Marine Corps Kids

Here is another interview with the coordinator of a very special charity effort geared towards the children of military families - in particular the U.S. Marines. I've sprinkled photos throughout (with permission) so you can see some of the work donated to this fine organization.

The name of this organization is Marine Corps Kids.

You can find the web sites at:
http://marinecorpskids.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marine-Corps-Kids/334315596070
http://www.marinecorpsfamilyfoundation.org/troop-support-project-operation-marine-corps-kids/

I'd like to thank Delia from taking the time to answer these questions and for all her work through the years for this worthy effort. 

Below is the interview.

Please introduce yourself and let us know your position or connection with the organization.
My name is Delia Igo.   Deb Conrad and I founded Marine Corps Kids in 2007 with the support of the Marine Corps Family Foundation.

How and when did the organization begin?
In 2007 I was doing a lot of crochet work for charity.  I was new to crochet, and was trying to turn all of my friends into crochet nuts like me.  I had a large group of acquaintances who met on the internet and became true real-life friends.  I recruited them to join me in making a patchwork blanket to donate.  One of my friends suggested that we donate the blanket to the family of a fallen Marine.  We created a beautiful blanket and a book of personal messages for the family.

It was a meaningful project for all of us, but it was shadowed by loss and sadness.  I thought how nice it might be to begin a similar project to send to the mother of a newborn whose husband/partner was deployed overseas.  I can only imagine how bittersweet it must be for a mother to welcome her new baby while the father was away and in danger.  The mother would be delighted with her new baby, but exhausted and stressed.  The father would have to wait months to meet his new child.  A gift to the family would be a kind gesture of support, and a way to thank the family for its service and sacrifice.

My friend, Deb Conrad, was a Marine Corps Mom whose son was in Iraq at the time.  Shane served three tours of duty overseas.  Deb and fellow Marine Corp Mom Connie Riecke, were founders of the Marine Corps Family Foundation - an organization that supported various projects starting with Operation Santa which sent holiday stockings to deployed Marines.

Deb suggested that instead of providing one gift to one family, we look to create an organization that would support the newborns of many deployed service men and women.  She had recently won a grant from the VA, and generously offered to donate those funds towards such a project.  With that donation Marine Corps Kids was founded.

In the beginning I used various crocheting and knitting websites to recruit donors for Marine Corps Kids.  Deb worked with Family Readiness Officers on base to identify families with newborns and assist in the distribution of care packages.  As social media became more popular, it became easier to reach out to donors and military families.

The Marine Corps Family Foundation continues to support the efforts of Marine Corps Kids by paying for our shipping fees.

What is the purpose of this organization?
The sole purpose of Marine Corps Kids is to support the families of our service men and women.  While our distribution efforts are mostly to Marines and their families, we are delighted to send care packages to families from any branch of the military.

How many others, besides yourself, are involved in leadership?
At this point I am recruiting donors, accepting donations, putting together care packages including items from various donors, and shipping these items to Family Readiness Officers on base and/or families with newborns.

Connie Riecke continues to manage the activities of the Marine Corps Family Foundation.  She helps to identify additional FROs that we can work with, and funds all of our shipping costs.

On a side note, we have no overhead other than our shipping charges.  Our donors are incredibly generous in sending beautiful hand-crafted gifts for the babies, and I have some wonderful friends who help me put together the gift bundles.  Monetary donation to Marine Corps Kids (which can be made through the Marine Corps Family Foundation site) are used solely to cover our shipping costs.

Do you personally deliver the collected items to the intended recipients? If you do not, who does and how do you ensure that the items get where they need to be?
In order to respect the privacy of the families who receive gifts from MCK, we work with the Family Readiness Officers on bases to help us distribute gifts.  In this way the names and addresses of the families are kept private.  This also helps us to minimize costs and shipping many gifts to one address is much less expensive than shipping gifts individually.  On occasion I am contacted by a military mom or family and friends of expecting moms.  When that occurs, I am happy to send a gift directly to the family.

