Lions 4 Kids update 6-5-09

In this update:

Work parties

Prom memories

Volunteer training

Garage Sale

Thanks Giving

Needs

Upcoming

 

Children served in May:  2009   184

                                    2008   146

 

Hello everyone!  After our miserable winter, isn't it wonderful to feel the warmth of the sun again?!  Well, maybe not at 90+ degrees!

 

Work Parties:

On Saturday May 30th Mike and Cindy Connelly helped set fence posts around the north and east sides of our garden.  A work party is this coming Saturday was originally planned to stretch the chain link fabric.  However this past Monday, Mike, who is a home framer, didn't receive a lumber shipment at work so instead took it upon himself to spend the entire day installing our chainlink material.  WE HAVE FENCE!! He's also constructing a privacy fence on the west side of the property near the shed.  A white vinyl picket fence and gate will be installed in the next couple weeks on one last stretch on either side of our arbor.

 

We have a work crew in place to insulate and drywall our storage shed on Saturday in the persons of Pastor Steve Wilhite, Joe Desimone, Craig Releford, Stu Hopkins and others, and we thank you in advance sincerely for your help!

 

If you had planned to help with the fence installation this Saturday you can rejoice that the work is complete; however there are still some projects which would be most helpful to have done including moving and replanting a couple old rhodies and doing some extreme pruning on some of the plants lining the driveway leading to our client parking area.  Take out your frustrations on our plants!!!  An hour or two invested between 9 and 1 would be sincerely appreciated.  Thank you for your consideration!

 

 

Proms:

The ball has ended but the memories will live on for thirty Cinderellas and Cinderfellas served by this year's Prom Project.  It is with deepest thanks and appreciation that we acknowledge the contributions of the following donors and volunteers:

 

Business donors:  Walmart, Fred Meyer, Target, Hair Lounge - Federal Way, Men's Wearhouse, The Tux Shop, Quality Cleaners - Sumner, Windermere R.E. Lake Tapps, Colleen's Hair Design - Orting, Cedar Ridge Retirement and Senior Living, Blooms at Windmill Gardens, Jennifer Tibbetts Photography, Steve Vandegrift - Photos for Life

 

Community Volunteers: 

Marv Smith, Alison Winters, Jessica Wahl, Iona Catonio, April Young, Samantha Brendible, Dana Williams, Colleen West, Alexis and Jacklyn Brendible, Juli Bell, Cheryl Fried, Linda Morris, Eleni Sloan, Heather Laurin, Jen Espinoza, Melinda Blevins, Natasha Moffitt, Ramona Jirak, Gina Jirak, Vanessa Witkowski, Shirley Lewis, Cris Entrop, Susan Van Slyke, Brenda Howick, Juanita Breeden, Joanne May, Christine, Ivan; countless donors of gowns, accessories and financial contributions

 

High School Coordinators:

Nicole Bortle SHS

Dasha Berry BLHS

Patti Harjehausen WRHS

Renee Globe Collins HS

Leon Matz OHS

 

And to each of our high schools we thank you for donated or discounted prom tickets

 

 

Volunteer Training:

Volunteer training for June is set for next Wednesday the 10th at 7 p.m. at Lions 4 Kids House.  It takes about 75 minutes.  July training is on the 15th; there will be no training in August or September; October is the 14th; November is the 18th and there is no training in December.  We will resume our schedule again in mid-January 2010.  All volunteers are subject to a Washington State Patrol background check.

 

There are SO many creative ways you can contribute to the children who are our future.  Many tasks can be done from home such as bagging new socks and underwear by size or bagging granulated laundry soap.  Maybe you could purchase a few dollars worth of fast food gift certificates that we can give as grades incentives to Our Kids as part of our Kudos 4 Kids program?  Maybe you are an internet whiz and could research some distributors, manufacturers, etc. who would be willing to donate socks, underwear or personal care items to us that are maybe second quality?

 

Brad Hand is a data entry expert and has been using his expertise to set up our two newest programs, College 4 Kids and Kudos 4 Kids and his help has been invaluable!

