The rain mercifully held off yesterday but the humidity loomed, creating the single worst hair day of the year. And so what does one do on the single worst hair day of the year? Photograph everyone you know, of course.
Bloggers: They go to parties, just like real people!
Isabel and Betsy: Avowed Hebrew National fans. Because if you’re going to eat a hot dog, it might as well be one that doesn’t have like beaks and who knows whatever else in it. 
Dana, Betsy, Beth, Thalia and whatshername in the dirty jeans jacket
Katja, Nancy, Barbara, Paula, Danielle, Amy
Elisa, Carole and Amy (again. She photographs well, what can I say.)
Kids never have bad hair days. Damn kids. The thing is, when I was asked to do host this Hebrew National Picnic with a Purpose I looked at it as a cool opportunity to invite friends and their families to hang out and eat some free dogs. I didn’t realize how moved I’d be by the kids of Abbott House who we were there to support.
Talking about do-gooding type stuff is never the same as actually doing it. And meeting the people you’re supporting is a whole lot of different from just sending in a check.
These were some cool kids. And they did get over being mad at us that we didn’t bring any 16 year-old girls to the picnic, but I had to distract them with the make-your-own cupcakes.
Subtle!I also had to promise to make them famous on the internet.
And then there was the moment, towards the end of the day, that they sheepishly approached and asked about the stack of games and CDs and sports equipment and DVDs that everyone brought to help put a little more rec into their rec room.
“Are those prizes?” One of the kids asked, pointing towards the pile. “Do we have to win them?”
“Nope,” I said. “They’re for you guys.”
“They are? For what? Why?”
“Everyone here brought them for you guys to have back at the house.”
“All these rap CDs?”
“All of them. Yeah.”
“Even the baseball gloves?”
“Even the baseball gloves.”
“Even the skateboard?”
“Even the skateboard.”
“Wowwwwwww…”
By the end of , they didn’t even think the paints and markers were just “for like, six year olds.” In fact, they were pretty psyched they got to take them home too.
——
Thanks so much to Emily for putting this all together and rocking the world with her orzo salad, Andy the master griller, and to everyone who came: Barbara, Isabel, Brian, Doug and his flat tire, Amy, Betsy, Elisa, Carole, Katja, Maggie, Beth, Andi, Lori, Paula, all the spouses, all the kids, and the dozens of other guests who (shocking!) don’t even have blogs. Who am I forgetting?
Also if you have a recap, or pictures, let me know so I can link it up. Like so:
Selfish Mom
NYCMama
Magpie Musing
Gray Matter Matters
Looky, Daddy!
Hebrew National Picnics With a Purpose Flickr Page
Picnics with a Purpose circle on The Motherhood
This past MLK day, I signed my five-year-old daughter and myself up to go to a shelter for moms and kids in a nearby town for an organized “kids day” type of event. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I thought it would be a nice introduction to volunteer work for both of us.
The whole event was so much fun (egg hunts! t-shirt decorating! tea parties! puppet making!) that honestly, I’m not sure my daughter could have picked out who lived at the shelter and who was volunteering, or that there might be any distinction between the two. Maybe, in the end, that was the best lesson she (and I) could have received.
On a related note: I’ll donate the buttercream for your next event! 🙂
I’m so proud of you, girlfriend. But not surprised.
It was a really fun day – thanks so much for having us.
Because I was lame and didn’t bring anything for the Abbott House guys, I mailed a check to them today.
How wonderful! Thank you for sharing, and I feel your pain about the frizzies.
Looks like you had tons of fun even with bad hair weather. Sorry I missed it. Thanks for sharing
It was a lot of fun to see everyone and the braids were sported thanks to the humidity because honestly, there’s nothing else TO do with naturally-curly-trying-to-pretend-to-be-straight-hair in those conditions. I wish I could have stayed long enough to see the guys getting all the schwag. So glad to be able to do a little something for them. Thanks again to you and Emily for throwing the party and getting everyone together. It was a great hang and indeed, a great purpose. {{I have to admit, the hot dogs WERE really good too!!}}
That’s really awesome. And I don’t see a single strand of bad hair.
Thanks Liz for inviting me…even though we were there for a short while it was great to see you, my fave bloggers and some new blogging mamas.
This looks like so much fun. One of my favorite jobs (before my current one) was working for a charity. Where I got to help people. For a living. 🙂 Thanks for sharing and reminding me I need to do more of that myself.
Congrats on a successful event for a great charity. I was not able to join you all, but I saw the photos and it looked like an incredible afternoon with some of my favorite mommy bloggers. Hope to join up with you at another NYC event!
Very nice.
I’m visiting your blog here for the Mommybloggings Part Deux post, but I keep bouncing from post to post. 🙂
I hosted the Picnic with a Purpose in Atlanta. Nice to meet you!
What a great idea! They are the best hotdogs – better than Nathan's and that is saying something.
I love seeing the doing good – it inspires me to imitate and imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, eh?
Amy, totally agree on both the doing good and the better than Nathan's thing. Actually NY Mag just did a blind hot dog taste test: Hebrew National won with an 8.5/10, Nathan's and Oscar Meyer actually tied for worst of the mainstream brands with a 3/10. Ouch.