Happygram’s Weblog

Happygram’s Weblog

A Smile to Remember

 www.wethreekids.com

Just one little smile makes it all worthwhile! 

When you find the perfect coat for a child; the one that fits perfectly and causes the child who receives it to pat the coat with a satisfied expression on his or her face; this is the moment you know why you were out in the cold and that your efforts were worth it.

For the children who collected the coats, it’s a moment of wonder when each realizes they really can make a difference in someone else’s life.  Until this moment, collecting coats was something they ‘wanted’ to do, but in an abstract kind of way. Now, there’s a little face smiling happily, and they know what they do counts in this world.

The coats will wear out or be outgrown, but for at least this winter, another child will be warm. The knowledge that they can make a difference will be with them always. Instead of being a grand finale to a community service project started in innocence, it’s just the beginning.

As the grandmother, I am very proud of these kids. At first, they were timid when approaching strangers to explain what they were doing. But within a short time they were confidently handing out their ‘business’ cards and saying, “Hi. My name is…we’re collecting coats for kids in our community who don’t have warm coats for this winter and lap blankets for the nursing home…”

They were polite, stepping aside with a “Thank you” when someone indicated they weren’t interested, and answering questions asked by others. The store manager came out to tell me customers were commenting on ‘the great kids outside doing such a good thing’. Some of these customers were buying things to donate. Others were donating money for caps, gloves, and blankets for nursing home residents. Truly, we live in a wonderful community.

Thank you to everyone who donated – and to everyone who encouraged these kids with a few minutes of your time! YOU make a difference, too!

Oh My Gosh! What Kids Learn at WalMart!

Things picked up! The kids have collected quite a few coats – haven’t counted them yet – promises of more – 16 blankets – and over $115 in cash donations in two days. We’ll be at WalMart again tomorrow afternoon. Then I think we’ll switch to Plan B.

Plan B: Contact local senior citizen centers and ask for volunteers to donate or sew blankets. Contact schools to include memo in bulletins for coats, caps, gloves. Contact Chamber of Commerce to include project in their newsletter asking area businesses to collect items or donate to project. Contact police departments and fire departments to ask them to collect and/or donate. Ask American Legion post to sponsor an ‘event’ to benefit the project…In other words, involve everyone possible and extend the project until we get where we want to go with it.

But first – I have to make a side trip to the hospital to clean out my arteries – again – and a few days to rest.

Most touching comment from those who donated: A male teenager, when thanked for his donation, said, “I know what it’s like not to have a coat.” Somehow, that broke my heart!

His comment matched our observations of those donating. It wasn’t the ones in obviously expensive clothing doing the donating. They walked by with eyes straight ahead as if we were invisible to them. When the kids tried to hand them their ‘business cards’ that give an overview of what they are trying to accomplish, even they noticed that the ones who ‘looked’ most able to help brushed them off – and in a few cases were downright rude to them.

Those who stopped to talk with them  about their project, who encouraged them; those who donated coats, blankets, and money – were very clearly people who know what it’s like not to have something they need (or needed) at some time.

Together, the difference in responses provided an interesting lesson for the kids. Of course, being their gramma, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to ask which kind of person they want to be themselves. I’m happy to say they made the right choice – and decided that when they are older and wealthy – which they plan to be – that they will always remember to be compassionate and caring people. Needless to say, I’m very proud of these children!

Most surprising thing that happened: A lady that I don’t know asked if she could pray for me. Thinking that I can always benefit from prayer, I told her I would be very grateful for her prayer. She immediately prayed for my healing. Now, I don’t look sick, don’t think of myself as sick, and don’t discuss health problems very often – so I asked her why she prayed that I be healed. She said because the Lord spoke to her; that she had been there the day before a few hours before we got there – and felt she should come back instead of just leaving the coats for us.

Most entertaining thing that happened: A shoplifter was escorted out in handcuffs. Normally, I wouldn’t consider this entertaining – but this lady had the long skirt with the gizmos underneath to hang (or however they do it) the things she was stealing – and was riding around the store on one of the motorized carts they provide for the disabled. Those things don’t go over two miles per hour so I’m not sure how she thought she was going to outrun the po-lice. Seriously, you have to wonder what in the world WalMart has that anyone would even begin to think it worth getting arrested and going to jail. Another educational moment for the kids.