 

Are you a gardener?  We could absolutely use your skills periodically over the summer to help maintain the Serenity Garden to pull weeds or water our new fledgling plantings.

 

We only schedule those volunteers who work with our children during open hours, and that is done on a month-by-month basis.  You have no long-term commitments.  As we all know, "life happens" so if you need to tend to your life, you can withdraw from volunteering for a time and return when you are able.  We have some volunteers like Iona Catonio, Dana Williams and April Young who invest many hours a week; Sherry Leistico, Paula Fabela and Rose Covey spend four hours over two days per week sorting and hanging clothing;  other volunteers are available an hour a week or an hour a month.  Everyone's contribution helps us take care of Our Kids.

 

 

Garage Sale:

Our garage sale is rescheduled for Saturday, July 25th from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.  We are working to secure a wonderful site, so please stay tuned for that information very soon!   Proceeds of this sale will benefit the annual Back to School initiative for Lions 4 Kids House.  We expect to welcome over 400 children this August for clothing, personal care items and school supplies.  In our three year history we have never had to turn a child away for lack of resources, thanks to our incredible communities. 

 

 

Thanks Giving:

- To Mike Judkins, troop leader for Boy Scouts #172, for our lawn and leaf blower!  Thank you Mike!

 

- To Susan McCammon our awesome housekeeper who makes sure our little place is sparkling for Our Kids.  She also spent hours and hours at a laundromat this past Tuesday laundering 24 huge garbage bags full of clothing that normally would have been done by our community partners at McNeil Island but they are temporarily unavailable.  Susan you are an angel!

 

We never want to take for granted the blessing that McNeil Island has been to us as we were shoveling $60 worth of quarters in the machines and spending hour upon scorching hot hour schlepping clothes between washer, dryer and folding tables. 

 

Another blessing though was that the owner of the laundromat in Auburn donated $15 back to us!   (You gotta really watch that Susan, aka Glitterbug.  She's one amazing lady and could talk a slug right out of it's slime in a heartbeat!)

 

- Cory McCammon mowed the lawns for us and whacked a whole bunch of tall grass last week and also hauled laundry back from the laundromat after working all night at his job!  Thank you Cory!

 

- Shirley Lewis, Brenda Kikuchi, Joanna and Stu Hopkins and Jessica Larios are the wonderful volunteers who are contacting nearly 50 Lions 4 Kids outgoing 8th and 9th grade students and their families regarding the College Bound Scholarships.  These students can still apply for this four year college scholarship but only if they apply with their school counselors by June 30th.  Imagine the gift of a college education for some of these families who have known only poverty as far back as family history is recorded!

 

- Iona Catonio, Samantha Brendible, Dana Williams and April Young were the point people for the Prom Project and did a fabulous job coordinating with the schools and the teens in addition to lining up volunteers and donors.  You were magical!!

 

- Jen Shears has been coordinator for our Cuts 4 Kids program since last fall and has scheduled three volunteer professional stylists from around our communities each month to help keep Our Kids tidy.  We are suspending the program for the summer but will be scheduling two separate haircutting sessions in August before the kids return to school. Jen, thank you for making sure we have cutters available! You're great!

 

- Cindy and Mike Connelly have been absolutely awesome to help wherever needed whether it's with fencing, sorting or whatever.  You are both such an amazing gift to us!

 

- Andrea Henschell has taken a big mess of receipts and expense reports from the renovation project and made sense of them.  Andrea, you are a godsend, and sincerely appreciated for keeping us on track!

 

- Kathie Pelley spent a whole day functioning as secretary to help work through a mountain of way-tardy paperwork. Kathie, thank you!

 

- We have received a generous check from the Bonney Lake Senior Center raffle held during their recent fashion show.  Thank you SO much!

 

- We have received some huge and awesome donations from all over our communities that we are able to stockpile for Back to School time, and we do thank you so much. 

 

As you clean out the closets and drawers of stuff that won't fit come fall, please consider a donation to Lions 4 Kids House.  We have a special partnership with Northwest Center where they pay us pennies on the pound for ALL textile items.  We take men's and women's clothing, infant wear, sheets, towels, blankets, used socks and underwear, fabric scraps...we just ask that all of it be clean, please.  The money we collect from Northwest Center each month helps purchase the socks, underwear and personal care items we need.  You still get a tax receipt, we receive the benefit of the donation, NWC has items for their outreach...everyone wins!  We also accept prom attire and accessories all year long.

