Last night was enchanting; delightful, delovely! I was invited by Joey Kubesch, a direct blood relative of Cole Porter to an event on the Westleigh Estate. It is an exceptional piece of history she has lovingly kept restored and opens for occasions such as this. New York's premier singer and pianist Daryl Sherman was the evening's entertainment, flying in from the city just for the 118th birthday of the man himself, Cole Porter. And she was quite delightful! A beautiful singing voice, rich, mellow, vibrant and talented on the ivories. Joey outdid herself with a exquisite spread of cheeses, wine and other delicious nibbles, plus a birthday cake that was beyond luscious description! Sigh......
I feel a bit like Cinderella after the ball...... ;)
But to the other purpose of the evening, and that was all the funds raised from the sale of tickets went directly to our local food pantry, Helping Hands. We are a county in need (the last I knew, the ninth poorest in the state), and it was not until the founder and director of the facility, Herschel Manhart, stood and gave us a brief history of the project and the amount they provide, both in monies for heat and in food items and basic necessities, that it really struck home. Yes, I was more than happy to go last evening and have the cash go to this very worthy cause, yes, I donate to them on an occasional basis, but the twinge of guilt for all I have was there when hearing the numbers of those who do not. It is staggering the assistance they provide, and all from local donations.
So for any of you who love the music of Cole Porter, and would like to do something very GOOD in honor of his memory, please let me link you to the site of the Northern Indiana Community Foundation, where you could make a small donation to Miami County Helping Hands. If there is any proper way to remember a man who gave so much musical joy to the world, it would be by giving just a bit to his home community.
Note: In the *FUND* field, choose MCCF-list name of fund below. At the bottom of the page, there is a box to type in the fund you choose to donate to, which would be Miami County Helping Hands. No gift is too small---all monies go to those in direct need. This is not my usual blog post, but then, my readers are not the usual, run of the mill people. I think there are a lot of caring souls out there, and especially those interested in theater and music who might be honored to share a tiny bit in memory of *The Man*. And please forward this to anyone you might think interested.
May you always have enough, may you always have a bit to share, and may we follow Joey's example of being aware of the needs within our communities and taking action.
I thank you.
Now go create something Delightful!!! And have a wonderful day!
