Welcome February!

Greetings friends! So what's new? Besides lots and lots of snow everywhere! Well, things are chugging along over here. I'm happy that we have a new financial donor coming our way. I have been researching new grant sources and I found a financial company which has a foundation which supports children's causes. I applied for a donation and they responded promptly and said that they weren't able to donate because they already donate a lot to the Dept. of Children and Families. I decided to write back and remind them that our partnership with DCF is only a portion of the program. The Chairman responded that he would take another look at it. A few days later, he wrote back and said that they would be making a donation in the second quarter. I don't know how much they will be donating, but every dollar counts. I'm so glad that I just didn't give up when I got the first email and persisted. It is so important to do that when you can. Many times it doesn't make a difference, but those times when it does make a difference make it worth while every time.

On the Date Auction side of things, both of our hosts are committed to returning which I am really happy about. They do an awesome job. I was on IStock today to find a new image to use for the event flyer. I emailed our designer Lisa because I think it is about time we give the flyer a whole new look. We use a different image every year, but the format has generally remained the same. I saw some good images of groups of young people with their hands raised as if they were bidding. I think it would be great to incorporate that kind of image instead of the couples image that we usually use. Our sponsorship packet is all updated. I already started work on getting the gift certificates donated for the couples and I need to start working on getting sponsors.

Tomorrow, I'm off to the Worcester DCF office to drop off crayons, coloring books and stuffed animals for their Easter baskets that they do for children. We've been donating items for the baskets for the past few years. It is one of my favorite donations to do. I've seen some of the baskets that DCF gives out and they are beautiful.

On that note, I'm off to box up some more items for tomorrow's donation, then I want to research some more grants that we can apply for. Until tomorrow friends...