Tara’s Takes
On Fridays, our “business hours” are 8:30 a.m.-12 p.m. I put that in quotes because we are usually here well past that. Sometimes we just lock the door so we can get other stuff done. Or, we are out covering events or working with businesses.
Not last Friday. If you stopped by after 11 a.m., we were out of the office. It wasn’t all fun; Per still had to cover the football game that night, but for a few hours, we stepped away to support the Tracy Area Medical Foundation in its
Friday. Photo / John Carlson
annual golf tournament.
This year was a little different as two of our four couldn’t attend, so we brought in John Carlson and James Fultz as our ringers. We missed our regulars but those two added to the fun of the day. If you know John and James, they are always adding fun.
We also got to golf with the Minnwest Bank team again. It has become a tradition and one we wouldn’t change for the world. None of us are super competitive in this tournament. We have two goals: not to make complete fools of ourselves and have fun. We accomplished both, for the most part.
We didn’t win, but the day was a success.
Prior to that, I was trying to catch up on some bookkeeping after an insane August. One of the things I had done is put every donation ask into a pile to deal with later. As business owners, Per and I feel blessed to be able to support our community as much as possible. The total letters in my pile after one month was 22. That’s one more than there were work days that month. We’re not alone, most businesses receive the same ask for support.
It takes a village, and as a community we continue to show up. There were teams that have golfed every year at the course Friday. Businesses continue to donate to Box Car Days each year, as well as our sports teams and school clubs. In just a few short weeks, the benefit for Lonnie Cochran will take place, and I truly believe our community will once again show up in support.
Why? Because we know how important it is. Not every person can contribute $500 or participate in every event, but as a community, we care about our friends and neighbors. We care about the kids in the community. We care about having access to things like local healthcare. So we show up.
Every event like last Friday’s TAMF fundraiser or the upcoming benefit for Lonnie takes weeks of behind-the-scenes planning and work. It’s another way people in our community give back.
While not everyone can be the biggest donor, we all can contribute. It can be a small donation to a charity or event that is important to you. It can be a donation of your time. It can be as simple as words of encouragement for the people who are planning these events.
One of the best parts of a small town like Tracy is the support of our community. I hope we continue to show that support with even the smallest acts. A little can go a long way.
