Generousity

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind....the stuff of daily life with kids and a house to keep in fairly decent order, plus girl scout cookie season and a large fundraising event at our church. As I sit here at the laptop in my office (wow, where does all this stuff on my desk come from??), on probably the first morning in several weeks that I haven't had a place I needed or wanted to be, I am feeling kind of emotional (just a little!) about all the kindness I have witnessed in my recent travels.

First off, I want to thank all the awesome people who have listened to the members of my girl scout troop's impassioned pleas and explanations on the business of cookie selling. Sometimes you may have gotten WAY more information than you were looking for, but you didn't show it, and I'm sure you felt as good as I did when you walked away from our little table with a armful of Thin Mints and Samoas. Key Westers are kind-hearted souls. So far we've sent many boxes to the troops deployed overseas, and I know the donation jar will be filled again in these last two weekends. Filled with not just dollar bills, but with fives, and tens, and twenties for cookies you will never taste. Thank you! What an example for the girls - giving to others may just be the sweetest treat of all.

Next, I would like to thank the generous business owners on this small island for their overwhelming support for the fundraising event. As a member of the silent auction team, my main job was to hit the streets. Armed with a thick file of donation request letters, I visited restaurants, gift shops, jewelry stores, and bars. And more often than not, I left with a gift certificate or a specialty item.  If the manager wasn't there, I left a letter with my cell number, offering to come back and pick up anything they may like to donate. And sure enough, they called me back. It was fun to answer my phone and hear 'Hey Kendi, I'm the manager of Margaritaville....your items are at the hostess station!' and 'Hi, it's Sean from Eaton Street Seafood. Lunch rush is over so your gift certificates are ready and waiting!.' There are many, many fundraising events in Key West throughout the year. And the island's businesses somehow manage to donate to many of them. One more reason to shop local and support them. They deserve it.