People are Amazing! (In a Good Way)

[RUDisney]

On Saturday night, we had a benefit dinner for my sister who has cancer. She's already been through one surgery, chemo and radiation and now they have found 4 spots on her pancreas and some on her liver. The dr is planning the next round of attack.

With how expensive cancer treatment is, the volunteer fire department, of which her DH is a member, asked if they could throw this benefit.

When we started, we had hoped to sell 500 tickets and have 80 baskets to raffle. We ordered 1000 tickets because our high goal was to sell about 700 tickets. When the first 1000 were sold, we printed 500 more and we sold all of them. 1500 people bought tickets to a pasta dinner to benefit my sister and her family!

One thing for which we were unprepared was the number of people who arrived who wanted to donate money in addition to the tickets. I quickly produced an empty cigar box for donations.

We had over 200 baskets donated to raffle that night, plus a 50/50 and a wheelbarrow of cheer. The line was out the back door, into the parking lot, for over 2 hours.

A big hit with the younger set was thanks to my SIL who suggested and purchased face-painting things. We did that for free and the kids and parents loved it. The kids stayed with my DD, niece and one of our girl scouts while the parents browsed the baskets. That had been our intent when setting this up.

My Mom is treasurer of the benefit committee and she hasn't given me a total raised so far, but I know that we raised in excess of $20,000.

Everything from the pasta, sauce and meatballs, to the salads and beer and soda was donated. The only thing we had to buy was additional raffle tickets because we knew that we'd run out if we didn't buy more.

Other drug reps (that is what my sister does for a living when she's not fighting cancer) came in from Delaware, NJ, Philadelphia and NY. Her sorority sisters also came in from all over to support her.

It is just amazing what friends and family will do for you when you are down on your luck, but what is more amazing is what strangers will do for one another when they hear that you are having bad times.

This has gotten long enough and I'm starting to tear up again about this. I hope that you also find this to be true when you need help in your life.

 

[mrsv98]

On Saturday night, we had a benefit dinner for my sister who has cancer. She's already been through one surgery, chemo and radiation and now they have found 4 spots on her pancreas and some on her liver. The dr is planning the next round of attack.

With how expensive cancer treatment is, the volunteer fire department, of which her DH is a member, asked if they could throw this benefit.

When we started, we had hoped to sell 500 tickets and have 80 baskets to raffle. We ordered 1000 tickets because our high goal was to sell about 700 tickets. When the first 1000 were sold, we printed 500 more and we sold all of them. 1500 people bought tickets to a pasta dinner to benefit my sister and her family!

One thing for which we were unprepared was the number of people who arrived who wanted to donate money in addition to the tickets. I quickly produced an empty cigar box for donations.

We had over 200 baskets donated to raffle that night, plus a 50/50 and a wheelbarrow of cheer. The line was out the back door, into the parking lot, for over 2 hours.

A big hit with the younger set was thanks to my SIL who suggested and purchased face-painting things. We did that for free and the kids and parents loved it. The kids stayed with my DD, niece and one of our girl scouts while the parents browsed the baskets. That had been our intent when setting this up.

My Mom is treasurer of the benefit committee and she hasn't given me a total raised so far, but I know that we raised in excess of $20,000.

Everything from the pasta, sauce and meatballs, to the salads and beer and soda was donated. The only thing we had to buy was additional raffle tickets because we knew that we'd run out if we didn't buy more.

Other drug reps (that is what my sister does for a living when she's not fighting cancer) came in from Delaware, NJ, Philadelphia and NY. Her sorority sisters also came in from all over to support her.

It is just amazing what friends and family will do for you when you are down on your luck, but what is more amazing is what strangers will do for one another when they hear that you are having bad times.

This has gotten long enough and I'm starting to tear up again about this. I hope that you also find this to be true when you need help in your life.

In this age of being pounded on the head with bad news, it restores my faith in humanity to read stories like this. Prayers for your DSis and blessings on all those who donated!

 

[Swank]

I have to admit when I read the title of this post I thought you were being sarcastic. It is good to hear about the good in this world. I will pray for a full recovery.

 

[RUDisney]

I have to admit when I read the title of this post I thought you were being sarcastic. It is good to hear about the good in this world. I will pray for a full recovery.

I changed the title. You're right, with the way a lot of stories start on the DIS, one would think I was being sarcastic.

 

[bballmom56]

How wonderful to get so much love and support! Was this held near where you are in NE PA? We visit DS at college out there and are always amazed at how nice people are in that area.

Prayers for your sister and her family.

 

[cm8]

Wow, that was such a blessing. Sending prayers and hugs to your family as well as your sister and her extended family

 

[RUDisney]

How wonderful to get so much love and support! Was this held near where you are in NE PA? We visit DS at college out there and are always amazed at how nice people are in that area.

