Doing Good with My ‘Around the World’ Dinners

There’s a Bible verse in the book of I Peter that says, “Each of you should use whatever gifts you have to serve others”. I believe everyone has a gift, whether it’s sewing, teaching, knitting, carpentry, baking, or writing and I think it’s important to use those talents for the good of others. My gift is feeding people. In fact, when I’m asked, “what do you do?” I reply, “I feed people”.

When my children were in high school I was asked to donate a dinner in their auction fundraiser. I agreed to do it, and I recall it raised a few hundred dollars. A group of parents bought it and came to my house for dinner around my dining room table. That was the beginning of many dinners I would host over the next ten years.

I now donate “Around The World” dinners, which include six courses, each from a different place in the world. The annual fundraiser for Hope Haven Rwanda, a school that is near and dear to my heart, raises over $100,000 from my dinners alone, each year. The event is held near Denver, Colorado, and I cook for the winning bidders at the ranch of my friend, Susan Hollern, the founder of Hope Haven Rwanda. The money raised goes to help fund teachers, supplies, and uniforms for the 900 students.

Vizavance, a non-profit in Oklahoma, provides vision screening and eyeglasses to the homeless and underserved children. My “Around The World” dinners have raised over $50,000 for Vizavance, an organization I feel strongly about, partly because I began wearing eyeglasses at age 4, and had a lazy eye that was corrected.

Tulsa Girls Art School is a non-profit that provides after-school art classes and mentoring to girls from low-income families. My “Around The World” dinners have raised over $30,000 at their annual fundraiser. I love seeing the incredible paintings these girls have made, and it reminds me of my grandmother who was an artist. She often taught her skills to young people who couldn’t afford to take art lessons.

I continue to use my gift of hospitality to serve my community, as well as global organizations that are dear to my heart.  And I encourage those around me to use their gifts to help others, even if it’s volunteering at a local school or teaching a child how to knit or bake. There’s no better feeling than knowing you’ve helped someone or made them feel better. Hopefully, those gestures go beyond the hands that are served, and are passed on to even more.