Model homes...and a model home

Ann and I both love to visit model homes, so that's how we spent a delightful Sunday afternoon. (For a seven-year-old, she's got pretty good taste. For example, one of the houses on the Parade of Homes featured some very interesting knick knacks, including a large figurine of a woman in a very, shall we say, odd pose. "That's a little weird," Ann said. "I'd take that out.")

What a treat to stumble upon a darling nursery filled with baby-safe furnishings donated by Babies 'R Us! We were greeted by a terrific volunteer from Charlie's Safe Haven, a new nonprofit organization whose mission is to make Heartland homes safe, one child at a time. I made it my mission to encourage her to become part of DonorEdge, the Community Foundation's online resource for information about area nonprofit organizations, accessible at www.gkccf.org. Tonight I checked out www.charliessafehaven.org and learned about a "model house" that will provide adults with real-life demonstrations, examples, and resources on children's safety in and around the home. According to the site, the house is named after Charlie Horn, whose life tragically ended on November 1, 2007, when a dresser fell on him.

What an inspiration to see such good things emerge from an unimaginable loss. At the Community Foundation, what's important to you is what's important to us, and it is a privilege every day to encounter role models--even in the most unlikely of places--for what the power of philanthropy can do in our community. P.S. Ann confessed that she "accidentally" left her socks in one of the houses. Dark brown with little bows, size 8. Not exactly "model" behavior!