Honour your spirit - DRAW

Here I have been for the last couple of months, producing fabric baskets for an upcoming craft sale. I am really enjoying these goofy baskets. They are handy. I have one by the door with my keys and camera. One by my bed with bookmarks, pens, reading glasses and lip balm. One in my bathroom for hair clips. One on my dresser with fave earrings and braceletes. Daughter has one for coins and other pocket debris. Hubby has a teeny, tiny one to toss his hearing aids into (hey, shouldn't those be in your ears so you can hear my melodious voice?!)

Because my rant about Chrsitmas over in Fat Ewe's thread leaves the impression that I am a soulless ghoul, I want to change that. So, in the spirit that I DO believe in, the spirit of quiet gratitude and joy in simple pleasures and good deeds, kindness to others and simple acts that mean a lot, I propose the following DRAW.

This works entirely on the honour system. I will do exactly as I say I will do. I do not fudge. Both FarmChiq and CynthiaM can attest to my doing the quilt draw exactly as I said I would. Scouts honour.

What can you win? Two of my handmade baskets, mailed to you, at my cost. You will win by having your name drawn randomly from a bucket of eligible names.

How does your name go in the bucket? You have to make a donation to a charity, then you tell us what charity you donated to (not how much, that does not matter) but tell us WHO you gave to and why you believe in this charity enough to support their cause. IT does not have to be a huge, international charity, although it can be. Or it can be a small local project attempting to raise funds for something just at your community level. IT doesn't matter what or how much. YOu just have to actually MAKE THE DONATION, then make a post about it.

I will keep checking on this thread, and when I see a new post by someone, I will write your name on a paper and toss it in the bucket. If you want to make 3 seperate donations to 3 separate charities, you get 3 names in the bucket.

Honour system. I have no way of verifying that you actually do what you say you will, but I hope, in the spirit of giving and honesty, you actually make the donation you claim to make. And I give you my word that barring some unforseen accident, I will make a little name bucket and toss you in as you post.

THE WINNER MUST POST A PIC OF THEIR BASKETS WHEN THEY RECEIVE THEM AND SAY HOW FABULOUS THEY ARE AND HOW TALENTED I AM!

Wanna play?

Ok, I will start. Does yesterday donation count? I donate to the Salvation Army as often as I see them around. I am happy to give them money. It is mostly this time of year (I think I have 5 or 6 poppies already ) and Christmas that I do it.
I picked them because of something I read about the big wigs are the lowest paid of all the 'no profit' organisations. I want my donation to go to help something or someone, not to have some CEO drive a fancy car and go out for expensive lunches on an expense account.

I donated to the Myrnam Parents for Play (they are raising funds to put in a multi-sport court at the school, and I think it's important for kids at a small rural school to have the opportunity to play sports and exercise) and the New Myrnam School breakfast program (they provide a FREE breakfast EVERY DAY for EVERY KID at the school - so important for kids to have enough energy to learn!).

We have a FB auction site here in Cranbrook. It started out with just a few folks and has grown sooo fast. Anyway, I sell a few homemade things on it and all the money I get from sales goes to our local foodbank. Not the profit amount but the entire sale amount. It is not a lot but it is adding up. Makes me feel good and gives me something to do. I believe in helping local and the food bank here does very good work. We also do charity fundraising for MD and the Salvation Army.

Ooooohhhh.....I'm in Uno!

Ok wait...so does it just have to be only money we are donating? I am asking because I am actually planning to cut my hair (along with some other ladies from school) to donate for Locks of Love. This is to make wigs for women and children who lose their hair from cancer treatments. We are also raising money for the event to donate to the Cancer society. This is a very important cause to me...very dear to my heart.

About 3 years ago now, my absolute most favorite Uncle in the world was diagnosed with lung cancer. They only gave him a few months to live. This man was the most incredibly unselfish, loving, supportive human being I had ever had the pleasure of knowing. We have many uncles in our family, and yet any time someone said "I'm going over to Uncle's after work"...we all knew who they were talking about. He was a man affectionately referred to only as "Uncle"...with a capital 'U'. No need to explain which uncle...ever. He never married or had children of his own; was blind all of his life; and yet he played a HUGE role in raising every single niece, nephew, great-niece, great-nephew, etc. in the family. Every one of us looked to his house as our second home...and often spent more waking hours in his house than we did in our own!

