Irish Eye's Were Smiling in honor of Baldwin's Relay !

If all Irish eyes were smiling on St. Patrick’s Day, the eyes of many Baldwinites were also beaming as Friday, March 16th turned into the perfect day for a celebration. A dear friend of mine Nancy Deignan (who I met through Relay for Life) decided to use a fun holiday party and raise a bit of money for the American Cancer Society!

St. Patrick's Day happens to be my family's favorite holiday, so I was really excited to hear all about this event. I also love this idea because I like a good party and I love it even more when it is raising money for a great cause. 

In the invitation she told the history of Baldwin's Relay For Life, and her personal reason for commitment. The invitation went out to all of her friends and family, with an open invitation for each guest to invite other friends.
The hosts supplied the majority of food and drink.  Guests were asked to bring an appetizer and a monetary donation. In addition to their fundraising efforts, the hosts also registered participants who had not registered yet.

I found this poem by the Irish poet John O’Donohue that I thought was appropriate to both the Deignan's and all of those who give so much to beat this awful disease.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

A Blessing
May the light of your soul guide you.
May the light of your soul bless the work that you do
with the secret love and warmth of your heart.
May you see in what you do the beauty of your own soul.
May the sacredness of your work bring healing, light
and renewal to those who work with you
and to those who see and receive your work.
May your work never weary you.
May it release within you wellsprings of
refreshment, inspiration and excitement.
May you be present in what you do.
May you never become lost in bland absences.
May the day never burden.
May dawn find you awake and alert,
approaching your new day with dreams, possibilities and promises.
May evening find you gracious and fulfilled.
May you go into the night blessed, sheltered and protected.
May your soul calm, console and renew you.

Not only did the Deignan's register more Relay participants but they also raised $450, and had fun doing it !
The Deignan's are planning on hosting the party again next year, so if you missed it make sure it gets on next year's calendar.

My most rewarding fundraiser

My most rewarding fundraiser

The year was 2009 and Team Prayers for Patrick’s first year of fundraising was stellar.  We started our fundraising journey by sending out a letter with “our story” and mission to everyone and anyone that had ever crossed our paths.  Let me start by telling you my husband is often been called the Mayor-need I say more.

We had a family block party and invited the entire town and then some….and guess what they came. We had the media, fire department, local politicians and even Traders Joe's volunteer team cooking up the food they donated!  

That year our team raised almost $17,000 in 3 months!  I bet your thinking that was the most rewarding fundraiser-please read on.

The next year we had more than 50 team members.  As a team we decided that we should take a different approach.  Although all of the cotton candy and hot dogs were fun, we wanted to try a healthier approach.  We planned a large family picnic at the town park and once again engaged the community. A well known local band donated their music for the afternoon.  We had healthy raffle baskets, chiropractors, masters of reiki, a sunscreen station for the kids where they could make sun safety bracelets, and even a healthy smoothie station.  A fun day was had by all- but please keep reading.

Fast forward 2011.  A lot of my team members came to me and said that they were burnt out-they wanted to take a break. I was scared and nervous because I knew I still wanted to continue my work.

I live for my children; I do not know what I would ever do without them. Of all of my memories of Sloan Kettering that I will never forget (and believe me there are many) are the memories of the children affected by this awful disease. These children may never graduate from high school or middle school. These are children who may never walk down the aisle. Children who will never experience dorm life or working at their first job. I remember their faces well, as if they were my own children.  These kids really affected me. Cancer is not worthy of taking their lives. Together with my family I brainstormed several fundraising ideas that would affect these children directly. 

Thus "Pat’s Hats For Hope" was born.  We ordered handmade knit hats and tons of flowers in the purple Relay colors.  My daughter Lily took each flower apart, re-glued and attached to hair clips that we covered in beautiful ribbons.  We also made headbands in the same colors.  We began our sales and marketing strategy right away.  Facebook was a great tool for getting the word out.  People I knew in college, worked with 20 years ago and some I didn’t even know started inquiring.  We decided we would cover the costs to make them and 100% of the profit would go back to the American Cancer Society.  
One day a friend emailed me and said that she really wanted to donate and purchase one but  her daughter was not really into hats. She asked if there was a way to donate it to a child who was undergoing chemo.  I immediately said yes because I thought it was such a brilliant idea.  I called Sloan Kettering Children’s Cancer Center and was so excited to find out that it was possible.  We brought them everywhere we went, school, church, PTA meetings, dance class, hockey practice and you better believe my 2 daughters always had one on.  
The night of Relay  I spoke about Pat's Hats For Hope at the Survivors Dinner.  I set up a table with the hats and headbands,soon people were flooding the table.
But it went beyond Relay, we continued to sell them throughout the summer. The day I packed up all of the hats and headbands to be donated to the children was so very emotional. That year our team raised over $5,000 in hats and headbands .
You cannot put a price on the smile on a little girls face as she tries on a hat to cover her hair that no longer exists. The money raised from the sale of that hat went towards the research to destroy cancer-double whammy.

This was a fundraising experience we will never ever forget!