Hey there! It is Claire again. For those of you tuning in for the first time, please see my first blog where it all started. By way of brief background, my friends and I started a "dinner club" last June 2016 wherein we combine a social activity with a philanthropic activity. We meet every odd month.  June 2017 marked our one-year anniversary.
 
There are 525,600 minutes are in a year meaning-  525,600 chances to give back. How do you measure a year? In daylight? in sunsets? In laughter? In strife?
 
In writing our one-year anniversary blog, I couldn't help but think about one of my favorite songs "Seasons of Love" wherein a year is measured by various things. Over the past year our group has made 6 unique donations to Terry's House including over 300 meals served, pumpkins and decorating kits, valentine's dinner, and sponsored a single-mom's stay for two weeks while her baby recovered in the NICU. However, we gained so much more throughout our journey. We were given the chance to meet incredible people who showed us trauma does not discriminate against age, race, religion or economic status. We were able to provide a welcome distraction to the residents of Terry's House through a shared meal while loved ones were in critical care at Community Regional Medical Center. We also got to have a lot of fun through dinners at each others houses, local restaurants and Gazebo Gardens.
 
It is hard to think a year has passed and our group is still going strong. I think one of the reasons for our success is the fact we make the donation easy by allowing members to bring family members to our events. Did you know Terry's house does not have an age requirement for donors? Another reason for our success is the blending of a social activity with our philanthropic activity. Our members are excited to give back as well as catch up.
 
If you are interested in starting your own unique "dinner club" please do not hesitate to contact me at clairetmeredith@gmail.com or Terry's House directly.
 
We are halfway through 2017. What have you done to measure 2017? How will you measure 2018? I urge you to take a minute and think about how you can give back. Opportunities do not happen, you create them. Take a minute out of the 525,600 we are afforded in an year to decide what works best for you and make a difference.
 
Stay tuned to see what we accomplish in the next year!
 
Best,
Claire Tuttle Meredith