Prayers for your sister and her family.

Yes, it was held in Moosic, which is immediately south of Scranton. The hose company said it has never seen so many people come to any benefit that it has ever held.

 

[bballmom56]

Yes, it was held in Moosic, which is immediately south of Scranton. The hose company said it has never seen so many people come to any benefit that it has ever held.

Yep, we have been in Moosic. Really nice people throughout the area. It must have given strength to all of you to have such a great turnout. It does restore your faith in humanity.

 

[RUDisney]

Yep, we have been in Moosic. Really nice people throughout the area. It must have given strength to all of you to have such a great turnout. It does restore your faith in humanity.

I hope it encourages my sister to keep fighting the good fight against this awful disease, too.

 

[famofsix]

that's awesome...blessings to your sister

 

[C.Ann]

First of all, I'm very sorry to hear about your sister - and I will keep her in my thoughts and prayers..

Secondly, reading your post created a big lump in my throat.. It's so wonderful to hear about "good"' people - rather than the usual grumbling about "my sister said this" and my "MIL wants us to" whatever and "I saw someone with a bag of cookies in their grocery cart and they were using food stamps" and on and on.. Heck - I'll bet some of those folks that contributed to your sisters fund are on welfare - or made food donations having used part of their food stamp allotment!! People will be as "good" as we find it in our hearts to allow them to be.. If all we're going to do is look for the negativity in everyone, then that's all we're going to see..

You, your family, and your sister are very, very lucky to live where people actually care about one another - regardless of their own circumstances..

I really will be praying for your sister - that this latest round of treatment will rid her of this awful disease..

And thanks so much for posting a "feel good" story!

 

[4nana]

I'm so sorry to read about your sister's on going health battle . So wonderful to read your heartwarming story, specially with so much uncertainty in our world. Sending many prayers for strength, courage and a miracle for your sister and extended family as she fights the beast with all her heart and soul. Godspeed ^j^

 

[RadioFanatic]

That is absolutely amazing. I'm so happy for your family.

I have to plan a fundraiser for my FIL who is on the list for a lung transplant to pay for the helicopter, therapy and the eight weeks he and my MIL have to stay in cleveland after the procedure. I would LOVE some insight and suggestionso f what to do/not do for the event. We were also thinking of a spaghetti dinner. Where were you able to get the donations?

 

[RUDisney]

That is absolutely amazing. I'm so happy for your family.

I have to plan a fundraiser for my FIL who is on the list for a lung transplant to pay for the helicopter, therapy and the eight weeks he and my MIL have to stay in cleveland after the procedure. I would LOVE some insight and suggestionso f what to do/not do for the event. We were also thinking of a spaghetti dinner. Where were you able to get the donations?

God's blessings to your FIL and MIL in their fight for his life.

Our committee met every two weeks, starting in July for the October benefit. We had members who were very diverse in their careers and friendships. For the last three weeks, we met every week.

Since we worked with the volunteer firemen, they had contacts for food donations. The person who caters for their hall, who has an amazing Italian restaurant/pizza place, made all the sauce and some of the meatballs. The firemen were able to find someone to donate 500 lbs of pasta, more meat for us to make meatballs and the salad fixings. Several restaurants donated meatballs.

Because we were all talking to people about this, there were several people who knew bakers and all of our rolls were donated. We contacted bakeries for cake donations and grocery stores for salad dressing, butter packets, sugar packets, creamers and coffee donations. The firemen also had a source to get all of the to go containers and the plastic plates, napkins and utensils.

We had one couple in charge of publicity. They got information into every major and minor local newspaper and the minor paper in my sister's hometown made her the cover story for October's issue. They also got the information onto the local news stations' public service bulletin boards. All of the church bulletins in the area carried information about the dinner for several weeks before the event.

Someone else had a source to print tickets and posters. These were distributed to all committee members and to all the firemen and sales began early. The posters were put up all over the area as we all went to places we'd normally go/shop.

We solicited beer distributors and got several to donate beer kegs and one donated many cases of Seagram's lemonade strawberry punch (yummy.) We sold beer for $1 per glass and $5 per pitcher and wine and the Seagram's punch for $2 per glass/bottle. All of the plastic cups were donated by area bars and the major distributor who sells to all the local distributor.

All of the wine was donated by the vendors who supply the licquor stores. My sister's BIL works as a distributor for the licquor stores, so he knew everyone else and that is how he got the wine and many bottles and promotional items for basket raffles and for the wheelbarrow of cheer. The wheelbarrow was also donated by a local hardware store.

