Well, one of the "biggies" that preoccupied my time and mental energy was this fundraiser for Legacy Park in Ruston, LA.
A parent of one of the kids I treat at my office had the brainchild that Ruston needed an all inclusiuve, handicapped accessible park for ALL kids to play in. (ended with a preposition. I know!)Similar to our Shake 4 Jake, there was a silent auction, a live auction, and my deal was similar to a "raise the paddle" event.
More on that later.
More on that later. The above Drew Brees autographed jersey brought $5400!!
ANd a Roger Staubach Hall of Fame autographed helmet brought a pretty penny too!
The decorations were so cute! Very pertinent to the event. Kids!
And the event was set in the most beautiful setting! Squire Creek Country Club in Choudrant, LA.
See how beautiful our part of the country is?! 
ANd such a nice fellow and family owns this gorgeous place.
I don't know how many of you have followed this blog for a long time, but waaaaaaaay back when, on our very first Mother's Day, we took a tiny Maddi and a tiny Ellie to this verandah for Mother's Day brunch. It was also the day of their dedication to the church. Anyone? Anyone?
If I had all my pictures in order and on my puter, I'd pull it up, buy alas! Anyway, back to the event at hand...
Lots of volunteers were required to make this a successful attempt.
ANd it was the virgin voyage for this foundation, so you never really know how it will be received and how much money can be expected. The park will require $300,000 for c0mpletion. We're not talking about small potatoes!
This is a preliminary drawing.
And this is Jana, Baily Jack's mom, who is pregnant with baby boy number three!
There to the right is Baily Jack's dad. He was helpful with the live auction.
Really, I wish you could see this place in person.
ANd the crowd grew.
Right back there in purple is Gina. She was the primary speaker, coming from a mom's standpoint. I started seeing her baby at 11 days old! That was a record!
Then came dinner. I hear it was great. We lapbanders get used to missing out on all things culinary!
And finally, my role. I was the one who stood up and basically begged. I wasn't sure how it would go, but Jessi had prepared for me a slideshow of pieces of equipment we needed to buy specificially for the park. From a PT's perspective, I tried to explain why these particular pieces would be critical for an all inclusive park. I then said, "It costs $900. So, I need three people to pay $300 each to buy this slide for our park." And would you believe paddles went flying all over that room. It was pretty overwhelming! I was very touched by the generosity of the patrons at the event that night. I left with my cup overflowing!
ANd a Roger Staubach Hall of Fame autographed helmet brought a pretty penny too!
The decorations were so cute! Very pertinent to the event. Kids!
And the event was set in the most beautiful setting! Squire Creek Country Club in Choudrant, LA.
See how beautiful our part of the country is?! 
ANd such a nice fellow and family owns this gorgeous place.
I don't know how many of you have followed this blog for a long time, but waaaaaaaay back when, on our very first Mother's Day, we took a tiny Maddi and a tiny Ellie to this verandah for Mother's Day brunch. It was also the day of their dedication to the church. Anyone? Anyone?
If I had all my pictures in order and on my puter, I'd pull it up, buy alas! Anyway, back to the event at hand...
Lots of volunteers were required to make this a successful attempt.
ANd it was the virgin voyage for this foundation, so you never really know how it will be received and how much money can be expected. The park will require $300,000 for c0mpletion. We're not talking about small potatoes!
This is a preliminary drawing.And this is Jana, Baily Jack's mom, who is pregnant with baby boy number three!
There to the right is Baily Jack's dad. He was helpful with the live auction.
Really, I wish you could see this place in person.
ANd the crowd grew.
Right back there in purple is Gina. She was the primary speaker, coming from a mom's standpoint. I started seeing her baby at 11 days old! That was a record!
Then came dinner. I hear it was great. We lapbanders get used to missing out on all things culinary!
And finally, my role. I was the one who stood up and basically begged. I wasn't sure how it would go, but Jessi had prepared for me a slideshow of pieces of equipment we needed to buy specificially for the park. From a PT's perspective, I tried to explain why these particular pieces would be critical for an all inclusive park. I then said, "It costs $900. So, I need three people to pay $300 each to buy this slide for our park." And would you believe paddles went flying all over that room. It was pretty overwhelming! I was very touched by the generosity of the patrons at the event that night. I left with my cup overflowing! Thank you, Jana, for letting me be a part of this event, and thank you Ruston, for your giving spirit! Legacy Park will be a VERY cool place some day! And we are now $55,000 closer!!
Mo
8 comments:
The park sounds wonderfu!
On a slightly different note I was so pleased to see the little posters all around announcing the Stonewall 5K run to benefit none other than your precious little Jake foundation!!
Hi Mo ~ Your neck of the woods does look beautiful and that venue looked fabulous. I do remember that Mother's day you mentioned with Ellie & Maddi - seems like yesterday.
Have a great day,
Diana from Colorado
Thanks for sharing. I'm sure all your feelings of being overwhelmed by your full plate were out the window after seeing the difference you are making!! Boy, that is a pretty place!! The decorations were adorable!!
And of course I remember your Mother's day brunch! I'm a stalker like that! :)
Hugs from Missouri,
Shari
Yay--I remember the Mother's day brunch too!! Can't believe it's been so long ago! You are such a blessing to so many people Melanie--no wonder your cup runneth over!
It is gorgeous - resembles Missouri - I do remember the post and pics of those two darling girls on the veranda on that Mother's Day. Congrats on the fundraiser and kudos to the kiddo who came up with the idea.
For a good cause indeed ~ I can certainly see how your cup runneth over ~ WOW what a successful night! I was sitting the other day thinking about how long I have followed your family...I never really realized it has been SO many years. To "know" ya'll and never having met you in person is amazing! Of course I remember you and Staci sharing your very first Mother's Day together at the absolutely gorgeous Squire Creek Country Club!!
Simply amazing! Gorgeous photos.
Congrats on a successful benefit!
What a great fundraiser!! No doubt the money will be raised!! Also, I do remember the Mother's Day brunch!! :)
Post a Comment