Today is Friday, May 31st, 2013; Karen's Korner #2580
As most Karen's Korner readers know, Clarion and our Marys and Marthas (M & Ms) group won one of the ten $10,000 National Make A Difference Day awards given a little over a year ago for our community's collective efforts on Make A Difference Day in October 2011.
Five of our group brought home the check from the award ceremony in Washington D.C. and our M & Ms members divided the money, giving it to 51 different events, projects, groups, and organizations. We were able to give money to purchase library books for our local school's elementary/middle school and public libraries. Money was given to our Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, and county 4-H. We hosted a free movie at our local theater and rented the local swimming pool for an after-hours party and invited the community, among other things.
Because of the long, hot and dry summer, even the later two hours of swimming was enjoyed by nearly 200 swimmers at the event which we had titled "Splash Bash".
My husband Jim and I talked about how much fun it would be to repeat the swimming party this summer. But where would the funds come from? Our M & Ms group works to raise money for a handful of pool passes for families and individuals annually. It seemed unlikely that our fundraisers would generate the extra $200 for a rental fee.
Then he and I hit on a plan: we would sponsor the summer event in honor of our daughter Merry's 40th birthday! Again, as most of you know, Merry was killed nearly fourteen years ago in a car accident.
Tomorrow, Saturday, June 1st, is her birthday; too early in the year for a swim party. We will host it later in the summer.
Here is the ironic part: Merry will be 'paying' for the party.
How you might ask?
A month or so ago, we traveled to Amana where her husband Ed lives with his wife, Heather and two daughters. As we ate supper together, he gave us two U.S. Savings Bonds he had found in sorting through some things: one, a $25 bond, was Merry's which had been purchased on July 4, 1976 in honor of the bicentennial of our country; the other, a $50 bond, was purchased in May 1992, the year Merry graduated from high school. Since one bond was made out in Merry's name and mine; the other in Merry's name and Jim's, they needed to be cashed by us.
While the face value wasn't that high, lots of time has passed.
Upon cashing them, the total amount came to about $215!
So if you are in Clarion on Saturday, July 20 between 8 - 10 p.m., please join us for "Splash Bash 2" at the Clarion Aquatic Center, as we celebrate Merry's 40th birthday.
Merry always liked being part of a party! She liked people!
Come! She's buying!!
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