Off-Topic Wishes for Hope
LuxuryWines
Posts: 737 ✭
I sit here two hours before the Super Bowl kick-off and unlike most Americans, I do not have the pre-game show on nor I am reading every little detail about the game in the paper. Last Sunday the New York Times printed a story in the business section about a study done by an outplacement firm named Challenger, Gray and Christmas made the startling claim that all the pre-game and post-game talk led to $821,400,000 in lost productivity for American business’s. For those who like round numbers that is a 821.4 Million Dollars folks. Do not even ask how much money, time and effort is spent on the creation, airing and analysis of all the various TV Commercials it would make our little lost productivity number look like the proverbial drop in the bucket.
Do not get me wrong folks. I am sure this will be a great game and I love football. The Patriots are my favorite team. I will watch the game. I will turn on My TV at around 6:00pm and be glued to it for the entire game. I will cheer when the Patriots do well and feel angst when the Panthers score. But 10-15 minutes after the game I will cherish the win or absorb the loss. Monday morning, I will use the game to make a business relationship but more importantly I will use one of the stories from the game to try and funnel a small percentage of this lost productivity to a better cause.
Because you see Friday morning I read another story that nearly broke my heart. It was an article I read in the Friday in the NY Times Sports section page 3 bottom right hand corner, entitled “Player Inspired by Child’s Wish” by Carl Nelson Let me you give the condensed version. It is the story of a freckle-faced, 12 year old girl named Hope Stout. It involves a 6-foot-five inch, 310-pound football player by the name of Kevin Donnalley, who plays right guard for the Carolina Panthers. Hope met Kevin on the sideline before the Panthers game against the Titans on October 19th of this year and asked to have her picture taken with him. Later he learned that Hope suffered from osteosarcoma a form of bone cancer.
Kevin visited Hope a few times on his own and on one trip Hope told him “I appreciate you coming to visit, but if you can find the time or maybe during the off-season go see the kids in the hospital instead of me because I’ve got family. I’ve got two sisters who love me and support me. I have parents who are there for me. A lot of these kids don’t. Their parents are working or can’t get there to see them all the time.” That courage and selflessness is enough to break you heart. But as Paul Harvey always says now here’s the rest of the story:
Back in June when Hope learned she had cancer, she was visited by the Make-A-Wish foundation, a group that grants wishes to terminally ill children, visited and asked her what her wish would be. Hope learned that there were 155 other children on the organization’s list she told Make-A-Wish: “That’s my wish that their wishes come true”
The price tag for these wishes in the Charlotte Area was about $1,000,000, or $6451.61 per wish. To date through the efforts of the Charlotte Panthers and many others about $1,200,000 has been raised. About enough to cover 186 wishes! More than enough money to cover all the wishes in the Charlotte area. BUT certainly there are children elsewhere who could use a wish or a little “Hope”. I am sad to say that Hope died on January 4th, 2004. But her love and story will live on.
So on Monday instead of going over the game in agonizing detail why not says: Sure it was a great game but did you hear the story about Hope? Forward this email or tell them the story. You can also help Hope grant more wishes by making a donation to the Make a wish foundation. Their address is:
Make-A-Wish Foundation of America
Gift Processing Center
PO Box 29119
Phoenix, AZ 85038-9119
As the Stewardship Committee Chairmen for the First Presbyterian Church of Hightstown, NJ I will also be taking up a donation for Hope in our Church in the near future once I receive approval. Please consider doing something similar in your church or organization. I would love to hear how effective this email has been. If you make a donation please send me an email telling me how much. Periodically over the next month I will report our progress. I would also love to hear your thoughts on Hope. Please send any emails to:
Wishesforhope@aol.com
Thanks
Jeff
Do not get me wrong folks. I am sure this will be a great game and I love football. The Patriots are my favorite team. I will watch the game. I will turn on My TV at around 6:00pm and be glued to it for the entire game. I will cheer when the Patriots do well and feel angst when the Panthers score. But 10-15 minutes after the game I will cherish the win or absorb the loss. Monday morning, I will use the game to make a business relationship but more importantly I will use one of the stories from the game to try and funnel a small percentage of this lost productivity to a better cause.
Because you see Friday morning I read another story that nearly broke my heart. It was an article I read in the Friday in the NY Times Sports section page 3 bottom right hand corner, entitled “Player Inspired by Child’s Wish” by Carl Nelson Let me you give the condensed version. It is the story of a freckle-faced, 12 year old girl named Hope Stout. It involves a 6-foot-five inch, 310-pound football player by the name of Kevin Donnalley, who plays right guard for the Carolina Panthers. Hope met Kevin on the sideline before the Panthers game against the Titans on October 19th of this year and asked to have her picture taken with him. Later he learned that Hope suffered from osteosarcoma a form of bone cancer.
Kevin visited Hope a few times on his own and on one trip Hope told him “I appreciate you coming to visit, but if you can find the time or maybe during the off-season go see the kids in the hospital instead of me because I’ve got family. I’ve got two sisters who love me and support me. I have parents who are there for me. A lot of these kids don’t. Their parents are working or can’t get there to see them all the time.” That courage and selflessness is enough to break you heart. But as Paul Harvey always says now here’s the rest of the story:
Back in June when Hope learned she had cancer, she was visited by the Make-A-Wish foundation, a group that grants wishes to terminally ill children, visited and asked her what her wish would be. Hope learned that there were 155 other children on the organization’s list she told Make-A-Wish: “That’s my wish that their wishes come true”
The price tag for these wishes in the Charlotte Area was about $1,000,000, or $6451.61 per wish. To date through the efforts of the Charlotte Panthers and many others about $1,200,000 has been raised. About enough to cover 186 wishes! More than enough money to cover all the wishes in the Charlotte area. BUT certainly there are children elsewhere who could use a wish or a little “Hope”. I am sad to say that Hope died on January 4th, 2004. But her love and story will live on.
So on Monday instead of going over the game in agonizing detail why not says: Sure it was a great game but did you hear the story about Hope? Forward this email or tell them the story. You can also help Hope grant more wishes by making a donation to the Make a wish foundation. Their address is:
Make-A-Wish Foundation of America
Gift Processing Center
PO Box 29119
Phoenix, AZ 85038-9119
As the Stewardship Committee Chairmen for the First Presbyterian Church of Hightstown, NJ I will also be taking up a donation for Hope in our Church in the near future once I receive approval. Please consider doing something similar in your church or organization. I would love to hear how effective this email has been. If you make a donation please send me an email telling me how much. Periodically over the next month I will report our progress. I would also love to hear your thoughts on Hope. Please send any emails to:
Wishesforhope@aol.com
Thanks
Jeff
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass... it's about learning to dance in the rain.
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