 

 

Needs: 

- We are in need of the donation or inexpensive purchase of a gas lawn mower, either new or used, please. 

- An individual or team to water our fledgling garden plantings once a week beginning June 17th through July 8th.

 

 

Upcoming: 

Back to School Supply Boxes:  After our record-breaking August of 2008 when we served 333 children, we are expecting another big turnout for Back to School this year.  We will soon be asking our local merchants to allow school supply collection boxes in their places of business during the month of August.  In the past, the generous donations from our communities in those boxes have made it possible to supply everything Our Kids need to properly function in school.

 

We are helping Our Kids be "invisible" in the very best possible way.  Our goal is to enable them to fit in with every other child around them and have the basic tools they need, whether it is clothing, grooming items or school needs.  If they can succeed in school, graduate and go on to further schooling whether technical or college they stand a much better chance of succeeding in life and staying off welfare and out of trouble.  That's a win for all of US!

 

Did you know that it is middle school when most kids will determine whether they care about graduating from high school?  We have to keep kids in school!  Thanks to our awesome schools and many organizations all around our community we are all working toward that same goal.  THANK YOU for your contributions to the success of Our Kids!

 

With heartfelt gratitude, Carol

Lions 4 Kids update - 5/17/09

Hello everyone on a glorious spring afternoon! 

 

In this update:

Senior Center Event

Proms

Requests

Thanks-giving

Upcoming opportunities for service

Training

 

 

Out and About:

I had the pleasure of narrating the second annual Bonney Lake Senior Center fashion show this past Friday.  A group of eight senior center models strutted their stuff in front of an appreciative audience of 100 guests.  The reality show Next Top Model has nothing on these fabulous folks who showed off their shopping savvy in multiple outfits acquired from Grannie's Attic, Value Village and Jewell's Premier Consignment in Puyallup or borrowed from Fred Meyer.  The calendars will say they're over 65 but the bounce in their steps and smiles on their faces indicated their hearts are definitely MUCH younger.   What joy to share the biographies of our community's seniors and their plans for the future!

 

A special delight was the appearance of six 4-7 year old girls modeling fashions from A Simple Wish in Puyallup.  These little charmers knew exactly how to capture hearts, either with their shyness or in the case of one captivating little redhead, brimming confidence!  The sparkle wasn't just in the dresses!

 

From the wisdom of the years, the enchanting freshness and effervescence of childhood and loving creativity of those in mid generations who gave freely of themselves to create this special event and serve a delicious lunch, led by Jan Smith and Staci Guirsch of the Senior Center staff and Lara Wheeler's team in the kitchen, what a thoroughly fabulous morning!

 

Of special note was the raffle of donated items that raised almost $700 for Lions 4 Kids House! Many, many thanks to each of you for your kindness, generosity and the opportunity to share this very fun event.

 

 

Proms!

Thanks to Ken and Judy Freed of Windermere Real Estate and Freed Insurance Group for the use of their conference room as "Prom Central" to prepare three young women from Orting High School for their prom last week, and for a devoted group of Fairy Godmothers who transformed the girls from their ordinary everyday selves into perfectly exquisite princesses:  April Young, Dana Williams, Eleni Sloan, Juli Bell, Gina Jirack, Mona Jirak, Alexandra Lyon and our photographer Linda Morris. 

 

It brings a smile to the face and joy to the heart to watch the transformation:  one reserved, one uncertain and one 100% jock.  Sit them down for two hours of hair, makeup and pampering under the loving ministrations of some very talented godmothers, zip them into the perfect gown and put their feet in slippers, not made of glass, but magical nonetheless.  Add  a bit of manufactured "bling", and the rest of the sparkle comes from the eyes and spirits of these girls who never thought they'd be able to join their friends at the signature event of one's high school career. 

