Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2006, at Deerfield Beach, FL. Mattie spent many hours that trip on the sand and building castles, cities, and even a big alligator. Mattie always traveled to the beach with some of his sand toys from home. There were some that were his favorites, and as Mattie became older, I always encouraged him to decide what items he wanted to pack in his suitcase and have along for the trip. We would pack it together and discuss the contents, but he always got some freedom in this process. Packing is a responsibility and even at a young age, Peter and I felt it was important for Mattie to take on responsibility. So if you look carefully at this picture, you will notice a red car on the top of this city. This was one of Mattie's favorite sand vehicles, and was usually packed for a beach trip. Now move your eye down from the car, down the hill of sand. Do you see airplanes molded into the sand? That was because Mattie always traveled with his sand molding shapes, and after Peter and he would dig and build, Mattie and I would decorate with things we found on the beach (examples: bottle caps, sticks, rocks, shells, etc.) as well as used the sand molds to create designs. To me this is a happy picture and it also makes me stop and reflect how these two boys matched each other with their sunglasses and Boston Red Sox hats!
Quote of the day: Recall as often as you wish; a happy memory never wears out. ~ Libbie Fudim
I began my day with a cold shower. NOT by choice, something happened to the hot water in our complex. It eventually came back on, but for me it was a rude awakening. Some people need coffee in the morning to start their day, I need a hot shower. The day did not get better from that point on. I spent a good portion of the day working on a project with Peter and while working, was emailing Karen, my lifetime friend. Karen felt that the shower set me off for the day, and therefore caused a chain reaction. She is probably right. While I was working, Karen was writing college recommendation letters for students. She let me know that she is including Vicki-isms in some of her letters. I did not know what she meant at first until she explained. For example, if I find someone particularly funny, I will say he is a "hoot!" For me, this word brings to mind the picture of laughter and comedy. However, if you hang around me long enough, apparently my lexicon rubs off on you. Which made me chuckle.
The highlight of my day however was getting a phone call from Palen, Whitney's sister. Palen is the Vice President of the VP 26 Tridents Officers Spouses Club. Palen is the person who advocated for the Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation to be the beneficiary of her Club's service auction this year. Palen shared many of the highlights of the auction with me, and all I can say is she and her team did an incredible and awesome job. I want you to know that around 60 people attended the auction, and they raised about $4000! That left me speechless at first. I asked Palen about some of the auction items, specifically what they were. There were 12 live auction items (and lots of silent auction items), many of which caught my attention. Why they caught my attention was because the items were clever, creative, and useful. Palen said that every member of the team brainstormed auction item ideas and I was truly impressed with the team's cohesiveness and effort. One of the auction items consisted of a team of people who would come to some one's house dressed as elves and Santa, set up and decorate their Christmas tree and house, wrap all Christmas presents, bake 5 dozen cookies, and then come back after Christmas and put all the decorations away! Unbelievable! Naturally you can imagine this was a hot item. Other great ideas involved auctioning off special parking spaces on Base and even auctioning off an Officer's bathroom for showers (this apparently was an incredibly sought after item, because this entailed access to a private bathroom and shower!!!).
I could sense Palen's level of energy on the phone and I wanted her to know how proud we were of her and how this one event will have a ripple effect. Because there are many people now in Florida reading the blog and checking out the Mattie Miracle website because of this auction. In addition, Palen let me know that one attendee of the auction is helping to emotionally support a family at his church who has a seven year old with Osteosarcoma. This attendee will be linking this family to our Foundation. What also impressed me was despite the large effort it took to plan, coordinate, and run this event, the planning committee had a great time. That doesn't always happen, but it speaks volumes to me about this group! As more details and pictures come my way, I will be sharing them with you. But Peter and I are thrilled about the auction's success, and for the Club's willingness to select our Foundation. In the past, the Club has chosen to raise money for organizations that supported military personnel and their families, which makes perfect sense given their mission and their membership. However, this group is passionate about children and their future, and as Palen told me, as people were bidding on items last night, the spirit in the air was...."it was for Mattie!"
After talking with Palen, I also got to talk with Brie, a crucial member of the auction planning team, and Whitney. Whitney lives in Maryland, but flew down to Florida to support her sister and to represent us and naturally to talk to people about Mattie. I am deeply touched by this Organization and below is the statement we wrote that Palen read to the auction attendees.
-------------------------------------------------------
From Vicki and Peter Brown, Founders of the Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation, and Mattie's Mom and Dad
On behalf of the Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation we are truly honored that the VP 26 Tridents Officers Spouses Club selected our organization as the beneficiary of your auction this year. When Palen told us about this in July, we were deeply touched by your squadron's compassion, commitment, and dedication to help children and their families fight pediatric cancers. Your efforts and contributions will make a difference!
While our son Mattie, was in the hospital and fighting Osteosarcoma, the VP 26 Tridents sent him some amazing pieces of signed memorabilia. Mattie was so thrilled and happy to receive such thoughtful gifts and though he never met you, he could feel the depths of your care and concern. The ironic part is our family is connected to the VP 26 Tridents in two special ways. One is through Palen and her family and the other is through Lana Sonoda. Lana's son, Sean, is in the Tridents and Lana was one of Mattie's favorite preschool teachers!
We want to thank you for believing in our Foundation and for your passion to help children with cancer. We also thank you for your service and commitment to our Country and our freedoms. You are the backbone of what makes us a strong and beautiful Country. Have a wonderful and memorable auction tonight, and know that in selecting our Foundation you are helping us to keep the memory of our seven year-old son Mattie alive.
Thank you!
------------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment