Humanitarian Update and Invitation to Workday on Thursday, December 9, 2010

Come Join Us

Thursday, December 9, 2010
for
WOMEN OF FAITH
HUMANITARIAN WORKDAY!

You are invited to drop by the
LDS Stake Center
at the corner of 5th and Wabash in Redlands
any time between the hours of
11 am and 8 pm

You’re invited to join us on December 9th and may choose from the following activities:          

1. “Clean, Warm, and Cozy” Coat Drive: In November we  completed phase one and processed 889 coats, jackets, quilts, and some clothing.  We’ll be completing the project this month when we sort donations coming from fifteen elementary schools, the University of Redlands, the Soroptimist Club, Citrus Valley High School, and several locations in the city of Redlands.  This project assisting the Redlands Service Clubs Council for the second year will provide coats and other warm items to the needy this winter.       
   
   Thanks to everyone who took bags full of items home to wash last month!.  Things were gone in a flash!  We need you again this week so drop by and help us sort and/or take a bag to clean and return your items as quickly as possible.  The cold weather has come so we want them to be put to use right away!  
   
   The items are going to these four organizations:
   
   REDLANDS FAMILY SERVICES
   THE BURN INSTITUTE – INLAND EMPIRE
   STEP BY STEP REENTRY COALITION
   YOUTH HOPE
   
   Oh, and special thanks to those who have transported dozens of loads of donations from locations all over our community!  And to Vine’s Storage in Mentone who has made space to keep our most recent loads at their facility on Colton Avenue.  We couldn’t do this without the tremendous support of so many!  Thanks! 
   
   Here are just a few shots from phase 1 of this year’s coat drive!
   We just had to hang this donated quilt because it was so cute! 
   A A few of the bags ready to go to Family Service Association:  Nothing left but empty boxes… 
    
2. ORIGAMI CRANES: Our count is now over 350 cranes!  Check September’s post for details of why we are involved with this effort. We need lots of origami paper, so if you haven’t used your Michaels or JoAnn’s coupons yet this month, you could use it to get some paper for us.  We need all we can get.  Good quality wrapping paper also works well.  Notice who is teaching this beautiful art form – the kids!
      
   
     
   
   
3. CARDS FOR CHILDREN at LOMA LINDA CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL and for patients at the VETERANS HOSPITAL:
   We’ll be doing this for awhile, so if you’re already into scrapbooking or would like to learn, we could use your help.  We are collecting used greeting cards that we can cut up and use in our card making, so hang on to yours and and bring them with you.  We could use more cute paper and card stock if you have any to donate.
   
4. CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION FOR OUR ‘ADOPTED’ BOYS AT THE ROBERTSON BOYS HOME:
   Thanks to everyone who chose a gift tag last month for one of our twelve young men.  If you haven’t already done so, please be sure to return it by Thursday’s workday or by next Sunday.  Our gifts, including the duffle bags which we’ll be wrapping, will be delivered with Christmas stockings filled by the Cadettes from Girl Scout Troop 979 a few days before Christmas. 
   
5. COLLECTING FOR THE INROADS PROGRAM AT THE GLEN HELEN REHABILITATION CENTER: We just made our second delivery of gifts to this facility. Our delivery included puzzles, toys, games, helmets, stuffed animals, books for inmates and their children, and religious materials. The religious literature will be shared with four county jails.  We will continue to collect paperback copies of the Book of Mormon and mark them with scripture mastery scriptures and our testimonies.  
   
   
   
6. GRANNY SQUARES INTO AFGHANS: Come help us crochet more squares and put them together into lap quilts!
   
7. WINTER HATS FOR THE HOMELESS:   If you have never made one of these hats, you’ve got to learn how! They are easy and something to do when watching TV or listening to your children read. We have looms you can check out and yarn too. We counted 113 medium to large hats ready to deliver to Blessing Center.  Special thanks to several of you who are making a lot of these hats at home! They really are adding up and are just beautiful!!!
    
