Cheryl Smith Lintner

Executive Director, Donor Relations

Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation 

“So Long, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish!”

Douglas Adams’ popular line from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy feels like the perfect segue as I step down as ADRP’s president in a couple of weeks. I’m allergic to seafood, however, so please don’t actually send me any fish.

As an avid reader I feel compelled to insert a SPOILER ALERT here for my fellow book nerds. In Adams’ series, which addresses the end of the Earth, dolphins—who are incredibly intelligent—have been trying to warn humans that the Earth is doomed. But humans misinterpret their signs as circus tricks. In the end, the dolphins flee…but not without one last important message: Thanks!

The dolphins who sing this line (yes, sing) are forever grateful for the attention and care humans provided—for all the fish! The line is incredibly catchy, and if you’ve seen the movie, the tune is definitely an earworm that won’t go away. You can really feel their gratitude, and it’s genuine.

So that’s what I leave you with. No, not a prescient warning of the end of the Earth, and don’t worry, I’m not fleeing ADRP (or Earth, for that matter). As I turn over ADRP to our next leaders, I leave you with that kind of “thanks!” that you can feel deep down inside, the one that you know is really heartfelt and meaningful. Thank you: I am grateful you have allowed me to serve ADRP this past year.