Wednesday, November 9, 2011

"The best antidote I know for worry is work. The best medicine for despair is service. The best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone who is even more tired." Gordon B. Hinckley

Thursday, November 10th is workday!  Come help with the regular fare plus the following two seasonal projects which we are participating in for the third year:

Clean, Warm, and Cozy coat drive

A quick look at last year’s drive:

Here are Redlands 4th Ward Young Men if front of the UHaul they loaded with donated coats, blankets, sleeping bags, etc, then unloaded!   Quick work!
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Here’s before we started…

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In progress…

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One of many loads ready to be delivered…

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Help sort coats (and quilts, blankets, winter wear, even sleeping bags) – lots of them! – and take a bag home to wash.   This project is done in conjunction with the Redlands Service Club Council.  This month we’ll be processing donations from Beattie Middle School, Citrus Valley HS, RHS and REV.  (Heard today that students at REV were taking off their sweatshirts on the spot to donate.)  Also from city sites including Joslyn Center and Redlands Community Center.   The University of Redlands, Boys and Girls Clubs, Rotary and Kiwanis also collected for us. Next month, there will be more from other schools and groups.  Our processed items this month will go to two community organizations – Youth Hope and Family Service Association of Redlands.

Youth Hope’s mission is to build confidence and promote self-sufficiency for homeless and runaway youth by providing trust, hope, support, and education.” Their goal is “to take youth from the street to employment to becoming self-sufficient adults.”   With the recent cold snap, these youth are really needing both warm jackets and sleeping bags and blankets.  To learn more about Youth Hope and their activities, visit www.youthhope.org

SPECIAL NOTE TO YOU WHO CROCHET HATS!  Heidi from Youth Hope wants to include a new hat in each youth’s Christmas gifts this year.  Do you think we can make 70 hats before Christmas?!  We have about 15 or 20 so we have a good head start!  These would be the larger sizes.

Family Service Association of Redlands has been an integral part of the community since 1898 serving low-income and homeless families. Their mission is “to alleviate poverty, encourage self-sufficiency, and promote the dignity of all people".  Their programs “provide emergency support, case management, education and referrals that focus on helping families become more self-sufficient and prevent homelessness.  Their Home Again Project is a unique program providing homeless families with comprehensive services toward permanent housing, employment and family stability.” To learn more about FSA, visit www.redlandsfamilyservice.org.  Here is a picture from last year at FSA.  These racks of coats are ready for the clients of FSA to choose from:

2010-12 coat racks at FSA

Robertson Memorial Boys Home

Choose a gift tag from our Christmas tree and return it with a gift for our adopted boys.   We would like to provide each boy with two gift cards ($20 Target; $15 Walmart) and $10 for a duffle bag.  If you are unable to come on Thursday, but would still like to provide a gift for one of our boys, contact your humanitarian specialist or Jean Arnott at jeanarnott@gmail.com.  Many Thanks!!! 

Here is last year’s tree.  It looked best EMPTY!

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Last year our gifts were delivered along with filled Christmas stockings, goodies, and lots of holiday cheer and activities by Girl Scout Troops 979 and 17.  Though a few of the boys were a little reluctant at first, all soon joined in and everyone had a great time as you can see from these pictures taken of the activity.  By the time the evening was over, the boys were expressing their joy and pleading with the girl scouts to return!  These young men so need to experience normal, healthy fun with other youth and adults who are examples of joy and good relationships.    

(Sorry, these pictures will be up in the next 48 hours.)

Eleven young single adults from the Yucaipa Stake and Crafton Hills Ward hosted our boys at a Halloween activity last month.  Again, while a couple of the boys were reluctant to participate in the beginning, the young adults were successful in getting every one to join in the pumpkin carving, cupcake decorating, and other activities, and left amid comments from the boys such as “We wish you could stay longer.", "When will you come back?", and "Can you come at Christmas time?".   The answer:  “YES, they’ll be going back for Christmas!”  

