The Best of 2011

This week on Facebook I asked you to comment on your favorite memory of 2011. I quickly realized what an unfair question. ONE memory from 2011. Not Fair. I think it was equally un fair for me to not share mine.

Here are a few of my favorite memories of 2011

• selling over 49,000 Mentos for Helen DeVos Children's Hospital
• working the Helen DeVos Radioathon
• the holiday parades, the grinch
• the pumpkin path trick or treating event at Lamar Park
• Griffins Pumping Gas for Charity
• Gene from Mott Children's hospitals presentation at our manager meeting
• hearing Pete's (creator of Wings of Mercy) store about how the charity was started
• The walk for Alzheimer
• having over 3,000 packs of Mento's take over my office for the troops
• the J & H charity Golf Outing
• losing a manager who was pregnant at the golf outing (we forgot to pick her up on the far back hole at egypt valley) Sorry Jackie
• the GVSU tailgate
• shooting footage for our TV commercials
• launch, glitch and then launch of our Return and Earn program
• hate to say it but Speedpass week
• collecting toys for Santa's Cupboard
• the tour of the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital 

There are so many more that I'm sure will come to me later but those are a few of my top ones. How about you?

A Friendly Christmas Competition

This month our stores had a Christmas decorating contest. The theme was around our December Community Kickback charity, Santa's Cupboard. Thank you for your generous donations! We have collected over 40 toys!

If you are a regular at our stores then you are well aware of the fact that employees like a little bit of competition..that is putting it mildly. They want YOU to decide who had the best in store Christmas display.

Check out our Facebook page and "like" which photo you think is the best. The store with the most likes by Friday will be our winner!

Some of our stores also participated in the Lowell Christmas Parade. The floats theme was also around our December CKB charity, Santa's Cupboard. It looks like the Grinch showed up again!

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

I cannot believe that it is only one week until Christmas! My holiday shopping is done, wrapped and under the tree. My baking is (almost) done. I have a week full of holiday parties.

Does it get any better?

The holiday season is in full swing which means ....the end of 2011 is almost here and as 2011 comes to a close it is my responsibility to finish dot the I's and cross the T's with our Community Kick Back campaign.

This year you have helped us raise over $35,000 for local Michigan charities. THANK YOU.

As I look back over the list of charities for 2011 I can't help but feel extremely blessed this holiday season.

I feel blessed about things that sometimes (and usually) I take for granted. I have a place I call home, all of my family is here and safe for the holidays and this morning my brother-in-law and his wife (finally) gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

Looking over charities like The Gilda's Club, Helen DeVos and Mott Children's hospital, the Alzheimer Association really put into perspective what is really important in life.

The first few weeks of this month, I'll admit it I was a scrooge. I didn't want to go to parties because I was busy or because I just wanted to stay home.

How blessed are we to be able to have so many family and friend parties? That we have food to take to them?

There are many in our community though who are going through troubled times. Going through a first holiday without a friend or family member, have a child who will spend Christmas in the hospital, can't pay that last bill.

Christmas is a season of hope and giving. West Michigan is such a giving community. I encourage you to help the charities of this community because they do work so hard to help those who are less fortunate.

Thank you so much for all of your support of our campaign this year. You've helped more people than you will ever realize.

Thank you for your Giving hearts and have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.