How can fiber crafters help? What types of items do you accept?
We are delighted to accept gifts from fiber crafters, and do not place many restrictions on donations.  Donations should be new hand crafted items. We ask simply that all donations be baby-appropriate in size, color and material.  Yarns and fabrics should be of soft, and washable fibers.  We discourage the use of wool as many babies have sensitivities or allergies to wool.  We also ask that items sent from homes with pets or smokers be pre-washed.  (I have a wonderful cat and dog, and I know that I can't get through my knit, crochet, or weaving projects without a little pet fiber mixed in.  Babies don't need that extra gift.)

Do you accept all types of crafting - knitting, crochet, loom, quilting, cross-stitch, plastic canvas etc.?
Yes!  We are happy to accept any new and baby safe hand-crafted items.

Quilt by 13yo Christina

Are there any special tips or requirements for the items needed?
Yarns should be soft and machine washable.  Avoid wool.  Items should be sized appropriately for newborns and babies.

It is understandable that you need to have a person's contact information in case there is a problem and for recordkeeping. Do you allow participants to remain anonymous to those who receive the items?
Donors are welcome to tag their items with their name and with a short message of thanks to the families.  Items received without such tags are sent anonymously.

Is there a particular item that you yourself enjoy making more than any other?
In the beginning I was an avid crocheter.  I crocheted many hats, blankets and sweaters for the babies.  A few years ago I began to weave, and enjoyed creating blankets on my loom.  More recently I learned to knit.  Now I like to make hats and sweaters for the little ones.

Does your family participate in your charity effort? If so, how? If not, are they supportive of your work?
My husband, Brian, was extremely supportive of my work with Marine Corps Kids.  Sadly he passed away last year.  Without his support, I don't think that Marine Corps Kids would have grown as quickly as it has. [Sandie: I'd like to express my deepest sympathies to Delia on the loss of her husband. Big kudos to her for continuing this work even as she continues to grieve.]

Do you have any humorous stories to tell?
No, but I have hundreds of heartwarming stories about our donors, their contributions, and their gratitude to our military and their families.

What do you feel makes folks hesitate to participate in a charity that is not a 501(c) charity other than tax benefits? What would you say to convince them your effort is honest and trustworthy?
I don't know what makes people hesitate.  What I do know if that crafters enjoy sharing their talent.  Most of our donors have continued to send gifts for many years.  They are a wonderful supportive group who sincerely love what they do and love supporting the families.  While I haven't met many of our donors in real life, I have established many friendships through my work with this organization.

Who should a volunteer contact for more information on this organization?
They can contact me by e-mail at delia.mck@gmail.com, or they can leave messages on our facebook page or blog site.

Do you have any advice for anyone trying to start their own charity effort?
Do it.  If something is near and dear to your heart, it will be near and dear to the hearts of others.  Use your online resources to find those people and watch your organization grow.

Is there anything else you'd like people to know about your charity effort or you personally?
I would like people to know how truly grateful I am to all of the wonderful people who support Marine Corps Kids and make what we do possible.  I am in awe of their talent and humbled by their unending generosity.

Thank you again to Delia for sharing this insight into Marine Corps Kids. If this effort touches your heart, please consider donating an item or two.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Gods Tiny Angels

One of the biggest charity donation seasons is Christmas. Since we're a bit past that now, I thought I'd highlight a few worthy charity efforts of which you may not be aware. Perhaps one of them will touch you and fill that holiday lull. My plan is to interview the coordinator of a few charities and share the insights here.

The first charity I'm going to highlight is God's Tiny Angels. You can find the web site here.

I am familiar personally with this charity and recommend it. Danette does beautiful work herself and is a very caring, compassionate person who enjoys helping these wee babes. In just the past 9 years (the records that could be immediately accessed) God's Tiny Angels has donated approximately 100,000 items to the babies and their parents.

