This past weekend ReDress hosted a Community Baby Shower event. It was the first charitable event that ReDress has been proud to host and I am so happy that this company is starting to make a difference in someones life. After all, the reason the business was started was so that I could reach out and help. The whole goal of ReDress is to bring help, hope and the love of Christ to the world and I saw that happening last Saturday!
With our first sale I donated $5 to Amirah house. Being able to do that was wonderful for me! Last Saturday we raised $200 and a large supply of baby items! That was beyond joy! It was encouraging to be fulfilling the companies purpose to serve and it has deepened a hunger to see it continue.
It was a fun event and I came away with not only all these wonderful gifts of love from the community but also some funny and touching and interesting memories.
Not everyone was keen to help or offer up a donation but the ones who were did it with joy. Here are some of the stories:
- I had the pleasure of unexpectedly meeting the parents of one of the woman who run the center we were raising support for! They were so proud of there girl (and rightly so!) and were excited to see that I was there to help out her organization
- One man came to the store with his son, a boy of about 3. He gladly took the opportunity to lend a helping hand and let his son put in the donated diapers he bought for us! What a good dad!
- One lady gladly agreed to purchase a baby item while in the store and then emerged some fifteen minute later looking very sheepish... she had totally forgotten! It is easy to forgive this seeing as I frequently forget many things!
- One guy told us that he didn't want to give, but if we had been raising money for the death penalty he would have gladly supported!! Oh no!!
- We were greeted by a pastor and his wife who said they had been saving some things for A.W.C. and if I would wait for them to go get it. They returned 30 min later with two jumbo boxes of diapers and $100!
- One little boy came with his father an two brothers. He couldn't have been more than 8. He said he couldn't buy diapers. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out his coins and dropped them into the collection bottles... the whole 28cents <3
There were people who listened to the whole fundraising pitch , said it was a great idea and then went in without another thought. There were people who listened and made a face that said "I don't care". there were those who didn't listen and walked on. There were those who did not listen and gave because were were collecting. Then there were those who cared about what we were trying to accomplish. they listened, they asked questions, they fully supported the mission of A.W.C. in their fight to save babies lives. One old man stands out in my memory who really supported what we were doing. It was those who cared that made it such a wonderful experience.
I am so very grateful for the help I had that day and for the people who cared enough to give.
<3
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