It’s been two months since I wrote my last note for Froth and Bubble and a lot has happened. It’s been two years since I was in my own treatment for cancer and a lot has happened. I will try and give you the highlights without too much commentary…well, I can try.
In September of this year we gave out our 2000TH grocery card!
In September we passed out the most cards ever in a single month – 154. We broke the old record of 142. There were five weeks in the month and we passed out several cards to celebrate the Jewish High Holidays. I think this record will stand until December.
In September of this year, a wonderful magazine called FRONTDOORS, published by a dynamo named Andrea Evans, did a very nice story on Froth and Bubble. I am hopeful it will raise our visibility in Phoenix to allow us to collect more money and help more people. You can find it somewhere on this website. If not, email me and I will send you the pdf!!! Happily. Check out their website at www.frontdoorsmedia.com.
I celebrated my 66th birthday in September which I mention because we all know too many people who are not around to celebrate their birthdays.
In September I attended an event for A 2nd Act founded by a remarkable woman named Judy Pearson. It is an organization which encourages, fosters, promotes and funds the activities of women who have survived their battles with cancer and are giving back by creating amazing foundations of their own as their second acts in life after cancer.
I survived another Arizona summer and visited much cooler places like Coronado, California, Carbondale, Colorado, and Mukwonago, WI.
Finally, I had a most extraordinary experience which I would like to share with you which some might call a coincidence (which I do not believe in) and some might call a God Wink (which I do believe in).
I stopped at a different Fry’s than I normally use to buy their grocery cards. I needed a few extra near the end of the month to pass out for the High Holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. I was having a difficult time finding the Fry’s cards and had to ask someone where they were kept. He didn’t know. I walked through the store at Tatum and Shea and it is a big store. Finally, I found an entire section of gift cards. Dozens and Dozens and Dozens of them from Amazon to Itunes, to Pizza places and burger places and Visas and Starbucks and movies and you get the idea. And, NOT ONE Fry’s card on the entire wall.
I noticed a Fry’s employee watching me, and I approached her to ask her if she knew where these cards were hidden. She was overseeing the self scanning machines but, she directed me to their location. I grabbed a handful and asked her if I needed to pay for them at the customer service counter. She said yes. There were a few people ahead of me, and the woman who was back at the self scanning approached me and asked if the gift cards were all I needed to which I responded yes. She explained Fry’s had new cards and she thought they were easier to activate. I told her that was good news for me as I buy somewhere between 24, 25, 28 a week. She asked me what I did with them and I explained there is a charity and we give food cards to people in treatment for cancer who have to choose between food and medicine. As I was explaining it, I reached into my pocket and gave her a business card which she looked at.
“You gave me these cards when I was in my chemo.”, she said. “I know Froth and Bubble.” My eyes welled up as did hers and we hugged right there in the front of Fry’s. I could read her first name on her name tag, but I asked for her last name which she gave me. I remembered her name and where she was in treatment.
She told me that she didn’t have a lot of extra money but, if I ever needed help with admin or filing…she was my gal. Below you will find a photo of Tara and Jeff at her Fry’s!!!! She is only the fifth patient out of the 500 plus we have helped I have had the honor of meeting. I am going to call her when I need help with something, because I think she would be perfect for Froth and Bubble. She is both kind and courageous!!!! I am one of the luckiest people I know.
Thanks for visiting our website and thank you for donating!!!