Rainbow's Hope

On Saturday, Stephanie and I were invited to attend the Rainbow's Hope Christmas Party.  Rainbow's Hope is a Staten Island organization devoted to the needs of chronically and terminally ill children. It supplies equipment to disabled youngsters, helps build ramps for wheelchair users, hosts holiday parties and provides a support network for families. At this, the 25th annual holiday party, each child and young adult received a gift from Santa - one thing they truly desired. For some of them, this would be their only Christmas gift this year. It is too easy to forget how lucky we are.

It was such an honor to have been asked to be a part of this special event. I was able to speak with many families and get to know the kids. The Staaten was packed! There were many well-known members of the community present, including Congressman Michael Grimm.

Linda Angelone, Executive Director of Rainbow's Hope, interacted with all of the children, dressed head-to-toe in a Sleeping Beauty ensemble. You can clearly see the great amount of joy she receives from working with this organization.

Volunteers from a local high school worked hard to make the day extra-special. Once again I was able to see young adults who really do want to make a difference in their community.

When my mother found out I was attending this party, she told me she actually knew Linda! My mom is PTA president at Staten Island Technical High School (my alma mater) and it turns out they had previously donated money to Rainbow's Hope. What a small world ; ]

I had a wonderful time at the Rainbow's Hope holiday party. As Linda Angelone told us, "This is a day you will never forget for the rest of your lives." I'm sure of that, too.