The Word of the Day: Vol-a-palooza

palooza:

an all-out crazy party; partying at one place with a ton of people like there's no tomorrow To use it in a sentence: "That palooza for Anita's birthday was crazy fun!" * * * and a Vol-a-palooza is a crazy fun party doing volunteer stuff! Serving your community, making a difference... Join me for VOL-A-PALOOZA as I celebrate my 53rd birthday! As you know, a year ago most days we didn't know if I'd wake up on the right side of the dirt. My 2010 birthday was spent at the Nebraska University Med Center. Times were uncertain and unpleasant. (That's what they tell me anyway, I don't remember.) BUT with the love and support of family and friends, I have a new lease on life and a new appreciation for... well, a lot of things! Health, family, friends, caring doctors and nursing staff (even though I was convinced at the time they were all plotting to kill me - my alternate reality at the time), each sunrise, the sound of the cranes flying overhead, the ability to walk, being (somewhat) sane and least in the same "reality" as most of you, being able to go to the bathroom like a normal person - well, just LOTS of things. :) And, I'm thankful that I am able to give back to the community that I love. I'm hoping you'll join me in showing gratitude. This year, I want to return to the volunteering celebrations I've had in past years where we've painted (at Citizen Advocacy), we've called (for Stuhr Museum), we've built (Habitat for Humanity). Please join me for "Vol-a-palooza!" on Saturday, April 16th from 9am-noon at Stuhr Museum, Grand Island NE. We will be helping Stuhr get ready for the opening of Railroad Town and we'll be doing a variety of things - possibly painting, sprucing up the gardens and cleaning up in general. Dress to get dirty! At noon, we'll share a meal in the garden area, no need to bring anything, I'll take care of that. If you are unable to help physically but want to do something AND even if you are available to come out to Stuhr, please consider filling a grocery sack with non-perishable food items or paper products (Food Stamps don't cover toilet paper or any paper products) that we'll donate to "Food for Thought". It's a program to send a backpack of food home with selected students. Ten families from eight schools in Grand Island with the highest poverty levels are selected by school social workers and administration. The school ensures a hearty breakfast and lunch, but this will ensure they eat on the weekends, too. To help me make sure there's enough lunch to fill everyone up, please let me know if you're able to come out. Bring family or friends - the more the merrier! Plus... I consider strangers to be friends I haven't met yet anyway. ~Happy Birthday to ME!~ In abundance, Anita Lewandowski Brown