   
8. SLIPPERS ON LOOMS:  Learn how to make slippers on the smallest hat loom (the blue one).
   
    
9. ASSEMBLE HYGIENE KITS for area parolees. We’ll continue as we’ve done now for several years. Thanks to several faith groups from all over town for your contributions to this cause! Contributions of any hygiene items are welcome, including trial size. The 99cent store, Dollar Tree, and Big Lots are good places to pick up some inexpensively.
    
10. QUILTS:  As always... there will be quilts to put together, sew, and tie. 

 

Here’s an update of what’s been done in the past month outside of our regular workday.  Thanks for making it happen!

• ROBERTSON BOYS’ HOME: Birthday celebrations for Sean and Terray were delivered in the past month. These young men really enjoy our visits, including the children that come along.

• Thanks to the Redlands 3rd ward sisters who tied yet two more baby quilts this past month.

• REDLANDS STAKE MID-SINGLES HOSTED A MID-SINGLE DINNER/SERVICE/FIRESIDE on November 20th.  It was a lovely evening.  Several projects were worked on and it was a fun evening!
  

      

From times past...

Do these pictures bring back memories?

          
                                          

If you’d like to participate in our work, but can’t come to workday, you can still participate by making a donation or choosing something you'd like to do at home. Just contact the specialist from your ward or congregation. If you do not have one, contact Jean Arnott at jeanarnott@gmail.com.

If you would like to contribute financially, you may do so by making a check out to the Redlands California Stake and send it to Jean Arnott, 31838 Florida Avenue, Mentone 92359.  Currently, financial contributions are going towards the purchase of fleece to make children’s and youth size blankets. 

If you know someone who doesn’t know about our efforts and might like to help, please pass the word along to them.

We’ll continue to have workdays on the 2nd Thursday of each month. So put a star on those dates and see you next time on January 12th, same time & place.

Humanitarian Update and Invitation to workday on November 11, 2010

                                           

Come Join Us

Thursday, November 11, 2010
for
WOMEN OF FAITH
HUMANITARIAN WORKDAY!

You are invited to drop by the
LDS Stake Center
at the corner of 5th and Wabash in Redlands
any time between the hours of
11 am and 8 pm

You’re invited to join us on November 11th and may choose from the following activities:          

• “Clean, Warm, and Cozy” Coat Drive: For the second year, we are assisting the Redlands Service Clubs Council in providing coats and other warm items to the needy this winter.  The Redlands Unified School District is collecting items as they did last year, but this year every school is participating.  In addition, the City of Redlands and University of Redlands have also come on board.    
  
  Part One will take place at workday on Thursday when deliveries from all locations except the elementary school will arrive.  We’ll be sorting and bagging items to be cleaned with instructions on where to return them.  
  
  Part Two will take place on or after November 19th when we get all the donations from the elementary schools.  We’ll send out information on how you can help with this second part after we finish up this week. 
  
  It’s important that we complete this project as quickly as possible so that the items can be put to use in time for the cold weather. 
  
  This year we’ll be providing warm items for four organizations:
  
  REDLANDS FAMILY SERVICES
  THE BURN INSTITUTE – INLAND EMPIRE
  STEP BY STEP REENTRY COALITION
  YOUTH HOPE
  
  SO… come by, help sort, and take a bag to clean. 
  
  Here’s a look at last year with some interesting details you may enjoy learning about: 
  
  
    
• ORIGAMI CRANES: Well, we’re off and running - or should I say flying - with this project. One hundred cranes were completed by the end of workday last month and another 110 were made by the Redlands 4^th ward young women. Check last month’s post for details of why we are involved with this effort. Also look to see how you can order origami paper for free. We need all we can get. Good quality wrapping paper also works well. Here’s part of our ‘flock’:

• CARDS FOR CHILDREN at LOMA LINDA CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL:
  We’ll be doing this for awhile, so if you’re already into scrapbooking or would like to learn, we could use your help. We could use more cute paper and card stock if you have any to donate.
• CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION FOR OUR ‘ADOPTED’ BOYS AT THE ROBERTSON BOYS HOME:
  Come and choose a gift tag for one of our twelve boys. We would like to give three gifts to each boy. A $20 gift card to Target, $15 gift card to Walmart, and $10 in cash to purchase a duffle bag (which we have already selected). Return your tag with your gift by next workday. These gifts will be delivered with Christmas stockings filled by the Cadettes from Girl Scout Troop 979.

