In these hard economic times, when so much uncertainty is resting in the hearts and minds of many - I find comfort and encouragement when I see many who are beginning to realize that family and friends are the true treasure and wealth we need to cultivate.
Angel Faces is seeing the true heart of people and their gift of volunteering. I am again, grateful.
I recently heard on Good Morning America that volunteering is up by 10% compared to this time last year. That puts a smile on my face.
I'm proud and excited to share with you that we launched our first monthly support session via the Internet with the girls who have attended Angel Faces since 2004. There is something special about seeing each other through a little web camera. You can almost feel yourself reaching through the technology and giving each of the girls a warm hug - or in some cases, a nudge as to why they are allowing their trauma to hold them back. Needless to say, the follow-up program sponsored through Cisco Systems is up, running and the latest buzz with Angel Faces.
In other news, well...it happened again! As an award recipient of the Channel 10 News Leadership Award in San Diego in January 2008, I was invited to a year-end gala hosted by 10 News in San Diego. It was a wonderful celebration of all the Leadership Awardees throughout the past year.
The
10 News Leadership Award is a collaboration and sponsorship by Sempra Energy Foundation, KGTV 10 News, Volunteer San Diego and LEAD San Diego, Inc. You can imagine how shocked and honored I was when they called out my name to receive yet another
Leadership Award in the category of Community Action.
Here I thought I was attending a celebration of a past award, where I would munch on a little light fare, share my gratitude to the sponsors and congratulate the other recipients from throughout the year. Then, much to my surprise - I was blessed with another honor. At the end of the evening, Sempra Energy Foundation announced that they were giving a check for $5,000 to the Awardee's organization. Talk about excitement and gratitude!
And yet it is all so bittersweet. The applications are filling in for the next retreat. Earlier that same afternoon, I received a call from one of the burn centers wanting to refer a new patient -- a girl who was badly burned in a house fire this week, her two siblings perishing in the fire, their mother also burned. "She needs Angel Faces, we want to send her," the burn center nurse shared. "Her family lost everything in the fire."
...And the planning for the June's 2009 retreat is well underway...
Speaking of growth...I'm proud to announce two new members to our Board of Directors. Susan Fowler and Paul Chasan, MD. Susan is a Senior Consulting Partner with The Ken Blanchard Companies and a Founding Partner of Leadership Legacies, LLC. She is the co-author with Ken Blanchard of
Self Leadership and
The One Minute Manager, published in 2005. Dr. Chasan has his own surgery center,
La Jolla Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery, and is on staff at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla. Dr. Chasan is a board-certified member of the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. We are excited and pleased they will be sharing their time and treasure with Angel Faces.
Thank you for your donations, your endless support and open heart. Keep it coming!
