Friday June 3

Neil has been playing with an idea  that he has finally been able
to articulate.
 He has beeb talking alot about  sick/w.chair bound children.
He said he  only has had to live with suffering and with a w.chair for a short time,
but he is keenly aware that there are children who have to live this way
for their whole life. Since  humor have humor and laughter have been
a lifeline for him  him during this time,  he gas been brainstorming on ways
to  improve the lot of sick children.
  On  Wednesday  after a call to Peter Fleischman, from
Jewish Philanthropies in Bflo, we are establishing The Giggle Foundation.
 We will contribute seed $ and  then seek contributions.
   The foundation's goal will be to bring laughter and
joy into the lives of sick children in both Bflo and Sarasota.
We are especially interested  in a program that Hospice has
 established called Partners in Caring which serves sick children on medicad.
 We would like to help fund clowns, story tellers, magicians, gift bags and scholarships to camps. The fund will be managed by the
Foundation for Jewish Philanthopies in Bflo and all contributions will go
to them. Hopefully the paperwork will be in place in a week or so.
 Our children and their spouses to be the board of directors
and we would like our grandchilren (who are 7,6 and 5) to be involved in some
of the decision making. It is Neil's hope that this will contribute to their awareness
of tzedakah (good deeds).
  We know that many organizations like this exist;
we will add our voices/energy /funding to the mix. Neil is
very excited about this project and has been talking to people
and collecting ideas. It has given him new purpose.

As we sat in the garden and talked yesterday, Neil chastised  himself
 for waitng until he was sick to become more concerned with providing for
suffering children. He said he was too busy with other things to think much
about it. But I reminded him how untrue that was. After retirement, he drove
cancer patients to apts and  worked for literacy volunteers .  In addtion to
his receiving the freshman advocate award and creating support
services for needy students as Bflo State.