So tonight was my speech before the Venedocia Lions Club. They served an excellent meal of salad, mashed potatoes and gravy, pot roast and apple crisp, then it was time for me to do my thing. I stood up and talked about missing persons for awhile, gave examples of cases the Charley Project profiles, talked about my mission of trying to make sure MPs get remembered, talked about ways the Charley Project has helped locate MPs, passed out business cards, etc. I also mentioned that kidnapping by strangers was vanishingly rare, and said the people you really had to be afraid of were the people you knew. So the best way to keep safe, I said, was don’t know anybody. Hide inside your house 24 hours a day and disown your family and friends. That got a good laugh out of my audience.
Everyone clapped enthusiastically and they seemed very pleased with my talk. There were several questions asked at the end, then I sat down, and someone else stood up to give their own talk requesting funds to support a local campground so they could have discount prices during the summer. After he spoke, we both left and the meeting continued without us.
Things obviously went better than I realized, because about an hour after I had left the clubhouse, Dad called to tell me the Lions had voted to donate to the Charley Project. This was something I was totally not expecting and certainly didn’t ask for; I only gave my talk because Dad volunteered me and because I love talking about missing persons and what I do. I was really touched!
So thank you, Venedocia Lions, for contributing to the cause. I am totally wowed and I think I might use the funds this summer to upgrade the site and drag it, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century. Like, with a search function that will search by age and race and stuff. That would be nice.
The Charley Project Blog 