One of those groups was the D.C. Chapter of the American Cancer Society. Another was the local D.C. chapter of Goodwill.
My hard work on behalf of ACS at a series of very successful events around Washington eventually led the top administrators and charitable giving people of the DC chapter to recommend that I be put on their Board of Directors for their Young Adults division.
Apparently, they needed to be be making more of a positive difference than had been the case, for whatever reason, and you know me, I'm a problem-solver. I fix things.
I was happy to do it for a few years, specializing in -surprise- creating and organizing fundraising events and event management, because of my extensive campaign experience nationally, in Florida, and in Miami-Dade County.
Except here, the opponent was high costs, irrational expectations, and an inability of some to accept that sometimes the answer is no, no matter how many times you try to reframe a proposal.
Unlike many non-profits at the time, in large part due to the national United Way scandal some years before, we operated under very strict rules with respect to what was allowed in the way of overhead, i.e. the actual costs of throwing.
Fees, rental expenses, minimums that must be spent in order to use certain catering firms that had contracts with that site, etc. Yes, these costs could often be much higher than you might imagine, even when hosts understood that we were a non-profit with a thin line for actually making more money than we spent.
So, after awhile, despite my own fondness for brainstorms and great ideas, I got to be the person in our group who had to say no a lot, no matter how good the idea sounded in the abstract, because I simply couldn't put the ACS in a bad position by having a successful event where too much money was spent on costs and labor.
With help from smart and influential friends I had around DC, and especially relying on good contacts I had at the German Embassy, we were able to have some events at their beautiful and quite extensive grounds on Reservoir Road that raised a considetable amount of money for the parent ACS.
While living and working in D.C. and Arlington, because of my involvement with so many people at not just ACS and Goodwill but lots of other charities and non-profits, too, I was fortunate enough to have personally met LOTS of people in DC who personally benefitted greatly as a result of their efforts.
So, that all said, it should not come as a surprise to you that the American flag that proudly hung on the front porch of my Arlington, VA home, both before and after the deep trauma of 9-11 and the deaths of so many people in Arlington at The Pentagon 4 miles away, was one that was made with care and precision by the employees of Goodwill.
My friends at the time knew how constant I was about imploring them to purchase their U,.S. flags from Goodwil instead of at Home Depot or at Lowes or some other hardware store.
I took it personally.
In comparison to the D.C. area, for obvious reasons, I see considerably less American flags flying in front of homes or businesses in South Florida, even when they have extant flagpoles or flagholders on the property. But no flag, which, me being the way that I am, is very disappointing.
I suppose I should be used to it by now, yet when I'm walking around the area and see a flagpole or flag staff without a flag, I just shake my head.
In my opinion, there are far too many businesses that fall into this category in Hollywood and Hallandale Beach, and Downtown Holllywood in particular. This is perhaps nowhere more self-evident, in the opposite way, than at the NE corner of Young Circle, in front of The Circ Hotel.
There, for several months, a number of severely-ripped, torn or otherwise falling apart American flags have been allowed to be whipped around or lay limp high above walking passersby on the sidewalk, without anyone calling them out publicly and insisting they do the right thing.
Until now, that is.
So I'm here to ask whether you're in a place to directly help Goodwill financially now with the Goodwill Employee Emergency fund.or perhaps by placing an order NOW, in advance of Labor Day or July 4th for some new American flags to hang in front of your home or your business, please know that every little bit helps.
I only wish that i could do much more than I plan on doing now and next week.
