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To Volunteer:
Call or Text:
(417) 209-7027
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Helping Needy Families Have A Brighter Future
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IT'S THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER AND THINGS ARE HEATING UP AT
HELP GIVE HOPE!
Murray spends the majority of her time doing what Help Give Hope does best...helping families-in-crisis, especially children. It's difficult work, never-ending, extremely fulfilling and almost all under the radar (by our design).
It's our various fundraising activities & events, including our annual Christmas Project, that most people associate with HGH and a major reason Murray and her team have the resources to help thousands of kids annually. So let's look at what lies ahead over the next few months. In addition, we have another installment of '40 Years of Memories' by Jim Crumpley and a long overdue tribute to one of HGH's most beloved employee and friend.
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THE LONGEST TABLE
2021
Tickets are now on sale for 2021's The Longest Table! Thursday, September 2nd, 2021. 6pm Barley House at Moon Town Crossing. What a great way to help celebrate 40 years of Help Give Hope! It's only a month away!
NEW THIS YEAR:
- We are excited that Today Show contributor and Celebrity Cookbook Author Elizabeth Heiskell will be The Longest Table's special guest. She will partner with Pat Duran of Metropolitan Grill on creating an evening of food delicacy and wine/beverage pairings.
- An Elizabeth Heiskell book-signing will be take place at The Thicket (1856 Cinderella Street) from 10am till 2pm Thursday, September 2nd. Reserve your book ahead of time by calling 417-209-7027. Books will also be available at The Longest Table.
- Because Metropolitan Grill is the featured restaurant for the evening, everyone will enjoy the same meal. Talk to your friends and decide at which table you wish to sit and go to the website, click on Events. From there you will see The Longest Table. Choose this option and follow the prompts to reserve your seats. IF you have any questions, please call Murray, 417-209-7027.
The Longest Table
Thursday, September 2, 2021
6:00 pm
The Barley House at Moon Town Crossing
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PAUL ZURFLUH
by Wade Palmer
If you and I are lucky, we'll have perhaps a handful of best friends across our lifetime. Those precious souls who love us unconditionally, who we trust with our innermost thoughts, hopes & dreams, who refuse to judge, will shower us with forgiveness and grace and stick by us through thick and thin. For me, Paul Zurfluh was one of 'those' best friends.
If you're a long-time HGH family member, you probably knew or remember Paul. If you're newer to our family (last 10 years), you've probably heard or read the name. I could share countless stories about Paul and the impact he had on me, my family, Help Give Hope and the hundreds of families who benefitted from his boundless energy. But there is not enough space here to do him justice. But I do hope the following will provide a glimpse into this extraordinary man's life.
Paul & Sandy Zurfluh were Nebraskans who moved to Southwest Missouri in the late 90's to be closer to their daughter (Tara), Son-in-law (Mike) and their growing family. Let's call it a 'God thing' that they moved in across the street from me and my family (Phyllis, Mackenzie & Mikayla). Paul was retired but never one to sit still...so he wandered across the street one day and asked if I might need a handyman to take care of the property. As a matter-of-fact, I did and the rest, as they say, is history. For the next 10 years, with few exceptions, every weekday morning Paul would putter over to our side of the street in his old golf cart with faithful dog Blackie close behind. Thankfully part of Paul's morning ritual was stopping by my office (I worked at home) where, for about 30 minutes, we would discuss, among other things, life, family, faith, politics & sports. You get to know someone pretty well after a few thousand hours of these discussions. He was opinionated, stubborn, compassionate, tough, loyal and a man who fiercely loved his wife and family. He was also a mountain of a man...broad shouldered, barrel chested, strong as an ox. And a work ethic I've never seen before (except for my Dad). And in many ways, Paul became my 2nd Dad though really only about 10 years older than me. And I believe Phyl, the girls and I became, in a way, his 2nd family.
Help Give Hope was growing and in need of someone to do pickups, deliveries and general warehouse work though we did not yet have our current warehouse (we were vagabonds, moving each Christmas to a new warehouse). I asked Paul if he was willing, part-time, to help HGH and he said yes...and Sandy soon followed. Everyone knew Paul (and Sandy) and everyone loved them. There was no job too small, difficult or dirty. Soon they became the first-family of HGH and literally did everything.
Paul unfortunately suffered from COPD which, for most, would make hard work difficult. Not Paul...he'd work like crazy, take a 30 second breather, then keep going. Paul later overcame prostate cancer but finally ran into a opponent he could not defeat...lung cancer. I lost my Dad to lung cancer so to watch Paul struggle towards the end was difficult but he fought with courage and dignity. I witnessed firsthand the incredible love Paul and Sandy shared which was their strength as the end neared. And I was honored to be there through most of the fight and to deliver the eulogy at his funeral. It will be 10 years next Spring that Paul left us but his stamp has been firmly and permanently placed on each and every one who knew him. That is why we changed the name of our annual charity golf tourney to the Arris Pizza/Paul Zurfluh Memorial Golf tournament. And that is why I want to keep his memory alive...to remind old friends or introduce him to our new friends.