 

The girls seem to get the most attention this time of year, but we make sure young men have a chance to make dreams come true too.  On Friday afternoon I was working in our Serenity Garden when a young man approached on his way to the Library.  He identified himself as one of our Cinderfellas and wanted to express his gratitude for our help.  He said he was really excited to be picking up his tux on Sunday and couldn't wait to go to the dance.  So, because it is YOU, our wonderful communities, who have supported us so generously with funds and resources, I will pass along his thanks.  Never doubt, you DO make dreams come true!

 

Our final prom of the season will be Bonney Lake's on Friday May 29th when ten young men and women will get their chance at Happily Ever After memories. 

 

Special thanks to Brenda Howett for her time and talents in altering the dress for one of our Cinderellas!  Our goal was met: this difficult-to-fit girl's face and spirit just transforms into joy and confidence when she puts on her gown!  THANK YOU!! 

 

We have been very blessed with generous donations of tuxes for the boys from the Tux Shoppe and Men's Wearhouse in Puyallup.  Thank you!!

 

Prom season itself is short but we collect gowns, shoes, handbags, "bling", wraps, underpinnings and funds for the prom all year long!

 

 

Requests:

We have two young men who have agreed to mow the lawn at the clothing bank but we are in need of an easy- to-use power mower and electric leaf blower.   They don't have to be new, just serviceable.  In the past I've brought equipment from home to use at my convenience, but that isn't going to work for busy kids with other commitments. Thank you!  A donation receipt will gladly be provided!

 

School-appropriate clothing needed: With all the kids growing like weeds and outgrowing clothes, we are requesting that if you are cleaning out drawers and closets these next couple months that you  consider  donating children's and adult clothing to Lions 4 Kids House.  As we think ahead to Back-To-School we would like to have a substantial inventory of attire on hand as we expect an increase from last year's record of 333 children outfitted in August . Especially needed are boys jeans, shirts and shoes...they're hard to find because boys don't do "gently used"! 

 

Our address is 18429-89th St. E in Bonney Lake.  We are just behind Grocery Outlet, east on 89th Street, off Main.  We're at the end of the block by the stop sign, across the street from Sam and Sue's barber shop. Our donation station is located on the left front corner of our building next to the sliding glass door.  If you would like a receipt please leave your name and address and it will be mailed.  Or you can drop off donations during our open hours Tuesdays 10:30-1:30; Wednesday 4-7 and Saturday 10-2.  We will be closed next Saturday in observation of the Memorial Day weekend.

 

 

Sincere thanks to:

-  Nicole and Jeff England for donating a washer and dryer for our use

 

-  McNeil Island Corrections Center for handling our big loads of laundry for the last almost-three years

 

-  Our dedicated volunteers who routinely take home smaller laundry loads

 

- Bruce and Debbie Duncan, Marcy Boulet, Karen McPeak, Myrna and Robert Vernon and Susan and James Fiala for recent donations to Lions 4 Kids

 

- Troop 172's Daniel Barrett and his dad Pat for painting Daniel's Eagle Scout project, our beautiful garden arbor.

 

-  Officer Steve Flaherty and Barbara Wigton of the Bonney Lake Police who saved my bacon on Friday by quickly providing information for children's ID and fingerprint kits needed early the following morning for the annual Henschell Chiropractic Bike Helmet giveaway.  (Oops!  Too many fun things to do and places to go, and too little concentration on what comes next!) 

 

This is the fourth year I've had the pleasure to fingerprint children and provide safety information to parents at this event.  Bike safety and free helmuts are one benefit; East Pierce Fire and Rescue had their educational trailer there to teach kids what to do in the event of a fire and then there was the "fun" component added with face painting and balloons by Glitterbug and Beep-Beep of Clownbuggie Entertainment. 

 

-  To Girl Scout Troop #40878 for their generous clothing donations

 

-  To Mike Connelly for functioning as our faithful handy man taking care of "honey-do" list items for us!  Thank you for sharing him with us, Cindy!!

 

-  To George and Thian Brown who own Thian Thai, we awarded our first free meal certificate to a family of seven in need of a pick-me-up.  They were so delighted to know they will receive a great meal out.  THEN, we heard from Wendi and Lauren, owners of Dinners Done Right who are also putting together a program that we'll be able to pass along to some of our clients on a monthly basis.  What a wonderful gift to give those who need a boost, not just with food but morale!  Thank you all!

