Blown away

Today I was in charge of running a fundraiser for the the CWA.  And I have to say, I am absolutely blown away by the generosity of people, and the willingness of those around me to help me fulfill my goal.

The goal was to raise funds to send through the Red Cross to those recovering from Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.  We ran a BBQ, with a cake stall and a "guess how many lollies are in the jar" competition.  I was expecting to make somewhere between $300 and $400.  But in just under 4 hours, we raised $747!!!!

Our very first transaction of the day was a man donating $10 while we were setting up.

Throughout the day we had many people tell us to "keep the change".

And at one point a man came over to find out what we were raising money for.  After we told him, he walked over to the ATM, came back and dropped $200 on the table!  We managed to convince him to have a sausage.

Then there were all my wonderful friends who baked delicious cakes, slices and cookies that we could sell on the cake stall!  They looked wonderful and I'm pretty sure the people who bought them definitely enjoyed them!

And, of course, the wonderful people who made themselves available to stand out, next to a hot barbeque, on a really hot day, for no personal gain, who gladly paid for their own food and drinks, to cook and serve and set up and clean up.  I am incredibly grateful for each of you, and the time and effort you gave to help make today such a success.

My husband, without whom I think the day would have been very difficult, even though he was desperate for sleep after a night shift.

My son's best friend's mum, who came and helped to set up, serve, and then took the Little Big Fella back to her place so that we didn't have to stress as he became bored and hot and cranky.

My friend who came and helped out for more than the hour she'd agreed to, and her friend who looked after her oldest two children so that she could.

Our CWA Treasurer, who really struggled in the heat, but hung around and helped all day,  including packing up in the high heat of the day and counting all the money.

Our CWA President, her daughter and grandkids, who kept things running smoothly when I started to lose the plot this afternoon through exhaustion.  And the re-supply of home-made baking that kept the cake stall running hot!

Our CWA Secretary and her husband who kept the stall running with enthusiasm when I was ready to end it early.  And they stayed around to help deal with the pack up in the heat of the day, which is really the worst part of any event!

After working for three days at the end of this week (more about that in another post soon), I know that I wouldn't have been able to do this without all of you.  And I would never have dreamed of being able to make such a wonderful donation without every one of the people who visited our little stall today.

Thank you!  Thank you all so much!