This past Friday night, over 400 people enjoyed an amazing display of local talent and heart at this year’s United Way of Norman Celebrity Sing. Guests enjoyed tons of great food from local restaurants. They were wowed by 23 acts, from an awe-inspiring number from Phantom of the Opera to the City of Norman’s own “Rat Pack”… from bring-down-the-house performances from Eric & Shirley Franklin to Norman’s own future superstar, 8- year-old Addison Baker. And who could forget local businessmen singing and dancing to a number from Guys and Dolls, or the bevy of beautiful Norman moms-turned-showgirls? And all of this in the great concert facility at Riverwind Casino. I believe I’m safe in saying that a good time was had by all.
I had the chance to thank Kris Abbey, of Abbey Road Catering, who donated treats then went beyond that, spending countless hours learning to sing and dance as a showgirl. I wanted her, and all of the volunteers, to really know how much I appreciated their gifts of time, talent and treasure. Kris’s response?…that it was fun and that she’d miss getting together and practicing with the other moms. I had the same response from Tyler LaReau of the Guys and Dolls gang and from Beth Patterson of the Interurban – that it was fun!
Of course I’ve known that Celebrity Sing is fun for years. I’ve always had a great time, and I’m sure that guests and performers don’t keep coming back because they’re miserable. But these comments got me to thinking about the givers having fun. We’ve known for years here at the United Way that the companies whose United Way campaigns include fun competitions and activities always raise the most money and look forward to doing so. We regularly encourage groups starting new campaigns to have a lot of fun and to be creative with their drives. We always hear from our Success by Six’s Norman Reads volunteers that they get more out of reading to the children than the kids do.
Remember this?…“It is better to give than to receive.” Or how about “give with a joyful heart”? The volunteers, donors and guests who made this year’s Celebrity Sing the best ever in performances, attendance, and dollars raised – had fun. Mark Krittenbrink and Jennifer Baker spent hundreds of hours putting the event together over the past several months. Debbie Barnhill and Kris Glenn went to great efforts to increase ticket sales. Mariann Lawson and Tish Marek put together wonderful auction packages. Auctioneer Gene McKown kept the bidding light and fun and Clarke Stroud pulled out all the stops as the emcee. I watched them during the evening and you guessed it…..they were having a blast!
Whether you give through your organization’s United Way drive each year, or whether you give of your time to coordinate a company campaign or to learn to dance and sing like Wayne Newton, (aka Andy Paden) – no matter how you give to United Way of Norman – I hope you feel good and have fun doing it. I feel good about turning in my pledge form each year and I am inspired over and over by the selfless giving of others. It feels great to make a difference through the United Way of Norman.
See all the fun pictures on the UWN Facebook page!
*Post written by Kristin Collins, United Way of Norman staff
I saw firsthand how United Way dollars given to agencies it supports can directly help people. There was one time that I even was able to tell a client of the Red Cross, who had regularly given to the United Way, that her family was receiving a direct return on her investment that she had made in giving to the United Way.
We are hosting a virtual bake sale. While we are still in the planning stages, we are hoping to have a Web site up soon so anyone can pre-order from a list of treats members of my circle of friends are making. We are donating the supplies so that every dollar will go to the United Way. We have no idea how much money we will raise, but we know it will be more than any of us could alone afford to give.
