I left you on Monday with three one word questions…
They were: Messy?…Purposeful?…Rewarding?…
The answer to all three is “yes.”
Leadership Education is effective, not efficient.
You may want to reread that…
It consumes time…
In rather large quantities…
But in the long run, when crisis, calamity or just plain old leadership void hits a situation, a nation, a continent…
It can not only be a time saver, but a freedom preserver, a life giver, a savior of the need at hand.
It pays priceless dividends on the investment given.
We decorated for 8 1/2 hours that day.
This is the first year that the Festival has had a “thematic guideline”…
Due to their 20th year anniversary and desire for some cohesiveness…
You had to chose a title or phrase from a Christmas song.
We went with “All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth.”
With the help of many we pulled ( sorry, couldn’t resist!) it off!
We loved that our tree represented community effort…
On the part of our pediatric dentist, Gary Okamoto, for supplies…
A teacher friend, Susan Hill for taking all of our “toothless” photos of kindergarten through second graders…
Kathy Morris, who designed our tree topper, and could make bailing wire, a tube of toothpaste and a toothpick look like a million dollars…
And last, but certainly not least, Tammie Blackmore, community leader extraordinaire…
for roping us in encouraging us to participate and then securing us a spot in the design room!
Wow!…no pressure…
Take a look at some of these trees…
Tammie's tree, Joy to the World
and their surrounding “pens”…equally decorated in many cases for thematic “ambiance”…
Let Heaven and Nature Sing
surrounding "ambiance' space for above tree
They judge the trees and award ribbons…
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
continued...
Its awards and accolades!
Rockin'..in a new old fashioned way...Elvis, Brenda Lee, Bobby Darin
Then they host a gala evening that looks like this…
And community leaders and residents attend the dinner and silent auction…
Santa Baby...
And the neonatal unit raises money for specific items that are needed…
Let me say here that Americans are generous…
And benevolent…
One of the doctors that attended led out with a bid for $10,000…
for neonatal respirators that save lives…
they needed two.
With all of the recent villianization of the medical profession, I cried at the reality at hand…
There are great doctors…
That dedicate their lives and resources to people…
They are people as well…
Not institutions…
Or corporate machines…
The Night Before Christmas
In 20 years, this event has raised $6,000,000 for the hospital.
Jingle Bell Rock
Riverside County Regional Medical Center is one of the only county hospitals in the nation to run in the black…
Visions of Sugarplums
Because people care…
Mele Kalikimaka
They lead…
The Nightmare Before Christmas
By serving…
Any community service plans in your schedule this holiday season?
What a lovely tree! #1 & #2 did a great job – you and dad too! Those teeth are sure sparkly!!!Hope lots of money was raised for the Unit at the Gala!
Love to the Family.
Merry Christmas!
Trish
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AWESOME! Went to see all the trees on Friday and thought they were all beautiful! You guys did great! Can’t wait to see what you get roped in to, um, ENCOURAGED to do next year!!! Love you guys!
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Thanks for the reminder of what this season is all about. Brings to mind a favorite Christmas poem I once learned, “When it’s Christmas man is bigger and is better at his part; He is keener for the service that is prompted by the heart. All the petty thoughts and narrow seem to vanish for a while and the true reward he’s seeking is the glory of a smile. Then for others he is toiling and somehow it seems to me that at Christmas he is almost what God wanted him to be.” Not sure who authored it, but it certainly resonates with me.
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Teri Reply:
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:14 am
That is an awesome piece, Stephanie…and a keeper. Thank you so much for sharing it! ~Teri ;0)
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These trees are/were absolutely awesome to view in person!! Your tree was by far the cutest I had ever laid eyes on!! We are reminded this is the season of giving…shouldn’t we try harder to do it just 1 day longer than before? Then we can continue to add a day of giving and before you know it, we are giving of ourselves each and every day!
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Once before in Tacoma,Washington I saw a lovely Festival of Trees done for the Children’s Hospital in that city. In viewing the pictures of this Gala I find the trees to be just as eloquent in every way. I especially think,if I were a judge, the tree with the toothless children and the toothpaste tube to be the most creative & just plain unique in keeping with the theme of children. All the trees were all masterful!
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