Look out, I'm gonna ramble.

The 13th Annual Toy Drive is officially in the books. We collected 481 items including toys, toiletries, and all of the other things that will hopefully make the holidays joyous and stress free for some people that could really use a break. Every one of those items came from people like you, and for that I thank you sincerely. That puts our 13 year total at around 3,500 toys and items, and that’s pretty incredible.

It can be tricky to calculate exactly how much money was raised because some donations are made before and after the event, but here’s what I can tell you. At the end of the night I handed $6,835 to the CEO of Harbor House, I was made aware of an online donation the morning of, and we found 7 bucks in the drum by the door at the end of the night, which Tori and I delivered to Harbor House on Monday because 100% of the proceeds means ONE HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE PROCEEDS, even if I have to hand deliver 7 dollars in cash a few days later. I can tell you, it would have been a strange feeling donating 7 dollars, but I had a check with me too.

About the check. In the first 12 years the Toy Drive has raised over $42,500. I got it in my head that it would be pretty neat if we hit 50K this year, and I said so on stage, but honestly I assumed we’d probably fall a bit short and hit that goal next year. Thing is, after the event my friends Adam and Annette asked how close we were to our goal and when I told them they offered a check for $650. Incredible. I can say with near certainty that they didn’t think I was gonna tell the whole internet, but I just did. Some people have donated and asked to be kept quiet, but if you don’t specifically ask me not to say something then I’m gonna have a little parade for you. The world is full of plenty of bummer news, so when people help this event I’m pretty keen to shout it from the rooftops.

So, all told, the 13th Annual Toy Drive raised $7,517, bringing our 13 year total to something in the ballpark of $50,017. I will forever kick myself for not keeping better records in the early years, but knowing we’ve raised over fifty thousand dollars is mind blowing, and I’m so grateful to everyone involved.

To that end, let’s thank some folks:

The employees and volunteers at Harbor House are doing incredible work year round in the face of incalculable suffering and resistance and apathy, and they do most of it without a spotlight or applause or getting to sing a single Willie Nelson song. I can’t even imagine how hard that job is, but I know it’s sadly necessary and they deserve all of our thanks and admiration for doing it.

Cory Arndt, Matt Blake, Victor James, Zach Pietrini, Justin Regner, and Oliver Friggin' Gold brought so much talent and enthusiasm to the night with their performances and they did it all for free and I’m so grateful to them.

Chad Brady yet again made an amazing portrait and this year he hand delivered it to me all the way from Arizona. Chad’s donations of art over the years have made the event extra special and have been responsible for a big chunk of the money we’ve raised. I love him and if you ever see him out in the world I hope you tell him you love him too.

We raffled off a bunch of stuff from a bunch of wonderful businesses run by very wonderful people. Acoca, Basil Cafe, Beatnik Betty’s, Blue Moon Emporium, Bowl 91, Clary Collection, Eroding Winds, Mark Evans, McFleshman’s, Mike’s Music and Sound, Silver Tuna Tattoos, and 3 Sheeps were all so generous and are all very deserving of your support. In a world where too many businesses are only interested in what they can take from a community it is worth celebrating the ones that want to contribute. If you find yourself spending some money with these fine folks give them a little thank you and feel good about where your money is going.

I would do this event on a street corner if I had to, but it hasn’t come to that yet thanks to Gibson Community Music Hall and the generosity of Dave, Hoff, and Jake and everyone else who was so happy to lend a hand, including my in-laws! Thanks to all of ya! My mother in-law even made what I have to assume is about 100 pounds of fudge for people, including every musician that performed.

Finally, crucially, thanks to Tori and Oliver. They work hard and put up with a lot and provide so much in the way of support and encouragement and I can’t imagine doing this (or much of anything else, really) without them. It truly is a family event for us. Also, Ollie had never played “On the Road Again” but I asked him to come up and he did, and in doing so he perfectly captured the spirit of this event. You do what you can, where you can, and you hope it helps. I’m a lucky man and life is sweeter because I share it with them.

And of course, Willie. For the songs, for the writing, for being one of my favorite people. I spent five minutes on stage at the event reading from one of my all-time favorite books, “The Tao of Willie” and the last bit of what I read was:

“There comes a time in each of our lives when we have the opportunity to reach out and turn the switch that will change darkness to light. All we have to do is slow down, remember who we are and who we want to be. All we have to do is make those connections to our fellow man and to the world around us. Then we have to reach out and turn that switch. I can’t tell you where the switch is, or when you might be able to find it; I can’t guarantee that it will work the first or the second or even the third time you try it. I just know that it’s there, waiting for you. I’m just an old cowboy poet, a song singer on the road of life. I don’t know as much as I could, but I do know that if you’ve come this far with me, then you are my friend. And I hope that each of us finds our way.”

Sometimes, in the face of hopelessness or anxiety or depression I find that the answer is to zoom out, as far as you have to. Let yourself get small and hope that your problems get small. It’s a vast universe, time is a construct, all that jazz. But other times the answer is to zoom in. Your town, your community, your street, your family. You shovel someones driveway and suddenly the world is just a little nicer. That’s what the Toy Drive is. It’s not a world changer and I know that. Other events raise more money in less time and I know that too. But I hope this event makes people think about the world around them, makes them think about how they can help, reminds them that help is there if they need it, and makes them feel like what they do matters.

So thanks.

To all of you, for everything.

visit www.harborhousewi.org to learn more about the important work they do.