Last night I had the opportunity to MC an event in which our county, Dinwiddie, Virginia, came together to raise money for a beloved teacher. Ms. Blaha, or as many know her, “Ms. A” was diagnosed with Lymphoma this past summer. As a result of her diagnosis and treatment regimens, the face that is synonymous with Dinwiddie FFA, agriculture education (in an area where the economy depends on agriculture), and the 50/50 raffle at high school football games has had to be absent from our community this year.
Clearly, Ms. Blaha is a huge part of the culture of Dinwiddie County, but she’s more than that. Ms. Blaha is someone who quietly and humbly touched lives. Now, people might argue the “quietly” part, but allow me to explain what I mean. Ms. Blaha lifts people up, finds pathways to success for her students, is the first person to offer help, leads her FFA students to state and national recognition, and does it all without drawing any attention to herself - see, quietly.
Here’s the thing - in her quiet, humble way, Cindy Blaha has positively impacted thousands (yes, thousands) of lives and last night, we were able to give a little back.
The Dinwiddie High School FFA Alumni got together with Jimmy’s Grille in Petersburg (if you ever have a chance to enjoy their food, take it!) to raise funds to share with Ms. Blaha as she continues her fight against Lymphoma. As she wrote in a letter her daughters shared last night, Ms. Blaha thought they would sell maybe a hundred tickets (two hundred if they were lucky) and have a few takers on the silent auction that was a part of the evening.
She underestimated how much love would be heading her way.
The event sold out. All 500 tickets were sold. Every item in the silent auction sold, over $800 dollars was raised in the 50/50 raffle the Dinwiddie High School FFA students ran during the meal. Additional donations poured through from across the state and stories about Ms. Blaha and her impact were on the lips of every attendee.
The opportunity to be a part of last night means a great deal to me because Ms. Blaha means a great deal to me. It was at my first DCPS convocation seven years ago that I met Cindy Blaha. It was a brief meeting, she had so many hugs to give, but I will always remember how genuine she was, how she smiled with her whole face, how she took a moment to tell me how glad she was I had come to Dinwiddie and how lucky I was to be a part of the school system. She was absolutely right, but there was another reason I was lucky. I was lucky because I was now a part of her story, and her story is one of selflessness, of being there for her kids and her community, and of making it clear that doing for others is how we put our mark on the world.
I hope that people will one day speak of me the way we speak of her.
Continue the fight, Ms. Blaha, and know that there are hearts all over the county, the state, the country, that are right beside you. There‘s a seat saved for you at DHS and we can’t wait to have you back in it!
For a look at the WTVR News 6 story about Ms. Blaha, check out https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/colleagues-former-students-rally-for-beloved-dinwiddie-teacher-battling-cancer