Here is the interview. I've added a few pictures of previously donated items to give a sampling of what has been collected recently. The pictures are not related to the interview questions. I just sprinkled them in. I do not know who made what items but they are all beautiful. Note that some are store bought, some are knitted or crocheted so anyone can help.

Please introduce yourself and let us know your position or connection with

the organization. How and when did the organization begin? 

My name is Danette LeMaster and I started God's Tiny Angels in the fall of 1998 after searching the web one day and found another place taking preemie blankets. 

I sent several boxes there and then thought about my own NICU where my son spent a week when he was born. I contacted my local hospital and after a lot of red tape and an assurance that this would not be a one time thing I got the green light!! So I took care of this hospital alone for the first few months making 40 blankets a month. Then decided to start my group and what a better name than God's Tiny Angels as this is what all babies are and especially the tiny preemies.

What is the purpose of this organization?  

The purpose of my group is to let the parents who are going thru this trying time know that some one cares. I especially know as, like I said, my youngest son was in there for a week and someone crocheted a little hat for him and I still have that hat 27 years later. I have received letters from families who are so appreciative that even though we do not know them that we care...

How many others, besides yourself, are involved in leadership?

I have 70 other members in my group that make or buy items for the preemies and newborns. I am the only one that is over the group, Everything comes here and I wash, bag, tag, box up and send to the appropriate hospitals.

Do you personally deliver the collected items to the intended recipients? If you do not, who does and how do you ensure that the items get where they need to be?  

I deliver to my local hospital but the rest of the items I ship by fedex ground. I include a self addressed envelope that the hospitals send back with their wishes for certain items or just to let us know they made it to their destination.

How can fiber crafters help? What types of items do you accept? 

We accept anything from micro preemie to size 6 as we also help the wic dept with clothing for children there. We also accept pacifiers, bibs, spoons, bottles, comb/brush set, socks, booties, all items can be store bought or hand crafted.

[Sandie: You can find more photos of donations at the web site here.]

Are there any special tips or requirements for the items needed? Yarn colors, finished size of items, yarn used (wool, acrylic, sport, worsted, bulky...)  

Absolutely NO wool permitted. Not too picky on yarn colors just no drab colors. Some mothers like the traditional pastels where other mothers like the bright colors. No heavy 4 ply yarn for preemie clothing as they are already so tiny and the 4 ply is overwhelming. We do use 4 ply for preemie blankets. Preemie blankets need to be at least 20x20 unless for burial and then we can use the 15x15 in baby yarn.

It is understandable that you need to have a person's contact information in case there is a  problem and for record keeping. Do you allow participants to remain anonymous to those who receive the items? 

Yes

Is there a particular item that you yourself enjoy making more than any other? 

I would say my favorites are blankets, sweaters and dresses

Does your family participate in your charity effort? If so, how? If not, are they supportive of your work? 

My husband is very supportive of what I do as he knows this is my passion. My kids and even my dad buy me yarn sometimes so I would say I definitely have their support!

Do you have any humorous stories to tell?

Well this may not seem funny to some but to me it's not only humorous but unbelievable. I have been hometown hero here in our town twice. At the end of the interview I always asked if anyone here would like to help to give me a call and provided my telephone number. I had about 4 calls. The first 2 calls said they would love to donate some yarn so we set up a time for me to go pick it up and both callers called back and said they couldn't find the yarn! The other 2 callers wanted to know how much it paid if they helped to make things for the little ones!!! I told them it pays nothing, it is given freely from the heart.,.. So needless to say I have no help from anyone in my own town.

What do you feel makes folks hesitate to participate in a charity that is not a 501(c) charity other than tax benefits? What would you say to convince them your effort is honest and trustworthy? 

I have not really had any problems because I am not a 501 (c) charity. My website speaks for itself and I share any thank yous from hospitals or parents and some of the members also receive thank yous so they know their items are being given to the wee ones.

Who should a volunteer contact for more information on this organization?

Danette LeMaster 1533 Lincoln Dr Huntington WV 25704  Phone number 304-429-3126

Do you have any advice for anyone trying to start their own charity effort?

