Here’s a case of how far reaching Dollies Making A Difference is … and what angels we have in those who love the good work we do!
We noticed in the last month that we were receiving monetary donations from people on the East Coast…people whose names we did not recognize. These donations came through the PayPal account attached to our website, and so we wrote these kind strangers thank you notes for their contributions to Dollies Making A Difference, and asked, “How did you hear about us?” One gentleman emailed me back with this note:
Hello and thank you very much for the kind note. It does my heart good to hear of the good work Dollies Making A Difference is doing. You ladies have done a fantastic job to distribute 5000 dollies and teddy bears!
As to how I heard of you, I hope you don’t mind a bit of a long answer. Recently I was honored to be able to run the 2014 Boston Marathon. This was a very emotional time for the citizens of Boston, and throughout the weekend I spent there, there were many examples of them coming together to show support for each other, as well as great kindness and generosity towards those of us who had come to pay our respects and show our support by running the race. One example was that I saw many people wearing beautiful handmade scarves in blue and yellow, the official race colors. I read on an online runners’ forum that a group of volunteers had gotten together and knitted 10,000 of these scarves, and were handing them out to runners and others associated with the race. Unfortunately, I was too late in getting to the spot where they were handing them out, and no more were left.
When I returned home, though, I was reading that same online forum, and it turns out that one of the knitters, though not a runner herself, had found her way there and offered to knit additional scarves for anybody who had missed out on getting one at the race! I and many others took her up on the offer, and I was very touched both by the original effort to knit and distribute the scarves, and the incredibly generous offer to knit more of them so nobody would be left out. When I sent her my address for mailing the scarf, I said I would like to make a donation and asked where she would like it made, and . . . you can guess the rest. Her name is Alicia (“A.J.”) Jackson; she described herself as a supporter of Dollies but I don’t if she is a member. I do know she is an awesome person!
So the upshot is that I get a scarf and a cherished memory, and some kids who need them get dollies and teddy bears. It’s a win-win for everybody!
Take care,
Anthony, Waltham MA
It turns out that Alicia Jackson is one of our Dollie Volunteers from Afar, who provides us with beautiful crocheted dollie quilts which we wrap around the dollies and teddys when we send them on their way near or far. Alicia is a friend of DMAD co-founder Dorothy Miyake.
Mystery Solved!!! Thank you Alicia, and thank you Anthony !!!