Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Tuesday, May 15, 2018 -- Mattie died 452 weeks ago today.

Tonight's picture was taken in May of 2009. This was at the Mattie March. The March was held close to Mother's Day weekend, so there were all sorts of crafts and activities for children to make a keep sake for their moms. As you can see, Mattie was at the craft table creating with two of my students, Ariel and Tess. Ironically, Ariel is now a pediatric oncology nurse in NYC. She credits Mattie for influencing her career choice. Mattie accomplished a lot in his seven years!


Quote of the day: Even the smallest act of caring for another person is like a drop of water - it will make ripples throughout the entire pond. ~ Jessy and Bryan Matteo

Today's Walk & Family Festival total is $79,059 or we are at 93% of our goal. 

You maybe asking yourself, who is this cute little girl? This is Charlotte. Who is Charlotte? Charlotte is my friend Margaret's granddaughter. Margaret was Mattie's preschool teacher and she was such a special person, that we became instantaneous friends in 2005. Unfortunately Margaret is no longer with us, as she died from ALS in 2014. Margaret was a huge supporter of Mattie Miracle. In fact, she found us our first corporate sponsor of the Walk, and once you have one it is easier to find others. Margaret would volunteer to help me at every Walk, which is why this photo sent to me today is priceless. Margaret's daughter, Ali, and her granddaughter Charlotte are continuing Margaret's tradition of supporting Mattie Miracle.  

The lady you see on the left of this photo is Debbie. Debbie's son, Tim, and Mattie were in kindergarten together. In fact, Mattie and Tim practically share a birthday. Their birthdays are only one day a part from each other. 

Debbie has organized kid activities at the Walk for nine years now. A labor of love and dedication. This year, not only did she brainstorm the activity but she is coordinating the prep work for these craft tables with two girl scout troops. One is a Cadette troop, comprised of three girls who are in middle school and the other is a troop of elementary school girls. So clearly two very different age groups to be working together, and yet the elementary and middle school girls can learn from each other. It is wonderful to see that they have united forces to make the craft activity as eye catching as possible at the Walk. 

Clearly the older girls in this photo are the Cadettes, and it is lovely that they reached out to me, asking whether they could help at the Walk. The girls are trying to obtain their Silver Award with the Girl Scouts. To qualify for this award, the girls need to find an issue within the community that interests them. Then they need to create an executable project to meet a need. In this case, the Cadettes chose childhood cancer and the Walk provides them a way to help us spread awareness, but in a non-threatening yet fun manner.