Founders and Purple Feet

The Cape Fear Voices/Teen Scene banquet was on Saturday, April 15, and it was a wonderful event.  I am really tired and my feet are a lovely shade of purple and very swollen, but I still had a great time. 

I don't think I would cut it as an event planner.  I  hired a bar tending service who didn't show up.  I was livid.  The event started at 5:00 and at 4:30 I was screaming into the phone--where are you?  I got two interesting excuses--the first one was, "oh, I heard the event was cancelled, so I didn't show up."  When I asked if it dawned on her at 4:30 when I was asking where she was and telling her that my guests were due to arrive in 30 minutes, that the event wasn't cancelled.  

The second excuse was, "oh, my son died that day and I had to go to his funeral."  I guess she was expecting me to back pedal and put my nice hat on.  Guess what, I threw my nice hat in the garbage at 4:30 on Saturday.  Instead, I said, "thank you, I won the bet.  I bet the publisher that you would tell me that someone in your family died and that's why you didn't show up."  A full refund is being processed as we speak. 

But, the food was terrific, the music was perfect--our theme was super hero's and the singer learned 20 new songs for the event--specifically, Hero, written and originally performed by Mariah Carey. All of the feedback I have received was positive and we made a nice profit from the event which will got into our Teen Scene College fund.  

The highlight of the evening, for me anyway, was being given the Founders Award.  This is the highest honor given in our organization.  It is for outstanding service and support of the mission.  Since I was the event coordinator, I had to buy the awards.  I asked Gerald, our publisher, if he had anything specific in mind for the Founders Award.  He told me that we weren't awarding one this year.  When we got the programs back from the printer, I noticed that the presentation of the Founders Award was in there.  I assumed it was a misprint.  Gerald told me not to worry about it, having the programs reprinted would be too expensive.    I know Gerald very well and I know he doesn't make that kind of mistake.  I figured that he was going to give the award to someone else in the organization and didn't want to hurt my feelings, so I kind of let it go.  

Fast forward to the night of the event.  I was sitting in front, taking pictures of the writing award winners, both teens and seasoned writers.    All of a sudden, my camera flashed, "disc full," and wouldn't take anymore photos.  OH NO.  I was sitting there quickly deleting some of the hundreds of pictures of Dixie we have, when Gerald stepped up to the mic to explain the Founders Award.  I am furiously deleting pictures to make sure I get the presentation on film and all of a sudden, I hear Gerald say, "and this year, the award goes to Jan Morgan-Swegle."  I just sat there with the camera still in my lap.  I was dumbfounded.  The guests at our table were laughing at the look on my face and telling me to get up and get the award.  At that moment, 8 months of planning, the bar vendor not showing up and my painful feet just kicked in.  I broke down and cried.  I cried so hard I couldn't say anything.  I think I stuttered, 'Oh Tony, look what we got..." but I'm not even sure of that.  Poor Tony became one of  the bartenders for the evening so we didn't get to sit together.  I do remember calling  Gerald a bum for fooling me and that's about it.  This is the first award I have ever received.   Tony took my picture a few days ago with the award.  I could finally hold it without crying (oops, I'm crying now...again!)  So, all in all, my swollen, purple feet were worth it.  It was a wonderful event.  Next year, however, we are talking about hiring an event planner.  I'm getting too old for the stress!

I am busy now working on the May issue of the paper and catching up on my stories for Leland Magazine.  Tony took me to the beach to relax on Sunday, the day after the event.  Listening to the ocean and looking at the sky was exactly what I needed.  More later...my feet are turning purple again....to much sitting at the computer!

From the top:  Me, standing on our patio with the Founders Award--oh look, I'm not crying!

Next is Izzy Billings and Dan Niezmik.  Right after dinner, Izzy asked me to look at a poem she wanted to submit for the May issue. I had a dozen things to do, but I read it.   It was good.  I asked her if I could show it to someone.  She asked who?  I told her, "Dan Niezmik," he writes poetry for Cape Fear Voices.  She said, "a REAL poet?"  So I hooked them up and they spent much of the evening together, talking about poetry.  Dan actually won the award for best writer in the poetry category for Cape Fear Voices. 

Next is Susan Savia. Our entertainment for the evening.  When she heard the bartender wasn't coming, she stopped practicing and started hauling coke can cases!!

Next is Gerald, our publisher, a man I love very much for getting me back into writing.

Next is Laura Askue, Journalism teacher at Brunswick College--early College High School receiving the Educator's Award from Carl Parker, President of the NC NAACP.

Next is Izzy and I in front of the Super Hero posters.  She was worried that she didn't have anything nice to wear to the banquet, so I gave her some fashion advice.  She didn't know what business casual meant.  I told her she looked so good, I had to get a picture of her.  (I also think she looks like Jenna!)

After that is Sallye Niezmik, Tony and Dan Niezmik.  Tony donated some of his artwork for the auction.  Sallye bought one of his painting and he signed it for her. 

Next is Laura Askue and the Early College High School group (plus assistant principal) and Jeff Rivenbark, a local TV news personality.  He works for WWAY, who donated the venue for the event.   Students at Early College earn an Associates Degree and their high school diploma when they graduate.  These are future doctors, nurses, scientists and really smart kids!  

Last is Jeff Rivenbark, the news anchor.  Many of the "old ladies" at the event wanted to meet him and asked me if it was OK to approach him.  I told Jeff that if we put him in a kissing booth and charged money, we wouldn't have needed all of the stuff we had for the silent auction.  Every time a woman came up to him and gushed, "I have dinner with you every night..."  he thanked who ever it was and acted like he never heard that line before.  He was very nice.  He actually looks better in person than the photograph I took.