 

-  To Kourtney Layton of Bonney Lake High School and the Humanitarian Club who collected bags and bags and bags of clothing for us, and to her parents for delivering it.

 

-  To Suellen of the Lacey Noon Lions who donated many beautiful prom dresses and accessories

 

 

Coming up:

Work parties: 

Saturday morning May 30th from 9-1 or any segment of time in between we would sincerely appreciate a half dozen people willing to cement our fence posts.  All but five holes are dug, the posts are on site and ready to install.  Teens are welcome to assist! 

 

Saturday morning June 6th from 9-1 or any segment of time in between we are requesting perhaps ten people to help install the chainlink material and one gate to make our garden secure and safe for the children, AND/OR to help us install wall and ceiling insulation and ceiling drywall in our storage shed.  We're praying for no precip as the shed will need to be emptied out into the yard first.  Teens are welcome to assist!

 

Help with these tasks will be most appreciated and beverages will be available...sorry, no Bloody Mary's! 

 

Friday, July 24th, 9-6: Garage Sale at a location to be announced with proceeds to benefit Lions 4 Kids House as we prepare for Back to School.   We will welcome donations of items to sell, however we have no storage space at this time.  We'll provide further details soon!   

 

 

Volunteers:

We welcomed seven new adult volunteers plus a number of their children last Wednesday at our training!  The next trainings will be Wednesdays, June 10th and July 15th.  All are at 7 p.m. and take about 75 minutes at Lions 4 Kids House.  There will be no training in August or September as I will go "bionic" in mid-August with the replacement of a hip.  Training resumes for October and November. 

 

I will be asking for individuals or teams to keep the Serenity Garden watered and weed free during my recuperation from mid August through September.  Help will be MOST appreciated.  

 

There are many, many ways to assist at Lions 4 Kids House, limited only by one's time and imagination.   Our volunteers are the heart of our outreach, and our donors our lifeblood. 

 

Brad Hand  is skilled at data entry and is preparing a list of our clients who qualify for the Washington State "College Bound" scholarship. This program provides a full-ride four-year college scholarship at any Washington college for children who qualify for free and reduced lunch programs.  Children must enroll when they're 7th or 8th graders,  maintain at least a 2.0 gpa and remain crime-free during their enrollment period. 

 

I discovered that very few children in our service area (Sumner, White River, Carbonado, Orting and Dieringer districts) actually apply for the program for a number of reasons: it sounds too good to be true,  it can be overwhelming for parents who perhaps never graduated from high school themselves, it represents a scary layer of bureaucracy, perhaps for families mired in generational poverty it just never enters their mind to strive for more and certainly there are a million other reasons. 

 

When we first conceived "College 4 Kids", our own program for identifying and cheering on potential recipients of the College Bound program, I figured we might have 50 or 60 kids amongst our client base who would qualify.  Scanning our client cards Brad and I have found almost 250 students in 6th-9th grades! 

 

Time is of the essence for this year's 8th and 9th graders as the deadline to enroll in the program is June 30th.  We are culling those kids first and will provide them with information encouraging them to visit their school's counseling office asap.  This year's 6th and 7th graders will be identified later and encouraged to apply. 

 

Later when the kids come in for clothing each month we'll be able to cheer them on and provide some additional incentives to keep them motivated.  We are SO excited to watch this effort unfold, as a college education will open doors unimagined by many of these kids, and in the future they will surely make a difference for all of us!  There are so many bright and talented kids we serve, with limitless potential.  What a joy to be able to reach out to them and offer something of such infinite value, beyond clothing, soap and shampoo, beyond self-esteem. 

 

 

That's it for now!  If you have questions, would like to assist in some way, or would like a tour of our wonderful facility please email me.  Our garden is in glorious bloom and the kids are loving the smelly wonders they are discovering.

 

With grateful thanks for your support and wishes for a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend.  Carol

 

Lions 4 Kids House Request

Lions 4 Kids

Hello everyone, I hope you had a memorable Memorial weekend and are enjoying this glorious weather.

