Blown Away

90 minutes. That's all it took for me to choke up. Our FabuLESS Pay it Forward Garage Sale opened for business at 8am, and by 9:30 we had earned enough to buy Crissie her bike. You read that right: an hour and a half. I counted the money, then sat back and looked around.

There was a reader whom we had never met before Thursday furiously arranging kids clothes just so on the tables. Another two manning the bake sale. Still another helping an elderly woman sift through items. Those readers were scattered among tens of thousands of donated items, surrounded by a steady stream of shoppers. I paused for a second to take it all in. And my throat got a little tight.

I was an English major in college but I cannot find an adjective that adequately describes what I experienced today. I was reminded that people are inherently good, as complete strangers gave up hour upon hour of their lives to help a woman and a family they had never met. I was overwhelmed by your support as I returned home day after day to find my driveway packed with new donations. I was humbled by your generosity as you paid $100 for a loaf of bread. I was amazed at your willingness to serve as you rubbed your sleepy eyes, perhaps cursing us under your breath for our 5am start time (although, come to think of it, I never heard a negative word uttered).

You, our selfless reader, made this silly little dream a reality. And not only did you see to it that this sale would happen, but in less than 2 weeks time you made sure it would be a sale that would bring a community together, make visible one of the most charitable groups I have ever come in contact with and blow the top off our monetary goals.

DRUM ROLL PLEASE..........

Our current total (NOT including our Pay Pal donations) is:

$2, 749.96.

YOU raised $2, 749.96 in 6 hours. We don't know how to adequately thank you. We're not sure we ever will.

We are going to give Crissie $1000 to buy the bike or whatever her family needs (because this really was not about a bike). The rest of the money including the uncounted paypal donations will go to the Jason Wolfkiel Cancer Benefit Fund.

Here are just a few of you who need to be thanked publicly. If we left someone off that list (and I'm sure we did!), please forgive us. We are running on zero sleep and personally, my brain is shutting down fast!



Volunteers
Amber Christensen: Pocket Full of Diamonds (and your cute sister!)
Michelle Wall: Saving Some Green
Stephanie & Ryan Daniel
Rachel & Ray Johnson
Joey & Scott Nicholls
Monica Tanner Impact Pest Services
Natricia Christopherson
Kearna Whiting
Crissie, Scott, & Austin Fields
Jeanie Carter
Michelle Hurd and Kenny Gather
Mark Abercrombie
Mark Knight
Kim Wing
Jen & Brian Huffaker Family


Donations
Cheryl Anaya
Cheri & Craig Spjute
Natricia Christopherson
Amy Conner
Jani & Aaron Knox
Rachel and Ray Johnson
Jeanie Carter
Marne: Making Life Sweet one Deal at A Time
Pam Jagosh
Hilary Woodland
Jennifer Eno
Audrey Furman
Letia Derderian
Baked Goods from the LDS Kuna 1st Ward
And hundreds more of you who cleaned out closets, bagged up garages, supported the bake sale with your mouthwatering treats and made the drive to the nearest drop-off location.


Drop off locations
Edgewater Dental
Better Life Chiropractic
Andrea Roche

Spreading the word
Amber Christensen Pocket Full of Diamonds
Michelle Wall: Saving Some Green
Sarah Barrand: A Thrifty Mom
Discount Queens
Marne: Making Life Sweet one Deal at A Time
And a BIG Thanks to all of you that came out and shopped the sale. We hope you got some fabuless items!
More thank you's tomorrow when we highlight all of our raffle donors and announce the raffle winners. Until then, know that because of you, I can't wipe this ridiculous grin off my face!

Blown away,
Amber