Appreciation and Giving Back

Today was one of those days that makes you really pause and appreciate having a hobby (or is it a vice?) that lets you give a bit back to the community.

Firstly, I got a Facebook message from a friend asking if we could meet up an lunchtime as she had something for me.

When we met up, I was handed this Certificate of Appreciation from her son's school.

A couple of months ago the call went out for donations of prizes for a fundraising raffle to help pay for a group of school kids to travel to Darwin for an educational trip. I was able to rustle up a couple of Lego sets for the cause, the raffle was a success, and by all accounts the kids had an absolute blast.

The second part was a bit more prearranged. My local AFOL (Adult Fans of Lego) Group runs exhibitions throughout the year, with funds raised from the door (after the running costs) going toward various community initiatives.

One such event was today when a group of us took some time out to visit the paediatric ward of the local hospital with a bunch of Lego sets for the patients on the ward.

There is something deeply satisfying about making a sick kid smile, especially at this time of year. The looks of appreciation from parents that only want to take away whatever it is that is afflicting their progeny and even the gratitude of the staff on the ward who get to give these kids something other blood tests and medications.

Overall we gave out a dozen or so sets, and left behind roughly twice that many to be distributed to other children over the course of the next 12 months.

Yeah, it's days like today that I really enjoy my hobby.