I was invited and attended Children’s Miracle Network’s annual Celebration event in Orlando in September. Each CMN hospital from the US and Canada sends a child to represent its hospital. There are many events during the conference but one of them is a pin exchange where attendees get to go around and meet every kid, his or her family and exchange a pin with them. There were many kids and, candidly, the event was kind of an emotional blur. But, I still remember several of those kids for a variety of reasons. One of them was Iowa’s Drew Wall. He was a cancer survivor and had a prosthetic leg but was still a charismatic guy with a positive attitude.
On November 29 I learned that he got sick again after Celebration and died on Monday. He was 16. That bad news got me thinking about what I could do to turn a negative situation into a positive one.
I’ve come up with this idea to raise $1,000 a day for CMN throughout December. A month of giving towards a monthly total of $31,000. An audacious goal. A goal that I know Allegiance can meet.
About two-thirds of Allegiance Associates participate in CMN’s Miracle Home Program and, for that, I am grateful. I am asking those of you who do and those of you who do not to please consider digging just a little deeper this holiday season and choose to give a little more in the memory of Drew.
If you’d like to donate or enroll in the Miracle Home Program, simply reply to this email or bring a check to one of our holiday events.
