[Best of Boards]  [BoB for Bunnies] [Tealited Tidbits]

 

When Hope Dies!

At National Conference during the ACS program we all received a gift called " LIGHT OF HOPE" to use in place of a candle lighting. I loved mine and spent many nights lying awake looking at the color changes as they reflected off the shiny pieces floating within the illuminated ball. During that time, I would think about the loved ones I have lost to cancer as well as the ones still sick. I often found myself daydreaming about turning back the hands of time so I could start raising money for ACS sooner! Could I have raised enough money to have saved any of them? Maybe, after all; look at how much we in PL have raised in the few years we have been doing it!

Some times I relive the exciting program in my mind as well! I was privileged enough to be on stage among many other PL people whose lives have been changed by cancer, and let me tell you; It was quite something to see! I lost it when out of nowhere everyone started chanting " Let's raise a million" over and over. At that point I realized for the first time that most of you do in fact understand how desperately this money is needed. If
only I had of realized it sooner! I think about how much money I could have raised on my own, however; I can make up for it by applying myself today. My light of hope truly lived up to its name. It gave me hope that illuminated my dreams and filled my life with great joy! It didn't last forever though.

The light of hope lasted only a few days after I got home. One night as I was playing with my light, it grew dim and soon died! My room became pitch black. I stopped dreaming and let my joy die with it. When hope is dead it is much sadder than never having hoped at all. The next day I tossed my light of hope into the drawer of my nightstand. In no time at all, I forgot completely about it. Hope was dead and of no use at all.

Over the next few months, my health improved and life began to get back to normal. I helped with the ACS fund raising from time to time at regional meetings and raised money at our unit meetings. My passion and drive was gone though and I don't know why. I started to think about and realized that my hope was gone. I, feeling much better; had forgotten about the 552,200 Americans that are expected to die of cancer this year alone. What about their hope? Could I sit back enjoying my good health and do nothing about them? It was THEIR HOPE that I had let die.

I dug out my light of hope once more, bought new batteries, replaced the old and restored life to it once more! Just like my light of hope, real hope dies without being recharged. Without money for research there would be no improvements in drugs and
treatments to dream of. Just imagine being told that you have cancer at a time when money was tight for research. What hope would you have knowing that one out of every five women will die from cancer with the current treatments? Sad to say, it's the facts of the day! The only comfort and HOPE that you have is in knowing that people all over the USA are working hard raising money to pay for research to find a cure! We are the hope for today!

Now imagine sitting at national conference in a few months and sending Dianne up on stage to announce that we gave it a great try, but fell far short of our goal. That would be devastating to the many people depending on our money to pay for the hope that is sustaining them. What is happening to our goal? Have we let our lights go dim or burn out? Are we loosing our passion and drive? What is our chant today? " I gave last month or I don't need what your raffling off." Is your health so good that you are letting hope die?

WE MUST ALL WORK AT KEEPING HOPE ALIVE!!!

Partylite informed us that if every unit gave $90 a month for 2 months we would make it. We all know that many units have all they can do just to stay alive. It is most likely that many units will not or are not able to help out that much. I for one can't sit here and let hope slip away! Last year I was amazed at your generosity and support. I know that many of you have the compassion and drive to join me in an all out push raise the money needed to place us well over our goal of one million! Will you, my Beloved Internet
Family, join me in the next few months???

I know of a few things we can do that will make a world of difference and not cost you one cent.

1) If everyone on the internet would sit down today and calls 10 friends asking them to give $10 each, we would raise a GREAT many dollars for ACS! Wouldn't it be great to send it in to the home office with a letter asking them to list it in the Reflections as a gift in honor of the support you get from BOB or list it as a gift from the circle of Partylite internet friends!!!!! Partylite would sit back and know that we are doing much more
good than people talk about. That alone would make a world of difference.

2) SOCK IT TO CANCER! Have everyone pass a sock around at every show we do this month and tell our guests that we are trying to raise one million with all money going
straight to charity. This will let our Hostesses and Guests help us and we can all Sock It To Cancer together.

Give them a try! Together we can recharge the excitement we felt in Washington as we chanted " Let's raise a million" I don't want to be sitting at conference wondering IF we made it, I want to wonder HOW MUCH OVER we went!

One last thought! I have come to love many of you as dear friends and sisters. Many of you are a true part of my family. As I think of you, knowing that you have a 1/3 chance of getting cancer and a 1/5 chance of dying from it, I'm reminded that it is for me and my family we must raise the money! In our minds we have the number of one million dollars to reach, however; in our hearts our goal must be " give till the day we know for a
fact you will not die from cancer!" To all of you I send wishes of a long life and great health! I will see you in JULY!
Love, Hank

This page last updated  July 06, 2005