LLUCH NICU and Labor & Delivery Bereavement Programs

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We made our first delivery of items this week: 32”, 12”, and 8” blankets (crocheted and flannel w/crocheted trim); baby gowns in three sizes; tiny crocheted bonnets and hats in several sizes; head bands; and handmade cards, (fabric envelopes were given to them previously). We’ve been careful here in the beginning to make sure that we are making things exactly the way the nurses would like them to be.  As we are getting the final approval on each item, we are ready to step up production. 

  • Crocheting around 8” x 8” and 32” x 32” flannel blankets. We especially need to start working on the 32” blankets, now that we know that the size is right!  If you’ve been taking four 8” blankets to do at home, that’s the same as doing (1) 32” one.  You will need a size 1.25 to 1.50 crochet hook and white cotton crochet thread.  (We could use donations of both the thread and crochet hooks.)
  • Sewing small fabric envelopes.
  • Cutting out and sewing tiny gowns made of flannel, micro-fleece, and stretch knit fabric. 
  • Making beautiful cards (If you are a scrap-booker, you may have scraps that fit what we need.  Come take a look.) 
  • Crocheting or knitting 8” x 8”, 12” x 12”, and 32” x 32” blankets.  Some must be white, others can be pastel blue and pink. We have samples you can look at.  Bring your crochet hook and we’ll find a blanket size to fit.  If knitting, bring size 8 needles. 
  • Crocheting tiny hats of varying sizes.   
  • Preparing ‘memory boxes’ by applying vinyl lettering to white, and pastel colored photo boxes.  (Keep you eyes open for good deals at Michael’s and Joann’s for these soft colors of photo boxes.)

These are only a few of the items we’re making for this program.  We have fairly strict specifications for the different items, so before you get started, be sure we share with you what is needed.  Then go for it.  This will be an ongoing project and much of it can be done from home.  We especially need crocheters and knitters!  Please let us know if you would like to help from home. 

Donations needed for NICU Bereavement Project:

  • White cotton crochet thread and crochet hooks size 1.25 or 1.5
  • Crochet hooks (size 1.25 or 1.5) and knitting needles (size 8) Do you have a collection gathering dust?
  • New photo boxes in white and soft pastel colors
  • Baby yarn in white, pastel pink, and pastel blue
  • Flannel in soft baby prints and pastel solids (no solid yellow)
  • Small stuffed animals: bears and lambs (beanie babies okay)

We have a beautiful power point describing the “Empty Arms, Aching Hearts” program at LLUCH.  If you would like to see it, let me know and I’ll email it directly to you. 

 

Housewarming Kits for families at Inland Temporary Homes

Inland Temporary Homes is “here to help families committed to getting past a crisis which culminated with homelessness.  We are in partnership for the future of these families by providing a safe and stable living environment where they can be together while steps are taken to re-establish the family as a healthy unit.”   Learn more about Inland Temporary Homes by visiting http://www.ithomes.org/

We’ll be putting together two more kits for families moving from ITH shelters into transitional housing in November.  The kits include the following:

  • laundry basket
  • bucket filled with cleaning products such as spray cleaners, Ajax, dishwashing detergent, cleaning rags, toilet bowl cleaner, toilet brush, dust pan, laundry detergent etc.
  • hygiene items such as family size shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shaving cream, lotion, shaving kit, etc.
  • household items such as towels, wash cloths, sheets, a tablecloth
  • a quilt for each baby
  • a book and toy for each child
  • anything special we might have for mom and dad

 

Donations needed for housewarming kits:

We are collecting the above items and anything else you come across that you think would fit this purpose.  (The Dollar Store, 99 cent Store, and Pic ‘n Save are good sources for many of these items.)  We’ll also be signing a card of encouragement to include with our gifts, so be sure to add your name when you come to workday! 

Here’s a recent delivery of two housewarming kits:

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Other continuing projects:

4. Origami peace cranes

5. assembling hygiene kits for parolees

6. Greeting cards for pediatrics at LLUMC

7. Making and tying quilts, including lap quilts

8. Crocheting hats for the homeless, children served by the Inland Burn Institute, YOUTH HOPE, and others.

 

A Few more Donations Needed:

  • origami paper
  • hygiene items, especially shampoo, shaving cream, & toothpaste

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