 

We are requesting assistance this Saturday, May 30th from about 9-1 (or any portion thereof) to set fence posts in cement around the east side of our children's garden.  The holes are dug, posts are on site and the cement mix will be there on Saturday.  We just need to mix the cement, set the posts and make sure they are straight and level.

 

Next Saturday, June 6th from 9-1 (or any portion thereof) we are requesting assistance to stretch the chain link fencing material and attach it to the posts.  With permission from the City we moved the fencing and posts from our former location to the new one, but having never done this before I don't know what additional supplies will be needed such as ties, nuts & bolts, etc.   If you have experience with chain link fence installation and would be willing to help me figure out what is needed please email me at cwells-reed@comcast.net to set up a convenient time to meet and review what we have already and what we will need.

 

We will also be insulating and sheetrocking our storage shed and I believe we have a team willing to help with that project. 

 

Thank you all for any assistance you can offer!  These are the biggest of the chores needed to make our new location safe for the kids and give us adequate storage for out of season inventory.  Enjoy this week! 

 

With deepest thanks, Carol

Lions 4 Kids House Update 5/3/09

In this edition: 

- The Proms!

- Children served

- Volunteer training schedule

- New program rollout

- Haircuts

- Upcoming events

   -  May is Clean Out Your Closets Month (School clothes and other stuff needed!)

   -  Fence Install and Shed fix-up days

   -  Garage Sale

   -  Christmas Angels

- Thanks-giving

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

Close your eyes for a moment and remember back to being a teenager (that's a LONG time ago for some of us!) and the most special event in your life ...then multiply it by about a bazillion...and you'll have some idea of the way our 15 Cinderellas and Cinderfellas from Sumner and White River High Schools felt on Saturday April 25th when they prepared to attend their proms.  Most said they thought they'd never be able to go because of their family's circumstances; one young lady said she'd been dreaming of her prom since she was four years old and saw her older cousin dressed up for hers.  And our young tomboy who on Primping Day was was so adamant about hating dresses, couldn't stop twirling in front of the mirrors when she put on her ballgown and saw how exquisite she looked.  There wasn't a dry eye in the house!

 

It was, as it always is, a remarkable experience to watch these kids who have dealt with some of the most difficult challenges imaginable (and even a few too horrible to imagine), absolutely bloom right in front of your eyes.  The Orting prom is next Saturday, May 9th and Bonney Lake's is Friday, May 29th.

 

Sincere and deepest thanks to:

-  Cedar Ridge Retirement and Senior Living Center for allowing us to take over a suite, the Hospitality Room and grounds

   to prepare and photograph the kids!

 

-  The staff advisors at each of our high schools who coordinated with the appropriate students and referred them to us:

    Nicole Bortle at Sumner, Dasha Berry at Bonney Lake, Patti Harjehausen at White River, Renee Globe at Collins

    and Leon Matz at Orting

 

-  The high schools for either reducing the cost of the tickets or finding funds to provide tickets to us at no

    charge. What a HUGE help!  Thank you!!

 

-   Donors of funds, dresses, accessories and all sorts of related goodies who have made it possible for us to

    enable kids to attend this important landmark event

 

-   Fairy godmothers and godfathers:  Natasha Moffitt, Ramona Jirak, Samantha Brendible, Dana Williams, Iona Catonio, Marv,

    Jessica, Ivan and Allison from The Hair Lounge in Federal Way for hair and makeup services, Cheryl Fried, Heather Laurin,

    Linda Morris, Juli Bell, Jen Espinoza, Melinda Blevins, and April Young

 

-  Quality Cleaners in Sumner for donating the cleaning all of our gowns, Windmill Florist in Sumner for discounts on the purchase

    of our corsages and boutonnieres

 

-  For ALL of the responses received to our request for an experienced seamstress to alter a dress for one of our Cinderellas!

