At the start of the Jail and Bail fundraising event finale our guest speaker Marketing Guru Mike Hutcheson shared entertaining stories from his life and career which inspired us all to think differently. Copies of his latest book were auctioned off within minutes. They can be purchased on his website.

I started my thank you speech with one word.

Why?

I asked everyone to reflect on why they were here at our fundraising event. Why had they chosen to take part this week? They could’ve been at work, or spending their time somewhere else but they choose to spend their time raising funds for my hospice. Why are you on this planet?

I gave them 10 seconds to reflect on their Why before I shared my own.

I am here on this planet to make the world a better place for dying people.

I read out the story about Beds that I had shared last night on Palliverse, LinkedIn and my fundraising page for this event.

The finale was a unique event where all of the bailees, myself included, were too busy fundraising to talk to each other. Necks craned over smartphones and laptops. Beavering away to fundraise as much as possible in the remaining two hours of the event. The 12 busy bailees and their supporters volunteered their time to support our cause.

There’s a lot in the world that can jaundice your vision into cynicism but today I saw people in action for a good cause. It was enlivening to witness community spirit in full flight. Together we did this. A bunch of friendly do-gooders used their creativity to help their fellow community members. Inspirational stuff, everyone from many different walks of life united to crowdfund for hospice.

Four beds had been fundraised for by noon.

Throughout the two-hour finale, we had generated enough funds for five beds and were heading towards six.

I checked my dashboard tonight and found:

The total up to this point is $28051, enough to fund six beds.

And it’s not over yet.

A special thank you to Anonymous for making so many donations.

Thank you to my fellow bailees for being such good sports. Thank you to all donors, your contributions will have a positive impact on the patients and families we serve in our community. Also thank you donors for sharing your kind and encouraging words. They mean a lot to our hospice team. Our patients were people just like you and me, trying to make their way in life when severe illness struck and changed their life journey forever. Knowing you care about them means a lot to them.

Thank you all for making a difference.

Thank you all for Making Hospice Happen.