Rowan Windham Memorial Cereal Drive... fighting hunger, feeding Hope, serving humanity, honoring God, making the good...

Today the 2017 Rowan Windham Memorial Cereal Drive concluded at Methodist Children's Hospital in San Antonio... and it was a true honor to be a part of this amazing event. 

Walking in, Ian and I were emotional, but joyful.  There were blue t-shirts everywhere, bearing Rowan's name and the logos of this wonderful hospital system that cared for him for ten years of his life, as well as that of the SA Food Bank, whom he helped collect thousands of servings of cereal over the past 3 years.

A huge truck from the food bank sat empty outside, waiting to be filled with this years donations...

Inside, I saw this goal board, and I burst into tears...

I have never seen so much cereal in one place in my life...not even at the grocery store...

The collection boxes were so fun and creative!  Everyone did a great job.

I was able to visit with so many hospital staff members, get healing hugs from them, laugh with them and cry with them...just as I have for the past ten years...

Michael Guerra (CDO SA Food Bank), myself, and Robert Lenza (CEO Methodist Children's Hospital).  I am not sure I have met two more compassionate, Godly, hardworking businessmen.  Thank you for your love for my son, and your commitment to the entire community.  I am blessed to know you, proud to be a part of this event with you, and I look forward to all of our future endeavors!

The hospital asked me to speak, and as I've said before, I am a much better writer than I am speaker.  However, I tried to convey to them all, how much they have meant to Rowan and our family over the years...how they were his extended family, and how proud he must be to be honored this way...to be remembered for being a giver, to have inspired them to give back even more than they already do, and that I knew he was looking down, proud of everyone for "making the good".

Michael Guerra from the SA Food Bank spoke about how Rowan impacted his life, and how he shares his story often.  He called Ian and I up to receive a framed poster that the staff at the SA Food Bank had all signed, along with a note from him.  It was so special.

They had warned me ahead of time that they would also be doing a video presentation, sharing a letter from one of Rowan's long-term PICU nurses, along with photos of Rowan over the past ten years there.  It was the most beautiful dedication, not just to Rowan, but I felt it also showed the life they were able to help us give him in these ten (short) years, even though 1/3 of it was spent inside hospital walls.  He was smiling in every picture, whether he had tubes, needles, lines, or oxygen attached to his little body...those things were outshined by the smile, the smile that so many of the staff at Methodist Children's Hospital helped put on his face, so many times.  It was beautiful, and I was so deeply touched (and a blubbering mess:).  Thank you Trudy for the letter.  Thank you to Cheri and all who worked on the video and presentation.  I don't think there was a dry eye in the room, but I know that every heart was full... full of loving memories of our sweet Rowan.

  

Now, back to that goal board... 

Last year, the drive collected over 70,000 servings of cereal for the SA Food Bank, to help fill the gap of Summer hunger, for children who depend on breakfast at school during the school year.  This year the goal was 100,000 servings.  They blew that goal out of the water!

120,136 servings of cereal !

Thank you to every single person who helped...whether you donated 1 box or 20+ boxes! 

Thank you to Copa Wine Bar, Keller Williams City View, Woodlawn Theatre, GenCure/South Texas Blood & Tissue Center, Wells Fargo and every friend who dropped boxes off at one of those locations, mailed or sent me donations for cereal via paypal, etc.  We personally had donations come in not just from Texas, but all the way from Ohio to Seattle!!!  Ian and I took 2 van loads full of cereal to the hospital in the past 3 days.  Rowan's personal total was 6241 servings this year... which is nearly 1000 more than he brought in last year.  I know he is so excited about that.

Just look at all of this cereal being taken out and loaded into the truck this afternoon...

None of this could have happened without these beautiful people from Methodist Hospital, Methodist Children's Hospital, and the SA Food Bank.  You all help our children on a daily basis, and you still find ways to give back even more to children out in the community, with events like this one. 

God bless you all, for renaming the drive after our son, and for "making the good"... 

in memory of Rowan...

for countless others!

Rowan Windham Memorial Cereal Drive... (Methodist Children's Hospital, Methodist Hospital, SA Food Bank)... fighting hunger, feeding Hope, serving humanity, honoring God, making the good...