   WOW!!  Thank you for your interest in assisting either by doing the work or by referring someone you know:  Brenda Sowell,

   Yvonne Simmermon, Elizabeth Lindenmuth, Sue Hilberg, Marcia Madsen, Sherry Creson, Rebecca DeLine, Judy Halone,

   Heather Meier, Jessie Thompson, Phil DeLeo, Shirley Lewis, Linda Budinich, Larry Cassity, Rebecca Alvarez and Patty

   Tanner.    Brenda Howick was among the first referred and interviewed and is doing the work, but if I may keep your names

   available there may be other opportunities in the future.  Thank you again!!   

 

 

 

Children served: 

In April 2009 we had 224 visits, compared to 117 in 2008 and 53 in 2007.  Since September 2008 we have had 1572 visits, compared to 1648 for all of the previous school year. 

 

 

Volunteer training:

Our next volunteer training is Wednesday, May 13th at 7 p.m. at the clothing bank;  June training is Wednesday June 10th, July is Wednesday, July 15th, same time, same place.   No pre-registration is necessary. We're done by 8:30 and there is no obligation to join us once you've been to a training session.  (Volunteers are subject to a Washington State Patrol background check.)

 

We are especially looking for individuals who will keep our yard mowed and trimmed and weeds in the beds eradicated in the summer and fall months.  These tasks lend themselves well to a team approach.  It takes less than 30 minutes to mow both the front and back lawns each week. 

 

 

New programs and person to assist:

Thanks to Brad Hand who has agreed to assist with the development and rollout of two new Lions 4 Kids programs:  College 4 Kids and Kudos 4 Kids! 

 

College 4 Kids will focus on making our clients in 7th and 8th grades and their parents aware of the Washington State "College Bound" program that provides a four-year full-ride college scholarship to kids living in poverty as long as they maintain their grades and do not commit a felony between the time they register  in the program and high school graduation. (The felony part is sort of a "duh" to most of us, but for some of these kids who live in some very difficult environments, it can be a huge challenge.) Millions of dollars in grant money is left unused every year because kids don't apply with their school counselors, so we're putting together a program that will not only bring the program to the attention of the families, but will encourage the kids to apply and we would like to provide mentors who will cheer the kids on periodically via telephone or written note.

 

Kudos 4 Kids will recognize kids who improve their grades and/or attendance from report card to report card.  They'll be listed on our Wall of Fame and also receive some sort of incentive from our goody grab box such as fast-food coupons, movie tickets, etc.  Kelly Jo Patterson of Jumping Jack & Jill was one of the first to offer incentives...thanks Kelly Jo! 

 

Please stay tuned for more information! 

 

Coming soon:  Dentists 4 Kids!!  Like our volunteer haircutting, we hope to find a rotating group of local dentists who will do monthly basic dental checkups for Our Kids and then refer them for no- or low-cost dental care.  It's been proven that good oral health is critical to good overall physical health and since we have the kids in-house, being able to do basic checkups and then refer them for care may catch some early oral health issues early.  If you would like to consider being a coordinator for this outreach, please let me know! 

 

 

 

Haircuts:  Jen Shears is our coordinator for the tidiness haircuts provided on the last Wednesday of each month.  Jen contacts salons requesting professional haircutters either on a one-time or rotating basis.  After four months, this program has proven very popular and welcome with our young clients.  Our three stylists cut hair for about 30 kids each session. 

 

For April our cutters were Tammy Vance of Salon Bella Dea in Auburn and Trish and Becky, co-owners of Tangles Salon in Bonney Lake (this is their second time cutting for us!)  Thank you ALL! 

 

 

 

Upcoming events:

 

May is Closet-Clean-Out Month!!

As you prepare for the summer months, may we respectfully suggest that Lions 4 Kids House would LOVE to take used clothing of all sizes, and especially items that are suitable for school wear!  Remember, we take adult-size clothing as well because we have some really big kids. 

 

As we think ahead to August and Back to School, we'd like to have an ample supply of clothing in our inventory.  Last August we saw 333 children, a 300% increase over the previous year.  If our projections are correct, the number of kids we see this August will shatter all records.  Thanks to you, we've never had to turn a child away because we didn't have the resources to help them, and we'd love to keep that record in tact.

