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Hurricane Sandy Response: A Christmas Surprise
<h3><em>Towel & Basin board member Steve Pennington, tells just one of the many memorable moments in response to Hurricane Sandy's devastation to New York - New Jersey in this "Christmas Surprise."
</em></h3>
[caption id="attachment_630" align="alignleft" width="232"]<a href="http://towelandbasin.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Steve-pic-Jan-2011c.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-630 " alt="Steve Pennington - owner, Pro-Kids and Towel & Basin board member" src="http://towelandbasin.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Steve-pic-Jan-2011c-232x300.jpg" width="232" height="300" /></a> Steve Pennington - owner, Pro-Kids and board member, Towel & Basin[/caption]
<p lang="en-US" align="LEFT"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ms Carolyn was like most of the people we served each day on the streets of Far Rockaway, New York. Her apartment was flooded during Hurricane Sandy and now without power, cooking was impossible. </span></span></span></p>
<p lang="en-US" align="LEFT"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Each day she would stand in line with hundreds of others waiting for the Red Cross to deliver the hot meals to the Community Church of the Nazarene. It was the only hot meal she would receive today. </span></span></span></p>
<p lang="en-US" align="LEFT"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ms Carolyn was early today. She had heard the word on the street. Pastor Les received a call from Governor Cuomo’s office. The governor was sending a shipment of Christmas trees. </span></span></span></p>
<p lang="en-US" align="LEFT"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Good news travels fast on the streets of Far Rockaway. “How many?” “50, we think.” “Oh boy!” It was now my job to distribute 50 Christmas trees and somehow prevent a riot. First come, first serve was the law of the land. </span></span></span></p>
<p lang="en-US" align="LEFT"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I organized the line and handed out cards numbered 1 - 50. When I got to 50 the next person in line was Ms Carolyn. “Sorry, Ms Carolyn, that’s the last one. There may be more but I can’t promise anything.” She understood, but she really wanted a tree for her family. </span></span></span></p>
<p lang="en-US" align="LEFT"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">She decided to hang around just in case. Just then, the truck pulled up and we began unloading trees. </span></span></span></p>
<p lang="en-US" align="LEFT"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Bad news, we only had 40 trees to give out. The other trees on the truck were going somewhere else. “Not going to happen,” I responded. “I’ve got 50 people in line and the governor has promised each of them a tree. Which 10 people do YOU want to tell the governor is breaking his promise? As a matter of fact, I need 51 trees so Ms Carolyn can have one.” </span></span></span></p>
<p lang="en-US" align="LEFT"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">After a brief verbal tug of war...the Governor’s public relations person gave in and everyone got a tree including Ms Carolyn. <a href="http://towelandbasin.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/FarRockaway-Christmas.png"><img class="alignright wp-image-621" alt="FarRockaway Christmas" src="http://towelandbasin.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/FarRockaway-Christmas-1024x682.png" width="574" height="382" /></a></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yeah, Christmas was saved!</span></span></span></p>
<p lang="en-US" align="LEFT"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A few days later, I spotted Ms Carolyn walking down the sidewalk opposite the church. Her eyes caught mine and she touched her heart, pointed at me and smiled as she walked along. That little unspoken exchange caught me by surprise. I felt an unexpected rush of emotion. It was like one those moments in a Hallmark card commercial. </span></span></span></p>
<p lang="en-US" align="LEFT"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Distributing 51 Christmas tree didn’t cost me anything except time but to Ms Carolyn it meant the world. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, traditions such as a family Christmas tree becomes so much more important. </span></span></span></p>
<p lang="en-US" align="LEFT"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It’s easy to forget that the little things we do to help others can mean so much more. My favorite Christmas memories are the ones that catch me my surprise. Most of them share the common theme of <em>serving others</em>. </span></span></span></p>
<p lang="en-US" align="LEFT"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This Christmas season may you not be so busy with life that you don’t take time to serve others in need. You may be surprised by a Christmas moment that will last you a lifetime.</span></span></span></p>
Hurricane Sandy Response: A Christmas Surprise
<h3><em>Towel & Basin board member Steve Pennington, tells just one of the many memorable moments in response to Hurricane Sandy's devastation to New York - New Jersey in this "Christmas Surprise."
