By Perry Thomas
Big Bend Cares Director of Development and Support Services
Al Pasini and Bonnie Fowler dressed in their Holiday Angels best to collect donations at their annual club holiday party. |
Big Bend Cares staff and Sunrise Rotary members are excited about presents soon being everywhere. Left to right: Al Pasini (SR), Bonnie Fowler (SR), Diana Slater (BBC), Sean Martin (SR), and Perry Thomas (BBC). |
Big Bend Cares Executive Director Rob Renzi accepts a check for more than $3,700 from Sunrise Rotary President Sean Martin. |
Tallahassee Democrat, Sunday, October 19, 2009 — The impact of the economy has affected all of us for the last two years, especially the families of Big Bend Cares' clients. The majority of our 91 Holiday Angels families, with 216 children, are living at, or below, 100 percent of the federal poverty guidelines; that is $22,000 annually for a family of four.
For the seventeenth year now, the Big Bend Cares Holiday Angels program has helped to channel holiday cheer to these children living with a family member with HIV/AIDS. Last year's success of the Holiday Angels program was vastly attributed to the generosity of the Sunrise Rotary club. Once again this year the Rotary decided to match all donations made by the Rotary's club members.
Both Al Pasini and Bonnie Fowler, members of the club, truly embraced the Holiday Angels spirit — literally. At their annual holiday party, they both dressed as "Holiday Angels" and floated around the party, asking for donations to go towards helping these children. Their efforts were truly justified; it is my extreme pleasure to announce that the members of The Sunrise Rotary club rose to the occasion again this year. Sean Martin, Club President presented Rob Renzi, Big Bend Cares Executive Director with a check for over $3700 on Friday, December 11.
On behalf of our clients, the entire staff and board members of Big Bend Cares I say "thank you!" to all of the wonderful individuals, groups, churches, and businesses that gave to the 2009 Holiday Angels program. And I extend a special thank you to all of the Sunrise Rotary club members; you have all touched many lives this holiday season with your most generous donation.
For more information about the Sunrise Rotary club, visit their website at http://www.rotary6940.org search clubs, list by club name, Tallahassee Sunrise. For more information about Big Bend Cares and the Holiday Angels program, visit http://www.bigbendcares.org.
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