Kristina Collects Scarves

This holiday season, bring a little warmth to girls who suffer from eating disorders.

We are pleased to be supporting Kristina for the third year … please, if you have a hand-knit or crochet scarf that you would like to donate, bring it (or mail it to this address) to the store between now and December 14th and we’ll make sure that Kristina gets it.

Here is the note we received from Kristina …

Hello, my name is Kristina, and this will be my 3rd year organizing the donation of hand knit/crocheted scarves for Project Heartstrings.

This philanthropy project will send scarves to girls and women that will be spending their holiday season in an Inpatient Treatment Facility for Eating Disorders.

The purpose of this project is to express to all the girls and women that just like the hand knit scarf they will receive, nothing and no one is perfect. And instead of striving for a thin version of perfection, they should learn to love their bodies just the way they were made. Last year, with the Wool & Company’s help, I received over 125 scarves and was able to send the scarves to 3 different treatment facilities!

This project is so close to my heart because only 3 years ago I too was a patient struggling with Anorexia. I know first hand that the littlest gestures can have the biggest impact in one girl’s recovery. I hope you will help me in bringing smiles to each of the girls during their recovery by knitting a warm, cozy scarf to send!

You can drop off or send the scarves to the Wool & Company store from now until December 14th. If you would like to contact me, leave a letter with your scarf, a return address or email, and I will reply as soon as I pick up the scarves.

Thank you for all your help!

You can help us help them. We will be assembling and delivering simple care packages while we are there. We will be filling 1 gallon Ziplocs with much-needed items that will help the recipients through the holiday season.

Please consider donating any of the following items (you can drop them at the store), and we’ll make sure that they get to those in need.

You have always been so generous in the past, and we look forward to continuing the tradition of Wool and Company Customers stepping up to help those in our society who find themselves on the wrong side of the poverty trap.

Care package items (travel size bottles please):

• Disposable razors
• Shaving cream
• Body/hand lotion
• Toothbrushes
• Nail clippers
• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Emery boards
• Soap
• Body wash
• Combs
• Deodorant
• Candy
• Gum
• Energy/snack bars
• Hot chocolate packets

To help make that happen, in conjunction with Skacel, we are very proud to introduce the “Egg-stra” Special Sock Kit. This sock pattern was designed by Rosemary “Chappy” Chapman, this time in honor of Susanne Skacel, a three-year survivor of ovarian cancer. The Teal color of Trekking in this kit is the official color designated to ovarian cancer, and has been specially dyed just for this cause. Every design aspect of this sock, from the cuff to the toe, is a reminder to us that ovarian cancer can be beaten if we, as women, unite.

All the proceeds from the sale of these kits will be donated to the Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research (marsharivkin.org).

We have heard from Citizen Sam that the armed forces will not take any kind of knitted hats, helmet liners or scarves in the future.

Please do not send us any more liners – we will not accept any more as we cannot send them on, so please, please, please do not send them.

After August 15th we will let you know how many liners (close to 1000) you have donated and we will be letting you know about other charities that we are supporting that you can knit for. For example, Prayer Shawls and Baby Blankets always seem to be in demand, so you can always have things to make. But stay tuned to emails and ‘like us’ on facebook.

By the way, did you know that we have plenty of charity yarn available in the store? Come in and ask for it – you can take whatever you need, and there’s no charge. We simply ask that you fill in a form to tell us about the charity knitting that you’re doing and when the project is complete you can send us some pictures so that the generous folks who donated the yarn know what good it did. Also if you have yarn for us to pass on, just drop it off here (whole skeins only, please – and must have the original yarn band).

More than 70 troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are patrolling with comfort, thanks to the efforts of one woman: Carol Rosene.

Earlier this year, the St. Charles resident became aware that helmet liners worn by servicemen and women are made of nylon and very uncomfortable, but that the government accepts wool liners made by citizens to replace the nylon pieces.

Carol Rosene, 72, of St. Charles, is passionate about helping servicemen and women in Afghanistan and Iraq, so she knits helmet liners for them to use in battle. She is the daughter of a World War II veteran, so she says she can relate to the families of those overseas.

read the full article …

July 3, 2010 by KATIE MORELL For Sun-Times Media

I am dropping you a quick note to let you know that we received your donation of 86 Helmetliners, 39 Neck Gators and 38 Stocking Caps on July 16, 2010. This brings your year to date total to 419 Helmetliners, 13 Scarves, 153 Neck Gators, 25 Cards, 1 Cardigan and 52 Stocking Caps.

We appreciate your generosity because without volunteers like you this wouldn’t be possible.

Thank you for supporting our troops.

Kandy Scribner
Administrative Coordinator
Citizen SAM

www.citizensam.org

Citizen Support for America’s Military is a 501 (c)3 charitable organization.

Want to learn more about how you are supporting our troops?

From the triblocal …

As the final curtain closed on Pheasant Run’s Mainstage on May 17, the Noble Fool Theatricals Performing Arts Academy’s Cinderella cast left the theater knowing they’d accomplished more than entertaining an audience. This cast of 6 to 8 year-olds turned their time in the spotlight into an opportunity to help other children.

The cast of Noble Fool Theatricals Performing Arts Academy’s spring musical not only spent six weeks rehearsing for two performances, they also collected donations of shoes, socks and shoelaces for the 10th annual Shoes for Orphan Souls shoe drive. The cast members set out donation bins at local businesses, schools and churches. Some of the girls asked their Girl Scout troops for donations. In addition, the cast invited the audience to donate these items at the performances.

So far, the cast has collected 130 pairs of shoes, 168 pairs of socks, 4 pairs of shoelaces and the donations haven’t all been counted yet.

There’s still time to donate … just bring your new shoes, socks and laces and drop them at the store.

If you want to see how valuable these shoes are check out this news release from Partners in Health.

You are now well on the way to hitting the 500 mark for these hand-knits which we know are treasured by the recipients.  We’ll continue to collect and send, so feel free to come by and drop your finished items, or just come sit and knit one here.

I was moved some weeks ago when one of our elderly customers came in to drop one off and while we were chatting she said, “You know why I knit these?”,  I said “Tell me”, “Because it make two people warm” was her response.  I felt a lump in my throat.

If you’d like to get involved, you could contact Sandie and her Wooly Knitters.  They meet every Wednesday at the Caribou Coffee on Roosevelt Road in Glen Ellyn to honor our soldiers and foster a sisterhood of knitters. Send her a message here if you have questions or would like more information.

And this is our article that marked the start of our involvement.

We are supporting Noble Fool Theatricals presentation of Cinderella by NFT Academy Students at Pheasant Run, on Sunday, May 16th at 6:30 and and Monday, May 17th at 6:30. Admission is free, however, we would request that you consider giving the equivalent of a glas slipper by donating a new pair of shoes, socks or laces to Shoes for Orphan Souls.

Your gift will provide a pair of new shoes to a needy child overseas. Many of these children have never owned a new pair of shoes.

There is a drop box for donated shoes, socks and laces at Wool and Company. For every pair of new shoes donated you’ll be able to select two pattern books from our out-of-print collection (up to a $20 value).

Shoes for Orphan Souls, a ministry of Buckner International, has distributed more than 1.8 million pairs of new shoes to at-risk children in the United States and to orphans in 68 countries around the world. While the program has made a difference in many lives, there are still millions of children we can reach – all through a pair of shoes. Shoes for Orphan Souls is seeking donations of new shoes, socks and shoelaces from individuals, corporations, churches and civic groups.