Tuesday, November 3, 2009
New news. Parker, our youngest and a freshman at UNH, called and wants 200 bags. He brought the weeaide project before his dorm council and guess what? A girl on the council talked with her mom who works with domestic abuse families and the quad decided to do weeaide as a project. They will be making and delivering 200 bags in New Hampshire! WONDERFUL! Then Intel emailed and they will also be undertaking weeaide again this year, with the intentions of getting more and more workers from their company to help. Again, WONDERFUL. People are taking bags and expressing interest in helping. When I last talked with Addie, who works in LA with the homeless population, she said that although they do not need hats, gloves, scarfs, because of the warm climate, they sure could use personal hygiene products...so I wrote to Ellen Degeneres to ask her to help get those things for the population there in LA. Wow. God moves in mysterious and wonderful ways. We want to thank Charlton Mills in Charlton and John for always being there to help us. I can not seem to find another word but WONDERFUL! A Thank you to Denise in Shrewsbury for bringing together her town to help. Things are working out.
Monday, October 19, 2009
weeaide begins for 2009
October 19, 2009
Monday morning and I know I need to get the word out and start inviting people to share in the message and work of weeaide. How about this for Thanksgiving this year?
Are you hosting Thanksgiving dinner or going home to your family or having this meal with 2 or more friends? Well, please consider taking this opportunity to do a giving and loving project with your family. Here is the idea. Call up "Aunt Mary" and say, when you come to dinner, could you bring a new pair of men's warm socks?...No I am not going to tell you why, you will find out. Then you call ups "Uncle Enos" and say, "When you com to Thanksgiving Uncle Enos, could you bring a warm pair o new men's gloves with you? No, I am not going to tell you why, you will find out after our dinner on Thursday." Then, you have a plain brown weeaide bag (can pick them up in the little red weeaide truck sitting in the driveway of 232 Bullard Street, Holden or you may pick up a bag at The First Baptist Church, 1216 Main Street Holden, in the lobby. There you will find a list of the 9 (NINE) litems that should go into the bags. So, while the adults are getting dinner on the table, someone (probably yourself) will help the children decorate the bag or bags, and then after you all have had your dinner, you then show the bag as you wrap each item in tissue and place them in the bag and talk about how your family has given and helped someone who appreciates and needs your help. How about that? Let me know if anyone is reading this blog, please
Monday morning and I know I need to get the word out and start inviting people to share in the message and work of weeaide. How about this for Thanksgiving this year?
Are you hosting Thanksgiving dinner or going home to your family or having this meal with 2 or more friends? Well, please consider taking this opportunity to do a giving and loving project with your family. Here is the idea. Call up "Aunt Mary" and say, when you come to dinner, could you bring a new pair of men's warm socks?...No I am not going to tell you why, you will find out. Then you call ups "Uncle Enos" and say, "When you com to Thanksgiving Uncle Enos, could you bring a warm pair o new men's gloves with you? No, I am not going to tell you why, you will find out after our dinner on Thursday." Then, you have a plain brown weeaide bag (can pick them up in the little red weeaide truck sitting in the driveway of 232 Bullard Street, Holden or you may pick up a bag at The First Baptist Church, 1216 Main Street Holden, in the lobby. There you will find a list of the 9 (NINE) litems that should go into the bags. So, while the adults are getting dinner on the table, someone (probably yourself) will help the children decorate the bag or bags, and then after you all have had your dinner, you then show the bag as you wrap each item in tissue and place them in the bag and talk about how your family has given and helped someone who appreciates and needs your help. How about that? Let me know if anyone is reading this blog, please
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Thank You 2008
The perfect time to say, from our heart, a very big thank you to all who helped with our weeaide project this year. Since beginning this annual project in 2000, we have been moved by the increase in the need, and heartened by the warm and tremendous response from individuals, social groups, companies, school staffs and children, doctors and their staffs, library staff and community public and private offices, girl and boy scout troupes, senior centers and other drop offs and, of course, many churches. This year, because of your giving, we were able to fill over 750 bags for those in need. The new use of bags instead of shoe boxes made everything easier. I am always leary of mentioning names as I am sure to miss someone. So many of you dropped off bags, made donations to drop boxes, organized groups within your companies to help, helped to lead your own social group to action, and I can not possibly know everyone by name that helped. If you would like, please visit our website for a more specific thank you where I will try and mention as many people and organizations as I can. Again, thank you for truly believing in the weeaide creed " we should all treat each other the way we would want to be treated ourselves." Remember there are only 9 things in a weeaide bag, so if you see those sales on hat, mittens or gloves, scarfs or if you need something to do on these long winter days (making scarfs or mittens) please think of weeaide and get a jump start on next year. May God continue to bless each and every one of you and until we start up again in September, our gratefulness to you can not be fully expressed. Sincerely, Gwen Callahan, Bullard St. Holden, weeaide.org
So many new companies and communities came on board this year. GM Bergeron has helped each and every year and this year they even increased their usual 15 bags or boxes to 21 bags and all I had to do was ask because the need increased they increased their donation. Our Gale Free Library staff have always gives so cheerfully. Deb and the staff at Remam worked to help give and fill bags as did Mary and the F17 Administration staff at INTEL. Jennifer, Lynn, Barbara and staff at Dr. Neal Novak's office became a major drop off center as well as knitting machines for our efforts. Claire from the Holden Senior center spent endless hours cutting out mittens and Hazel spent time sewing those cut out mittens. The Senior Center was a drop off center as well and with filled boxes of donations. The school at Holden Chapel and Beth enlisted many students and teachers to help decorate and fill bags. Our Recycling Center was a wonderful help with donations of tissue paper and the many of th staff there made up a filled bag and were always good about reminding people exactly what weeaide was. The First Congretrational Church took on the challenge and not only made bags, but helped to deliver them to a downtown Worcester mission. The First Baptist Church not only gave us the rooms we needed to stage such a project, but aso helped with the collection from their Women's Fellowship Christmas Tea drive for weeaide, as well as having many people of the congregation make bags on their own, help assembly bags, help deliver bags and took the project to many of their workplaces (like St. Vincent's Hospital) and had them help with the project. The Nerid Swim Club at the YMCA in Worcester joined forces and were led by Cindy and Lori to put together bags. Barbara and the RSVP group in Worcester had creative ways to involve members and they willingly had social gatherings to put together these gifts. The Holden Women's club let me speak at their meeting and from that we not only received bags, but Holly who was willing to be there to help whenever she was called. Some of our real estate companies in Holden and a couple of restaurants (Val's and Sandwich Shop) gave bags or supplies to the cause. Mayo School was a big help with their donation box and not only that but their art teacher Dianne helped using the talents of the children with decorating 75 bags. And some teachers like Jen L. ( who had made it a class project each year) helped with many bags filled from their students. Gayle M. had her youth group and her congregation at St. George's helped with decorated filled bags and extra supplies. St. Mary's in Holden came together and their youth group and families made around 60 filled bags.
