SPA-tacular Full Moon Howl for the Salvation Army Emergency Shelter (Buffalo, NY)

SPA-tacular Full Moon Howl

April 28, 2010

A gathering of Yowza Elves in the Spirit of Giving and Gratitude

to support the

Salvation Army Emergency Shelter in Buffalo, NY

Oh, my!!!  The entire evening was, indeed, “SPA-TACULAR”--due to the generosity and kindness and beauty of the women who came to “howl out loud” through their giving of spa items to the Salvation Army  Emergency Shelter http://www.use.salvationarmy.org/use/www_use_buffalo.nsf/vw-text-dynamic-arrays/AFD2F02C04D2D23E85257488006B3D87?openDocument. 

      You know, I was going to write in detail about the entire event, but the saying that “a picture is worth a thousand words” truly speaks more loudly and more clearly to the success of the gathering than any lengthy blog I could attempt.  Suffice it to say – the collective spirit and heart and energy and love of the women who gave of their time and donations was overwhelming.

46 WOMEN:

               That’s right—46 fantastic women from the Buffalo-Kenmore-Tonawanda, NY were responsible for the evening’s success…

877 DONATED SPA ITEMS:

               Yowza! Yowza! Yowza!  Before it was all said and done,  877+ spa items were donated to support the women who might find
               themselves residing at the Salvation Army Emergency Shelter in downtown Buffalo, NY.  877 items!  That’s right…46 women…
               877+ donated spa items.  Oh, me; Oh, my!   Life IS good!

And so, rather than writing and writing and writing…here is the story of the magical evening through photographs. 

The Invitation to Howl

 Guests of Honor 

Carolyn Hillman, Director

Margie Delgado, Resident Manager

Salvation Army Emergency Shelter Buffalo, NY

Party Goodies...Nibbles...Drinks...Decorations

Yowza Elf Giving

Yowza Elves:

So I’ll leave you with a thought:  

What if…

what if more Yowza Elves begin to gather in the spirit of gratitude and giving?  What if these Yowza Elves gather, then more elves gather, and at each gathering they encourage others to 

“Catch the YowzaSpirit and Pass it On”….  

What if…

Phew!  The evening came and went…and the Goodies are now boxed for delivery to the shelter.

Yowza...Catch the Spirit

cele-BRA-tion...Yowza Style

cele-BRA-tion…Yowza Style

What is a "cele-BRA-tion" you might be wondering?   Well, a "cele-BRA-tion" is a celebration imbued with true Yowza Spirit…that’s what it is!

The Back Story: 

On one of my walks around the neighborhood last summer I met up with Sue, another “walking gal”.  We walked and talked as we enjoyed the gorgeous day. Somewhere in the midst of non-stop conversation, I discovered she volunteers (cooking dinners for the homeless) at the Little Portion Friary, a local Buffalo, NY shelter. 

Aha!  My mind raced; my energy bubbled. Visions of Yowza Elves danced in my head. I wondered, "Could this be an opportunity to see if I can continue in Western New York with the Yowza Spirit work I had begun in Texas?"  

The Need:

I asked Sue what ONE thing might a group of women be able to do to further help the women at the shelter. She didn’t hesitate: “Bras,” she said.  “Hmmm…bras?” I mused. Suddenly I imagined the scene—a gathering of women in my backyard, my gift of wine and appetizers as a thanks for the generosity of these guests, their gifts of gratitude and giving by filling a bucket full of bras of all types and sizes for women in need. 

The Gathering:

So there you have it. Invitations were created and delivered. RSVPs came in. The beautiful summer weather cooperated.  And over 30 women showed up. And show up they did with bras of all makes and styles and sizes in hand. When all was said and done, these bras were placed into not one, but several buckets. (Bras were even sent by my gal-pals back in Texas!)  The spirit of the gathering was filled with laughter, conversations, joy. And the outcome of the first Western New York gathering for a Yowza Spirit “cele-BRA-tion” was a huge success.   

The Gifts:

When all was said and done—we presented Sue (our guest-of-honor for the event) with over 100 bras! Never in my wildest dreams did I think we would end up with this number of bras. 10 bras…Maybe? 20 bras…how great would that be? 30 bras…could we dare hope? But…over 100 bras…amazing!  Simply amazing that over 100 women would be gifted with a new bra!!!

The depth of giving that night reinforces the belief that “ideas become real at the point of action.” When presented with a chance to help others in need, these women stepped up and reminded the universe that no “bookend” can be placed on the generosity of good people.

YOWZA!