Someone posted information about the benefit on facebook and that was shared by our friends and family. Another friend setup a paypal link because she is running the Disney 1/2 marathon in February and is donating all proceeds raised to my sister. She has already raised more than $1,500 through this. This is also on facebook and has been shared with many people.

I was in charge of tickets and volunteers. I asked our CCD students who need service hours for Confirmation to help with the morning prep work and even one mother stayed to help. I contacted my DS's school and asked for volunteers because each year has to commit to perform a certain number of service hours. Others contacted their churches to solicit student volunteers and all of our children's friends came to help. We asked that the students wear a school shirt to show how wide-spread the help was given.

We had 50 t-shirts donated for our major volunteers to wear at the event. They had information about the pasta dinner on the front and on the back they said, "Team Jill." They were a nice touch. We got them because one of my sister's nephews worked for a shirt printer.

We sent letters to businesses to solicit basket donations or GCs to raffle or to solicit monetary donations. We each sent letters to people we knew with personal notes added to the bottom of the letters. Once the information went into the church bulletins, people came out of the woodwork to donate baskets because so many family members are involved in their churches. People know us and they wanted to help.

If you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to ask, even if you send me a PM. We had volunteers working from Wednesday through Sunday at the firehall to prepare everything. I hope that your event is as successful as ours!

 

[RadioFanatic]

God's blessings to your FIL and MIL in their fight for his life.

Our committee met every two weeks, starting in July for the October benefit. We had members who were very diverse in their careers and friendships. For the last three weeks, we met every week.

Since we worked with the volunteer firemen, they had contacts for food donations. The person who caters for their hall, who has an amazing Italian restaurant/pizza place, made all the sauce and some of the meatballs. The firemen were able to find someone to donate 500 lbs of pasta, more meat for us to make meatballs and the salad fixings. Several restaurants donated meatballs.

Because we were all talking to people about this, there were several people who knew bakers and all of our rolls were donated. We contacted bakeries for cake donations and grocery stores for salad dressing, butter packets, sugar packets, creamers and coffee donations. The firemen also had a source to get all of the to go containers and the plastic plates, napkins and utensils.

We had one couple in charge of publicity. They got information into every major and minor local newspaper and the minor paper in my sister's hometown made her the cover story for October's issue. They also got the information onto the local news stations' public service bulletin boards. All of the church bulletins in the area carried information about the dinner for several weeks before the event.

Someone else had a source to print tickets and posters. These were distributed to all committee members and to all the firemen and sales began early. The posters were put up all over the area as we all went to places we'd normally go/shop.

We solicited beer distributors and got several to donate beer kegs and one donated many cases of Seagram's lemonade strawberry punch (yummy.) We sold beer for $1 per glass and $5 per pitcher and wine and the Seagram's punch for $2 per glass/bottle. All of the plastic cups were donated by area bars and the major distributor who sells to all the local distributor.

All of the wine was donated by the vendors who supply the licquor stores. My sister's BIL works as a distributor for the licquor stores, so he knew everyone else and that is how he got the wine and many bottles and promotional items for basket raffles and for the wheelbarrow of cheer. The wheelbarrow was also donated by a local hardware store.

Someone posted information about the benefit on facebook and that was shared by our friends and family. Another friend setup a paypal link because she is running the Disney 1/2 marathon in February and is donating all proceeds raised to my sister. She has already raised more than $1,500 through this. This is also on facebook and has been shared with many people.

I was in charge of tickets and volunteers. I asked our CCD students who need service hours for Confirmation to help with the morning prep work and even one mother stayed to help. I contacted my DS's school and asked for volunteers because each year has to commit to perform a certain number of service hours. Others contacted their churches to solicit student volunteers and all of our children's friends came to help. We asked that the students wear a school shirt to show how wide-spread the help was given.

We had 50 t-shirts donated for our major volunteers to wear at the event. They had information about the pasta dinner on the front and on the back they said, "Team Jill." They were a nice touch. We got them because one of my sister's nephews worked for a shirt printer.

We sent letters to businesses to solicit basket donations or GCs to raffle or to solicit monetary donations. We each sent letters to people we knew with personal notes added to the bottom of the letters. Once the information went into the church bulletins, people came out of the woodwork to donate baskets because so many family members are involved in their churches. People know us and they wanted to help.

If you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to ask, even if you send me a PM. We had volunteers working from Wednesday through Sunday at the firehall to prepare everything. I hope that your event is as successful as ours!

Thank you SOO much for the information and good thoughts, prayers and karma to you and your family, especially your sister.

 

[kirstenb1]

Wow, this is so awe-inspiring!! First the kindness and generosity of all involved. Secondly, the level of planning---you guys really thought of every little detail for a successful evening. I'm so glad all your work really came to fruition!