Hip, Hip Hooray!

SCORE!

I am SOOOO excited today, I am jumping up and down with joy...! I feel like a humanized Tigger - where I am bouncing from one activity to the next!

Why, you ask? Well, I'll tell you why! (You knew I would...!)

First, a little background:

Here in Kansas City, we have a monthly meeting for all of our American Red Cross volunteers. The format of the meeting is usually as follows: snacks & fellowship, a guest speaker, and then the "business" meeting where we discuss policies and procedures in our Disaster Services area.

Part of my responsibilities as Disaster Services Chairman is not only directing these meetings, but arranging for the guest speakers each month. I've been doing this now for over a year, and it's getting more and more difficult to bring in someone who can not only be relevant to our agenda (disasters), but also interesting...and concise...and engaging. Oh - and did I mention the speaker has to be willing to do it pro bono? For free? Pretty please??!

In the past, we've had local television weathermen (speaking on hurricanes, flooding and tornados), firemen, FEMA personnel, city emergency management directors, animal rescue groups, underwater rescue and recovery - all sorts of fascinating people who can disseminate useful information to our volunteers - and hold their attention.

TONIGHT - I scored a major coup! I managed to snag the curator of the ONLY museum in the United States specifically geared towards World War I...and that curator has a magnificent presentation on the role of the American Red Cross during World War I....with photos galore of various artifacts, as well as amazing trivia and stories.

I know, I know - it may not sound interesting to the average Joe Blow - but to someone who is passionate about the Red Cross - it is AMAZING! I had the wonderful opportunity to hear this man do this same presentation about 6 months ago at a fundraiser I went to, and I said then, "I have GOT to get this guy to one of my meetings...." And here he is! Tonight!!! [Bounce, bounce, bounce!]

Isn't it funny what can get us excited?! I am always awed by the different causes and celebrations that I see out here in the blogging world - and the passions that people have for various things - and I always think it's wonderful that we are such a diverse group and we can cheer on our own causes and educate and inform and excite others...and it's all good.

I LOVE reading about other people's causes - the March of Dimes, breast cancer awareness, world hunger, adoptions, Cystic Fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, PETA - it's all been very fascinating for me to read up on what others are doing. Your excitement for whatever it is you're championing is contagious -

- and I hope my excitement about the American Red Cross is just as contagious to you!

I am SOOOOOOO excited!

(Can you tell??!!)

Peace.