Several things happened today to completely restore my faith in people.
My daughter has profound hearing loss. She doesn't like to meet new people because she has trouble hearing them and knowing what to say when she misses part of the conversations.
Her school sends the 5th grade class for a couple of nights to camp to get some outdoor learning with science and math every year. Our school has 70-75% of the kids that qualify for the free or reduced price lunch program, putting the families at or below the poverty level. We try to do a bunch of fund raising events to ease the pressure on these families and allow all of the kids a chance to go.
My step-dad is a longshoreman and has been for a bajillion years (40+). We have helped volunteer with a lot of the Union activities over the years. When Dad heard we were working on finances for this, he suggested we ask the Pensioners division for a donation for scholarships. Emily just needed to give a little speech to ask for the money and explain what it was for. (This is the kid who wouldn't ask our next door neighbor for their BoxTops.)
We worked on a short speech and practiced it again in the car. When it was her turn to speak she almost melted under the table. The president coached her through her fright and the audience was incredibly patient. They gave her a round of applause when she finished, as her confidence had steadily gained while she was speaking. They were generous with the official funds, and she generated private donations from many of the retirees that came within $10 of the official check. The personal comments on her bravery for standing in front of a group of strangers was worth even more.
One of the guys encouraged her to stay for the general meeting and request a donation from them. (I had some serious reservations about this, as it seemed like milking the system. I was told it was the same farm, but a different, bigger cow.) We opted to stay for the general membership meeting. Their earlier kindness gave her the courage to stand and read her speech in front of an even bigger group of people.
The Union president asked what the Pensioners had given. Then he asked what were the wishes of the membership. One of the guys that has known my dad and worked with him, named a figure that would cover the balance of the entire bill for the camp, and said "Let's send these kids to camp!"
I was flabbergasted. I figured that they would debate it and halve it or some such. The president restated the figure and said "What says the membership?" NO debate! Just a chorus of "Ayes!" with enthusiasm. I couldn't help it. I was speechless and started crying. I thanked them profusely and deeply. Then they moved on to the next item of business. Emily didn't hear how much money they stated, she though she heard, but she was off, by a lot. She was stunned when I explained to her exactly how much those people had donated to her school.
I guess it was worth hanging around town for a couple of hours after all. I have some serious Thank You cards to write tomorrow.
Oh, and it's snowing.
How are things in your neck of the woods?
My daughter has profound hearing loss. She doesn't like to meet new people because she has trouble hearing them and knowing what to say when she misses part of the conversations.
Her school sends the 5th grade class for a couple of nights to camp to get some outdoor learning with science and math every year. Our school has 70-75% of the kids that qualify for the free or reduced price lunch program, putting the families at or below the poverty level. We try to do a bunch of fund raising events to ease the pressure on these families and allow all of the kids a chance to go.
My step-dad is a longshoreman and has been for a bajillion years (40+). We have helped volunteer with a lot of the Union activities over the years. When Dad heard we were working on finances for this, he suggested we ask the Pensioners division for a donation for scholarships. Emily just needed to give a little speech to ask for the money and explain what it was for. (This is the kid who wouldn't ask our next door neighbor for their BoxTops.)
We worked on a short speech and practiced it again in the car. When it was her turn to speak she almost melted under the table. The president coached her through her fright and the audience was incredibly patient. They gave her a round of applause when she finished, as her confidence had steadily gained while she was speaking. They were generous with the official funds, and she generated private donations from many of the retirees that came within $10 of the official check. The personal comments on her bravery for standing in front of a group of strangers was worth even more.
One of the guys encouraged her to stay for the general meeting and request a donation from them. (I had some serious reservations about this, as it seemed like milking the system. I was told it was the same farm, but a different, bigger cow.) We opted to stay for the general membership meeting. Their earlier kindness gave her the courage to stand and read her speech in front of an even bigger group of people.
The Union president asked what the Pensioners had given. Then he asked what were the wishes of the membership. One of the guys that has known my dad and worked with him, named a figure that would cover the balance of the entire bill for the camp, and said "Let's send these kids to camp!"
I was flabbergasted. I figured that they would debate it and halve it or some such. The president restated the figure and said "What says the membership?" NO debate! Just a chorus of "Ayes!" with enthusiasm. I couldn't help it. I was speechless and started crying. I thanked them profusely and deeply. Then they moved on to the next item of business. Emily didn't hear how much money they stated, she though she heard, but she was off, by a lot. She was stunned when I explained to her exactly how much those people had donated to her school.
I guess it was worth hanging around town for a couple of hours after all. I have some serious Thank You cards to write tomorrow.
Oh, and it's snowing.
How are things in your neck of the woods?
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