Just be patient as it takes time get a charity going. Be honest and up front with your group and run your group, be active, don't just have  a group and never communicate with them.....

Is there anything else you'd like people to know about your charity effort or you personally?

I have been doing this since 1998 [Sandie: 16 years!] and it is my baby. I love the feeling of knowing that we have helped make a difficult situation a little better by letting these families know we care.  The newborn hospital that we donate to the most has a lot of mothers who have nothing. So a

blanket, hat, sleeper is so appreciative as I was told at one time some mothers only had the t-shirt and diaper to take their babies home in. I have no plans of ever stopping my charity as there is always a need out there to help a baby.

I have generally found that folks have a heart for certain types of charity efforts - babies, homeless, cancer patients or whatever. If this one touches you, touch base with Danette and get started helping the babies. 

Thank you to Danette for her kindness in answering my questions and giving us a close-up view of God's Tiny angels.

I hope you enjoyed the interview! I hope to have more in the coming weeks.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

scarves and cloths

I've continued to make prayer cloths for the church in New Jersey. It really doesn't take much yarn nor time to make one and is a good use for those leftover balls. In a half hour comedy you can have a completed cloth just like the ones below. The pattern is the last one on this page at Crochet Cabana. 

Since I do a lot of my crocheting while watching TV, I choose to say a prayer for the unknown recipients before mailing off the cloths.

I'm including pictures so you can see the variety of colors that can be used to make these simple cloths. I even edged one in white as I ran out of the pink. It looks just fine. While I personally prefer them to be one color, it's hard to judge how far a ball will go.

I am also planning to make a morse code scarf. I first considered this when I read about the knitting in code article I posted the other day. 

I have been looking at morse code and trying to figure out how I want to go about it. I have looked at a few scarves and I will be doing mine differently. I just haven't decided exactly how yet. Stay tuned for more information. 

If you're looking for something to do right now, there is a need for scarves for this effort. However, the window of time is small. They want scarves in hand by April 5 and in certain colors. The effort is to provide scarves for about 35,000 runners in the 2014 Boston marathon. Update: The scarves have to be blue and yellow but a variety of colors are accepted. If you are on Ravelry there is a group (Boston Marathon scarf) with more info. 

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

links-shawls-and-prayer-cloths

I was looking at back status updates on the Crochet Cabana Facebook page and thought that I needed to share some of that info here to make it more easily accessible in the future. Also some links that I've found over the past weeks that I want to remember to go back to.

First here is a pattern for a woven plaid afghan that I think I would like to make one day. It's in my favorite colors too!

I know this is a little late to post here but you can use envelopes for other purposes than to hold a valentine, right? Crochet Spot has a nice little pattern, very simple, just make a single crochet square, fold and sew.

Someone asked me how to assemble 16 stitch double yoyos. Since I make them and send them off for others to assemble, I didn't feel qualified to answer, but I found this link at Donna's Crochet Designs which demonstrates assembly of yoyos using that same size yoyo.

I've been hearing about Noro yarns for a while now. Every now and then it comes up. I ran across this book available for purchase which focuses on this yarn. I liked some of the projects and thought others might like it too. I have not purchased the book myself ... yet. :-) I must get some of this yarn! It's so lovely.

Lion Brand mentioned the Oliso iron on their web site. This iron might be nice for blocking your fiber projects as it sits above the project when steaming. Amazon has several varieties and you can find it other places I'm sure.

I know this is CROCHET Cabana, but sometimes I will see a knitting project or information about knitting that I think might appeal to those of you who are ambi-crafty. :-) This article is about how knitting was used during war to give information to those who needed it. If you go past the "other articles you might be interested in" thing, there is more information which I missed in my first go round. One is the 365 day clock. An interesting idea that can be transferred to crochet as well. You make one stitch each half hour and complete one row per day. Since there are 24 hours in a day, that would be 48 stitches. If you are working for 365 days that is 365 rows. That's a pretty good size scarf. I would suggest using a DK or sport yarn to keep it manageable. Another thing that was mentioned in the article was the idea that yarn bombing in high crime areas might reduce crime in those areas by making it sort of user friendly. You see bright colored yarns and perhaps you are made a little bit happier? I would be interested in comparing the crime rate before and after the "bombing". It would be great if the word "bomb" could come to mean a yarn project rather than its current meaning.

