LET'S TALK TURKEY!
November 17, 2004
BE HAPPY ZONE
By Lionel Ketchian
You have an opportunity to get yourself in a happier state of mind. Join us this Saturday, November 20th for our Big Basket Delivery Day. Since 1994 (yes this is our 11th year!!!) on the weekend before Thanksgiving, a number of volunteers have been putting together and delivering baskets with all the fixins' to those in need in the greater New Haven area. Last year we added several deliveries to Bridgeport and hope to expand even more.
Saturday, November 20th, at least 75 people meet at Innovative Measurement Solutions (IMS) Inc., a company in Milford, CT. for a Thanksgiving Basket Brigade. The people who take part volunteer their time, their energies by putting together baskets and delivering them. Our mission is to deliver Thanksgiving dinners directly to needy families in the New Haven area. Each year we work to provide many families with a Thanksgiving they will always remember. If you want to get into the Holiday Spirit of Giving, feel good and make a difference, this project is for you.
A typical basket that we provide may include: turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry juice, a number of different vegetables, brownie mix, pie, juice, donated personal care items, a toy, books…and other goodies. We also include a book, "Notes From a Friend" by Anthony Robbins, with a quote inside saying, "This comes from someone who cares about you. All that we ask is that you take care of yourself well enough to be able to do this for someone else someday."
For the first 9 years we provided 100-125 families with food. This year we are reaching for a new plateau of feeding 190 families. A donation of $300 feeds 10 families, $150 feeds 5 families, and $30 feeds 1 family. Any donation will help tremendously! One hundred percent of your donations go towards purchasing food and toys.
We work with several agencies to find the families needing assistance. The CCCC (Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis), is a non profit organization who has been providing client names and assists with our efforts every year. Yale Child Study Center, Cornerstone, Bella Vista, and The Connecticut Department of Social Services are also involved.
Giving and sharing is a large part of happiness. You can share in the gift of being happy this Thanksgiving, by sending a 100% tax-deductible check to Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis. CCCC helps children and single moms move from a shelter to their own place. Many of these families do not have enough money for the traditional thanksgiving dinner. In the memo section of your check write "Thanksgiving," or "Basket Brigade," so the donation will go toward food for the needy. Send your check to CCCC, 131 Dwight Street, New Haven, CT 06511. Their phone # is (203) 624-2600. Upon completion of the Basket Brigade, the CCCC will mail you a thank you letter (an employer may want to hang this up) which along with your canceled check will be your receipt.
For directions and more information concerning the 2004 Basket Brigade, please contact:
Victor Frazao: 203-258-3888 or 203-459-9999 -
We can use you this Saturday, November 20th, at 9:00 AM at: Innovative Measurement Solutions (IMS) Inc., 282 Quarry Road, Milford, CT 06460-8508, (203) 874-2655. Thank you to each of you for sending money and or lending a helping hand. I have been doing this for years, and it makes me feel great for the rest of the year right through the holidays. You will be the one thanking me for telling you about this.
I would like to express our sincere appreciation to Sherrie Palmer and Bruce Gridley of Adams Supermarket at 1301 New Haven Avenue in Milford, CT. People like this really makes the sprit of the holidays so real. They have been very supportive in working with us to give us the best prices possible to meet our goals. Thank you so much for your help.
Be selfish, do something for yourself by doing something good for someone else. If you are looking for happiness, this may be a good place to start. If you bring happiness to others, you can also find it. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said "You cannot pour happiness on others without getting a few drops on yourself." If you are happy to begin with that's great, now you can share it with others and it will intensify within you.
Next week is Thanksgiving. Many people will be getting together with family and friends to share a great meal, and hopefully, share some good times. The meaning of Thanksgiving is giving thanks for what we have. We are talking about gratitude. Gratitude is an attitude of happiness. It is one of the first things we need to experience in order to feel happy. Gratitude is the precursor to happiness. It is not possible to be grateful and be unhappy. If you want to be happy ... be grateful.
It seems to be true that unless we are grateful for what we have got, we really can't enjoy it. By being grateful we are truly able to enjoy the special things and even those common things we take for granted. Benjamin Franklin stated, "To the discontented man no chair is easy." In other words, unless we appreciate something we do not really enjoy it, or make the best use of it. Being thankful puts us in a better relationship with life.
I wish you and your family a Very Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving.
Our next Happiness Club meeting will be on Thursday, November 18, from 7:00 - 9:00 P.M. There will be a presentation called, "HAPPINESS HINTS!" The meeting will be held at the Sullivan Independence Hall, Fairfield. Admission is free; everyone is welcome. Look forward to seeing you. Come on down, meet some great people, get connected, and be happy.
Lionel Ketchian is the founder of the Happiness Club, a Happiness Coach, and can be reached at PrintLRK@aol.com. The Web site is http://www.happinessclub.com/.