The Wackiest School Volunteers and their leaders Carol P. and the students, decorated and filled 50 bags and gave us extra supplies. Beta Sigma Psi and Barbara from Rutland gave us over 20 decorated bags. Denise and her sister Lisa spent countless hours helping to fill bags as well as bringing supplies from their families. Dear friends (many already mentioned) always come up to the plate to help us with this project. So you all know where the name comes from. - it is a wee help (aide) and we all did it! This would not be possible without your help. God has blessed me is so many, many ways and not the least of these if that he allows me to do this for others and only with the help of others. I love all of you and thank you from the bottom of my heart and with great appreciation from the people who receive these small tokens of love from you.
My greatest wish is, especially if you are just looking at this project for the first time, that it will spread to your community. Get a group together, make these bags of love and share them with people who need your help. God has always led where they should go and I am sure that He will lead you to give them out. If you make them, they will go. I also encourage everyone to carry on in their car and give them when you see the need. You are teaching your children a great and wonderful lesson when they watch you give to someone less fortunate. If I can be of any assistance, please contact me. My sincerest thanks, Gwen
So many new companies and communities came on board this year. GM Bergeron has helped each and every year and this year they even increased their usual 15 bags or boxes to 21 bags and all I had to do was ask because the need increased they increased their donation. Our Gale Free Library staff have always gives so cheerfully. Deb and the staff at Remam worked to help give and fill bags as did Mary and the F17 Administration staff at INTEL. Jennifer, Lynn, Barbara and staff at Dr. Neal Novak's office became a major drop off center as well as knitting machines for our efforts. Claire from the Holden Senior center spent endless hours cutting out mittens and Hazel spent time sewing those cut out mittens. The Senior Center was a drop off center as well and with filled boxes of donations. The school at Holden Chapel and Beth enlisted many students and teachers to help decorate and fill bags. Our Recycling Center was a wonderful help with donations of tissue paper and the many of th staff there made up a filled bag and were always good about reminding people exactly what weeaide was. The First Congretrational Church took on the challenge and not only made bags, but helped to deliver them to a downtown Worcester mission. The First Baptist Church not only gave us the rooms we needed to stage such a project, but aso helped with the collection from their Women's Fellowship Christmas Tea drive for weeaide, as well as having many people of the congregation make bags on their own, help assembly bags, help deliver bags and took the project to many of their workplaces (like St. Vincent's Hospital) and had them help with the project. The Nerid Swim Club at the YMCA in Worcester joined forces and were led by Cindy and Lori to put together bags. Barbara and the RSVP group in Worcester had creative ways to involve members and they willingly had social gatherings to put together these gifts. The Holden Women's club let me speak at their meeting and from that we not only received bags, but Holly who was willing to be there to help whenever she was called. Some of our real estate companies in Holden and a couple of restaurants (Val's and Sandwich Shop) gave bags or supplies to the cause. Mayo School was a big help with their donation box and not only that but their art teacher Dianne helped using the talents of the children with decorating 75 bags. And some teachers like Jen L. ( who had made it a class project each year) helped with many bags filled from their students. Gayle M. had her youth group and her congregation at St. George's helped with decorated filled bags and extra supplies. St. Mary's in Holden came together and their youth group and families made around 60 filled bags.
The Wackiest School Volunteers and their leaders Carol P. and the students, decorated and filled 50 bags and gave us extra supplies. Beta Sigma Psi and Barbara from Rutland gave us over 20 decorated bags. Denise and her sister Lisa spent countless hours helping to fill bags as well as bringing supplies from their families. Dear friends (many already mentioned) always come up to the plate to help us with this project. So you all know where the name comes from. - it is a wee help (aide) and we all did it! This would not be possible without your help. God has blessed me is so many, many ways and not the least of these if that he allows me to do this for others and only with the help of others. I love all of you and thank you from the bottom of my heart and with great appreciation from the people who receive these small tokens of love from you.
My greatest wish is, especially if you are just looking at this project for the first time, that it will spread to your community. Get a group together, make these bags of love and share them with people who need your help. God has always led where they should go and I am sure that He will lead you to give them out. If you make them, they will go. I also encourage everyone to carry on in their car and give them when you see the need. You are teaching your children a great and wonderful lesson when they watch you give to someone less fortunate. If I can be of any assistance, please contact me. My sincerest thanks, Gwen
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