For the next few months we all had to watch the strongest and most giving man in our life as he slowly withered away. Day by day he became thinner and more frail, yet never did he stop smiling or stop laughing. He would tease the nurses about getting a sponge bath, and every nurse who ever came near him made room in their hearts for this man. One just couldn't help it. Not a single rational human being could meet this man and not immediately like him.

In the end...he once said to me "I am not afraid to die...I'll be just fine where I'm going. It's only those of you I am leaving behind that I worry about. I don't want any of you to waste tears for me when you could be living for me instead." He planned his own funeral...down to the songs and the John Deere cookie jar he wanted his ashes to be laid to rest in. And when that day came...and we said goodbye....not one of us could help but to stop living just for a moment to allow our tears to flow...and let him go.

Uncle Art meant the world to me, to my children, to every single person he ever met...and cancer stole him from us. For this, I am always looking to find ways, any way that I can, to help other victims of this horrid disease.

There you have it Uno...this is my story. I am hoping our school can raise LOTS of money for cancer. Us ladies with Locks of Love, and the male teachers with their participation in MOvember. I will keep you posted as to how we do!

Thank you by the way for this wonderful idea of helping with a charity. A most fabulous post!

I have before me some of the little papers I cut up for a quilt draw oh so long ago, and the very draw bucket used for that!

Coopslave
Authenticfarm
Cbrookkelly
Kiebler77,
you are all in. The first 4 names in the bucket.

Every year I give a sizeable donation to the war vets for a few poppies as I lose them during the course of my work day. The first year this happened, I wonder how much I donated to the fund for each replacement LOL.

I had a grandfather who rode a mustang in WWI and then returned to WWII. Another grandfather was in the navy protecting the gulf of St Lawrence from German sub attacks.
After the 11th, I pin my poppies to my visor, and all day while I'm working, whenever I look up, I think of them.

This doesn't seem like a valid entry to me though, as its almost a given that everyone donates something when they get a poppy.

I donate my time to a reading program at Barriere Elementary School. Every Thursday morning I drive the three gkids that live on this farm to school and then spend a couple hours helping children with their reading. One of the good things about voluntary to help with reading is that I don't have to write report cards as punishment for having fun.

Before our hens decided to take a vacation to change clothes we kept the Breakfast Program supplied with eggs.

Fowler, I wonder if your grandfather knew my Dad. He was on u boat patrol out of Newfoundland. He was a Navigator in the air force. I do believe the story is he lied about his age to be able to fight. Not sure how true it is. There is so many things I wish I would have spoken to him about before he started to deteriorate and then was gone.

Uno, if I do get a chance to win one of your lovely bags, I think my elderly mother will love it. She is not settling into her new accomodations very well and something like this I know she would really love as she used to sew things for craft sales with my sister.

I am loveing hearing all the ways that people pay it forward. GREAT!

Not Fowler, LOL, but I can tell you he was on a Corvette, bur they escorted uboats regularly.

How about our own kids? I have donated a good sum of money to two of them and am helping the third through university?
But for Christmas I will play the piano and sing in the old folks lodge several times and if it goes well, I will continue through the year. I used to do this where my father lived in extended care. At first, I wheeled the piano into his room and closed the door, but soon the hall was filled with listeners and the staff opened the door. Then they asked if I could move the piano to the recreation room so they could bring the patients out who could not move. So I did. It was wonderful. Old people and children are very forgiving. They do not look for perfection. They are grateful that some one is paying attention to them. That is all.

In the extended care, the elderly would stare with those blank faces, then one would cry, or one, usually the one with no speech, would burst into a line of song, a distant memory brought to the surface by the music.
At school, in my last year, I had a little boy of 5 with no speech sing his version of Jingle Bells. We all cried. It was so touching to hear him. He could not say a word and yet, there he was, with jingle bells in hand, singing his little heart out.
So, I will offer the gift of music again this year.