Putting the tags together… 

Choose a tag and return on or before workday on Dec 9th.            

• COLLECTING FOR INROADS REHABILITATION PROGRAM: We will continue to collect paperback copies of the Book of Mormon and personalize them before delivering them to INROADS which will disperse them to four county jails.
•  GRANNY SQUARES INTO AFGHANS: See our first completed afghan! Just the right size for a lap quilt and so colorful! Come help us crochet more squares and put them together into lap quilts!      

 

• WINTER HATS FOR THE HOMELESS:   If you have never made one of these hats, you’ve got to learn how! They are easy and something to do when watching TV or listening to your children read. We have looms you can check out and yarn too. Last year we gave 140 hats to the Blessing Center/Joseph’s Storehouse to share with the homeless who spend cold winter nights there in their cold-weather shelter. How many will we have this year? We’ll count and let you know next time.

                               

•  SLIPPERS ON LOOMS:  Learn how to make slippers on the smallest hat loom (the blue one).    
   
• ASSEMBLE HYGIENE KITS for area parolees. We’ll continue as we’ve done now for several years. Thanks to several faith groups from all over town for your contributions to this cause! Contributions of any hygiene items are welcome, including trial size. Our most needed items right now are pocket-size notebooks,  washcloths,and toothpaste.  The 99cent store, Dollar Tree, and Big Lots are good places to pick up some inexpensively.
• QUILTS:  As always... there will be quilts to put together, sew, and tie. 

                                       

 

Here’s an update of what’s been done in the past month outside of our regular workday.  Thanks for making it happen!

• ROBERTSON BOYS’ HOME: Our boys were treated to a Halloween surprise prepared by a class of mentally handicapped students at Anderson School in San Bernardino. Tom, one of the students, joined in the delivery, as did my friend, Vincent.

(Check here tomorrow for pictures of the delivery.)

• It was also Rayvon’s birthday.  One mom who delivered said, “…he was very grateful & thanked us many times. I'm so glad we had the opportunity to do this...it's a wonderful feeling being a part of something that has nothing to do with ourselves.”

• Thanks to the Redlands 3rd ward sisters who tied yet two more baby quilts this past month.

• Students at Anderson School are also assembling new-release hygiene kits for our area parolees.  These are smaller kits include washcloth, toothbrush, nail clippers, comb, pocket-size notebook, and pen.  New parolees receive one of these kits in addition to a larger ‘re-fill’ kit when they are first released from prison.

  

      

From times past...

Do these pictures bring back memories?

       
                                   

If you’d like to participate in our work, but can’t come to workday, you can still participate by making a donation or choosing something you'd like to do at home. Just contact the specialist from your ward or congregation. If you do not have one, contact Jean Arnott at jeanarnott@gmail.com.

If you would like to contribute financially, you may do so by making a check out to the Redlands California Stake and send it to Jean Arnott, 31838 Florida Avenue, Mentone 92359.

If you know someone who doesn’t know about our efforts and might like to help, please pass the word along to them.

We’ll continue to have workdays on the 2nd Thursday of each month. So put a star on those dates and see you next time on December 9th, same time & place.

Times for special activities and FREE ORIGAMI PAPER

We will have at least 8 different projects going at workday tomorrow. Most projects you can do anytime you want, but we have special helpers coming at the following times to help with specific activities. If you want to help with one of these particular projects – see if coming at these times will work for you (though of course, you are welcome any time!).

