A Gift That Won’t Be Forgotten

By Donna Bumgarner, CPA

This continues to be the time of year when we think most about giving. Once December arrives, out come the wish lists followed by a panicked rush to the malls. This year I encourage you to add the gift of service, which may be the best gift of all. With minimal effort, each of you can make a big difference in someone else’s life. According to Alma Powell, Colin Powell’s wife, “When you give to others, you get something back yourself.” If you find yourself away from family and friends this holiday season, consider volunteering to serve meals to the homeless. A multitude of local community organizations can use our help during the holidays.

I have been a witness to the gift of time and financial resources in our own chapter during the past month. First, I would like to thank those of you who participated in the Oct. 31 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5K Walk. Our group of 16 walkers included CalCPA members, friends, colleagues and families. We definitely stood out in our orange “CPAs Care” T-shirts, and the team raised more than $1,600, which will help support the American Cancer Society’s efforts to fund research, increase public awareness and provide free programs and services to people impacted by breast cancer. Thanks again to all who contributed and especially to those who participated in the walk.

More than 420 attorneys, bankers and CPAs visited the Humane Society Silicon Valley Nov. 10 at the ABC Fallfest. The Humane Society staff provided tours of the impressive new facility that includes doggie daycare, a grooming and boarding facility, a pet store and a dog park. Several tour group members abandoned the tour once they entered the cat or dog condo areas. We know for a fact that a few fortunate attendees ultimately left the facility at the event’s conclusion with a new pet in hand. We also heard reports that several attendees made appointments to return in the following days. Giving a new home to a deserving cat or dog and supporting the Humane Society is another great example of how we can give a gift that will not be forgotten. I believe we all enjoyed this wonderful venue, and I want to congratulate Howard Loomis, Renée Hazel and the dedicated ABC Committee for all of their hard work in planning this stellar event. Howard tells me that this was one of the best-attended ABC events in recent history. As you know, the net proceeds from this event go toward funding the scholarships we will award in January and are another example of CPAs giving to others.

Following the successful ABC event at the Humane Society, we ushered in the first ABC Night in the Santa Cruz area Nov. 18. More than 120 professionals attended the gathering at The Swenson House on the Cabrillo College campus in Aptos. The culinary school provided hors d’oeuvres, and a local winery and brewery donated beverages. The event was well-received by the community, and plans are already under way for a similar event to be held next spring. Our thanks go out to the planning committee for its hard work and vision in providing a networking event for those in the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay areas.

By now you should have all recovered from your Thanksgiving holiday and are planning for the Christmas holidays. Please feel free to contact me by e-mail or phone (408) 287-7911 if you have any questions or comments.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 12:28 pm and is filed under President's Message. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.