39,480 minutes: How can you measure, measure a year?

With the fear of over-emphasizing how important volunteers are to our organization, I wanted to spend some time explaining to you how truly crucial each and every person is that donates their time, expertise, skills, or money to this organization.

A rough estimate, calculated briefly on scratch paper today, reveals a number (probably grossly underestimated) at 1,645 hours or 39,480 minutes.  This number is the amount of TIME spent by volunteers on our organization since January 1, 2011 to November 21, 2011.  That is equivalent to 68.5 days.  How incredible is that? 

I recently heard some wise advice: giving without gratitude becomes meaningless and leads to burned out individuals, who no longer have the joy to serve.  In spirit with Thanksgiving, I would like to acknowledge and give thanks to EACH and EVERY person that has supported us.  From making hairpieces, changing costumes, running an errand, working our performances, corralling kids, taking dancers to the bathroom, making dancers smile, giving a dancer confidence, teaching our dancers to plie, stapling papers, folding brochures, hanging up decorations, coming to Great Day Houston with us, giving up time with your family to spend with us, showing our dancers love, organizing costumes,  accounting, holding a door open for us, making our website, taking pictures, writing articles, taking video, going through trainings, sitting in meetings, offering advice and expertise, bringing patience to our dance classes, believing in us, bringing dance clothes and shoes to us, giving us space for our dancers to dance in, and the list goes on. 

I promise that each of these tasks has made a difference to our dancers.  By stapling papers, you free up time for instructors to focus on curriculum.  By folding brochures, you allow others to learn about us, bring new friends to our dancers, and awareness to their abilities.  By holding a dancer’s hand at a performance, you give them comfort and confidence to take the stage.  You also give them safety when they have to exit the stage or become scared. 

There is no price I could put on all that our community, friends, and families have done for us.  We are grateful beyond words.  YOU give these girls the chance to dance. 

Have a blessed Thanksgiving,

Leah

Making Christmas Cards



 Christmas in the Park 2010



Helping across the floor.

HAIR BOW!

Operation Lipstick= lots of encouragement and smiles.

Great Day Houston!

First recital May 2011- thank you for all your help.