The feel good
I had Thanksgiving dinner last night with the Boy Scouts. It was great. Troop 222 organized their first ever turkey day potluck with each scout assigned a dish and a duty. As families, we gathered to say thanks for our sons, many of us with their brothers and sisters in tow, as we sat down to enjoy each other’s company and some great grub. It was a phenomenal lead up to a favorite holiday.
As we all know, Thanksgiving comes without the hype and garbage that has overtaken other holidays. It is instead about family and friends and being thankful for each other, our health and the bounty around us. Speaking of health, I wrote recently of a friend with cancer. Since then, another person I know has been diagnosed and the insidious disease seems to be cropping up around me at an alarming rate. One of these people has health care, one does not but no matter, each needs to raise money to offset the mounting medical bills.
In true Sonoma fashion, friends have rallied with fundraising support and you are invited to join in the fun. The first event is for Sarah Cess. If you don’t know Sarah, she is a dynamo on the Little League scene, a favorite employee at Prestwood School and an all-around great woman. She and her family have spent countless hours coaching, volunteering and being there for our community and now they need our help in return.
Sarah was diagnosed with Stage 3 ovarian cancer in September. Despite successful surgery, her prognosis is tenuous, as she must wait to begin chemotherapy and radiation, being tested every three months for the next three years. Sound expensive? You betcha’. You can step up to support Sarah and her family on December 9 from 6 to 9:30 at a spaghetti dinner at Larson Family Winery. For just $25 per person, you get dinner, beer, wine, a silent auction and dancing to the tunes of Ten Foot Tone. For more information, to purchase tickets or make a donation, contact Jennifer Sunia at 888.0274 or [email protected].
Our other friend in need is Sonoma’s favorite graphic designer, Ginnie Nichols. A super bubbly, energetic firecracker of a woman, Ginnie is known around town as a go-getter so it was doubly shocking when she was tragically diagnosed with WHAT just a few weeks ago. Today she is truly in a fight for her life. Having to put work completely on hold to focus on her health, Ginnie, who is lucky to have health care, is nonetheless experiencing the doom of mounting medical bills. A fundraiser for her has been set up for December 12. The location is yet to be determined but if you are willing to pitch in, volunteers and donations are needed. Contact Margie Tosch at [email protected] for get involved.
This isn’t supposed to read as all gloom and doom but rather, a comment on the strength of our community. We pull together when necessary and can accomplish great things as a group as evidenced by countless other volunteer and fundraising efforts over the years. For Thanksgiving, today’s paper is full of ways to get involved, either at the Community Center’s annual feast or, at Vintage House. Read on for more information and always, remember to reach out to those in need. It just feels good.
