Giving Thanks - Relay for Life April 5 & 6, 2013

I attended my first ever Relay for Life volunteer meeting a few weeks ago.  For those that may not have heard of Relay for Life (I hadn't) read this: Relay

My mom Lee, mother-in-law Merrilyn and dear friend Veronica all died of lung cancer.  My best friend's mom Toni, died of cancer.  It is sad to realize probably every single person in the world has known someone who has had this disease.  The good news is some people are survivors and there continue to be medical advancements to wipe out the many forms this disease takes.

Relay for Life is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.  It is 18 hours of fun, joy, laughter, tears, strength, hope, & love.  I already know I am going to need a case of Kleenex.

Here is how it works: there are teams, lots of them.  A team can have any number of members but each team needs to raise at least $100.00 to enter and each member of the team also needs to raise $100.00.  My boss doesn't know it yet but he is sooo donating!  Personally I think a team needs a lot of members because during every second of the 18 hours someone from the team needs to be walking/running the track.  This is to represent the fighters that can't quit fighting (more tears) because Cancer never sleeps.
 
My volunteer efforts are with the Relay for Life Seminole Heights team. I may try and get my own team together (consider yourself warned) not only because it is for a good cause but because I know my friends and I can come up with some unique ways to fundraise.  Even during the event each team will have a booth and offer bake goods or ?? to raise money.  One of my ideas is to offer a 5 or 10 minute foot massage for $5.00.  

 

I am also thinking of ways that my social media friends can join in if you so choose.  There is an amazing event just after dark called the Luminary Ceremony.  People  make a donation & and have their loved one's name & any wording or decoration, if requested, written on a luminary bag.  All the bags are lit and from what I have seen of the photos on Google it is very powerful (hello again Kleenex!). 
  
Another way will be to donate to my specific team and I will have that information on my next RFLSH post.  I am big on a lot of smalls make a large. Typically I am applying that to whatever I am eating but that is a different blog post. 

In case you are wondering where the money goes that is raised here is some good information.

During this season of Thanks my wish is that every daughter gets to stand beside her mom and celebrate the next big or small event in their lives.

Wishing you a day filled with what you give thanks for.

Ginny 








 

What is it?

I thought it might be fun to post a partial photo I took from something we have hanging in our office.  In fact we have one in every office here at a-fabco.  It isn't something most offices have and it always brings comments from visitors. 

Can you guess what it is?

What out of the ordinary item do you have in your office?

Small + Cute = Love

Friends of mine adopted two puppies a few weeks ago.  Last weekend I was able to meet them for the first time. Playing with puppies brings such joy and peace to my heart,  I thought I would share photos.  Next time I will try and get a video.

Hi! My name is Toby.

and I am Boomer.

Whaaaatttt? I am exceptionally cute!

I want to eat anything and everything!

 Have a great weekend everyone!

Election Day!

As a citizen of these United States of America  I am able to exercise my right to vote today.
  
Personally I feel it is my duty.  I thank the many women who fought and marched for this privilege 100 years ago.

New York City May 6, 1912

I thank my mom for instilling in me a responsibility to get involved.  To read.  To research.  When I first started voting we had newspapers & the TV news to learn about what each candidate stood for.  Now we have the internet & 24/7 cable news shows.  

Recently I was reminded, again, how precious this right & responsibility is.  I was having a chat with a friend through Twitter and she shared that the country she lives in has only been a democracy for 20 years.  20 years.  Her sense of pride & joy was evident. 

I will leave work and drive to my neighborhood polling station.  I have my sample ballet that I have spent hours mulling over the language in the 11 amendments that are on my ballot.  I will stand in line.

Today I am able to exercise my right to vote.  

Will you?

Ringing Phones

Work has been busy. So much so it has been challenging to handle all the incoming orders & deliveries. Like many companies we downsized and are still running with limited employees. We all are handling several different job duties and with this increase in work load we are now wondering if it is safe to hire. My boss has been trying to make this decision for weeks now but it seems every time he decides to go for it the phones stop ringing and he pulls back, concerned this pattern of increased orders won't continue. I can very much appreciate how difficult it must be, he is not only thinking about his company but also the new employee.

Over the weekend I was thinking about the phones and a thought came to mind: with all the different ways to communicate these days are ringing phones really a true measurement of an increase or decrease of business? 
 
For me, email is the most common form of communication with my customers, much more so than the telephone.  First off I like any direction to be in writing.  When I tell the customer when material will be available for delivery it is via email.  If the customer needs to change a size of an opening I want it in an email.  I always take notes when speaking with someone by phone but sometimes my writing gets sloppy as I try to keep up with the conversation.  I have learned through experience that what I say and what the customer hears sometimes have entirely different meanings.  I may say “your doors are scheduled to leave the factory in Wisconsin on November 3” but the customer hears “I am getting my doors at the jobsite on November 3”.   Early on in my career I learned to follow up a telephone call with an email reviewing all pertinent information that was discussed.  Communication is key to keeping a job moving forward smoothly not only for my scope of work but the many other trades on site.

Even potential customers often make the first contact via our info email address off our website in lieu of phoning in.    

Obviously tracking monthly sales numbers plays an important role in making any decisions on possible future hiring but my boss is old school and a constant ringing telephone makes him happy.  Personally I think it is probably a good mix of all forms of communication. 

Ceiling Mounted Tables

 Here is a space saving idea ~ let's hang the table on the ceiling! 

A brilliant idea for healthcare facilities including assisted living facilities and nursing homes.   Just flip a switch and you can convert your dining room to a recreation area, therapy center, visitors lounge or chapel.  Manufactured by

~ It has no legs so wheelchair patients are not encumbered.

~ The 60" diameter table top will seat 6-8 persons.

~ While the table is in the upright position the floor space can be used for 

    movies or a dance!

~ Cleanup crews love it because they don't have to move all those tables out 

    of the way before sweeping or mopping.

~ Can even be equipped to accommodate cabling for computer use.

~ Choices of table top laminate color. 

Fully retracted

Positioned halfway down

Fully extended

If you would like additional information please visit uptable.com.  Oh and if you are wondering what this has to do with doors...T-Fab is a sister company of a-fabco.  We have one of these cool table in our break room :)

Sherlock Holmes

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