Monday morning update:
I've exchanged a couple more messages with Mint's family, but there isn't anything concrete from them yet. I suspect they're still pretty overwhelmed and not able to make a decision. In one of my messages, I had said that, in what was somewhat typical of our little family here, there was some disagreement about an appropriate recipient group for memorials. The response was:
"I may put the "We care" in the official obituary, but I love the idea of everyone contributing to how they remembered Bob. Please let people know that."
The "We Care" referenced is a no-kill shelter in the St. Helena, CA area. While many of us know Mint wasn't wildly impressed by living in the town of Napa, I know he lived for a while in St. Helena and would have loved to be able to go back there. The "We Care" organization provides either short term or long term care for animals in need of a home in the greater Napa Valley area. Here's a link to their home page:
http://www.wecareanimalrescue.org/index.html
I know 'Mint would have liked the idea of a place where animals can live out their natural lives in comfort and leisure.
I think we're at that "it's the thought that counts" point in this. I propose that those of us who wish to make a contribution to animal welfare as part of this group designate "We Care", since that looks to be as close to a family preference as we're going to get. Those who wish to make a group contribution to a baseball-themed organization still have to decide who! I've seen good suggestions but have no preference.
It's already been said by a couple of people that they will be making private donations to local groups, either in place of or in addition to a group contribution. I'm still thinking about how to go about letting 'Mint's family know about those. One idea I've had is to set up a new gmail account, and people can send a simple message saying they have contributed to "XXX" in 'Mint's memory. There's no need to stipulate an amount nor to reveal any other personal information. I'm just looking for some way to pass along to the family the information about donations that have been made privately in his memory. I'm certainly open to other ideas about how to handle that, and I'm volunteering to handle the communication aspect.