</em></h3>
[caption id="attachment_630" align="alignleft" width="232"]<a href="http://towelandbasin.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Steve-pic-Jan-2011c.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-630 " alt="Steve Pennington - owner, Pro-Kids and Towel & Basin board member" src="http://towelandbasin.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Steve-pic-Jan-2011c-232x300.jpg" width="232" height="300" /></a> Steve Pennington - owner, Pro-Kids and board member, Towel & Basin[/caption]
<p lang="en-US" align="LEFT"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ms Carolyn was like most of the people we served each day on the streets of Far Rockaway, New York. Her apartment was flooded during Hurricane Sandy and now without power, cooking was impossible. </span></span></span></p>
<p lang="en-US" align="LEFT"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Each day she would stand in line with hundreds of others waiting for the Red Cross to deliver the hot meals to the Community Church of the Nazarene. It was the only hot meal she would receive today. </span></span></span></p>
<p lang="en-US" align="LEFT"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ms Carolyn was early today. She had heard the word on the street. Pastor Les received a call from Governor Cuomo’s office. The governor was sending a shipment of Christmas trees. </span></span></span></p>
<p lang="en-US" align="LEFT"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Good news travels fast on the streets of Far Rockaway. “How many?” “50, we think.” “Oh boy!” It was now my job to distribute 50 Christmas trees and somehow prevent a riot. First come, first serve was the law of the land. </span></span></span></p>
<p lang="en-US" align="LEFT"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I organized the line and handed out cards numbered 1 - 50. When I got to 50 the next person in line was Ms Carolyn. “Sorry, Ms Carolyn, that’s the last one. There may be more but I can’t promise anything.” She understood, but she really wanted a tree for her family. </span></span></span></p>
<p lang="en-US" align="LEFT"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">She decided to hang around just in case. Just then, the truck pulled up and we began unloading trees. </span></span></span></p>
<p lang="en-US" align="LEFT"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Bad news, we only had 40 trees to give out. The other trees on the truck were going somewhere else. “Not going to happen,” I responded. “I’ve got 50 people in line and the governor has promised each of them a tree. Which 10 people do YOU want to tell the governor is breaking his promise? As a matter of fact, I need 51 trees so Ms Carolyn can have one.” </span></span></span></p>
<p lang="en-US" align="LEFT"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">After a brief verbal tug of war...the Governor’s public relations person gave in and everyone got a tree including Ms Carolyn. <a href="http://towelandbasin.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/FarRockaway-Christmas.png"><img class="alignright wp-image-621" alt="FarRockaway Christmas" src="http://towelandbasin.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/FarRockaway-Christmas-1024x682.png" width="574" height="382" /></a></span></span></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yeah, Christmas was saved!</span></span></span></p>
<p lang="en-US" align="LEFT"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A few days later, I spotted Ms Carolyn walking down the sidewalk opposite the church. Her eyes caught mine and she touched her heart, pointed at me and smiled as she walked along. That little unspoken exchange caught me by surprise. I felt an unexpected rush of emotion. It was like one those moments in a Hallmark card commercial. </span></span></span></p>
<p lang="en-US" align="LEFT"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Distributing 51 Christmas tree didn’t cost me anything except time but to Ms Carolyn it meant the world. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, traditions such as a family Christmas tree becomes so much more important. </span></span></span></p>
<p lang="en-US" align="LEFT"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It’s easy to forget that the little things we do to help others can mean so much more. My favorite Christmas memories are the ones that catch me my surprise. Most of them share the common theme of <em>serving others</em>. </span></span></span></p>
<p lang="en-US" align="LEFT"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This Christmas season may you not be so busy with life that you don’t take time to serve others in need. You may be surprised by a Christmas moment that will last you a lifetime.</span></span></span></p>
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