Today, Sandy carries on the Zurfluh legacy at HGH, serving as the Director of Sale Operations and works tirelessly on our Christmas project. What Paul began, Sandy will finish.
P.S. By the way Paul, you'd be proud of how Brad turned out!
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40 YEARS OF MEMORIES
by Jim Crumpley
As time has gone on, we've gotten better-organized and Help Give Hope has run a lot more-smoothly. That has a lot to do with Murray and most of the time I am personally pleased that we get more done in less time regardless of whether it's shopping, wrapping, deliveries, you-name-it. But I have to say that some of the most heartwarming experiences we've had as a group have been those where everything was unscripted, unplanned and totally unexpected. This is one of those from-out-of-left-field moments.
All of you remember Sonny Page who passed away a little over two years ago after devoting hours of time to Help Give Hope over the years. Sonny was involved in just about everything we did - shopping, wrapping, deliveries - it would be hard to name something he didn't have a hand in. About fifteen years ago we had assembled our delivery crew and were in the process of loading our vans so we could get on the road. Remarkably things had gone fairly smooth and we were ready to leave on time. Sonny's extremely efficient delivery crew was stocked with just about anything necessary for a day of deliveries to include Bloody Mary's, cocktails of all sorts, beer, you-name-it. About the time we are ready to leave, Sonny says .."hang on, I forgot something." He runs back in the warehouse and grabs a huge stuffed bear, shoves it in Ed Gruetezemacher's lap and says "We may need this."
Somehow the bear got forgotten as the day - and the cocktails - wore on. At some point Wade's cell phone rings and it's Sonny saying we need to find someplace to drop off this bear and so to be looking for a likely place to do that. Purely by random we see this kid out in his front yard who appears to be about six and we figure he's as good as we've got at this point so why don't we just pick him? I need to point out that this kid was not one of our delivery victims - he was just some person out playing in his yard and I remember that it was a big yard. So when I start dragging this huge bear followed by Sonny and the rest of the delivery guys, practically everyone in the neighborhood could see what was going on to include said child playing in his yard. He was a little surprised to find Santa lurching toward him carrying this bear but he didn't panic - just stood there. I introduced myself - he already knew who I was - and asked him how he'd like a Christmas present. He replied that that bear would be just about the best present he could imagine so we gave it to him and he thanked us profusely. By now his parents were out there and they seemed pretty choked up too. His Dad told me that he had taken the boy to the mall to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas even though the Dad couldn't afford what he wanted. You are probably starting to figure out that the boy wanted this exact huge bear so he's now swallowed this whole Santa thing hook, line and sinker and I believe he'd have run through a brick wall for me at this point. I also think his folks became instant Santa believers as well. Like I said, sometimes the unscripted stuff is the best of all!
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GARAGE SALE SEASON
IS IN FULL SWING!
The 2021 Help Give Hope Garage Sale season is rounding the final turn and heading for the finish line. We have our last Friends and Family Sale, Saturday, August 7th then our final major sale, Friday and Saturday, September 10th & 11th. We want to finish strong and our amazing team of volunteers is working through excessive heat to get all the merchandise sorted, priced and placed.
Please call Murray at 417-209-7027 to arrange pick-up if you wish to donate items.
**THE LAST DAY WE WILL ACCEPT** DONATIONS FOR THIS YEAR IS
FRIDAY, AUGUST 27th.
GARAGE SALE SCHEDULE:
Friends and Family Sales
Saturday, August 7th 9am - 1pm
Major Sale
Friday & Saturday, September 10th & 11th 8am - 4pm
We truly appreciate any and all donations but we have learned over the years we simply cannot sell or use certain items so please note what we cannot accept…
· Mattresses (for legal reasons)
· Office desks
· Entertainment centers
· Box TVs (flat screens are fine)
· China cabinets
We no longer pick up after private garage sales
IMPORTANT: We love donations of appliances but please be accurate with their condition. Appliances are given to families in need. There is nothing worse than giving an appliance that does not work properly. We do not wish to appear presumptuous and we sincerely appreciate each and every donation but when we are unable to sell an item, often we must pay to have it removed. We just wish to be more efficient and cost effective.
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23rd Annual
ARRIS PIZZA/PAUL ZURFLUH
CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT
On-line registration begins Monday,
August 16th at 7am
Remember, we normally fill-up within hours so please be ready! We will send several reminder emails prior to that date. We want everyone to play that wants to play!
WHEN: Monday, September 20th, 2021
WHERE: Twin Oaks CC
TIME: 12:30pm - shotgun start
FORMAT: 3-person scramble.
Great free pre-lunch and awesome post-party on the Twin Oaks patio. Catered by ARRIS PIZZA! Bring your significant other.
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CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR 2021 PHOTO GALLERY
https://helpgivehope.org/photo-galleries/
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To Volunteer at HGH:
Call or Text:
(417) 209-7027
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Murray Beairsto
(417) 209-7027
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