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The Big Birthday


 

Today is my birthday and for some reason I’m having a hard time with this one. It’s rather a milestone age and I feel, well, conflicted. Other birthdays come with exhortations to treat yourself or try new things. This birthday comes with an email from the drugstore.


On the other hand, this birthday comes with some vivid reminders of how lucky I am to be alive. This week our community learned of the passing of Patti Gonzalez, a fierce, loving, and beautiful soul who worked for good and never stopped learning. I met Patti only twice in real life but knew her well from our interactions online. She was wise and funny, a persistent advocate for good in so many ways.

The world is not as bright without her but she most certainly put so much brightness into it while she was here. Patti worked for many years as a science assistant at Wilde Lake High School. She cared about education in Howard County and she cared about kids - - not idealized ones who came from the “best” neighborhoods or who got the “best” test scores - - real, imperfect, beautiful, precious kids. That’s how I came to know her online, through her insightful posts about our schools.

I had been mulling over doing something for my birthday that honored Ms. Gonzales and one of the causes she was passionate about. Then: more tragedy. Almost directly on the heels of this loss came the announcement that a fifteen year old Wilde Lake student, Katie Chase, had died when her family’s home was destroyed by fire. 

When the Bright Minds Foundation set up a fund for the Chase family I thought of Patti, a long time Wilde Lake staff member and Katie, the Wilde Lake student and member of the band. Then something inside me clicked.

I don’t put out a Facebook fundraiser for my birthday each year because I feel uncomfortable soliciting people who most likely weren’t going to be getting me a gift or a card in any case. But this year I’m going to put a request here. 

On March 20, 2024, the Chase family experienced a house fire that led to the death of their youngest child. In addition to this devastating tragedy, they also lost their house and all of their belongings in the fire. The family are members of multiple HCPSS school communities, and the Bright Minds Foundation is helping to coordinate donations in support of the family's needs. If you are interested in donating to support the Chase family, please donate here or contact jennifer@brightmindsfoundation.org. - - Bright Minds Foundation 

I will be making a gift in celebration of my birthday, and in celebration for the lives of Patti Gonzalez and Kate Chase. If this is something you are able to do, I invite you to participate. 

I didn’t know quite how I wanted to mark this birthday on the blog but I was entirely sure I didn’t want to make it about myself. Maybe I can do a little bit of good instead.


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