WTF -- Christmas Pumpkins?

Have you seen it?  This is one of several houses that I saw this year sporting both Christmas decor and pumpkins.

As my old friend Tom Foote would say "It just ain't fittin." 

• Number one, pumpkins are so autumn, so dump them for winter, right? 
• Number two, how are they possibly not rotting away on your front porch in January?
• Number three, why do you want to divert attention from your Christmas stuff with all that orange?

But the real problem here is why do I think this is any of my business? 

It ain't.

I've started getting exasperated with all of the people who want to bitch about things about which they have no business bitching. 

• Tom Thumb moving out of Highland Park Village?  Buy HPV from Ray Washburne and family and keep the store, otherwise shut up.
• Don't think HPISD needs to add a new school/redo old ones?  Run for the school board or attend a town hall meeting.  NOTE:  Don't get me started on complaining if you don't even live in PC anymore -- you don't get a vote.

I'm going to start focusing my attention on my priorities and stop judging others.  Will you join me?

Talking Success: 3 Tips for Serving on a Non-Profit Board

Sometimes my weekly blog post gets away from me.  This week, I have many excuses -- super full days of meetings (even went down to Austin for lunch, then back in one day) and night-time stuff too (hosted a party for 100+ teens last night), so the blog just had to go on Wednesday and then again on Thursday and it almost went today -- BUT no, I'm writing it because this is the post the world needs -- at least in my tiny mind, anyway!

NOTE:  Last night was the last time I'll ever throw a high school party, as the youngest niece of my only brother is graduating from high school in May.  My mom and I hosted Lina and her friends with a #ThrowbackThursday skate party at White Rock Skate Center and we hired the In-N-Out Burger Truck to come and do burgers for them.  It was a huge success, and once again I was reminded that those kids at HPHS really are great kids.  This is Lina with me before the throngs arrived -- about the only time I saw her all night...

Now back to what the world needs -- tips for success for serving on a non-profit board!

I have been the CEO for a non-profit agency for more than 15 years, so I know what I'm talking about -- of course, ask the board members at Community Partners of Dallas or Wipe Out Kids' Cancer if you don't believe me -- and if you do ask them, be sure and tell me what they said -- I'm nosy that way.  And speaking of talking, this brings me to my Talking Success Tips:

1. Talk to the CEO/ED.  As a board member you are supposed to be there for counsel and advice -- so give it.  Your experience could bring a fresh approach to a problem the non-profit is facing.  I can't tell you what a blessing it is to receive a call or an email from one of our board members (we have 25 over here at CPD).  Just a "Hello, how's it going over there?" is wonderful and often gets my brain switched on in a new way.
2. Tell them you need to resign.  It's been said before and will be said again, but if you cannot attend the board meetings and events, resign immediately.  The non-profit needs someone who can show up and give everything -- their time, talent, and treasure.  You are doing the charity a real disservice by holding on.  And believe me -- EVERYONE knows that you are the slacker.  Get off and give someone else a chance to provide new resources.
3. Tell your friends (and strangers) why you care about your charity.  Most people want something to talk to you about.  Mention that you're on the board of such-and-such agency and just wait -- they'll ask you about it, and even if that person doesn't, the next one will.  Some of our best donors at CPD have come to us because a board member told them about the agency.

What are your tips?

Does Your Hair Color Matter?

I was super excited this summer when Alyssa Campanella won Miss USA.  I didn’t watch the Miss USA show – although I used to when I was young because my grandmother and I always watched together – but the next day I saw Alyssa on The Today Show.  Why was I so excited?

SHE WAS A REDHEAD.

If you are not a redhead, you probably don’t get it.  Redheads are different.  We have freckles.  Patti Stanger (The Millionaire Matchmaker) hates us.  The most famous redheads are Lucille Ball and Carrot Top.  Bozo the Clown and Pippi Longstocking come to mind as well, and not that there’s anything wrong with them, but well, they’re funny – not necessarily considered beautiful. 

NOTE:  I know that you’re thinking about Nicole Kidman and yes she is beautiful, but the new lips really bug me now – don’t they you?

For me, there were always jokes about the milkman since I am the only redhead in my immediate family.  And being a pudgy redhead at Highland Park High School was not much of a draw for dates to Homecoming – I went once in 4 years and my date and his husband are currently very happy together.  And I still bring it up to Joe that he took a sophomore girl (a blonde) our senior year while I stayed home, but back to my story…

The other thing that made me feel different was that it was almost impossible to find a redheaded doll.  Raggedy Ann was in there, but other than that the choices were few and far between.  And certainly very few of the redheaded dolls were beautiful.  My mother searched and searched, but to no avail.  Doesn’t every little girl want to have a doll that looks like she does, but better?  Of course, as I gave up playing with dolls, this issue became less important.

Fast forward to about10 years ago when I started working for Community Partners of Dallas…

Our annual Holiday Toy Drive serves 5,000+ CPS kids with toys.  We rely on donors to fill wishes for individual kids and we also collect money from donors who don’t have time to shop but still want to make a child’s dream come true for the holiday.  In other words, lots of us (both volunteers and staff members) are out shopping for toys in December.  And that first year that my mom and I went out shopping for our wishes (my mom loves to do this with me each year – we always take my nieces too) – every bit of my redheaded doll problems came rushing back to me in a flash. 

It is very difficult to find African American dolls.  And since about 1,250 of our kids for the Toy Drive will be African American girls – this is a problem.  At first, I thought I just must have been shopping in the wrong store, but no.  This is universal – no matter the type of store, the neighborhood, etc..  I asked some of my African American friends about this and they confirmed it.  Why is this the case?  I don’t have an answer, but I think it hurts our little girls.  To not have a doll that looks like you confirms that you are different or at least maybe not what the world thinks is beautiful.

And we all need to think that we are beautiful – whether we’re 5 or 50.

So, when you are out and about during the holiday season, we sure would appreciate your purchase of any African American dolls to donate to us.  And if you have any influence with any mass-manufactured doll makers out there – I’d love to have a conversation with them about this problem.

Oh, and that thing about redheads having a temper?  It’s true.