Day 341: "Belle of the Ball"; Thanks Anton Cleaners!

 Patricia here. Prom memories are so special for most girls. The dress, the hair, the nails, the friends, the limos, the pictures, the venue, the menu, the party after. I still remember my high school proms, especially the dresses....and how they were saved for about 18 years and then cut/redesigned in a home spun effort to assist the twins in their "be a princess" dress-up play.  I remember loving those gowns....but not as much as the twins did!!   And then....flash forward.....how quickly the time flies..... and soon enough, Bianca and Olivia went off to their own high school proms, looking nothing less than GORGEOUS!!  Indeed, the prom is a very special occasion that should be enjoyed by every young girl that desires it.  But sadly, the prom is not an event that every young lady has the opportunity to experience.  Which is why it is absolutely wonderful that Anton Cleaners has been organizing a program that is now eight years old that collects gently used prom dresses, both long and short, to be given to young ladies that would otherwise be unable to attend the prom in fussy, elegant attire.  Today I was able to donate a couple of dresses to the cause (and don't worry, Bianca and Olivia, I did not give away the dresses shown here!)  The info below shares the press release that announces the event.  Hopefully I can dig through more closets and find additional donations.  

More very interesting information is at www.antons.com/belle

 

 Anton's Cleaners kicks off its 8th Annual
Belle of the Ball

Sponsored by Anton's Cleaners, a family-owned chain of 43 stores in Eastern Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire, Belle of the Ball cleans and distributes prom dresses to high school junior and senior girls who would otherwise not have the opportunity to attend their school's prom. Since the program began in 2005, over 1,900 girls have received beautiful dresses.
Belle of the Ball needs good quality, prom-appropriate dresses and can be dropped off at all 43 2Anton's Cleaners locations, as well as all Jordan's locations from Feb. 1-April 1. This program culminates with a day-long invite only boutique staffed by volunteers to provide a magical shopping experience for qualified girls.

Day 340: AseraCare Volunteer

Patricia here.  Today was my first day of "officially volunteering" with the AseraCare Hospice team.  I went to their offices in Wellesley for a few hours this morning where I met the administrative support staff, the bereavement coordinator, some healthcare managers and a team nurse.  All lovely people!  After learning the whereabouts of supplies and resources, I was put right to work answering phones and updating files with the absolute TON of paperwork that follows every hospice case.  It sounds easy...and really, it was..... but the patient files are so incredibly thick with at least a dozen various tabs for all the categories of paperwork, all held together with some weird but functional plastic wire system that I had never used (or seen!) before, so the most challenging part was keeping all the paperwork threaded in the four inch thick, individual folders! Comical, really.
The handful of staff members I worked with all made me feel so welcome and appreciated with their flowing compliments.  It became the office joke as to whom I would help the most!  Very cute.  I also scheduled my first visit with a hospice patient, which will happen next week.  It looks like Wednesday will become my "Hospice Day" when I combine a few hours of office volunteer work with nearby  patient visits for a full day of AseraCare.  To be continued next Wednesday......
And P.S....I came home with a lovely note for Sophia, thanking her for the delicious cupcakes that she made for the patients last week!

Day 339: Regina Cleri Contribution

Nana and BUppa here.  Our dear friend's Dad, Philip Barrett, died suddenly last week and the family's request was for contributions to be given to Regina Cleri Residence. This is a home in Boston for retired and/or ill priests where his late brother-in-law, Rev. James Curtin lived for the last few years. After seeing 5 Bishops and over 30 priests at Father Jim's funeral, we were happy to send a donation there for the care of these older priests, some of whom are not as fortunate to have a kind loving family as that of Philip Barrett.

Day 338: Special Olympics

Another great day coaching Special Olympics.  I think I've mentioned before, each day brings new twists.  With my co-coach there, I was able to really push 2 swimmers to their maximum effort, while making sure the other swimmers were pushed according to their capabilities.  It's not easy to do when I am by myself, and I'm always challenged to make sure each swimmer is given a workout that pushes them while trying to keep practice fun.  Everyone had a great attitude and worked very hard.
I'll be traveling on business next week, so I'll miss working with the team.

Day 337: New Neighbors in Town!

Hello, this is Sophia. Recently, new neighbors have moved in on Everett Street. They are our direct neighbors down on the right, but there are trees in between us so we aren't that close. Anyways, today I baked applesauce muffins, a family favorite, put them in a basket and walked them over. It turns out that there are two little boys that live there that are 4 and 7 years old.  The mother was very nice and we also got to meet her friend who had children who were playing with the boys. They really appreciated the visit saying that so far, they have gotten wine, brownies, and a coffee cake from th other neighbors! The mother's friend was even saying, " I wish I had neighbors as nice as this!" We hope that we get to know the family, and I might even have a chance to be a "mother's helper" and have my first job!!!

Day 336: Horizons for Homeless Children

Patricia here.  Today is the last week day of school vacation week, and Sophia and her ever-so-blessed Mom  have had a wonderful week filled with so many fun activities.  We are so fortunate to have the resources of family, food, shelter and financial security.  As we buzzed about planning our days of relaxation, adventure and discovery, it was shocking to read in the newspaper that there are over 100,000 homeless children in Massachusetts who are just trying to plan on where to eat or sleep. Deserving children who might never know the joy of a spontaneous train trip, or the thrill of the theater, or the wonder of eating in a fancy new restaurant, or the excitement of a high school hockey game, or the satisfaction of trying a new dinner recipe in the kitchen, or the simple pleasure of sitting comfortably on the coach and reading a book by the warmth of the fire.  It is these children who are supported by the organization "Horizons For Homeless Children".  And it is today that we feel especially drawn to making a donation to this cause.  Our contribution will be directed to the running team who will enter the 2012 Boston Marathon to raise funds for the many programs offered by Horizons For Homeless Children.  We generally support runners for a cause, and this one is clearly most deserving.  There are also many other ways to support HFHC, as they regularly train volunteers to work as Activity Leaders in their community play-spaces (which are all over the state but who knew are as close to us as Framingham, Waltham and Newton!), and they are always accepting donations of toys and books for the children.  Check it out at http://www.horizonsforhomelesschildren.org/

Day 335: Bristol Lodge

Here we are again on the 4th Thursday of the month which means cooking for Bristol Lodge for many of us at St. Jude's. This month, my group was lined up for dessert, but I received a call from another participant asking if I would swap with her and do potatoes! So, it has been a busy day in the kitchen--making a coffee cake for Diane's family, cooking potatoes, and then attending a church service for Diane's uncle, Fr. James Curtin who was kind to our Marie, visiting her in the hospital, remembering her in his prayers and being with us at her wake. It has been a day of "reaching out."