I also found this post at Pennamite on crocheting in morse code. In the past I've crocheted using the Fibonacci numbers and that was fun. I'm thinking morse code would be even more fun, and challenging, as messages can be created using crochet.

If you missed any of the Red Heart's 12 weeks of Christmas you can find all the patterns on this page. I don't know how long they will keep the page up so if you're interested hop on over there and get them.

I know a lot of people crochet and knit for charity. I happened across this list of good yarns for chemo patients at the Firewalker Project. If the yarns are good for chemo patients they are likely good for many of your charity efforts. If you are making items for someone who has had brain surgery, they have special needs so do check with your coordinator or patient.

Speaking of charity projects, I have started making a few prayer cloths for a church in New Jersey to include with food pantry packages. These cloths have filet crosses in the center. It's hard to get a good picture of them. They asked for purple for the current season but will accept anything one can send. (I have trouble with dark colors due to vision problems) If this strikes you, holler out and I'll put you in touch with the appropriate person. They are looking for about 150 at this time. The ones below were made with Bernat Satin Plum Mist Heather. The pattern I used is at Crochet Cabana. There are other patterns for pocket prayer cloths online and you could also make up your own pattern. You may not want a cross or you may want an initial or a heart on yours.

The idea here is to pray for the recipient as you work. When the person touches or views the cloth, he or she will be reminded of God's infinite power, wisdom and love, and that they have been loved and prayed for by you. You can do this even if you do not know who will receive your cloth. Just pray for the recipient - God knows who will get it before you've even finished the prayer cloth. :-)

Remember that the cloth itself, the yarn, the crocheting are not endowed with any special power. Only God can answer prayer. In His infinite wisdom His answer may be yes, no, or wait. If there is healing, peace, or protection it is because God answers our prayers in the affirmative. It is important to realize that it is not the cloth itself that gives the comfort or healing, but the power of Almighty God.

If the recipient is not a believer in prayer but you still want to give them something they can hold and get comfort from, sort of like a baby lovey, you can make your cloth plain and call it a comfort cloth. You can still pray for them.

In other crochet news, I finished the berry red shawl and a frosted green fleck one.

These were worked with the wheelchair wrap pattern which I love and is so simple to do. I was able to work 20 1/2 rows with one 7 ounce skein. Tip: I also count my stitches at rows 10, 20, and right before I start the filet row to be sure I didn't lose or gain any stitches. On the red I added a round of faux picot stitches - (sc, ch 2, sc, sk 2) which I think added to it. I tried a few other edgings but didn't find anything that particularly grabbed me.

Most of these took me no more than 3 days to complete since I only worked on it a few hours in the evening while watching TV. I think working steadily one might even be able to complete one in a shorter time. Don't be fooled though. The first rows go quickly as there are few stitches but each row increases the number of stitches so by the end you have quite a number there. :-)

That's all for today. You're probably thinking that certainly is enough! LOL Hope you found something useful.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

lapghan and shawl

Since last time I have completed a diagonal striped lapghan using the pattern Corner to Corner Granny Afghan.

Finished size is approximately 34" x 36". I dug into the scrap yarns to make this afghan. Here are pics.

I am also working on another Wheelchair Wrap using Red Heart with Love Berry Red. I remembered the count the rows this time when I finished one 7 oz skein. I was able to work 20 1/2 rows with one skein. I also count my stitches at rows 10, 20, and right before I start the filet row to be sure I didn't lose or gain any stitches. So far, so good. :-) I'll add the photo here when I've finished it, if I remember! :-)

Happy crocheting!
Sandie