11:30 – Paper Cranes***, complete with DVD and written instructions. (Kristy Hall)

12:30 – Gift tags for our Christmas gifts for our boys at the Robertson Memorial Home (Cheryl Hallen)

3:00 – Crocheting granny squares and putting them together into afghans (Trish Dennert)

***Regarding the PAPER CRANES: We will have some origami paper tomorrow, but we need lots more. Here are 2 ways you can help:

1) Michael’s and JoAnn’s both carry it and it’s NOT on sale right now, which means you can use your 50% off coupons to get it.

2) Here’s news of a completely free offer for origami paper via the internet. This is a link to a blog post explaining the offer http://mylitter.com/deals/free-origami-paper/ and here is the offer http://www.everythinginpapercrafting.com/paper_promotion.html. Please take time to order the free paper, whether you are planning to make the cranes yourself or would like to just donate the paper. (If the links don’t work, copy and paste them into your browser.)

Thank you, Ann Molino, for this timely information!

Humanitarian Update and Invitation to workday on October 14, 2010

Come Join Us

Thursday, October 14, 2010
for
WOMEN OF FAITH
HUMANITARIAN WORKDAY!

You are invited to drop by the
LDS Stake Center
at the corner of 5th and Wabash in Redlands
any time between the hours of
11 am and 8 pm

Here’s an update of what’s been done since last workday. Thanks for making it happen!

• YOUNG MEN FROM REDLANDS 1ST WARD: On August 18, these young men made a fleece blanket, wrote their testimonies to be included in copies of the Book of Mormon to go to 4 county jails, and worked on picture books. 
  
  
  
  
  
  

• ROBERTSON BOYS’ HOME:  LaMar's August birthday was made special with his favorite flavors of cake and ice cream, a couple of movie tickets, gifts cards, and a yummy – yes, as in edible - poster.  Usually about four or five woman work together to prepare for each young man’s birthday.  The best part may be making the delivery.  It’s fun for everyone and they are very appreciative!  Thanks to all who have helped over the past 14 months. We’ve made a total of 15 birthday deliveries so far.

 

• Also in August, was Matthew’s birthday.  Again, he was thrilled with his celebration.  He, in fact, insisted that the three moms and their children stay and share the cake and ice cream with him.  As one mom said, “You could tell he really wanted us to stay and enjoy this time with him… he did a great job at playing host… He said, ‘You guys are good people for doing these nice things for us.’ He was so sincere."   
  
  

  

• WORKING WITH STEP BY STEP AND THE PACT: We’ve been providing hygiene kits for area parolees as part of Step by Step – a Reentry Coalition through the Police and Corrections Team (PACT) for several years now. Newcomers to Women of Faith may wonder what this is all about. Check the side bar to read about the value of a hygiene kit to a newly released inmate who is returning home. It is only the first of many ways that Step by Step works to help these men and women transition back into a life that is productive and positive. 
  
  Here you see our hygiene kits being assembled:
  
  

•  
  
  
  There are many services which Step by Step offers. As director of programs for Step by Step, I (Jean), have seen the effect that these services have and are having on the lives of these individuals and their families. It is an honor for me and other volunteers to work with members of the PACT on a weekly basis at parolee check-in. Assisting a parolee identify resources for obtaining the basics of food, clothing, housing, or medical or mental health care, or to obtain his birth certificate, picture ID, driver’s license or other vital document is gratifying.
  
  Here are two volunteers at our SBS table at the Salvation Army in Redlands, all decked out with information. 
  
      
  I especially love it when we are able to help a parolee get back into school, either to get his GED or to go to community college or to receive vocational training. Right now, we are assisting several motivated men who are studying to become such things as a diesel mechanic, a phlebotomist, and an accountant. We are helping in real ways which most often literally make the pursuit of their goals possible. We also are able to refer parolees to a program that assists in preparing for and obtaining employment. Again, with the support of SBS volunteers and agents and officers whose intent includes supporting those individuals who are ready to make something of their lives, some are these individuals are becoming   productive citizens and the future is dramatically improved for their children.
  