The funniest thing that happened: This beautiful little girl grabbed one of the balloons, hugging it and telling us “I love b’loons!” and POP went the balloon. Not fazed at all, she went for another balloon. Her mother had another child in her arms and was trying to stop the little girl without dropping the baby – while apologizing for the balloon. We rescued ‘the mom’ by giving her a bag of fruit snacks. But a little later when they came out of the store, here came the little one again, all excited and yelling “I love b’loons!” We asked if we could give her one, but Mom said no and dragged her away.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a little one who loved b’loons as much!

Then there was the guy who told Eli “You got coats? Thanks! I really need a coat. Can I have it now?” Eli didn’t know what to say but his sister rescued him by telling the man, “We’ve got a real pretty pink one you might like…”

In general, people have been wonderful and it’s been a good experience for the kids. They are making a difference for others – and that’s the best lesson they can learn.

    

It did not fly!

The last attempt to get the local paper to let people know about the coat and blanket collection finally resulted in a short story about their efforts. I sent a short email to an editor – saying that doing a story on an event after it was too late for the community to respond was of no value – that I’m very proud of these kids – and very ashamed of the local paper. What I said was “If these kids were fighting in the street, you would be there with lights, cameras, and reporters to make sure it hit the front page. But for kids trying to do something good in the community? Not one word of support or encouragement.”

Within 15 minutes a reporter called and the short story appeared in today’s paper.

Most of the information they asked for was not used – one collection location was not listed. It mistakenly says the Salvation Army will distribute blankets at the nursing home. (They will be distributing the ‘coats’ if we collect enough.) No appeal was made to individuals or to businesses to assist with collection. The kids’ website was not mentioned as a source for more information –  but at least ’something’ was published.

The rain should be over, at least for today. So we will try again! Ultimately, this will be a successful ‘event’ for the kids and some good will be done in the community. The reporter asked if we planned for this to become an annual event. Mixed feelings on that! Part of the slow start is due to my inexperience at planning something like this, part due to the weather, and very much due to the fact that there has been no prior publicity or advertising of it. By next year I will have decided if I’ve learned enough to make it worthwhile to continue with it as an annual event.  

    

Kids’ Coat Collection

Day One was a beautiful day to start – but not one coat was donated. A few people did stop to say they didn’t know we would be there – but would bring coats and blankets back.

 Thank you, WalMart, for the box and for allowing us to set up outside the front entrance.

Around 6 PM the kids were starving, so I went inside and bought a loaf of bread, mayo, and lunchmeat, orange juice, yogurt, cheese and crackers for a picnic behind the box.

This is because there’s been ‘no’ publicity. I’ve contacted the local newspaper – and after two weeks and four contacts, finally got an email saying they would contact us to ‘do a story’ one day this week. Better late than never I suppose.

Day 2: About 2″ of rain! Since we set the donation box up outside the front entrance to WalMart, rain means we’re down until it stops. So, Day 2 – no donations.

Since we couldn’t set up at WalMart, we took the box they gave us and set it up inside Sav-a-Lot where it doesn’t have to be attended. The only place we could put it is going back toward the office. Not out where it’s easily seen. They really don’t have any other place to put it. But they let us put a poster up by the door telling customers coats and blankets could be donated ‘here’. Thank you, Sav-a-Lot!

Day 3: It’s still raining. According to the weather report, we’ve had about 2″ of rain since around 3 PM yesterday. It’s supposed to end by 4 PM today. We’ll try again if it does end. Still haven’t heard from the newspaper so I will call them again today.

I have to say I’m really disappointed with their response. We have kids trying to do something good that will benefit other kids in the community – and it’s apparently not newsworthy enough to put a few lines in the paper letting the community know when and where they can donate good, clean used coats.

I’ve lived in this community 60 years. I know beyond a doubt that the people of this community ‘will’ step up and donate coats and blankets – if they know we are doing it!

