YOU’RE INVITED!

The Stand Restaurant at Maple & Woodward in Birmingham has decided it’s time for them to give back to the community and help the family of West Bloomfield Officer Sgt. Patrick O’Rourke who was fatally shot on a call about a domestic dispute a while back. Tonight, we’ve got a casual and warm little gathering happening at The Stand starting at 6pm. There is NO admission charge! and YOU are invited! All proceeds and tips to our many celebrity bartenders will go to The O’Rourke Family. We’ve got a lot of people coming…in fact, this is going to be the largest collection of local TV & Radio personalities I’ve seen in the last 30 years.  Every celebrity we asked around town was honored to be invited, and everyone who’s not doing another charity event, or working on the air said they’d be there. Tonight is going to be pretty huge.

BUT, We Need Your Help on Saturday. Tomorrow night, we’re having another event at The Stand to help The O’Rourkes. It’s called the Stand with The Badge-Dinner and this is where we really need your assistance.  This will be a gourmet sit-down, 4-course dinner featuring great food and a wine-paring if you like. Tickets are $80 or $100 with the wine. There will be many auctions and ways for you to help raise money for a family that deserves our help in return for the sacrifice they’ve made…a sacrifice every police officer and their family commits to, to keep us safe. I’m sure you can relate. Almost all of us have had either Police or Fire as relatives or friends, and we’ve all at least smiled at a cop at some time in our life. We’ve taught our kids that these are “The Good Guys and Gals”.

But for many of us $80 or $100 a ticket is a lot for dinner. Times are tough and unless you’re lucky and blessed, that might be hard to swing. But I’d like to ask you to consider a few points: Maybe you could consider making this your “company Holiday party” and instead of spending a few hundred dollars having finger food and buying gag-gifts at work, you could get a few people together and buy tickets for Saturday and not only enjoy the best meal you’ve had in a long time, but you’d  know that you are directly helping a family that should never have to think about making ends meet. Imagine losing your soul-mate and not having the luxury of a normal period of grief…you still have to be Mom...That’s the challenge Amy O’Rourke has to face every day.

Maybe you could have a Family Meeting and suggest to your kids that everyone give up the idea of just one Christmas gift so they can help some other kids. I’ve found that when this idea is presented to our little ones, they don’t give it a second thought. Maybe you can ask another couple to join you to buy tickets and this will be your “Good Deed for The Holidays”? This isn’t that wild an idea when you consider the amount of money you’ll probably end up giving to charity between now and The New Year. Perhaps you and a friend can agree that you’ll give up your Starbucks for the month of December, and buy tickets for our Saturday dinner? That’s a thoughtful re-distribution of your cash and if you buy premium coffee drinks every day, it’s a lot more than $80 a month. I understand this is a stretch for many of us…but isn’t that the core-meaning of helping out people in need? Especially during the Holidays? I think about the sacrifice Police and Fire make every day of the year in order to serve and protect us. They never ask us for anything in return…they wouldn’t think of it. But if they ever did ask us for something, I’d bet it would be “If I happen to not come home some night after my shift, Please take care of my family…my kids…that’s how you can thank me.“ When you think about it that way, $80 doesn’t seem like much for a ticket. 

But if it’s still not in your budget…no worries! C’mon down to The Stand tomorrow night, Friday…have a drink…put a buck or two in the tip jar and shake hands with a cop, or one of your favorite TV or Radio Stars. You may never have a chance to meet Amy and the O’Rourke kids, but you’ll be helping them heal and get a little bit closer to the Joy and Peace this time of the year the rest of us are pretty much guaranteed…because our Police Officers put it on the line every day.

   Tonight, it’s free to get in and you don’t need a reservation. For tickets for Saturday, call 248-789-1056. Hope to see you tonight and/or tomorrow, and Thank You, Jim.