So, I ended my first blog stating that I was planning to write about fabulous party ideas in the near future, and I DO have some fab ideas to share with you…However, in addition to being VERY BUSY this summer, I have been waiting for some Groove Lounge clients to send me pictures from one wonderful event in particular, so that I could have visuals to show you. Of course, even though they promised to send the pics, I never got them.

So, instead of waiting any longer, I wanted to take the time to write about something WAY MORE important than balloon arches or creative party invitations…I want to share with you about “giving back.”

I am a very lucky woman in many ways; in very good health, 3 wonderful, healthy children, a loving and very supportive husband, great extended family, and the opportunity to have my dream come true – the opening of Betsy Fischer’s Groove Lounge in late 2008. Opening and running my business takes so much of my time that I have been unable, as of late, to volunteer my time to some of the events/causes that I’ve contributed to in the past. But, my 3 kids are all attending over-night camp right now, so the homelife is a bit quiet, and the time was right for me to do something to GIVE BACK…

I rarely have the time to read the newspaper, and when I do read it first thing in the morning, I ususally feel guilty because I know there are so many other things I should be doing w/ my time. Recently, though, I was at Motor Vehicle, waiting my turn, and I had the time to read the Philadelphia Inquirer. On that very day, an article written by Kevin Riordan appeared in the paper. It was about a fundraiser being held to raise money for a day camp run by Sister Helen Cole of Guadalupe Family Services in Camden, NJ. Guadalupe serves families in crisis and offers services to families in need. And Sister Helen is the driving force behind this organization.

Long story short, I emailed Kevin right then and there from the DMV, and got the contact info for Sister Helen. I offered to host a dance party for the campers of Guadalupe’s Holy Name Camp, free of charge. She was very receptive, and this past Monday was the big bash…

About 33 excited kids, and their fantastic, energetic counselors descended upon the Groove Lounge, and an AMAZING time was had by all…We warmed up, did some follow-along dances, played some dance and party games, and I handed out TONS of prizes and a take-home party favor to everyone. The kids just couldn’t get enough, and the hour-and-a-half just flew by.

On the way back to the bus, all the kids said “Thank You,” and they were so appreciative. After everyone had boarded, Lourdes, who was in charge of the campers, had all of them yell “THANK YOU” simultaneously…It really made my heart soar!

The point of this story is to share with you that it doesn’t necessarily take MONEY to give back. Quite frankly, if one is fortunate enough to have money to donate, simply writing a check and sending it off really doesn’t take too much effort, does it? While of course, it did cost me some money to host this party, the

real

donation, in my opinion, was the donation of my TIME and energy…Donating one’s time really doesn’t cost anything (I know, you’re thinking, “Time is money,”) but really, it doesn’t require a check to give of your time. And I am POSITIVE that these kids thoroughly enjoyed the donation of my time much more than they would ever have enjoyed the results of me writing a check…Think about it!!

(BTW, if I was more savvy about using this Blog site, I would provide the link to Guadalupe AND to the article in the Inquirer…Maybe someone out there could tell me how to do that…Thanks!)