I get a bit verklempt (Yiddish for overcome with emotion) on Mom’s Day. Clara Sambur passed 48 years ago, but for me it still seems like an eye blink ago. My memories of her are vivid and unforgettable. Yes. I still miss her.
Another crystal clear Mother’s Day recollection was attending Colorado Rockies baseball games with Joe Scanlan. Stage 4 Cancer seized Joe in the spring of 2019. Now I’m left with fond memories of the many games we caught on those special second Sundays in May. A great baseball/friendship tradition lost forever.
I knew Joe for over three decades. I can honestly say there was never an unkind word spoken between us. Plus! There was all that laughter. I’d feed him lines and away he’d go. Joe could have been a top notch stand up comedian. A Rodney Dangerfield II.
Sure, I miss him.
In June 2019, the Scanlan family hosted a memorial for Joe in Denver’s Washington Park. Heres the tribute I wrote about Joe.
From that sad day, the idea of a fundraiser was born. Somehow something positive would come out of losing Joe. With the BIGLY help of Joe’s niece Nikki an American Cancer Society memorial donation website was created. The event was centered around a Sunday Rockies game. Well, Covid-19 screwed that up like everything else. Now we are left with just the donation part, in which thus far, the response has been anemic. (A sincere Thank You to those 43 generous donors).
Through the years, I’ve been involved in many fundraisers. The best analogy I can come up with is this. Fundraising is similar to ingesting a vile tasting medicine in which one hopes for a good outcome. No one enjoys asking people for money, but it feels satisfying to see the Bucks rolling in for a a good cause, (Like the American Cancer Society. If you are reading this, you or someone you know has dealt with cancer).
On a personal note: Since I understand the ugliness of fundraising, I have great empathy toward those who are brave/stupid enough to put themselves through this grief. So upon receiving an email or a Facebook plea, this is what happens.
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Oh look! John or Jane Doe are seeking greenbacks for a worthy cause. I’ll donate some dinero and score a monetary mitzvah. Maybe some Good Karma even. There! That didn’t take long. Now I’ll go back to drinking my IPA. I hope John and Jane Doe achieve their goals.
This is what I’m proposing. If you could find it within yourself to toss anything (For emphasis: ANYTHING) toward the Joe Scanlan Memorial
I’ll donate to your passion as well. BUT! There are limits. I won’t drop moola in the laps of politicians or religious organizations. Pretty much anything else works for me. I’ll even donate to Save the Monarch Butterflies.
RIP Mom and Joe. The world needs more people like you.
Any donation would be greatly appreciated.
Let’s make dough for Joe!
Hi Jeff, I know all too well the "grief" that comes with fundraising. Especially now in a pandemic with many fundraising avenues closed. Good luck to you in raising money in his memory. I never met the man, nor knew of him before your post, but I threw in some coin in his memory.
ReplyDeleteI've ridden in the Pan-Mass Challenge for two years raising money for cancer research and patient care at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. I was set to ride again this year but the event was cancelled, for obvious reasons. I was set to do some events like a comedy night and a "Dining for a Cause" night at local restaurants, but as you can imagine, those events were cancelled. In the spirit of your post, I'd appreciate it if you could sponsor my ride:
https://donate.pmc.org/MM0795
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