Catonsville Gourmet restaurant joined Believe In Tomorrow’s end-of-the-year push to drive donations that will fuel our programs in 2016. While a Believe In Tomorrow family initiated the fundraiser, the staff and patrons at Catonsville Gourmet have surprised us all with their efforts.

Meghan Harman was diagnosed with a form of T-cell lymphoma this past June at the age of nine. Soon after, her family was introduced to Believe In Tomorrow by a social worker at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The Harmans live close enough to the hospital that they don’t need our hospital housing services, but they were curious about the other programs we offer to children battling life-threatening illnesses. They applied to our Hands On Adventures program and were approved just in time to join us on the MetLife blimp when it came to Harford County, MD. Since joining our programs, the Harmans have also enjoyed a Baltimore Orioles MLB baseball game with tickets provided by Believe In Tomorrow.

After the Harmans got to know more and more about Believe In Tomorrow, they were compelled to give back. Tara, Meghan’s mother, is a manager at Catonsville Gourmet restaurant and felt she had a great opportunity to boost support for Believe In Tomorrow and strengthen the restaurant’s connection with the local community. This past December, Tara organized a Believe In Tomorrow fundraiser at the restaurant, where waiters and servers provided patrons details about our organization and the ability to include a donation with their check.

To encourage donations, the restaurant displayed Believe In Tomorrow posters and instructed staff on how to speak with patrons about our programs and services. Tara also coordinated a friendly competition between staff members to see who could raise the most donations. When Tara told Meghan about her idea, though, Meghan wanted to get involved as well. She has been making snowflake ornaments that are offered to patrons who make a donation. The donors are able to sign the snowflake and include a note, and the snowflakes are displayed around the restaurant.

Since the fundraiser just ended, we’re still determining the total amount raised. But, at last count, the total was already over $2,000! We are thankful for our families that constantly surprise us with thoughtful and creative support. And, we are incredibly thankful for the willingness of local businesses to support Believe In Tomorrow!

If you would like to fundraise on behalf of Believe In Tomorrow, or if you have other creative ideas about supporting our programs and services for critically ill children and their families, please contact us at info@believeintomorrow.org or 410-744-1032!