Totally unrelated to this post, Emma says it's the International Day of the wheelchair today. If I had it in me I'd write the post I've been meaning to write for the last 2 weeks since my Jazzy broke, but I don't, so that'll have to wait for another day. However, if any readers know of other "International Day of the Wheelchair" posts, please leave links in my comments.
Last year I wrote about how I've always wanted to go to National Pancake Day (NPD) and never make it. Today I'm writing to say that I went today, and I'm totally dissatisfied. First of all the IHOP my friends chose to go to was rather drabby and a could use a fresh coat of paint. It was also chaotic (to be expected) and the acoustics were bad, so it was hard to hear the people at the other end of my table, and there were only 5 of us! It didn't make for a relaxing experience.
What I'm most dissatisfied with is that I have no idea where my donation went, or even if my donation went anywhere at all. My friend commented that maybe they're pocketing it all. I replied "Maybe they are." I wouldn't be surprised. Ok, so I only donated $1.14 in change -- I am low income after all -- but every little bit helps and I hope my $ goes somewhere. Nowhere in the restaurant was there clear signage as to where the money was going. The National Pancake Day website says the $ goes to the Children's Miracle Network (a charity close to my heart) or other local designated charity. In the DC area the $ goes to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) (another charity close to my heart), but I of course am in Baltimore.
All the materials in my restaurant said something like "Make a miracle for a child by donating to your local charity," but nowhere did it say what that charity was. When the waitress came by she asked us if we were there for the free pancakes but never mentioned a word about making a donation. The giant cardboard donation box had a sign taped on it that said "MAKE A WISH," which then had me looking quizzically. Do they want me to wish on my donation or is the money going to the Make a Wish Foundation?
Seeing this look on my face the hostess said "The money is going to BREAST cancer." [emphasis mine] Which only leads me to believe that the hostess is illiterate, and that the $ is in fact going to LLS. You see taped to a window all disheveled like and strewn all over the floor were these paper signs that said "BEAT cancer" [emphasis mine] on the top with the LLS logo on the bottom and ample space in the middle to write your name that you had donated.
"BEAT" looks an awful lot like "BrEAsT" doesn't it?
I wish they were more organized. I wish I knew where my $ was going. I won't be going back to that IHOP next year. Anyone else go to NPD? How was your experience?
4 comments:
My IRL friend Hannah just started a blog and she wrote a post http://stickmancommunications.blogspot.com/2011/03/international-wheelchair-day.html
Carl told me this entry is for IWD although he doesn't say so in it. http://workingatperfect.blogspot.com/2011/03/my-toe-was-crushed.html?spref=tw
Is your Jazzy your powerchair?? If it is we both have broken ones now!
Yes Emma, my Jazzy is my powerchair. See my post from Feb 23. I have an 1122 that I've decided not to fix. It'll be April or May when I finally have a new one. It feels slightly as though I'm being held prisoner, although I did go out to dinner last night so how prisoner like can this really be? Not really.
Sorry to read that your experience wasn't all that great. I would assume the charity is CMN unless specified otherwise (And I would assume Make A Wish referred to that foundation). All of the organizations you mentioned related to a form of cancer however, so perhaps some restaurants decided to stray to a different cancer-related organization? Hopefully you'll change your mind and go to NPD next year, but perhaps in a different location!
Elizabeth, are you in anyway affiliated with NPD? Just curious...
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