Cherry red to Gaelic green…

Megan Mallory and "cherry red" Ellie Ganelin

As PHA has worked hard to do more with less this year, we’ve seen a lot of people step up to fill the breech…and for that we are extraordinarily grateful.

I often write about people who contribute their time, talent and treasure to keep PHA strong.  Usually, it’s about patients and their families who respond to the value they see in PHA, sometimes it’s about industry fulfilling their role as corporate citizens, often it’s about event organizers building awareness and support from their own communities.

Today, I am writing about a different group – one we don’t usually think about as donors – your PHA staff.

We have always had a staff that understands the value of what we do.  Most contribute as donors but, recently, the way they have been contributing has evolved to something different.  It has become collective and spirited in a new way…a way that has been inspiring for me to see.

The change began with Ellie Ganelin.  Ellie is one of the creatives in our Publications Department.  What she came up with certainly reflects that.  She raffled her hair color! 

Ellie sold lots of tickets to raise funds for our work and, while a lot of us were rooting for periwinkle, Diane Greenhalgh won with her choice of cherry red…a color with which Ellie continues to light up the PHA office.

Danielle Clifford pulling raffle tickets at McGinty's

At around the same time that Ellie was completing her raffle, Danielle Clifford announced a Restaurant Night Out at McGinty’s Public House in Silver Spring.  McGinty’s donated a portion of their income for that night and a raffle added considerably to the proceeds.  With most staff and many friends participating, enough was raised to fund a patient scholarship for the 2014 Conference.  A second event is being planned for November.

Other staff are doing fundraising pages – Doreen Lucadamo in memory of her mother, Debbie Castro in honor of her sister.

I’ve always known that our staff understands the importance of our work.  It’s inspiring to see that understanding manifest in a new – and fun – way.  I remain grateful for the people I am privileged to work with.