Julie, the Mansion Activities Director, asked me about a new idea she had, which I loved, and I hope you do also. It’s best told in her words, Julie is a tireless advocate for the Mansion residents and never runs out of ideas for them.
“I just had a thought,” she wrote, “it would be great fun for the residents if you asked people from the blog to send a little note with information about the town or area they live in. I thought I would start a new activity where we would add their town on a map of the United States and talk about it.”
It was a good thought Julie, perfect for us and perhaps for you.
The residents love to get information like this from around the country, and learn about other people and places, it greatly eases their isolation and feeds their curiosity and connection to the exterior world.
I think the hardest thing for the residents is the feeling that no one cares about them any longer, and your messages are exciting to them and meaningful. If you like this idea just write a paragraph or two about your town.
Words will do fine, if you have a photo of someplace in your town, I’m sure they would like to see it, but it isn’t necessary. Just share some thoughts and feelings about your town, why it is special to you and what it is like to live there. Two or three paragraphs would be great.
You can send your messages about your town to Julie, c/o The Mansion, 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. My blog has readers all over the country, it’s a good idea. I’d love to see your towns up on a bulletin board in the Mansion hallway.
And it costs no more than a postage stamp. The residents love to get letters, but you can also e-mail Julie the brief story of your town and she can print them out. Her e-mail is [email protected].
Again, the letters are fun for the residents to see, but the e-mails will be fine as well. I’d love to see us cover as many states and places as possible, the Army Of Good is in every state I know of except Alaska, and we might be there also.
The Army Of Good is everywhere.
P.S. I never like asking for money, but I almost always need to. The Mansion/Refugee Fund is low, down to $600, we did a lot of very important and unusually expensive things last month. This week, I’ve ordered a fireplace insert for the Mansion, a small CD player for Joan to help her stay calm and peaceful.
I want to get a Karaoke machine for the residents, they love to sing, and it is so good for them. I also need to buy some warm sweatpants and sweaters for the residents as winter approaches.
The soccer team has two birthdays coming up and Ali and I always try to sponsor a birthday party with a present for each one, their birthdays often go unmarked. I need to pay insurance for the big Red van and help Ali with gas. We also paid $6,000 for Sakler Moo’s tuition at a private school in Albany.
That put a hole in things.
And we will be needing some new soccer equipment and money to pay for indoor soccer practice. I don’t like th fund to get lower than $2,000, I don’t believe in stockpiling money, I don’t want it sitting there, I send it out as quickly as it comes in.
I think continuing this work is critical, especially at this important juncture for our country. And the Mansion residents are in need of things, usually small and not expensive. But they still cost money.
If you can help, please send your contribution to Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816 or via Paypal, [email protected]. Please mark the payments to the “Mansion,” or “Soccer Team,” they will get where they are supposed to go. You can also support the blog by subscribing or sending a donation to “blog.”
Thanks very much, I’m meeting Ali at our “office” tomorrow, we need to support a couple of birthday parties and perhaps some more cleats. I will soon need $500 for new Bedlam Farm Warrior uniforms. Thanks so much.
Being a sponsor is interesting and complex. I mean to keep doing good in the world, and it is not possible without you.
And I hope you are interested in Julie’s idea for the Mansion residents. It’s a good one.