Hillbilly wrote: Not Fowler, LOL, but I can tell you he was on a Corvette, bur they escorted uboats regularly.

Very sorry Hillbilly!

Coopslave, they are little baskets, not bags. If that makes a difference?

Hillbilly
Rosewood
The Fat Ewe
You are all in. Like I could leave anyone out. But Hillbilly, I will urge you to toss in an extra loonie next time you get a poppy.

Rosewood and Fat Ewe, the gifts of reading and music are gifts beyond measure!

7 little rolled up names bouncing in the bucket. I better get to work making more baskets. Thanks for playing!

The huge smile I got upon my donation yesterday from the gentleman standing there with his tray of poppies brought a smile to my face too.
Ill put a bigger smile on his face today. Those smiles are worth far more than a dollar.

uno wrote:Coopslave, they are little baskets, not bags. If that makes a difference?

Sorry uno, basket in my head, bags at my finger tips......

When do you plan to do the DRAW, Uno?

Wonderful idea UNO! I will make a large donation of clothes and toys to the local Rescource Centre. They house the food bank, a used store, and lots of other resources for community members. This time of year I have many children here doing fundraising for their clubs and school and I never turn one away. I also donate freely of my time to anyone who may need it. I intend, if the roads are good, to stay after the CHB show and help with clean up.

Uno you have a heart of gold.

I give my time and space to foster animals from the local SPCA. There are so many semi-wild and unsocialized animals that come to them, and the ladies there are just too busy to spend much time forcing cuddles and scratches and just plain being around those poor frightened animals, and the fact is, young, cute, friendly and cuddly is what gets a potential pet adopted. So I do what I can to help socialize those frightened souls.

Every winter I also organize a cash/food/blanket/towel donation at my workplace which also goes to the SPCA. At that time I make my own cash donation.

So my entry is for my time now, with the caveat that I will make my donation in about a month. If I win the draw I will double my donation.

Ah the things we do that we just do, and never really give it a second thought until you're reminded by another.

My wife works at the hospital, and brings home good, expired items that they aren't allowed to use after exp date. She brings home BOXES of things like betadine, gloves, rags, and other items used for emergency situations. We sort through these, and separate them into care packages for various animal rescues. Because I work for a courier company, I get a bit of a discount, so we ship them all for overnight delivery within Canada.

Sue, I had not finalized a draw date yet, but had thought before end of November, hopefully to get the baskets in the mail to avoid Christmas mail rush.

But don't want to put a date just yet...not until I've whipped up a couple more baskets!

Bowker Acres
FarmChiq
You are in.

My husband and I are supporting a young girl in Columbia through Foster Parents Plan. Even when we had a really bad year, we had more than she did. We will be donating money to buy a goat for a small village in Africa and we fill two shoeboxes for a boy and girl for samaritanspurse.ca. I love visiting the $$ stores to look for little barrettes for little girls and ribbons for pigtails. This is our donation this year.

Nancy

Cuckoomama, you're in.

I dontate my time to the local 4-H club, being the group leader for the small cloverbud group. I think begining 4-H is important for the youngest members to help them learn to "do by doing" and helping out in the community. As a group we learn all the basics of what 4-H is about. At christmas our group goes into the local food bank and helps them sort food after the food drive, this helps the other volunteers to be able to set up food baskets for Christmas for needy familys, and as a group we help out in the community by donating our time to the local opportunities group (this is a group for disabled people), the kids go in and help entertain this group, and we also help them build easter baskets for their familys at Easter time. Many of the people in this home are not close to their families, which I find sad. Easter is a time they get to go homea and see their families and it is nice they can take something special with them.

I also donate clothing to the salvation army, eggs to the food bank, and my time and money to the local SPCA.

eggs to the food bank....what a great idea! I wonder if they would take them here. I will find out. Egg production is going up for me as the hens reach laying age. Yesterday there was 1 duck egg and 8 chicken eggs, way too many for me to use.

I also donate eggs to the Salvation Army lunch programme. They will take almost anything that will help feed the people on disability.