  Step by Step is looking into instituting a mentoring program. Statistics show great success in areas where mentoring programs exist. We will be guided by and working closely with those who have set up successful programs in other places. If you would like to find out more about the mentoring program and think you may want to participate as a mentor, please let me know. Meanwhile, thank you for your support through helping to provide hygiene kits. Let’s also remember these individuals and their families in our prayers. “When ye have done it unto the least of these….”  

• Thanks to the Redlands 3rd ward sisters who tied yet two more baby quilts this past month.
  

You’re invited to join us on October 14th and may choose from the following activities:

                      

• ORIGAMI CRANES: We have been invited to participate with the Redlands Sister Cities Association in collaboration with the Riverside     Metropolitan Museum in the California Paper Crane Peace Project.  The goal is, “to make 92,785 origami cranes -one for every person from California who was sent to a Japanese American internment camp, during World War II.” (http://www.riversideca.gov/museum/exhibit-22.asp) The museum has already collected 52,000 cranes.  Come on Thursday to learn this origami art.  We’ll have the following instructional video on hand and will learn together.  Paste the following into your browser to see the video now.   http://www.origami-fun.com/origami-crane.html
  WE WILL NEED LOTS OF ORIGAMI PAPER FOR THIS PROJECT SO IF YOU KNOW OF A GOOD SOURCE, PLEASE LET US KNOW SO WE CAN PASS THE WORD.
  
  
• CARDS FOR CHILDREN At LOMA LINDA CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL:   
  This is a project we just started. We’re making greeting cards that will be given to the children by the nursing staff as needed.  We are prepared to create ‘get well’, ‘thinking of you’, 'cheery thoughts’, and other cards.  We could use more cute paper and card stock if you have any to donate.
  
  
• CELEBRATIONS FOR OUR ‘ADOPTED’ BOYS AT THE ROBERTSON BOYS HOME:
  In addition to birthdays, we’ll be celebrating Halloween, then Christmas which is just around the corner.  Thanks to students at Anderson School in San Bernardino who are preparing a Halloween surprise for the boys.  And to 9 of you (and counting) who responded to our request for help with the Halloween celebration.
  
  At workday this week, we’ll be making Christmas gift tags for the boys.  Then in November, you’ll be able to choose a tag for one of the young men, and bring it back with either a gift card or another item as indicated on the tag.  If you aren’t able to make it to workday, but would like us to save one for you, let us know!   
  
  Here are the gift tags from last year:
  
  
  
  
   
   
• COLLECTING FOR INROADS REHABILITATION PROGRAM: We heard that there are some of you who have items you still wanted to donate to the program.  You’re in luck!  We didn’t make the delivery yet, so bring your donations and we’ll add them to the load:  children’s books, puzzles, and toys; Big Wheel type riding toys and helmets; paperback copies of classic novels – several of the same title is especially nice (i.e. Red Badge of Courage) and paperback copies of the Book of Mormon and Bible and religious materials from any denomination – both in English and Spanish. None of these items need to be new, but we hope they’ll be in really good shape.
  
  
• GRANNY SQUARES INTO AFGHANS: Hey, we need an expert or two who can lead out in this! We have well over a hundred squares but need help getting more of them put together.  We also have a bunch of beautiful but tiny crocheted blankets that need to be combined to make more useful sizes of baby afghans.  But we need expert help for this…
  
  

• WINTER HATS FOR THE HOMELESS:   These will be given to the homeless through the Blessing Center which has a ‘cold-weather shelter’ that operates from December 1st thru the end of March each year.  When the temperature is expected to dip below 40 degrees or when it is raining, the homeless have a warm, dry place to sleep.
  
  A call to the Blessing Center this week confirmed that they will definitely need all the hats that we can give them this winter.  Last year, 120 hats were delivered on Christmas Eve.  All were gone before the winter season was over.  We’ve been saving up all the hats that have been turned in over the months.   Keep it up!  How many will we have this year?  If you need yarn, stop by and pick some up.  
  
