Church Ladies Report of 2011

I was asked to chair the humanitarian efforts of the women's church group that I am a member of in July of 2009.  I think it was because I have time, networked connections, and passion.
Each year, I try to organize at least five or six worthy projects that may only take a little money, a little time, or little energy.  There is a saying that paraphrased says "We are not asking everyone to do everything, we are asking everyone to do something." 

Really, when you think about it, if everyone did a little something, all those "somethings" add up into a bunch of big somethings.

These ladies are so diverse.  They work.  They don't work.  They have big families.  They have small familes.  Some have children.  Some do not.  Some are healthy.  Some are not.  Some have educations.   Some do not. 

The common thing I love about church is that we all are so so different, but seem to be earnestly striving to makes things better.  Including ourselves and things around us.

So, I slapped a fun name on the humanitarian efforts (Church Ladies Projects) which comes from what my Rotarians call us, and we have been going ever since.

Each calendar year end, I write a report of what projects we did and what the total donations amounted to. 
Here is the report for this year:
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Dear Church Ladies:
It humbles me to write this.  We have been doing Church Ladies projects for two and half years, and I thought you would like to know what we did this year and what we have done in total.

When I was a PTA president, we were taught that numbers measured much of the work we did.  We, of course, don’t serve our fellow men for numbers, but it is one way to see where we have been.

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Total estimated items for 2011:
107,000 (conservative estimation)
2011:

Ronald McDonald House

Collected Pop Tabs and keys
#99,654 (give or take a few) 
$9,965.40 monetary donation value
(a special shout out to Laura Lee’s school who has donated over 80,000 of them!)

Free Will Victory Baptist Church

Monetary, time and goods donations

February 2011: (Stake Project)

KC Rescue Mission Men’s Homeless Shelter
Collected Men’s clothing

March 2011:

KC Rescue Mission
Collected Easter candy
#4, 697 pieces

April 2011:

Japanese school children
Sent encouraging emails after the earthquake

July 2011:

KC Rescue Mission
Took ice cream sandwiches for July 4^th
#48
Cookies for an event

November 2011:
KC Rescue Mission

Made homemade Christmas Cards
#100

December 2011:

Northland Christmas Store
#2 families served

Crossroads Hospice

Cookies for the dying
#224 bags/877 cookies

KC Rescue Mission

Christmas cards and photographs
#130 bags/ 720 pieces of candy
#60 donated photographs
#60 stamps
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Total donated measurable items for the last two and half years:
(remember that everything cannot be counted)
142,000 items donated
132,000 stayed locally here in Kansas City

What is on the horizon for 2012?

This is our tentative outline:

Ongoing:

*Collecting pop tabs

 *Making lunches monthly for the homeless with the Baptist Church

 *Helping to ready the new clothing room for the new KC Rescue Mission for WOMEN.  This is a project in the works that we have been approached by the Mission specifically and asked to be involved.  More information is forthcoming.

March:  Pack boxes for Easter with the Lutheran Church

May:  Make cookies for the job fair at the Northland Cathedral or collect items for the Buddist Bodhi Project
August:  Collect school supplies for the Midwest Foster Care Program
November:  Pack boxes for the Thanksgiving with the Lutherans

Mother Theresa said that she felt her call was to “serve those who felt most unloved, unwanted, uncared for... those who often found it difficult to believe in His love because of their circumstances.”  As the project chair, I have strived to find these very people here in our community so that we could serve them in a kind, loving way.  We are working to network with other religions and groups so that we can connect with them and to show them who we really are.

Ladies, I sincerely say thank you.  With everyone contributing a little something, we have all worked together to make this happen.  These items have served THOUSANDS of our heavenly brothers and sisters, the very children of Heavenly Father who may need it most.

Love,

Sister Valerie Anderson

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I love how a whole bunch of little "somethings" can go a long way.