooks  donation bin.  P.S.  Paul...relax... I didn't take any of YOUR old books!--Patricia

Day 12: Our Sponsored Child, Claudia

Hello, this is Sophia. Today I wrote a letter to our sponsored child in Mexico. Here is a picture of myself holding a picture of Claudia. Below is the brochure of the organization that runs the sponsorship program.  Every month we send a donation for her and I try to send her a letter.   Claudia usually writes back to me once a month too. She writes in Spanish which my sisters can read without looking at the translations but I have to read the translations.

 But... next year in middle school I must take a foreign language including Latin, French, or Spanish. I'm taking Spanish 1, because my sisters took it, and 2, because if I ever visit Claudia I can communicate with her in her native language. I think if I get the opportunity to do that it would be very cool and interesting.  http://www.hopeforafamily.org/

Day 11: Diabetes Fund Raising

Today I finished the mailing of Diabetes information to the 15 members of the neighborhood assigned to me. The reason I volunteer to do this is in memory of Allie Rinck (Buppa's deceased twin brother) who suffered with this disease for many years. He was in an automobile accident that injured his pancreas. The letters went off and hopefully the neighbors will respond. Unfortunately, the 3 organizations for which I do this are one month after the other (Feb.- Heart in memory of my Mother, March-Cancer in memory of our Marie and now Diabetes in memory of Uncle Allie) and the neighbors must be sick of me!! Oh well, all I can do is try!
http://www.diabetes.org/

Day 10: Reaching Out

Today has turned out to be a "reaching out" day for us. This morning we went to St. Patrick's Church for a memorial Mass for Dolly McCall who died about 6 weeks ago. St. Pat's was our parish for the first 10 years of our marriage and all four of our children were baptized there. We rented an apartment on Green St. when we were expecting Timmy and Dolly and her Mother were the "landladies". We have very fond memories of those years and continued the friendship every year (41 )with a Christmas visit to Dolly. During the past few years, Dolly has had a lot of health issues and we visited her more often. After Mass a few of her friends were invited to Dolly's to choose a trinket or something by which to remember Dolly. I chose a hummel. On the way out of her house, I couldn't help but think of the memories of those 10 years as it probably was the last time we would be there. Dolly didn't have any family left, but had a lot of friends of which we were very happy to be included. There were some photos there of her 80th birthday, etc . I took some of the Gallaghers and said I would send to them. Since Judy G has been ill from a serious accident, I decided to "reach out" and call her. She was happy to hear from us as was Pat. Remembering that it was Henry's Anniversary we called Nannie, but there wasn't any answer----will try again later. It is a great feeling to "reach out" to the sick and the lonely.

Day 10: A Tribute to Papa, our Volunteer Extraordinairre!!

Today is a difficult day. 

It marks the first year anniversary of the loss of our Papa, a man who truly understood the meaning of  volunteering and supporting. 

So to honor his

remarkable legacy, we (Paul, Sophia and myself) planned a trip to the Science Museum, a place that is affectionately, if not approriately, referred to as "Papa's Museum" in our family.  Perhaps there is no other place where his positive presence was felt so strongly, by so many people, for so many years.  http://www.mos.org/

We started the day by making a small donation to the Volunteer Fund in Papa's name, and then arranged tickets to see the Omni Theatre presentation of "Australia."  Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to spend all day at the museum, hence we did not get general admission passes, but we did want to go see Papa's placque while in the museum.  So I managed to privately choke out a very brief version of our true story to a nearby employee who was happy to offer us free entry to visit the wall of distinction. No matter how many times we see that placque, we still find it a truly incredible and moving experience.   Perhaps more now than ever.  Papa forever remains a role model for giving of oneself and ones talents.

 We reminisced about all the fun we've share at the museum over the years, and Sophia especially remembers riding the "exercise bike with the skeleton" that is in the Human Body Space where Papa primarily volunteered. She, and the twins, loved this part of the Museum.  Sophia loved helping Papa push the buttons that lit up to identify the organs of the body and of course, going upstairs with Papa to watch the chicks hatching. 