  
   

 SLIPPERS ON LOOMS:  Learn how to make slippers on the smallest hat loom (the blue one).   

 

ASSEMBLE HYGIENE KITS for area parolees. Thanks to several faith groups from all over town for your contributions to this cause! Contributions of any hygiene items are welcome, including trial size. Our most needed items right now are pocket-size notebooks, washcloths, and men’s deodorant.  The 99cent store, Dollar Tree, and Big Lots are good places to pick up some inexpensively.

• QUILTS:  As always... there will be quilts to sew and tie.
  

From times past...

Do you remember what this was all about?

     

After 2 years, it’s about time to share the following.  This came from California Senator Bob Dutton in September 2008.  Completely unexpected…

      

If you’d like to participate in our work, but can’t come to workday, you can still participate by making a donation or choosing something you'd like to do at home. Just contact the specialist from your ward or congregation. If you do not have one, contact Jean Arnott at jeanarnott@gmail.com.

If you would like to contribute financially, you may do so by making a check out to the Redlands California Stake and send it to Jean Arnott, 31838 Florida Avenue, Mentone 92359.

If you know someone who doesn’t know about our efforts and might like to help, please pass the word along to them.

We’ll continue to have workdays on the 2nd Thursday of each month through 2010. So put a star on those dates and see you next time on November 11th, same time & place.

Women of Faith to collect back packs for Micah House

 

Women of Faith to assist

Micah House

Micah House, which supports children at risk, is hosting a Back to School Block Party on Saturday, August 7^th on Oxford Street in Redlands. They need our help in supplying new back packs which they will provide to children who will be entering 1^st through 8^th grades. You can help by providing a new back pack or by donating cash to purchase one. Give your donation to your humanitarian specialist or to Jean Arnott 794-0456 by Thursday, August 5^th. Checks should be made out to the Redlands California Stake.

Humanitarian Update and Invitation to workday on June 10, 2010

 

Come Join Us

Thursday, June 10, 2010
for
WOMEN OF FAITH
HUMANITARIAN WORKDAY!

You are invited to drop by the
LDS Stake Center
at the corner of 5th and Wabash in Redlands
any time between the hours of
11 am and 8 pm

Here’s an update of what’s been done since last workday. Thanks for making it happen!

• ROBERTSON BOYS’ HOME: On the Wednesday before Mother’s Day, we had an activity where each boy put together a gift for their mother or for a woman they wished to honor.  First they chose from a selection of lotions, perfumes, bath salts, etc. and wrapped them.  Then they created a beautiful card.  We were amazed at the attention to detail these young men put into their work.  This was not a quick project and the results were amazing!  Just take a look.  
   
  
  
  
•  DELIVERY TO INROADS: On April 29th, we took a car load of items to the Glen Helen facility.  We took puzzles and toys and games and a couple of big wheels and a wagon and books for children and adults and yarn for tying quilts.  We also took personalized copies of the Book of Mormon in English and in Spanish and literature from the First Church of Christ, Scientist.  In her own words, the director of the program was ‘happily overwhelmed’. We’re going to continue collecting items for a couple of months and take up another more load.  The INROADS program offers rehabilitation to inmates through academic and occupational programs. 

 

• DELIVERY TO DASH:  We had a lovely visit when we delivered 25 craft aprons, 25 terry cloth clothing protectors, and 25 oil cloth clothing protectors to some wonderful folks at D.A.S.H. on June 7th.  This facility is known as “The Other Place Adult Day Program” and is located in Redlands. 

 

• Hygiene Kits continue to be delivered to the Redlands Police and Corrections Team where they are made available to needy area parolees as part of the services made available by the Step by Step Reentry Coalition.  
• Redlands 3rd ward sisters continue to tie a couple of quilts each month for us. 

