The Donald J. Bautz, Sr. Memorial Glove Drive
About Tall Hands
As many of you know, my Dad passed away at Christmastime of 2013. Needless to say, his passing has left an empty place in my life and I miss him terribly. I decided shortly thereafter that I would like to do something to honor his memory, but wasn't quite sure what that could be.
Throughout his life, his physical struggle with Rheumatoid Arthritis was evident, but that never kept him from living his life to the fullest. Because of the toll this disease took on his hands, however, there was one thing he could not do. For most of his adult life, my Dad could not put on a pair of gloves to keep his hands protected from the harsh winter elements. Now of course my Father being the type of man he was, he never once complained.
Can you guess where I am going with this yet? I suppose I had what you would call a "light bulb" moment. I thought "what if together we could help those in need to keep their hands warm in Dad's honor? Why not have a glove drive and donate them to those less fortunate?"
I then chose to name this project Tall Hands. Years ago, my older brother wrote a song about our Dad. Some of the lyrics state "He rose each day so selflessly as he stood tall to the task." That is how he lived each day- rising to meet every challenge that came his way. Secondly, everyone that knew Dad, whether they be family, a friend or the grocery store clerk loved and admired him. Everyone respected and looked up to him. Yes, Dad was most definitley a tall man.
So won't you please help make this glove drive a success by donating new gloves to help others? I may be starting out small these first few years, but sincerely hope that with your support, this endeavor can grow and flourish for years to come. Thank you so very much!
September 2016 Update
It has been two years since I first began project Tall Hands. I would like to thank all of you for your support. That first year we were able to provide 357 pairs of gloves to those in need!
My mom would be especially excited when she would get up in the morning to find that someone had left gloves on her doorstep. I would often get an early-morning phone call that started with "Debbie, guess what!?" and she would go on to tell me how many pairs of gloves had been left. Like myself, focusing on this project, helped her to feel connected to Dad. A few short weeks later, in January of 2015, she passed away and rejoined the love of her life. So now Tall Hands has taken an even deeper meaning to me.
This coming fall and winter season, we will be working to distribute approximately 2,000 pairs of gloves that were donated. A Facebook page was recently setup to help spread the word about our cause. If you are interested in donating new gloves, please check out the "How to Donate" page above and as always thank you so much for your support! I am certain that together we can do great things!