Hello! I have realized that I hadn't kept the blog updated like I had the Shower of Hope Oklahoma - Hamil Family Facebook
page. Below is an older "Note" from our Facebook
page, but wanted to share it on the blog as well! The Hamil Family Dinner and Silent Auction was held in Oklahoma City on July 15th and was a fabulous event. I had the honor of playing a small role in the event by procuring three donations! I had contacted
Ree Drummond, the famed "Pioneer Woman," about donating to the auction. She graciously sent signed copies of her cookbook and her most recent book, "Black Heels To Tractor Wheels." I also contacted
Pops Arcadia who graciously donated some of their awesome soda for the event. Enjoy reading about the event below!
Hamil Family Dinner and Silent Auction!
What a night! I so wish many of you could have made it to the Hamil Family Dinner and Auction. It was a wonderful evening.
My mom (BJ Lardizabal, the other administrator on the Shower of Hope Oklahoma pages) and I traveled to Oklahoma City for the auction. We didn't want to miss an opportunity to support the Hamil Family. Hank and Catherine were at the auction, as well as many other family members from the Hamil side and the Hill (Catherine's) side. I had the pleasure of meeting Hank's brother and father. Both were super nice and reminded me a lot of Hank. It was so nice to see Hank, Catherine and other members of their family smiling, laughing and enjoying the festivities. Catherine looked awesome. Although, she's very humble and was a little shy about compliments about her. However, she does look beautiful and is recovering well. Hank and Catherine walked around the room and were sweet to talk and meet many well-wishers and supporters.
There were lots of food and sweets to enjoy. The bake sale was completely sold out by the end of the evening. My mom helped with that by buying a carrot cake, which came home with me! She also bought cinnamon rolls and cookies. I mean, we wanted dessert after dinner! Doesn't everybody? :)
There were lots of items to browse, choose from and bid on last night. The live auction was exciting to watch, too. However, the highlight of the night was when Hank was presented with 2 full-ride scholarships for Cathleen and Baby Girl Hamil to the University of Oklahoma. I actually knew about the surprise and had to keep it a secret as to not spoil the surprise! I think Hank was astonished as were many others in the audience. Talk about an amazing blessing. Something funny, Hank is an OSU Cowboy fan, but it looks like his daughters will be Sooners!
Shower of Hope Oklahoma - Hamil Family had more goodies to deliver the Hamil family, too. We walked outside with Hank to load his vehicle. We chatted for a little bit. Hank was kind to ask about my husband and wanted to know how was doing. He also wanted to know how my little boys were doing. "Hope your little ones are tucked in bed and fast asleep when you get home," he commented. "I sure hope so!" I said. I smiled and Hank smiled, too. What a great man. A few minutes later, Catherine came outside. We had talked with her for a little bit inside earlier in the evening, but hadn't gotten the chance to say goodbye as she was chatting with some other well-wishers and we didn't want to interrupt. Catherine walked over to the car and hugged me and thanked us for the new goodies that we had delivered. My mom and I secretly hope that Hank and Catherine would like to move to Broken Arrow and consider being our neighbors. If you ever have the opportunity to meet them, you'll feel the same way. They're wonderful people.
Thanks to all of you who helped spread the word on Facebook and by sharing about the dinner/auction with your family and friends. Thank you! Thank you, too, for the continued support of
Shower of Hope Oklahoma - Hamil Family and our other page,
Shower of Hope Oklahoma. It's been a real pleasure getting to know many of you. My dream was to have a non-profit, charity one day, and I think that dream is starting to come true. My desire to to help my fellow Oklahomans and with your help and generosity, we've been able to accomplish just that over the past two months.
Blessings To You,
Toni Keltner
Shower of Hope Oklahoma
Typically when the holiday season rolls around, most people are compelled to act nicer, be more courteous to others and give to others in need. I have to admit, I love the change in most people's attitude during Christmas, but I have to wonder why we can't act like this all year round. Is it too much to ask that we strive to have a more loving and generous spirit about us beyond December 1st - 25th? 
