Strawberry Festival - 2010 . . . the end of MY era!

So, I have to admit, I got a little weepy as I drove down to the courthouse on Thursday morning to make my last call as to whether the Annual Strawberry Festival would be held outdoors on the courthouse lawn or have to be moved inside because of the weather.  I was literally counting down the hours until that day would be over, but at the end of all the work, the countless hours of planning, checking, filling out forms, cake cutting, ice cream scooping, strawberry dipping, and other jobs I can't even remember doing, it was a very proud moment for me.  

As the chair of this event, which marked my last hooray on the Boys' & Girls' Club Auxiliary, I had to stop and realize just exactly what I was doing.  Beside the fact that this festival is a huge event for Bloomington, marked by serving strawberry shortcake to just over 10% of the entire town's population, we were also raising a very large amount of money for an organization that absolutely needs every bit of our support.  When we first moved to Bloomington and I was asked to join the Auxiliary, I knew immediately that I wanted to be a part of this group.  We don't just raise money and pass out checks to the BGC, we have scheduled parties and outings with these kids, doing things with them and taking them places they would never get to do otherwise.  Our neighborhood has all kinds of activities for kids, but I can guarantee you, the children that attend the BGC do not have a neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt, nor are they able to attend IU soccer camp (but we provide a clinic with the IU coaches and players), nor are they able to afford their own pumpkin to carve at Halloween (but we provide hundreds of pumpkins for them to choose during our Pumpkin Pick party), along with the Halloween Party, Valentine Party, Tennis Clinic, etc.  

So, while my kids got tired of me saying, "I can't go here, or do that because of Strawberry Festival", they don't hear that very often, but the kids we help hear "I can't" a lot.  Well, that's it . . . I've officially completed my five-year term on the Auxiliary.  It wasn't all peaches and cream, but going out as the chair of such a fantastic event and having an impact on the city of Bloomington as well as the kids of the BGC is a good way to go.  

Thanks for checking in!

xo - jenni