A BIG and Exciting Challenge!

Okay so I got some terrific news today!  I connected recently with a camp I volunteered with while I was in college known as Special Days Camp.  It's based in Michigan and was closely connected to Mott Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan.  It is a camp for kids who have or have had cancer and their siblings.  They have a summer program and a winter program; I was fortunate enough to have been a part of both camps numerous times.  I sent out an offer to Special Days to send them hats for their upcoming winter camp and they accepted.  The woman I am in contact with said they are planning on 115 kids for winter camp and she figured that I probably wouldn't be able to send them that many hats but I would like to do just that!!  So I guess by now you have figured out that they money we make from the bow sales is going to buying hats for Special Days. I would like to offer up this challenge to those of you who are supporters of this project.  Please help me in getting hats for all of the campers at this years winter camp...if you are knitting hats for Christmas maybe you could knit a couple of extras or if you see a good deal on winter hats maybe you could pick up a few for our kids.  If you indeed would like to help us with this mission, email me at tanyalg30@hotmail.com and I will send you my address.

Let me tell you a little bit about Special Days from my experiences.  Special Days is the second oldest oncology camp in the world and was started by a father of a daughter with cancer.  They have kids come from Michigan mostly but also from Chicago and Indiana; they are ages 5-18.  Special Days does 3 different programs: they have Special Days Summer Camp for kids who have or have had cancer, Special Days Partners Summer Camp for the siblings of cancer patients, and Special Days and Partners Winter Camp which includes everyone.  My first summer at Special Days was right after my grandma passed away from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.  I wasn't 100% sure I wanted to go and be around a whole camp full of people with cancer given our family's recent loss.  I was sure it was going to be so very sad...sick kids, sad stories, limited activities, etc.  Boy was I WRONG...nothing could have been further from the truth.  The kids who come to Special Days are full of spirit and energy, if they feel poorly you would never know it.  These kids are treated to some amazing adventures...hot air balloon rides, horse back riding, small plane rides, swimming, tent camping, all sorts of things.  There really is no sadness only joy and love.  That's not to say that they don't acknowledge the reality of cancer, they do have a night of remembrance for the campers who lost have  their battles but mostly that night is a celebration of the love that surrounds this camp.  The campers are just wonderful.  If they are currently on treatment there is a dedicated medical staff there 24/7 so those needs are always taken care of.  I learned how much it takes out of a parent to leave their child who is battling cancer with a camp counselor for a week but I can assure you the staff take such loving care of these special campers and partner campers.  Special Days is really a special place and I am so excited to be able to give something back to them.  Special Days gave me a great deal of healing and hope that first summer and to be able to give back is really important to me.

Soo...if you are up for the challenge to get 120 winter hats (so they have a few extras) to Special Days I'd be so grateful!!  If you are interested in helping, email me at tanyalg30@hotmail.com.

Getting Ready...

So, this month we have made a donation to Central DuPage Hospital's Cancer Center and on Friday will be making a donation to the Ronald McDonald Children's Hospital at Loyola!  Pretty excited about that!  We received a wonderful donation of hats and headbands from one of my cousins (thanks Jacquelyn) and we were interviewed for another blog - Tiny Blue Lines (thanks Chaunie).  We are also getting ready for a sale of hair bows at St. Petronille Catholic Church's Christmas Craft Fair!!  I have lost count as to the number of bows I have to sell but I'm hopeful we will be making a lot of money!  If you are in the Glen Ellyn or surrounding area please stop by and say hello!  Maybe pick up a bow or two!  The craft fair is happening November 13, 2011!  Things are going well and I hope that everyone who is reading this has a wonderfully fun Halloween!  Thanks again for all the support!

Fulfilling a Dream!

Okay I just needed to post this because I am so very excited!  I got an email back today from St. Jude's Children's Hospital with approval to add them to the list of hospital which we are donating to!  They will only accept the headbands at this time because they get a lot of hats (as I can imagine) and they have very strict guidelines for their donations (understandably)!  As a kid, I would ride in the St. Jude's Bike-A-Thons and as I got older I always thought it would be the place I would end up working.   My husband and I even made a pilgrimage there when we moved from Michigan to Texas, just because I wanted to see in person this place where miracles happen.  I'm sure you have watched the St. Jude infomercials and listened to those Stories of Hope and thought what "what would I do" hoping to never have to find out; but it does happen, as it did to my brother.  I think everything changes from that moment of diagnosis on.  I think the conception of this project started long ago, on those late nights watching those St. Jude's commercials and hoping that it never happens to anyone I love.  But it did and now we can do and are doing something to try and make the day or even just a moment a little brighter for those brave brave children.  Yep, it's a dream fulfilled for me to be able to do something for kids battling cancer.  I've heard the story that Danny Thomas (the founder of St. Jude's) prayed to St. Jude saying "show me the way and I will build you a shrine" - he listened and acted on what his heart was telling him to do.  Obviously, this project is nowhere near what he did but just as I was wondering if this project was going to continue, I get this email from St. Jude's agreeing to accept a donation from us.  Maybe I'm just being really way too mushy (and if you know me you know I'm a big no huge sap) but this is really meaningful to me and to this project.  Thank you St. Jude's for allowing us to be a part of your kids' lives! :)

Yes, we are still here!!!!

Okay, I know shame on me!!  I haven't posted anything in a while but it's been a crazy time in our home (summer fun, camping - yikes, school starting), so getting time to do much of anything else has been close to impossible!  Luke, of Luke's Lids, and his family also moved home this summer and are now closer to our family and I know that everyone is so happy about that!  Welcome home Luke and Co!

