Debrief- Tsunami Fundraiser hosted by Room to Read Boston

In case anyone was wondering, the event was a success. Room to Read Boston raised $10,000 for the tsunami survivors in Sri Lanka. Dr. Ruffing and the Sackstein twins were a hit. They embodied what I think is the best in humanity. I don't say that lightly. In the case of the Sackstein twins, they saw a problem and came up with a solution. They did not let people dissuade them because they were kids, which can often happen. They run this venture more professionally than some adults I can think of.

Ron Ruffing said something that I remembered hearing as a child. He said that his mother told him that, "those to whom much have been given are those of which much is expected." I was made to feel that way for most of my life. I think it is page three of the "Life as a Black person in America" handbook. I remember feeling very guilty at that point. I speak a lot about how people forget how lucky they are and recalled how I griped about my job, which I chose. I had the freedom to chose something. I complained about being tired earlier and remembered that I really had not a clue of what it meant to be REALLY TIRED.

It was great to be surround by a good mix of people. People who were very well off, people who had a little more than enough and people who had enough but wanted to do for others because they realized that fate could have decreed that they could have been the unfortunate ones. If any of you were there and saw someone in a red top and black pants quietly policing the area, that was me. I would also like to hear from you if you were there. I am big on feedback.We are planning another mini-fundraiser in the fall. We also have 3 people who are interested in coordinating our Read a Thon effort. The Read A Thon is an initiative where elementary school kids will read book and collect pledges based on the number of pages that they have read. The proceeds will go to Room to Read to build a reading room. For those of us who are a wee bit older, it is similar to the MS read a thon. So far we have a school in Lexington interested. The three people who were interested last night came from Framingham, Worcester and Waltham.

So in all, it was a good night and well worth missing Wife Swap.