The Australia Show in the Omni Theatre was breathtaking.  We may have temporarily traveled to the opporsite side of the planet,...but many parts felt like we were in Florida with Papa....like watching egrets and crocodiles and thinking of what Sophia calls "Papa's Alligator Walk".  And we had a good chuckle when the Emu crossed the lands and we couldn't help but giggle thinking of them pecking soley and methodically at Papa through the car window on the Lion Country Safari ! 

Isn't it wonderful that everything/anything Papa continues to bring a smile to our face?

Day 9: Project Clean Stream

Hi!!! It's Olivia.

Today was such a great day. My friend Nicole and I participated in community service by cleaning up a stream in Baltimore called the Baltmore Harbor Shed. The event's name was Project Clean Stream. Today was a state wide clean up of these streams, located in about 50 different places throughout Maryland.
We met at the Center for Community Service and Justice (CCSJ) at Loyola around 8:30. It was drizzling in the morning, and after waiting for the vans and getting lost on the way to the stream, we finally made it there around 9:20.
We were told that there would be two groups that can switch off: canoers and shoreline helpers. Before we headed down to the water though, we learned that most of the trash we would be picking up was from trucks that have dropped garbage from 12 nearby neighborhoods traveling on its way to the trash incinerator (trash burning facility). This trash went into the drains in the streets and was spat out at this location.
Nicole and I started out in the canoes. We were given gloves to wear, along with nets to catch garbage that was floating in the water.

 On the shoreline, we were given "grabbers", rakes, shovels, and any other necessary tool to pick up trash along the sides of the stream. This is a picture of me with some of the trash the group had collected.

 To the right is a view from above the river. What this area looked like with all of the trash is similar or even less dramatic as to what the stream/shore looked like in some spots.                                




 Before and After: this is an area on the shoreline that Nicole and I cleaned up. As you can tell, we made a huge impact!
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It was so sad to notice that much of the pieces of trash we were collecting could be recylced. We saw hundreds of glass bottles, soda cans, plastic juice bottles, cardboard, paper boxes, etc. If people had just recycled these items, they wouldn't be on the shoreline and these people would be helping the environment!! One of the funny moments was when I found an office chair in the brush on the side of the stream. It was in pretty decent condition for sitting in piles of garbage for a long time, and it was heavy duty. Together, Nicole and I pulled it out and rolled it to the truck where all the fulll garbage bags were placed.

 Here is a group shot of all of the kids involved. In the background, you can see the truck filled with the trash bags. We had such a fun time, and athough it was cold, it was great that the rain held off for us. Nicole and I really want to participate in the event next year, seeing how much of a difference we made and how much fun we had.

 Well, we're about to watch a movie, so I should go!

Bye!

  

Day 9: Visit with sick at his home

Well, another visit with my neighbor who is of the age of 80+ and doesn’t get out much, except of course, to doctor appointments. He was in good form and even stayed awake for the whole visit. He speaks little or no English, but does he ever light up with a great handshake, as he answers the door. He has the after effect concerns of a stroke and of course of older age. Seeing his smile of appreciation is just great and does he ever pour a good glass of wine and loves doing so and would pour many more if I allowed it!!!! A visit I always enjoy and he likewise. His wife is there on some of my visits and today was one. -- Buppa

Day 8:Volunteering to set up for the Pine Hill Auction Fundraiser

Every other year, our local Pine Hill Elementary School organizes an auction to raise monies for enrichment programs and many other valuable resources for our children. Today I was able to assist an incredible group of YOUNG, dedicated and energetic parents as we set-up for the "Back To The Future" Auction that will take place tomorrow night.  The theme is all about the 80's...and the only thing I remember is Big Hair...and that Paul had bigger/better hair than me those days!!

Although Paul and I cannot attend the event, we are there in spirit as our family has donated a MemoryWrap quilt that we hope will bring in lots of bids.  Frankly, I feel quite old as many of the parents were talking about dressing like Madonna in the 80"s and wearing fish net hose.  I remember working at the Ritz, wearing  ugly shoulder padded jackets and being told that if I wore fish net hose I would be fired!