 

On Thursday you can choose from the following activities:

• Would you like to sign up to help celebrate the birthday for one of our boys? Let us know.
  
• We’ll continue our project of collecting items for INROADS. We’re requesting donations of any of the following to help them in their programs: children’s books, puzzles, and toys; Big Wheel type riding toys and helmets; paperback copies of classic novels – several of the same title is especially nice (i.e. Red Badge of Courage) and paperback copies of the Book of Mormon and Bible and religious materials from any denomination – both in English and Spanish. None of these items need to be new, but we hope they’ll be in really good shape.
  
• Help put granny squares together to make afghans. Learn how it’s done and make more granny squares to keep it going. Over a hundred squares have been turned in!
  
• Crochet winter hats.  These will be given to the homeless through the Blessing Center (formerly Joseph’s Storehouse).  
  
  
• Assemble hygiene kits for area parolees. Thanks to several faith groups from all over town for your contributions to this cause!  Contributions of any hygiene items are welcome, including trial size.  Our most needed items right now are men’s deodorant, shaving cream, shampoo, and men’s disposable razors.  The 99cent store, Dollar Tree, and Big Lots are good places to pick up some inexpensively.  Also CVS. 
   
• As always... there will be quilts to sew and tie.
  

You’re Invited to join us on July 8th:

If you have relatives or friends in town, bring them on down with you for an hour or two.  If you’ve recently moved to the area, it’s a great way to meet people and make new friends.  Bring the kids.  We’ll either have something for them to help with, or they can play while you work (toys provided.)  They may serve in a most creative way –like this!

If you want to help, but can’t come to workday, you can still participate by making a donation or choosing something you'd like to do at home.  Just contact the specialist from your ward or congregation.  If you do not have one, contact Jean at jeanarnott@gmail.com. 

If you would like to contribute financially, you may do so by making a check out to the Redlands California Stake.  Email Jean for directions on where to send it. 

If you know someone who doesn’t know about our efforts and might like to help, please pass the word along to them.

We’ll continue to have workdays on the 2nd Thursday of each month through 2010.  So put a star on those dates and see you next time on July 8th, same time & place.

Birthing Kit Pictorial is ready to go! Christmas Stockings for parolees and their families!

Take a look at the copy of the pictorial instruction sheet that will be included in each of the birthing kits we are shipping to Afghanistan. This will enable women who, though trained as midwives, may or may not be literate. Untold hours have been spent to complete it. The translation you see here is in Farsi. The project has been done such that others who wish to use it in other areas of the world can receive it digitally and insert their own translation. Thanks to the obstetrician, photographer, graphic artist, translators, printer, and others who made this a reality!

Click on either page to see it close-up...

Workdays this week in Redlands and Colton

Thursday, January 8, 11am - 8pm at the Stake Center

We’ll be making sensory blankets, assembling hygiene kits for local parolees and more. Priority hygiene items are disposable razors, pocket-size notebooks, and men’s deodorant. We also need press-on interfacing for the blankets.

Location: The LDS Stake Center at the corner of 5th & Wabash in Redlands (next to the temple).

Saturday, January 10, @ noon at the Bishop's Central Storehouse

Location: 791 North Pepper Avenue, Colton 92324.

We’ll be inserting the pictorial instruction sheets into our birthing kits and labeling, stacking, measuring, and weighing pallets to go to Afghanistan. We could use help from a few men on this day too!

"I am only one…but still I can do something; and…I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."

Helen Keller

Here's the latest on...

Parolee Support Update

• Christmas Stockings for families of parolees…

  On December 12, a group of women representing Step by Step met to assemble Christmas stockings with the generous donations made by several faith groups and organizations in Redlands, including Women of Faith. Then two days before Christmas, several of us accompanied parole officers as deliveries were made to 10 families of parolees who had been selected by their parole agents. It was a moving experience and confirmed to us that our efforts to support and encourage these individuals is important and valuable.

