From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank all of the wonderful folks who helped us launch this wacky, fun, meaningful “circle” project of ours! We are grateful to know you, and we appreciate every last one of you who lent us their strength to get this off the ground.
And what an amazing year it was! It started with making hygiene boxes for women seeking shelter away from domestic violence. We also collected an abundance of bottled water and picnic supplies for another local women’s shelter – so much that they ended up using some of our donated supplies for their summer camps too. And we sewed therapeutic weighted blankets for a shelter that cares for young victims of sex trafficking, as well as several other projects and group classes.
But special note needs to be given to our final project of 2017 – a holiday toy drive for kids whose moms are incarcerated at Coffee Creek. Because of the quantity and quality of gifts being brought in, we knew you were shopping for these kids like they were your own. It was so sweet and humbling. Whenever we deliver goodies to local charities, we are asked to estimate the value of the donation. After doing some quick math in our heads, we conservatively settled on $2000 for this project. When we delivered the gifts to the program office, the YWCA staff was overwhelmed by the generosity. The Program Director became choked up while trying to express her gratitude. We hear the party down at Coffee Creek was a huge success, and the moms and kids were all very appreciative of our collective kindness! Our folks are the BEST!
So what’s coming up in 2018? Like you’d expect we already have a few projects in the works.
- Mark your calendars for Wednesday April 11th at 7:00pm, Jackson Middle School. We are hosting a speaker, Special Agent Sandra Flint of the FBI, to present an Active Shooter Seminar. This is a safety-oriented presentation full of helpful information designed to increase the survivability of an active shooter situation. More information, discussion of age-appropriateness, and lots and lots of reminders to follow.
- From Lucia With Love This is an on-going group lead by Donna-Marie for those who are interested in knitting, crocheting or sewing blankets, hats and gowns for angel babies. Working with local organizations, these special items will be provided to bereaved parents of newborns and infants.
- We’re working behind the scenes on ways we can support Oregon’s female veterans. Stay tuned, this one will be a little different!
Thank you again for all of your support and for helping us reach our goals. Together we will make 2018 our most successful year yet!
A Circle of Strength 