Rosie,

I know this is a late response but I do hope the 2 you mentioned above had my name by one. I also want to say that to this day I still tear up just hearing news of the Green Bay Packers. It reminds me of Packer but it also reminds me so much of "the little hayseed from Wisconsin" Danny Boy. I then think of you, Heather, Las Vegas...and on and on and on. I can hardly go to the south side of Dallas because my heart still aches for Lynn and her darling little daughters. I then go home, I buy a shirt for someone that I know has battled some form of cancer. I try to drop chump change to OCF thinking in my mind that I am making a difference somehow. I have had 5 people tell me this past month that they asked their dentist if he/she was qualified to do a ADA approved oral cancer screening. I set up a booth at a health fair and I had 2 people that asked specifically at the door where the Oral Cancer Foundation booth was. I also had a gentleman take my name and ask me come to a health fair in South Oak Cliff. This is where the highest risk people would live and not coincidentally, the highest crime ridden area of Dallas.

I am taking a volunteer Hospital Chaplain class Tuesday nights, teach US Citizenship classes on Wednesday night, teaching English classes on Thursday nights and chairing the Missions Committee at our church which is one of the larger ones in our community.

People, let me jump on the bandwagon with Rosie for just a minute. I can find time, skip a lunch, do something that I feel makes a difference. I will never be able to truly give back to Brian Hill what he has given to me but so help me God (yes the unsolicited religious reference), I will do at least the small things that I can as long as I am breathing.

Skip a latte or a meal once a week and send the money to OCF. If you are reading this, you have been affected by oral cancer in some way.

I am on here today because yesterday (3 times total) my wife heard a PSA on the radio station for the Oral Cancer Foundation! It immediately brought me here to my old neighborhood where I left a part of my heart on many occasions.

I love all of you but love does not pay the bills!

Ed

Note: This is not an April Fool's Joke. I repeat, this is NOT and April Fool's Joke.

It is, however, the first of yet another month. Today I gave another small, paltry sum of money to OCF. I also sent people for cookbooks, shirts, etc. and I am buying my wife a bag.

Please, folks, do your part. If you saw someone out of gas on the side of the road, would you help them. Please support your neighborhood before it runs out of gas.

Thank you.

No amount is paltry. It is only when we all come together as a community that this works. I thank those of you who routinely send a few dollars to OCF. None of this happens for free, and lots of small donations all add up to paying the bills each month. Re the new bag... it is just a simple canvas bag. You might be able to find one like it for 10 or fifteen dollars out there. But the purchase of this one for a few dollars more will keep this message board open. I recently looked at the financials for SPOHNC who to my knowledge has not done a fraction of what OCF accomplishes each year. They take in 7 figures plus a year in donations, and have a running balance of over a half a million in their account. This is all public record. The difference is they work hard at raising money. To many organizations this is a major part of how they spend their time. Perhaps OCF should spend less time doing the mission, and more working to get people to make donations. For myself I freely admit that it is something that I do poorly, and given a choice of spending my time working on the mission or raising money, the latter always comes in second. I just assume that if people come here, get something of value they will leave something in the kitty on the way out. Those of you that have, have my sincere appreciation.

Brian, I'm with you on the fund raising. I would much rather be out there advocating and training my colleagues about how do to a thorough oral cancer screening.

However, this is the time of year that I do what does not come naturally to me...getting sponsorships for the NYC walk.

I think that the country's economic situation is going to affect my fund raising this year. Although there are still 2 1/2 weeks to go until the walk, the donations are coming more slowly than the last 2 years. I know I shouldn't take it personally, but it's hard not to do so.

Looking forward to seeing you on the 19th.

Jerry

To any late readers of this thread, the donation badge mentioned in the beginning of it has expired. Anyone that wishes to donate to help OCF needs to do so in the OCF store. Thanks to all those who did respond to Rosie with a donation.