Friday, December 2, 2016

Friday, December 2, 2016

Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2007. That day, I visited Mattie's kindergarten class and read them the story of the "Gingerbread Baby." This was a story Mattie's preschool teacher and my friend, Margaret gave to me. She liked the story because it was written by one of her favorite children's authors, but also because the story featured a main character named "Matti!" In any case, that day I read the children the story and then after the story, I brought in homemade gingerbread cookies..... as I always believed in hands on activities! The cookies were huge and could be easily decorated. I made the royal icing from scratch and brought in all the candies. The children absolutely loved it. The actual cookies looked like the gingerbread baby in the book! It was a day I won't ever forget. 


Quote of the day: A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men. ~ From Willy Wonka the movie (1971)

In recognition of the fact that 10,000 pounds of candy is officially delivered, I feel this cute video sums it all up perfectly. It is from one of my favorite movies.... Willy Wonka. I could get a new nickname... the candy lady! Enjoy!!!

The Candy Man:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPIl0IJjBrw

I drove to Mattie's school this morning and met up with the Dean of Students, Mattie's kindergarden teacher, and five student volunteers who help me deliver the remaining 4,000 pounds of candy!

This was our first stop.... MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. The candy provides a year's supply for our snack/item cart. 

Our second stop was at Covenant House. Because we collect SO MUCH candy, I am able to donate some to two homeless shelters. One is in Reston, VA and the other is in DC. This shelter is for homeless children. This is my third year working with Covenant House and the children absolutely love these treats especially around the holidays.

The student volunteers from Mattie's school were delightful..... hard workers and patient! They also listened to me as I told them a little bit about Mattie Miracle and why we host a candy drive. I wanted to give them context, so I explained that Mattie was a kindergartner at their school in 2008. After completing kindergarten Mattie developed cancer. The school became an important part of our care community. A community which delivered us lunch and dinner everyday for 14 months. In addition, to that, they also gave us gifts and chocolate treats, practically daily. I realized we were lucky on that front because most of the other families in the hospital did not have such incredible support. In any case, once Mattie died, we decided to continue the candy tradition on a larger scale, with the snack cart and candy drives! 

Since I was going to be out all day, Peter took Sunny to work. Believe it or not, Sunny is requested to come in. On days that he doesn't come in, people miss him. That should tell you about Sunny! Sunny has attached himself to Mark, at Peter's office. Apparently Sunny reminds Mark of his late dog. 

In between work and meetings, people play with Sunny! Peter tells me that his colleagues consider Sunny therapeutic to have in the office!