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Episode 3
- Another Busy Day and Making New Friends
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- Many games awaited the children when they grew tired of creating posters. Mal liked playing tug-of-war and Monkey in the Middle. Mel preferred games that required coordination and skill. Mel was also happy to show the other children some ways she learned from her mom to stand on one leg without losing her balance. Both Mal and Mel had fun with the outdoor treasure hunt. Rufus and the other dogs kept getting in the way, but it gave the children and the dogs great exercise.
- The painting team was just beginning to wash up when new local volunteers arrived with mounds of food for the potluck supper. Many of them brought items for the silent auction. Louisa and her mother came too. Their hands were full with a tuna casserole and several kinds of salads.
- It had been a productive day. Everyone looked forward to tasting the variety of homemade dishes that looked and smelled so good. While the food tables were being set up in the children's room, the volunteers helped to arrange the auction items on tables and desks in what would soon be the health center's reception area. There were all manner of enticing things on display, from toys, jewelry and craft pieces that would make great Christmas gifts to office supplies, sporting event tickets, tools and dinner coupons donated by local businesses.
- Mal and Mel asked if they could spend two weeks' allowance on the auction. Mort and Agnes said that was ok. The twins walked around, calculating what they could buy. Then they wrote their names and bid amount on the paper in front of the items that met their budget. Inge and Agnes were most interested in the jewelry. Mort and Mike, along with the most of the other men in the group, were more interested in the tools and dinner coupons. The silent auction would last through the candlelight dinner on Saturday evening. This would allow new volunteers the chance to bid as well.
- The potluck supper turned out even better than anyone expected. It wasn't only that the food was delicious, either. People were making new friends, discussing sports and exchanging recipes. "Wait until tomorrow," Lashawna promised. "Louisa and I are going to bake the finest cookies and cupcakes this side of the Mississippi."
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- From Jeans to a Candlelit Dinner
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- Saturday's tasks were not quite as repetitious as Friday's. The painting complete, the adults washed the floors and windows to leave them ready for the carpeting and blinds to be installed. They hung all 40 of the posters the children made, so each wall had at least two or three posters. Everything was finished by mid-afternoon, so the families had plenty of time to wash up and change for the candlelight dinner. A local restaurant sent their staff over to transform the children's area into a proper dining room. They would then bring over their house specialty dinner.
- All the volunteers gasped at the dramatic change when they arrived for the dinner. The local volunteers came first, carrying coffee cakes, brownies, cookies and other goodies for the bake sale. The project manager told them that their homemade delicacies would be a nice extra treat for the guest volunteers to take home with them, as there would be a lot of funds raised from the silent auction. "Good idea," everyone agreed. "It's better to give than to sell, especially to our guests who have worked so hard. And it will be something extra for them to enjoy."
- The guest volunteers arrived a bit later and they, too, coud hardly believe their eyes. White tablecloths covered round tables that eight people could sit at comfortably. Mel asked if Louisa and her mother could join them. "Of course," Agnes and Inge replied. "This way the girls will finally outnumber the boys!"
- The project manager and volunteer coordinator proposed a toast to all the volunteers and invited everyone to tomorrow's service and dedication of the health center. "We'll have a special announcement to make tomorrow," the manager said, "so be sure to join us."
- Mal and Mel were happy to learn that they were the winning bidders on their toys. Both Agnes and Inge were out-bid on some of the jewelry they wanted, but they did get several unusual craft items. Neither Mort nor Mike had winning bids. That was just as well, they thought, as they preferred to buy things the old-fashioned way...in a store.
- Then the restaurant staff brought out the dinner. Everyone had their fill of roast beef and all the trimmings and talked with each other as if they knew each other for years and years. "It's a good thing we didn't plan on having music," the volunteer coordinator told the project manager. "With all the talking going on, nobody would hear it anyway!"
- As the saying goes, "a good time was had by all."
- The round tables and all the other dinner things were cleaned up and folding chairs were arranged in rows for the Sunday service and dedication of the health center.
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- A Surprise Announcement
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- It was a big gathering. Besides the volunteers, there were many people from the participating churches near the health center.
- After the dedication, the project manager stood up to make an announcement.
- "Hundreds of volunteer hours have gone into this effort to make this health center a reality. As you know, this center's mission is to serve everyone who needs help, regardless of their ability to pay. We are truly grateful for everyone who has volunteered...past, present and future. Thank you all.
- "This is just the beginning. Many dedicated doctors, nurses and others have pledged their support of our efforts to improve the health of our community, and for this we are very grateful.
- "The center will also provide jobs for local people. As I said, this is just the beginning. This morning I'm honored to announce to you a program of support by a group of business people, as we still need to buy equipment and supplies and of course there will be utility and other ongoing expenses.
- First of all, they have pledged to donate ten dollars for each hour worked by the volunteers on Friday and Saturday. That includes the time those of you spent preparing the potluck dinner and desserts. This will total more than two thousand dollars. In addition, they will continue to donate ten dollars for every volunteer hour worked for the next five years. We have set in place a way to track and report back to them on volunteer work."
- Someone started clapping, and soon everyone joined in. Then, an elderly man in a wheel chair raised his hand. "Who is this group of business people? We should thank them."
- "They wish to remain anonymous," said the project manager.
- Agnes and Mort turned to look at Mike. But Mike stared straight ahead, pretending not to notice their questioning looks.
Please click HERE to read the Post Adventure |
iNTRODUCTION TO BOOK 2
INTRODUCTION TO THE BIOFABLES SERIES
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