  Here are some shots of the assembly in progress at Redlands United Church of Christ:

• Current priority hygiene items are: men's deodorant, shaving cream, men's disposable razors, and pocket -size notepads. Hotel samples of anything are welcome and everything on the list is needed. (See side panel.)

• If you are new to this site -

  please take time to read up in the side column about our efforts to work with the parolees in our community. (See "Our Support of Redlands' Community Parolees by Providing Hygiene Kits") This has been a very worthwhile and valuable effort. More information will follow in future blogs. If you have a special place in your heart for these individuals and would like to get involved in helping them move forward in their lives, we could use your help. There are a variety of opportunities which take varied time commitments - from just a little to a lot. Please contact jeanarnott@gmail.com if you would like more information.

• Step by Step - a Re-entry Coalition meets for it's monthly board meeting on the first Tuesday of each month at 4:30pm at the Redlands United Church of Christ. It is located at 168 Bellevue Avenue in Redlands (corner of Olive and Bellevue). If you wish to find out more, please come.

"We are never really happy until we try to brighten the lives of others."

Helen Keller

Afghanistan II project news

An email from our friend in Kabul:

On January 1st, I received a cc of an email from Fauzia Assifi, an Afghan-American who is living in Kabul, Afghanistan. Fauzia participated in our very first meeting in October 2003 when our first project was born. She traveled to Afghanistan to help with the receipt and distribution of our goods in June 2005. Fauzia has chosen to remain in Afghanistan to help her war torn homeland. Her email on New Year's Day was a report of her most recent distribution of goods donated from Lutheran World Relief (LWR). I include here a paragraph from her report. It is difficult to even imagine the conditions these people are living under.

" I found ten families living in Afshar area south west of Kabul city in condemned structures without doors, windows, sanitation or electricity. One mother who had nine children 6 months to 14 years old was living in two rooms of the broken down structure which had 2 main standing walls and the other 2 walls were down. The frames and glass of 2 windows did not exist and one could only see 2 holes in the wall. The floor of the rooms had 3 inches of frozen water. She had 6 rows of broken bricks layered on the floor and had covered them with empty cement bags, old straw mats and some other old fabrics to protect her kids from freezing. Her windows were covered with some portion of old UNHCR’s tent fabric. Looking at this situation I was stunned and started crying with this miserable mother. When I gave her LWR’s quilts, blankets, soap, baby’s kits, sewing kit and school kits, she went crazy and started beating herself on her face and head and started crying very loudly, facing the sky and thanking God for the unbelievable gifts she had received. I calmed her down and told her that these beautiful gifts are from LWR and the good hearted American people. She sat down on the snow, thanked me and prayed for those who sent her and her kids these wonderful gifts. She said as I quote, “these are the gifts from God and I thank Him”.

Overcoming in Afghaghanistan - a special video...

I think you'll appreciate the following video. I found this while checking out the website for Smile Train, a charity organization that repairs cleft lips and palates for children in developing countries. Get to the 5 ½ minute video report on what this organization is doing in Afghanistan by pasting the following website into your browser: http://www.smiletrain.org/site/PageServer . Then click on the link in the lower right-hand corner of the home page. The report is both amazing and inspiring. These are the same people which we serve and the caliber of people we serve with.

Special Thanks to …

• Afghans for Afghans, who sent us 640 more hats – making their donation total 1110!
• Yucaipa's Seventh Day Adventist Church, who heard about our project somehow and called with medical equipment to donate.
• Loma Linda University Medical Center and Redlands Community Hospital for giving us hundreds of clean, sturdy boxes to pack our goods in.
• Linda Thomas, a graphic artist, who spent many weekends putting together our pictorial information sheet for the birthing kits.
• Translators, including Sharin Sanders, who have translated our birthing kit instruction sheet and dozens of labels for our cartons into Farsi.
• i-star Financial in Brea who donated twelve computers, flat screen monitors, keyboards, mice, head phones, licenses, and all that is needed to set them up in the vocational school in Jalalabad.

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it."

Helen Keller