I’m also disappointed with the schools. Over 5000 children are known to be ‘economically disadvantaged’ in this area. But when I asked the school to send home flyers, I was first told no problem. I was ‘not’ told I had to provide the flyers at my expense, submit them to the superintendent for approval, and deliver them in bundles of 25.

Then – a few days before the project start date – when I called to tell them it was time to send flyers out – I was told they couldn’t send out flyers unless they were first approved by the superintendent and I delivered them to the schools in bundles of 25. Meaning of course, that I have to have the flyers printed up. $$$ If they had told me this a month ago when I first discussed it with them, I might have been able to raise the money for flyers, or get them donated, but not at the last minute. Lesson learned: Ask questions. Know the details. And don’t assume the school is interested in supporting students involved in community service projects – unless of course – the school gets money from it.

The explanation is that the school has to pay for each sheet of paper that goes through the copier ‘by the click’. Yes. Of course. And their ‘per click cost’ is less than the ‘per click cost’ at Staples.

I wonder how much it would have cost them to print a few lines in the school bulletins they sent home to tell us that our children are being trained as salespeople – selling $3.00 bread braids for $9.00 each – that the kids need a quarter each to buy a pin if they want to be allowed to wear a hat to school on hat day – that suckers to rot their teeth and put pounds on their bodies will be sold each day in the cafeteria – ad nauseum. And yes. They did know about this project in time to include it in the bulletin.

It’s supposed to rain a couple other days this week. Out of the seven days we planned, we’ve had rain for two already, and rain expected for two, maybe three, of the other days. I’m thinking we need a Plan B.

And I think the newspaper is going to help us with it! This is nonsense! If these kids were out fighting in the street the newspaper would be there with lights, cameras, and on the scene reporters to make sure it hit the front page. But when kids are doing good? Nada. Bull! This is not going to fly!

Hello world!

Welcome to HappyGram’s blog! Today, I’m trying to decide if grandchildren are a blessing – or – whether all the things I shouldn’t have done as a child are coming back to haunt me. 

In one afternoon they turned our front yard into spooky, haunting grounds. (If they weren’t my grandchildren, I might say ‘trashy’.) A dummy bicyclist and twisted bicycle ran headfirst into our tree. A witch brews worms and other yukkies in the front window as bats swoop overhead. The front door now warns visitors ’do not enter’. A graveyard glows in the night where iris, peony, and hosta usually grow,  and a skeleton in a cage hangs from the gutter. And if that’s not enough - spiders in spider web stuff are everywhere. Oh – and the huge bat hanging from the light. It must be Halloween again!

We’ve had a bit of trouble finding bib overalls for the grandchild who’s decided she wants to be ‘Chuckie’ for Halloween. We searched the thrift store where we usually find whatever we need but no luck today. The problem was solved at WalMart where we found bib ’shorts’ on the clearance rack for only $3.50. Worn over jeans – bib overalls!

The thrift store had a huge supply of prom gowns that could easily have become ‘fairy’ costumes. Since they are too long for most children, the part that gets cut off could be made into wings to complete the costume by twisting and covering wire coat hangers into the wing shape.

Halloween is not ‘my’ holiday. I really don’t like the yuk and gore that seems to be most children’s idea of ‘fun’. I mean, really, why do they prefer blood and gore to heroes and sweet fantasy figures? I’ll be so glad when it’s over!

Last year, we used a lot of corn stalks. After Halloween we made a tepee out of them, put a stack of logs by the ‘door’, and gourds, pumpkins, and bales of hay to complete the scene for Thanksgiving. That was much better.

We have another project going on too. Tomorrow, we have to finish posters and decorate a big box to collect coats for kids and lap blankets for nursing home residents. It’s the kids’ community service project that hopefully is teaching them that indeed we are our brother’s keeper. Or for those who prefer non-faith related words – social responsibility.

This goes with one of my passions – the America’s Promise Alliance report Every Child Every Promise. I’m trying to do a Squidoo lens about the five promises – the five things children need in order to become successful adults. More about that later…