Amy's 'momentary trouble'

Olivia was going to turn 14 and as with most 13 going on 14 year old girls, she wanted to have a birthday party. As with most parties I’m sure they did something fun like went to a movie, or possibly bowling and I’m sure a lot of chatting and laughing went on. Afterwards they most likely went back to her house, had cake and ice cream and her many friends presented her with their gifts. Except it didn’t quite happen that way; yes, she had a party and I’m sure they did something fun and had cake and ice cream afterward, but when it came time for the gifting, she didn’t receive beautifully wrapped packages or sacks with coordinated tissue paper, instead she received something FAR more rich and meaningful. You see, she had made up her mind what she wanted for her birthday far in advance of the plans and party invitations. When her friends asked her what she wanted for her birthday, she said ‘I want money!’ Now, you and I would consider that request pretty common, especially knowing how most 14 year old girls like to shop for their own clothes! What was uncommon, extraordinary even, was that she didn’t want the money for herself. She didn’t spend so much as a dime of it on herself. She told her friends that she didn’t want presents this year, but instead she would like money…’money to donate to Amy Howard’s family in Wisconsin.’ Olivia and her family live in Waterloo Iowa and I do not know her or her family. The only real connection is that Amy graduated from high school with Olivia’s uncle.

I’m not really sure what motivated Olivia to give of herself like she did, maybe she had overheard her parent’s or uncle talking about Amy or perhaps she remembered the Pizza Hut fund raiser, but that doesn’t matter and it’s definitely not the point. What is important is this: in a world that teaches us to grab what we can, when we can and the more the better, Olivia has learned the meaning of helping her fellow man and she shines like a gleaming example of what it means to put your needs…your wants aside and do something out of the shear goodness of your heart. All of this from a 14 year old. Pretty amazing. Oh yeah, she collected $100 from friends and family and I will be putting it in the kid’s educational trust.

I want to take a moment to remind everyone of the upcoming benefit on Sunday, Feb 4th.

Here are the details:
What: Tailgate and Auction benefit
Why: To raise money to help cover the medical expenses we incurred during Amy’s battle with Pancreatic Cancer. (we are shooting to raise $50,000 to $75,000)
When: Sunday, February 4th from 12 noon until 4:00pm
Where: Baraboo Arts Banquet Hall (323 Water Street)
Who: YOU! Everyone’s invited! PLEASE help out by spreading the word! When we did the Pizza Hut fund raiser, we truly relied on you, our friends and family, to get the word out and you rose to the occasion and we ROCKED Pizza Hut! Could you PLEASE help out again by spreading the word and attending? I guarantee everyone, young and old alike will have a good time!

* We will be selling great ‘tailgating’ food like: brats, hotdogs, pizza, chips, water, soda and baked goods.
* We hope to have a couple big screen T.V’s on hand so no one has to miss the pre-game show!
* For the kids, we are arranging to have face painting, a button making machine, bingo and some carnival games for them to have fun!
* And last, but certainly NOT least, we will be having a combined live and silent auction! For the top donation items, we will have a live auctioneer stirring up the excitement and getting everyone involved for the cause. The rest of the items will be displayed on tables with the bid forms in front.

We have specifically set an earlier time so everyone can get home in plenty of time to watch the Super Bowl.

PLEASE mark your calendars!
PLEASE spread the word!
But most importantly…PLEASE plan to attend!

For the love of Amy - V