It's all about Delaware's families at DFRC!

DFRC Executive Director Tony Glenn

While I drove to Newark to conduct the first interview I'd done in nearly a year, I reviewed the questions I'd ask Dr. Anthony "Tony" Glenn. He's the Executive Director of Delaware Foundation Reaching Citizens (DFRC). I arrived a few minutes late in a panic (I hate being late) but his staff waved it off, and directed me to Tony's office in the rear of their donated office space.

Anyone who knows Tony knows that he lives and breathes DFRC and its mission to increase the quality of life for children and families of children with intellectual disabilities. Tony firmly believes "that every life has merit," and this same belief runs like an infusion of positivity through DFRC's staff and 200+ volunteers. They help to oversee the massive fundraising programs held throughout the year. The money funds programs and organizations that positively impact the people they serve.

"Come on in!" Tony emerged from his tiny office to give me a great big hug. He offered me coffee and a seat in his office, which is a beautifully organized explosion of Blue-Gold Game history. We sat and exchanged the usual small talk about each other's nonprofits. Once we got settled, I grabbed my list of questions and started gearing up. That's when he stopped me, and his face went stern. "This interview isn't going to be about Tony Glenn."

Gulp. How was I going to write a piece about a person without writing about the person? What a challenge.

Delaware Foundation Reaching Citizens with Intellectual Disabilities (DFRC) is one of Delaware's oldest home-grown foundations. DFRC was started in 1956 by Bob Carpenter and Jim Williams (father of Pat Williams, General Manager for the Orlando Magic, motivational speaker, and author - click here to see a review of his book "Read for Your Life"). It began with a single fundraiser - the Blue-Gold Game - and although the group has added others (The Hollidazzle, the Blue-Gold Golf Classic), the game remains the foundation's signature event.

Kids & All-Star participants join on the field
(photo credit: C. Dawson)

The original intent for the funds raised by the Blue-Gold Game was to help children who were "mentally retarded" to have a better quality of life (yes, yes, we know this is a dated term and no longer politically correct, but back then, it was the lingo.) Over time, the foundation came to realize that as children grew up, the need for adult programming continued. They've changed their giving practices quite a bit so that they can continue to address these needs throughout the lifespan.

The format of the Blue-Gold Game hasn't changed much since its inception. Kids join Delaware's football players, cheerleaders, band members and high school Ambassadors that are outstanding leaders in their school on the University of Delaware gridiron - an experience that would be unforgettable for anyone - but especially valuable to a kid who's had a rough life. As you might think, the game also provides the opportunity for the players to develop their own understanding of people with disabilities. The kids are matched up with the players, come together in February and stay together until the game in June. DFRC holds a different activity each month for everyone, and high school participants are encouraged to do more with their buddy and the families.

For Tony, it all started with the 1973 Blue-Gold Game. He was invited to play in the game as a high school football player, and to meet a child with a disability. He was nervous. But he smiled as he told me, "...here comes this kid, running out to meet me. He took my helmet and started playing with it." He and another player played with the boy. When it was time for the kids to get on the bus to leave, Tony said, "I realized he still had my helmet!" The boy held his helmet out the window to him, Tony grabbed it, and thought, "Wow, this is no big deal." At 18, Tony joined DFRC as a volunteer, later as a board member, and finally, as its Executive Director. (Tony had a career as a football coach before he decided to take on DFRC full time.)

Okay, enough about Tony. (He would want me to say that.)

DFRC is a great example of a home-grown charity that succeeds because it connects its mission to its fundraising efforts and does it well. I went to my first Blue-Gold Game in June 2012 and was invited as the Executive Director of the Brain Injury Association of Delaware (BIAD) to walk out on the field with the rest of the nonprofit beneficiaries; it was exciting and fun and it made me feel special, appreciated. They didn't just send a check and ask us to send them a report. They want people to see us, to know us, to understand where their contributions are going. We didn't just get a grant - they invested in our future. Tony said, "When we invest in others, we all increase our worth."

BIAD's "The Blue Individual" and me
at the 2012 Blue-Gold Game
(photo credit: C. Dawson)

At the end of our talk, I finally asked Tony some of my normal "My Ten Bucks" questions. "What would you be able to do with a $10 contribution?" He smiled. "Every dollar counts. I could use that $10 to buy a couple of reams of paper, and we can print our third 5-year Strategic Plan." He thumped the stack of neatly stapled documents in front of him. "We're working on this right now, I'll be reviewing it with the Board as soon as we're done our next event. Or I could pay for a stack of invitations to a fundraiser." When money comes in, DFRC uses it to raise more money... for others.

I write this blog for a reason: I want you to see the goodness within the people and organizations around us, and be encouraged. We have great wealth within our community, in our real leaders (no, I don't mean politicians) and within ourselves.

My Ten Bucks matters, and so does yours.

