Thankful, Thankful, Thankful
The CHOC has much to be thankful for. Even in the midst of our many frustrations we have much to be thankful for. We are thankful for everyone that comes to us and everyone that leaves us. We are thankful to everyone that gives to us, we are thankful for our staff, our residents, our volunteers, our funders, our supporters, etc, etc.
This year Thanksgiving took on a whole new meaning and a new way of doing things. It started several weeks ago with NAMI sending us an email informing us that they would be sending a $500 donation to make Thanksgiving extra special. Next we received a phone call from a business called Pearl Shuckers located in Norristown, they wanted to bring dinner and serve our residents on Wed. night. Next came calls from Valley View Community Church and Hope Community Church, they too wanted to help.
Honestly, this is all a bit overwhelming because we honestly never know who is going to be at the CHOC for Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or any other day for that matter. Our former residents are very gracious and they often invite our current residents to their homes for the holidays. Anyone still connected with their own families join them for the holidays. In addition there is an abundance of meals throughout the community. Finally, we still have our ongoing battles with bed bugs, illnesses, leaky roof, etc and we really don’t want to spread that wealth to anyone.
On the Friday before Thanksgiving we asked our folks what they wanted to do and they overwhelmingly responded that they wanted dinner at the CHOC. So dinner it would be.
On Wednesday night Jesse and his Shuckers came along with Dave and his daughter from the PC Doctor, another business in Norristown. The food they brought was absolutely delicious but the icing on the cake was their warm, friendly, and wide smiles. It was their first time doing something like this and you would have thought they do it all the time. Somehow I think they do.
The Pearl Shuckers and PC Doctor’s good will and graciousness caught on like wild fire and by later that evening the CHOC was cleaned and decorated by staff and residents for Thursday’s festivities leaving nothing for the next day’s volunteers to do. Uh-oh, this could be a problem, volunteers coming and nothing for them to do.
This wasn’t a problem at all. When the volunteers came they were greeted by the residents who welcomed them in, brought them a beverage, conversed with them and then they put on aprons, hair nets, and gloves and served the volunteers and each other. Everyone involved was comfortable as they traded places for a little while. It was an absolutely amazing and incredible day. It was a day where our residents got to feel the absolute joy of giving that many of you already know so well.
Thank you to everyone that made turn about fair play at the CHOC. Dancing in the light is so much fun isn’t it?
