Day 227: Toys for the St. Theresa Christmas Bazaar

Every year, our church holds a Christmas Bazaar that has become a regular outing for Sophia and myself.   November 19th is the big day this year, and today I was able to drop off some new and "like new" children's toys that are requested for The Children's Room, a place where kids can by inexpensive gifts for their siblings and friends.

So that was the easy part of our contribution!  Now we have to figure out what craft project Sophia will make to donate to the holiday themed craft table.  Last year, she made these adorable "Sweet Santa's" that followed a much treasured old "craft recipe" of her great grandmother, my Nana Bertha !  Using a brandy snifter, you decorate with felt to create the belly of a Santa and then top it with a styrofoam ball and felt hat.  Very cute and brought back many memories from my own childhood!  I just couldn't resist adding a photo (or two or three! to share the artistic talents of the littlest Cutler....but now I wonder if I've just put the pressure on because I'm thinking that this project is a tough act to follow!!   To be continued..........

Day 226: Ronald McDonald House

Today was going to be a nice, slow catch-up day to do things around the house, but as luck would have it, I received a call that there was an extra ticket to the Patriot's game, and off I went.  We had a great time tailgating on a beautiful fall afternoon.  Then the game started...  Not a good day for Patriot Nation.  However, in many of the public service announcements and throughout the stadium, it is clear how much the Patriots provide for many local charities.  Today there was a booth accepting donations to the Ronald McDonald house. 
The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is to create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and well being of children.  They provide support for families while children are receiving treatment, and are involved in many programs that help children.  I was glad to donate, since it served as a distraction to the horrible game I was witnessing.

Day 225: A Day To Remember and Celebrate Friendship

Well, when I logged onto the challenge site just now, I had every intention of writing a quick ditty about bringing another case of empty bottles to the transfer station for the Lion's Club to redeem, which did happen today. But while looking at the blank screen, I felt like something (someone?) tapped me on the shoulder and suggested I write about the power of friendship and how it truly embodies all the elements of this blog:  service, support and volunteerism.  So I'm doing it! And it will be dedicated to the dear friend we just lost today, Ruth, and her devoted friends Jane and Philip.  Ruth has been my parents' neighbor and dear friend since forever ago.  We have all grown up and old together,  through many cheers and tears, celebrating life and love and loss together.  The absence of Ruth's remarkable personality, filled with generosity, compassion,  humor, intelligence and kindness, will be greatly missed by all the extended Rinck family....but especially by my parents.

The truth about friendship is that it's quite easy when life is showering you with happiness and good fortune.  But the defining measure of friendship is when life gets complicated..  When you're faced with a hail storm of sadness, fear and frustration that requires time, patience and understanding.  And it was in the confusing final months, leading up to the desperate final hours of Ruth's life, that my parents proved themselves to be the ultimate friends to a woman who would have certainly done the same for them.  They are truly a couple that will stay on the front lines until the finish, offering unwavering support and service to those who need them most.  We can't pick many things in life, but we can pick our friends, and clearly, Ruth, Philip and Jane all chose wisely.

Day 224: Yarn for my senior friends in Sherborn

Finally, I've discovered something besides Daddy's Cookies to gift to my friends at the Sherborn Council on Aging!

Tucked in their recent newsletter was a request for yarn to support their efforts to knit mittens and other holiday gifts for families in Appalachia.  Today, as I made my weekly trip to Joann Fabrics for my quilting supplies, I was happy to take a maiden voyage down the yarn aisle (knitting is not my cup of tea!) and pick up a bundle of yarn for the COA.

Happy knitting, my friends, and let me know when you need fleece remnants!!

Day 223: Fundraiser for local homeless shelter

I recently joined a professional healthcare fraternity at Penn, and the past couple weeks have been jam packed with pledging duties. Among other facts that my pledge class is required to memorize, the three pillars of the healthcare fraternity are: compassion, discipline, and integrity. As it was "compassion week," we were required coordinate a bake sale and donate the money to a charity of our choosing. Since there were 22 of us chosen for this year's pledge class, there was a lot of confusion and strong opinions regarding the details of the sale (it was especially difficult as we were given less than a week to plan this). But, many hands make light work, and we managed to set up a four hour long bake sale on Locust Walk today. I baked chocolate chip cookies the night before (which I am told were the first to be sold....even though they were from a box!) and we ended up raising $110. We chose to donate the money to the local student-run homeless shelter that just opened on November 1st. This is only the second student run homeless shelter in the nation (Harvard's has been successfully operating for 28 years). Since the shelter just opened and all of the workers are student volunteers, we figured our donation would be put to good use. In keeping with the compassion theme, we also handed out little paper hearts with messages to students walking by to brighten their day. Even if they didn't stop to buy anything, we ran up to people a shoved a heart in their hands, watching them smile as they read their message ("nice scarf!" "stay beautiful!" "great smile!"). It was probably one of the most fun bake sales I had ever worked, and it was great getting to know the members of my pledge class a little better.

Day 222: Support for our Paper Boy (Man!)

Although we've never met the Paper Boy, we assume he is indeed a "Paper Man" as we hear him drive through the neighborhood each morning.  As my first job was a Paper Girl in the old neighborhood, I am  very appreciative of the effort it takes to deliver the paper both neatly, and timely, each day. 
Last week, the Paper Man left us a note with the newspaper,  informing us that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and would be taking a leave of absence to undergo chemo.  So sad.  We figured he could use immediate support, so we decided to send him a note of encouragement and his holiday tip today.  We wish him well on the difficult journey ahead.

Day 221: Charitable Donation

A few weeks ago, we received a card from the Vietnam Veterans of America. They needed our discards, so I called and put down our address for a pickup on today. We gathered up some clothes not being worn, some vases in which flowers had come on special days, a suitcase and various other things that we were not using and could be put to good use by someone less fortunate than ourselves. Dad put" the Stuff" out last night and it was gone by noon today. Hopefully, someone will benefit from our donation.