Make your own donation to DFRC at www.blue-gold.org or mail a check to DFRC, 640 Plaza Drive, Newark DE 19702.

2010/2011 Trends in Giving from YourCause.com

Wow, this site is awesome. Check out the statistical information (provided by http://www.yourcause.com/) on the giving trends for 2010 and 2011.

Wicked.

New Year's Resolution Idea (Hint, hint!)

Let's say you make a $10 donation to ABC Charity and that $10 is put into a general fund or used for programs. It goes to the people who need it. Then it gets used up.

Okay. You've made your donation. Now you're off to the rest of your life.

But wait just a minute. Instead of just writing a check, what if you decided to pitch in a few hours as a volunteer? Wouldn't it make your donation go just a little bit further?

Okay, you're volunteering! And guess what? You love it!

What if I told you that you could still do more?

What if you told everyone you knew that you had donated to this charity? You told them why you like ABC Charity? You tell them that you just made a donation, and you volunteered to pitch in a few extra hours a week this year.

How much do you want to bet that those people would be a) interested in donating b) interested in volunteering or c) might pass the word along to their friends?


YOUR BEING INVOLVED INSPIRES OTHERS TO BE INVOLVED.

See how big and fast it could grow? And it's so simple.

Wow, I forgot to mention what you will get out of all of this.

I'm not going to say that being involved with a charity is a sure-fire way to a happier life, however, volunteering and donating to charities makes you feel good. I can speak from my own experience... it has made an enormous difference in my life to be surrounded by people who are involved to help others. It was an unexpected, exciting discovery for me. And it made me blossom in other ways.

If you've ever felt unaccepted in your daily life, or need some help feeling good about yourself, there is no more perfect opportunity than to volunteer. You will be thanked until you are sick of hearing it. Your work will be appreciated. People will say, "I couldn't have done it without [insert your name here]."

Make this your New Year's resolution - choose a charity and make your mark on it.

BIAD Art Club: Where the boundaries between brain injury and creativity crumble

Although I haven't outright said it, I do support the nonprofit for which I work: the Brain Injury Association of Delaware (BIAD). At BIAD, we've been working hard to find out what we can do to help people take charge of their own lives - even if it's not completely at first - so that they can begin to build their own self-esteem.

My last ten bucks of the year will be given to BIAD's Art Club in memory of Mr. Bob Crowley.

The BIAD Art Club was conceived by Tracey Landmann, one of the board members of BIAD. Together with the Gibby Art Center and Art Therapy Express Program, Inc., we put together the BIAD Art Club Program - she worked on the concept and the research - I worked on writing for grants. We got some help from DFRC and the DDC - a local foundation and a state agency that gets money from the federal government help people gain their independence.


The BIAD Art Club Pilot Program was a success in many ways. To see smiles on everyone's faces and watch as they produced art was an emotional experience for me. I saw people enjoy the company of others, as well... even two men who didn't get along were speaking more frequently. Art has since become a major factor in their lives.

One of our artists, Bob Crowley, passed away after the 7th Art Club session. He had suffered a stroke about a year prior to his enrollment in the BIAD Art Club and had been struggling with complications from pneumonia. He was non-verbal, but understood all of what was happening around him. His sister, Dr. Jane Crowley, is a member of our Advisory Board and enrolled him because she loved him. I watched as he worked to construct a model of the Coliseum, experimented with pastels, and quite simply, enjoyed the process of creating something. In honor of his sister, he named his character Jane. (Jane - or Janus Flavius - was a rat that lived in the Coliseum). Bob's nephew was his caregiver, he sat and doodled on his arms and clothes while Bob plugged away at his projects.

I vividly remember the Sunday morning when Tracey called me to tell me that he had passed away. We were camping, and I cried hysterically at the small table while my best friend Liz sat with me. I was so heartbroken. After the shock wore off, I was grateful that I had been able to meet Bob and see him enjoy his experience working with clay and using his art supplies to his heart's content.

I am making a donation of ten bucks to the 2012 BIAD Art Club in Bob Crowley's name because he embodied the BIAD Art Club's intent - to bring together people with similar challenges in order to inspire them to create - to remember that their disability doesn't stop their creativity. I believe in the Art Club and want it to flourish.

Make your own donation to the BIAD Art Club by clicking on the green "donate" button at www.biade.org. You can also send a check to BIAD, P.O. Box 1897, Dover DE 19903. Call 1-800-411-0505 for more information.

My ten bucks matters, and so does yours.

I'm Sorry

To those of you who have been following this blog, I must apologize. In the past two months my personal life and projects have turned upside down. Believe it or not, my job in the nonprofit field has buoyed my spirits while things slowly change around me.

I'll try to feature one nonprofit per two weeks by way of phone interviews and will have to use whatever photos I can pull together to fill them out.