Thursday, March 22, 2007

Bev's Charity Challenge Yahoo Groups List

Bev's Charity Challenge is a discussion/support group for sewers, knitters and crocheters of all ages, to make as many items as they have challenged themselves to make for charity. We are here to share links to patterns, ideas to make things, charity info and ideas, and support for one another to help us achieve our goals for the year.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bevs-charity-challenge/

Labels: Charity Crafting

// posted by Knitting a Conundrum @ 8:14 AM

Saturday, March 03, 2007

Jesse's Branch Charity Crafts - (Charity Knitting)

Labels: Charity Crafting

// posted by Knitting a Conundrum @ 8:41 AM

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Warmth Around the World

If you can knit, crochet, or quilt, then Reaching Out needs you!

Reaching Out’s Warmth Around the World project will donate children’s sweaters, hats, mittens, blankets, and quilts to orphanages in countries such as Russia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Nepal, and Kazakhstan. Orphanages in many of these countries are struggling to provide for the overwhelming number of children in their care. These countries often experience very cold winters and keeping all the children adequately bundled up can be a daunting task.

We’re looking for willing hands to help us make child-sized sweaters, hats, mittens, blankets, and quilts for orphanages abroad. Dust off your needles and recruit your friends and family, churches and schools! Your time and talent will help to warm a child in need!

Sweaters can be made from the simple patterns below or from a pattern of your choice. All children’s sizes are desperately needed and greatly appreciated. Donations of yarn are also appreciated and will be used by the knitters here at Reaching Out.

Blankets and quilts can be the size of a baby blanket up to twin bed sized and can be made from any pattern of your choice.

Hats and mittens should be sized infant through adolescent. They can be made with any pattern of your choice or store bought. Used hats or mittens should be clean.

Website has contact information and patterns you can use

Website HERE

Labels: Charity Crafting

// posted by Knitting a Conundrum @ 9:45 AM

Friday, February 16, 2007

Bev's Country Cottage Charity Crafting Links

Bev's Country Cottage posts links only to charities, and websites that are free to join and who do not charge for patterns or to become a chapter. *** This page has been on my website for many years, and not all charities email me to let me know if they no longer accept donations. You may wish to email web owners to ask if they still are in need.

"When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed. We have refused to be instruments of love in the hands of God to give the poor a piece of bread, to offer them a dress with which to ward off the cold. It has happened because we did not recognize Christ when, once more, he appeared under the guise of pain, identified with a man numb from the cold, dying from hunger, when he came in a lonely human being, in a lost child in search of a home."
Mother Teresa

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Labels: Charity Crafting

// posted by Knitting a Conundrum @ 12:24 PM

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Touching Little Lives

Every eight seconds a baby is born. Every hour four babies die. Birth defects are the leading cause of infant mortality. One in five infant deaths is due to birth defects. Every two minutes a low birth weight baby is born. Every year more than 5,500 babies are born weighing less than one pound. Every minute a baby is born to a teen mother. One in nine infants is born preterm - less than 37 weeks gestation. The U.S. infant mortality rate is higher than 24 other nations.*

Cold facts and hard figures. To bring it closer to home, according to one research group as reported in an August 2000 issue of the Columbus Dispatch**, the child poverty rate increased in Ohio by 50% in the past 20 years, much higher than the national rate during the same period. It's a simple fact that many of Ohio's newborns lack the basic necessities to assist them in developing and sustaining good health. A warm blanket and clothing are vital to a newborn to retain body heat. These simple items can make the difference in an infant's ability to ward off other illnesses which could develop, necessitating return hospital stays that could have been prevented and adding to the already high cost. Our mission is to 'touch the little lives' of needy premature and newborn infants in Ohio, to do all that we can to give them, free of any charge, the necessities that every newborn needs. Our volunteers hand make quilts, blankets, caps, booties, gowns, undershirts, afghans, bibs, sleepers, and other articles as well as provide diapers, hygiene products, formula and bottles when possible.

Unfortunately there is one additional need that we sadly meet within our communities. Imagine, if you will, a young couple eagerly awaiting the birth of their new child. For reasons known only to God, this tiny angel is called to join its Heavenly Father. Instead of being able to rejoice at this new life, the sad reality is that this family must now provide for a single outfit in which to lay their precious child to rest. Many of these children arrive into this world prematurely, weighing less than one pound. At this difficult time, when a family member should be happily shopping at toy stores for rattles or toys for their child, they are instead there looking for doll clothing small enough to fit. Our volunteers respond during this time of grieving by providing burial layettes to these families for their child, a tear sewn into every stitch. A tear of sorrow for the child, a tear of love and compassion for the family.

Each year literally hundreds upon hundreds of premature and needy babies are admitted to our local Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU). The extremely small size of many of these infants makes it difficult to find clothing that fits, and when it can be found, is often beyond the affordable range of many families. Every item which we provide is completely free of charge and no one in our organization receives any salary or compensation for their work. Every penny donated is spent on providing for these little lives. This is truly a charity of the heart, our reward being the personal satisifaction of helping those too young and fragile to help themselves.

In addition to providing clothing and necessity items to newborns, we also make and provide neonatal positioning devices(snuggles, snakes and frogs)to area hospitals as well as surgery dolls and stuffed animals. The positioning devices are used in the NICU to support the many tubes and monitoring devices often attached to the newborns. Our surgery dolls are used by doctors and nurses to draw on and graphically explain to a young child about their pending surgery. This helps the child understand what he or she is about to undergo. This doll is then given to the child, something to hold on to during the stressful hospital stay and something to take with when they are finally able to return home. We make stuffed animals and these are provided to various area agencies and emergency rooms. Having something soft to cling to during a time of stress can do much to ease the trauma of a young child.

If you would be interested in becoming a part of Touching Little Lives, or would like further information about what you can do, visit our "How You Can Help" page on this web site.

*Based on 1994 final data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Calculations by the March of Dimes Prenatal Data Center 1997.

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Labels: Charities, Charity Crafting

// posted by Knitting a Conundrum @ 11:09 AM

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Project Linus

Project Linus is a 100% volunteer non-profit organization with a two-fold mission.

	First, it is our mission to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers”.
	Second, it is our mission to provide a rewarding and fun service opportunity for interested individuals and groups in local communities, for the benefit of children.

About Us

Project Linus National Headquarters is located in Bloomington, Illinois. National President Carol Babbitt, and Vice President Mary Balagna, both full time volunteers, direct and orchestrate the activities of Project Linus chapters located across the United States. Both have been involved with the organization since late 1998, as chapter coordinators and now as directors and officers. They also maintain a very busy Central Illinois chapter, donating an average of 350 blankets every month to local children. With chapters in all 50 states, Project Linus continues to grow. Blankets are collected locally and distributed to children in hospitals, shelters, social service agencies, or anywhere that a child might be in need of a big hug.

"I am extremely pleased by the outpouring of support Project Linus has enjoyed." states Babbitt. "The comfort brought to a child by a Project Linus security blanket should not be underestimated. Thanks to our many blanketeers and our chapter coordinators, millions of children and their families have been given comfort and security at a time when they need it most. In addition, blanketeers are given an opportunity to use their talents and abilities in most rewarding way."

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Labels: Charity Crafting

// posted by Knitting a Conundrum @ 7:22 AM