By Marcia Mitchell, CEO of The Little Light House
Folks will often hear me reference the old Chinese proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” I’ve shared that time and again when addressing the parents of our children, encouraging everyone to get involved in keeping the light of The Little Light House shining brightly!
I’m constantly blessed at how our parents support the “village” effort. Parents have conducted car washes, brought teams in to paint our entire center, built cabinets and provided expertise in website development. In fact the design of the Beacon you hold in your hand was developed by David Ramirez, dad to one of our students. Moms provide treats for our volunteers on a daily basis, and family members young and old volunteer in the classroom and throughout the ministry.
The list goes on and on of what LLH families do for The Little Light House, giving of their time, talents and resources. But I wanted to share with you about an event in February which was a classic example of the whole community pitching in to make the pathway brighter for LLH kids.
Austin Terry, our little Sophia’s daddy, is Chef Partner of Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse. With approval from their national headquarters, Austin and his wife Laura organized a Fleming’s dinner to benefit The Little Light House. It was scheduled to take place on an evening when we were experiencing record-breaking amounts of snow. I wondered if they might cancel but learned the day before, they planned to proceed with the benefit.
Even though my husband and I hadn’t gotten out much the entire week before, we braved the streets. With minimal challenges we made our way to the beautiful Utica Square to attend the event. Wondering if they’d have much of a showing, I stepped into the restaurant and was amazed! It was packed and the room was alive with smiling folks who were there to support The Little Light House and have a delectable evening at Flemings.
As the evening progressed my heart was warmed as I learned that all the wait-staff had volunteered their time to work that evening. They worked ever so hard and had the most wonderful countenances. I also learned later that evening that the Chef from the St. Louis Fleming’s had driven half the night on snow packed roads just to come help with this benefit.
Each course was more scrumptious than the one before, and each attendee was sent home with four luscious chocolate truffles! I It was a very special event, and so much of it was because of all the heart that went into it. As my husband and I drove home, our hearts were so touched by all the people who had given so much to make a difference for our very special children! So we offer a big heartfelt thanks to the Terry family! Thanks to the Fleming’s Restaurant, and thanks so much “village” of Tulsa and surrounding areas.
