For a while now, I was looking to take my kids to Disney or maybe Universal Studios, but I’ve been torn.

For the middle child, Spiderman has it going on. He’s her favorite color (red); he’s often portrayed as the underdog before busting out in his superhero costume. Of course, her vote would be for Universal.

On the other hand, the youngest is a Tinkerbell in the making. From age 2 to just last year, she wouldn’t wear her hair any other way than a “Tinkerbell bun,” and the ear molds on her hearing aids had to be Tink green. Her vote would be Disney all the way.

One can see my dilemma. I was really fretting over the whole thing – I know, of all things to be fretting over, but still – until I realized I could do both without ever leaving Covington County.

How? Well, I’m glad you asked – it’s Saturday’s Meredith’s Miracle’s Cookies with Characters.

Some might say I would be cheating, but think about it. It’s a win-win-win for everyone.

It’s a win for the kids because they still get to meet and greet their favorite characters and enjoy delicious Chrissie Schubert cookies. Last time I checked, they don’t have those at Disney, although I’m sure Chrissie would love to see that happen.

It’s a win for the parents. There’s no “Are we there yet?” from here to Orlando. There’s no out-of-this-world ticket price, because it’s only $5 to get in the door, and snacks are included! I promise that whatever you spend on Saturday wouldn’t even come close to what you’d leave behind the gates of the Magic Kingdom.

It’s also a win for the organization behind the event. Money raised goes to help families cover non-medical expenses when seeking specialty care outside the Covington County area.

Many probably never truly understand how much that money means to the people who benefit from it. Let me see if I can explain it.

Many know I have a hearing-impaired daughter with a rare genetic condition. Surgery No. “Too Many to Count” was to first install the plate for bone-anchored hearing devices into her skull and then, the posts that hold the devices. To make it short and sweet, one of those posts came out of her skull. I’m not one to panic, but I freaked out when doctor said emergency surgery. So, there we were, in Birmingham, sitting inside the car in the parking garage without a toothbrush, a change of clothes or (most importantly) a plan, and me on the verge of tears. We’d had problems with those posts before, and it was nearly too much.

There was some kind of strange convention going on downtown, and nearly every hotel in proximity to Children’s Hospital was full. I called my friends at Children’s Rehab here in Andalusia to see if we could get in the Ronald McDonald House. No luck. Their suggestion – call June Simpson with Meredith’s Miracles. They said she knows how to get things done, and let me tell you what, she did. Within 10 minutes of calling her, Mia and I had a hotel room, paid for by Meredith’s Miracles. Words cannot express the relief I felt. I could concentrate on my child and her recovery.

So, when every opportunity arises for me to help them like they helped me, one can bet I’m there – and this Saturday, I hope you are, too.