We are working right now on hats and bows, planning for a donation the beginning of October (keeping my fingers crossed that we can make that goal).  We are also going to be selling bows at a craft show, November 13 at St. Petronille Catholic Church here in Glen Ellyn, so if you are around here please please please come by and tell your friends to come by!!  To be frank, we really need to make some money to keep this project going! There are some super cute Kofi hats that I want to purchase for the winter months but they are expensive and in order to be able to buy them I need to sell A LOT of bows!  I did get a wonderful donation from Diane Lucas of beautiful hats for this project!  They are so soft and comfy, I know our kids are going to LOVE them!  Thank You Thank You Thank You!!!!

There is so much that I would like to do for this fall and winter season!!  I have seen some adorable ribbon for Halloween and Christmas, as well as collegiate ribbon that I would love to buy but the ribbon is quite expensive so I am hoping to sell out our bows at the craft show in November!!!  I was thinking it might help if I could find a local store that might be willing to sell our bows during the year so if anyone knows of a store that might be willing to help please contact me (tanyalg30@hotmail.com)!!   Until I file for 501(c)3 status we are funding this project on our own and really need to find some different ways to keep going and growing!!  If you have any ideas I am all ears!!  Any and all help is so welcome and appreciated!!!

I hate asking for help so this is all really hard for me to write but in order to keep this project alive I need you!!!  I need people to help me brainstorm ideas, make bows and hats, and deliver them to as many kids as we possibly can!  I'm hoping to connect with St. Jude's in the next couple of weeks about starting a partnership with them as well and I'm pretty excited about that.  I am just so grateful for all the help that we have received thus far...especially from my sister who is my partner in all this.  Kimi you are such an inspiration to me and I am so proud to be doing this project with you!!!  Thank You Thank You Thank You and I Love You!!

Have a blessed day everyone and thanks for taking the time to read!!!!

Bow Sale this Weekend!!!!

Okay, so this Thursday through Saturday, I am going to be selling bows during the Glen Ellyn Sidewalk Sales!  I will have a table set up outside of the Swap Shop (Thursday and Friday from 10:30 - 1 and in the evening, Saturday all day) with a variety of bows for sale.  All proceeds are going right back into purchasing the supplies needed to continue our mission of creating funky headware for kids with cancer.  If you are in Glen Ellyn, stop by and see me and tell your friends!
Thanks for all the continued support and hope to see some of you this weekend!!

Growth and Expansion

Wow!  All I can say is Wow!  I feel so blessed to be surrounded by so many people who care about this project!  I have to first start with Canada - no not the country - but the vacation there with my husband's family.  I am so grateful to my husband's mom and aunt for the beautiful scarves they brought from India and his cousins and sister for helping me out with creating so many funky fun hats and headbands while in the beautiful setting of Cottage Country!  You ladies did an awesome job and I am so proud of you all!  Next, I have to say that my sister (AKA project partner) and I rocked it out the following week while I was home with my family!  We were up late almost every night making bows for headbands and brainstorming our next moves (which I am so very excited about)!  Between the hats in Canada and the bows in Michigan, we managed to make 150 hats, headbands, and scarves.  That means that we have enough to supply 3 different hospitals this month!  AMAZING!!

  

In our brainstorming sessions, my sister and I decided that it might be beneficial to start selling some of our bows to help fund this project, so......I will be selling bows this week (Thursday through Saturday or until they are gone) during the Glen Ellyn sidewalk sales outside of an awesome shop called the Swap Shop (thank you Beverly)!!!  So if you live in the area, please come by and check them out!  We are going to try to start selling them at area craft fairs and possibly some local shops.  If you know of a store owner who might be willing to keep a couple of bows on hand to sell, please contact me!  We are also planning a hat/headband making party in our hometown of North Branch, so keep checking for updates as we finalize dates and times for this event!

The last bit of exciting news is we have added another hospital to our project!  I will be making a first delivery to the pediatric oncology unit of Central DuPage Hospital next week and I am very excited about this!  I have to thank the Chicago area chapter of the American Cancer Society for this connection!

I am so humbled at the path this project has taken and thank God for all of the wonderful people helping us to continue our mission.  I'm not sure "thank you" is enough, but to all of you who have helped us out in any way, my God bless you and thank you from the bottom of my heart!

If you know of anyone who might like a hat or headband please contact me or if you know of a hospital that might be interested in a donation please let me know!

Creative juices are a-flowin'!

It has indeed been a while my friends!  With summer now upon us, my boys want to spend most of their time outdoors so it has been hard to get much accomplished!  I did have one fun evening with my friend Tina making hats!  I also had my bow making sister teach me her craft, which I am leaning slowly but surely.  I have to say my bows are not quite as adorable as Kim's but it's a start, right!  My in-laws are in town right now and have graciously donated a box full of beautiful scarves from India for this endeavor, so between those and the hats we have been able to finish, I am ready to make my first donations to Hurley Medical Center and the Ronald McDonald Children's Hospital at Loyola Medical Center.  I do not yet have a tally for the Hurley donation but I have 45 hats and scarves for Loyola.  I'm so excited to get these out to the hospitals and start getting some feedback!

I would like to take a moment to thank a few people...
My good friend Tina - thanks for helping me out and all of your great ideas!
My mother-in -law and my husband's aunt - thanks for all the scarves, I'm sure the girls are going to love them!
My sister Kimi - thanks for teaching me the art of the hair bow!
My friend Lori's mom - thanks for all the hats, you are awesome!

Hopefully your summer is off to a fun and exciting start!  If you are reading this and have any suggestions for hat ideas or know of someone in need of some funky headware, please let me know!