Raising Money for Habitat is just an Excuse to Drink Beer in the Sun

Here’s the thing… when I did my first Carter Work Project in 2006 in India, I started a fundraiser called “Homes at Home” to raise money for Buffalo Habitat, raising a dollar for every mile between Buffalo and the build in Lonavala, India. Almost $8,000, and that was without Facebook.

When I told my friend Bob about my fundraiser then, he told me about his sister. Shirley Arnold, a painter who had done a a still life of tools that Jimmy Carter had actually used on a previous Carter Work Project, called “The Humanitarian’s Handtools.” (She wants to donate the painting to The Carter Center. At the time, I didn’t know anyone at the CC to ask – I was just in my Jimmy Carter Groupie infancy.) She had posters of the painting, so I bought 100 of them to sell for the fundraiser, and planned to drive down to Georgia to pick them up.

Aaaaaand…  that was the last I ever heard from Shirley Arnold. She moved after she got my cheque, and the person who sent me the new address must have written it wrong, because my letters came back. Huh.

Flash forward to 2011. I’d run into Bob a couple times but he never had the address with him. Then I didn’t see Bob for a while. One or both of us stopped hanging out in the right bars. A couple of weeks ago, I looked for him on Facebook, and BAM – Bob was back in my life. One of his first comments? “We’ve got posters in Georgia for you!” That’s about $2500 worth of good news… and just in time for another Habitat fundraiser.

So, the week after Labour Day, I’ll be driving down to Georgia. Because I kind of have a short fuse and I don’t see the scenario of me trying to ship 100 posters going very well. And anything can happen to them during shipping, and I’ve waited five years for these. AND… I can bring beer to Atlanta.

I have many displaced Buffalo friends living in Atlanta. And my friend Sue Hrib who I visit? She’s actually from Syracuse. So I’m planning on taking orders, for Bison Chip Dip, Crystal Beach Loganberry, Dinosaur BBQ sauce, and plenty of products from the Labatt family of breweries. Maybe even Genesee and Saranac. Because I can’t bring the dog, so I’ll need friends with me on the drive. Blue Light Limes by the pool, anyone?

And, yes, I have the right address for Shirley now.