Last week, I told you about my years of volunteering for the setup of Fantasy of Trees, the annual holiday benefit for East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.
What I didn’t tell you about was what came next.
For the same 13 years I spent volunteering for the show and helping in a variety of areas, Lisa and I also enjoyed the annual premiere gala. The premiere gala was a black tie preview party to help open the show in style.
I was describing it, one day, to a young lady who worked at the hospital. She thought I said “Primo Party” instead of Premier Party. When I recounted this to some of my cohorts, we all chuckled and that became our catchphrase. The Primo Party.
And let me tell you, it WAS primo!
I have fond memories of our experiences in those days. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not wistful. In fact, I’m very happy with my current surroundings. As I’ve told you in recent blogs, things have worked out quite nicely for us as 2013 nears its conclusion.
Still, now and then - especially around this time of year - I think it is okay to think back to good times of the past. And those times were glorious!
Each year, Lisa and I attended the gala and spent special time with many of the friends I mentioned last week – fellow volunteers or co-workers, family members, nice folks I met over the years. That was always part of the fun.
Lisa always looked so lovely and the event served as a festive beginning for the holiday season in East Tennessee.
There was always wonderful food to sample and a band playing up-beat party music. And by Tuesday night, all the decorations of the show were on display with their festive radiance.
During my years of working for the hospital, I was often ‘on duty’ during the gala. There might be a specific physician or donor that I needed to greet or a photo op I needed to set up or stage.
Later, when I was strictly a volunteer, the evening was more relaxing for me. I will say, though, as Lisa began volunteering for the show and assumed more and more responsibility, she was often the one ‘at work’ that night. Toward the end of our Fantasy experience, the two of us just enjoyed the event.
It was during that time that I had one of my favorite Fantasy moments. When I left my job at Children’s, I continued to volunteer and one of my former interns was hired to take my place. Later, he completed his employment at the hospital as well but he also continued to volunteer. The two of us were at the party one year and he introduced me to the gentleman who had taken his place.
Just then, the hospital CEO walked by and kind of did a double take. I guess the sight of PR guys together, past and present, was a bit surprising (in a pleasant way). I chuckle when I think of that moment of mirth.
It’s funny how my mind has divided our life’s journey into chapters. Maybe that is the influence of all the writers I know? In any case, as I consider those chapters, I always think of the ‘Fantasy’ chapter. And when my mind wanders back to that nostalgic place, I think of two subsets: the volunteer work I described last week and the premier party.
It’s a pleasant place for me to visit!
And for those legions of volunteers, hospital staff, physicians, donors and friends who will be braving the elements to attend this year’s gala, here’s a shout out. I hope your experiences this evening are as magical as ours were.
JG
Originally posted 11/26/2013
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