 

Also just a reminder: even if stuff if not suitable for wearing and/or you have other textile (cloth) items such as sheets, towels, blankets, coats, sewing scraps, etc., or used socks and underwear, we do take those items as well (we respectfully request that they be clean).  Items we are not able to use we donate to Northwest Center who either uses them in their outreach or sends scraps overseas to be recycled into rugs, etc.  YOU still get the tax receipt from us, and WE get seven cents per pound of donated textiles from Northwest Center which helps us purchase personal care items, socks, underwear and school supplies for Our Kids. Socks and underwear that is used but still in good condition is donated to a local battered women's shelter. 

 

Other items we gratefully accept:  shoes (we are desperate for BOY'S shoes right now!!); belts, handbags, books, small toys, puzzles and games (with all their pieces please), stuffed animals, new socks and underwear, personal care items of all kinds.

 

We continue to actively solicit prom attire including dresses, shoes, handbags, wraps, "bling" and underpinnings; however, we do take these items all year 'round.  

 

 

We are unable to accept any furniture or household items. 

 

 

Fence and shed fix-up days, assistance requested:

On Saturday May 30th starting at 9:30 a.m. we would appreciate a crew of a half-dozen or so who will install our cyclone fence posts for us.  There will be approximately 22 posts that need to be installed in cement.  Most of the holes are already dug...we just need to pop the posts in the ground, mix up the cement and set 'em straight. 

 

The following Saturday, June 6th starting at 9:30, we would appreciate a couple crews: one to stretch and secure the fencing material and the other to help insulate our storage shed.  The storage shed project will also require moving stuff out of the shed so we can access the walls...pray for dry weather!

 

 

Garage Sale:

On Friday July 24th from 10-6 we are holding a garage and bake sale to benefit Lions 4 Kids House.  A venue will be announced soon.  We would be delighted to have donations to sell; however we have nowhere to store anything at this time.   If you have items you'd like to donate please hold onto them and we'll advise where and when to deliver them. 

 

Many thanks to those who so very generously supported our "Primp the Prom" garage sale several weeks ago with donations and day-of-sale support!  The proceeds from this event helped immensely as we supported all of our prom kids. 

 

 

Thinking about Christmas already??

Well, sorta.  Since we're talking about collecting things and cleaning out closets, during December our "Christmas Angels" program allows our young clients to select a special gift for their parent(s) or significant adult and have it wrapped by volunteers so it's a holiday surprise.  All year long, we set aside items like unopened men's and women's colognes, lotions and potions in pretty containers, nice jewelry, gloves, calculators, and related items that Our Kids can give with pride.  If you have any of this kind of stuff taking up room at your house that you might like to regift, we'd be delighted to have it.  Donation receipts gladly provided, of course!

 

 

More thanks!!

George and Thian Brown of Thian Thai have pledged FOUR no-cost meals per month for four of our families!  This is an amazing offer, George and Thian, and the first family we have spoken with is SO excited to partake of their meal.  Can you imagine how it will feel for some of Our Kids to be able to treat their families to a meal out?  This is very, very cool! 

 

It is the incredible generosity of so many like George and Thian who make it possible for Lions 4 Kids House to do what we do.  We absolutely LOVE our new building, created with the time, energy, funds and kindness of so many. 

 

If you haven't seen it yet, please let me know...we love to show it off!  Our kid-friendly Serenity Garden is in coming into glorious bloom!  The heirloom 40+ year old lilacs are really scenting the yard!  75% of the work on the creation of this garden was done by young people:  Boy Scouts, middle schoolers, little kids, LDS elders far from home; senior project kids.  All those young gardners are part of our Kids 4 Kids program now -- they're kids making a difference for other kids.

 

If you haven't noticed, we are about so much more than just putting clothes on kids.  We are about providing those resources in an environment that makes the kids happy and makes them feel valued; we are about volunteers and donors who give from the heart and share their time, talent and resources with joy; we are about communities coming together to give kids in poverty a chance to succeed in school and ultimately in life.  We KNOW we couldn't do what we do without your support in innumerable ways.  THANK YOU so much. 

 

With a deeply grateful and humble heart, Carol      

Lions 4 Kids House update - March 18, 2009

My Hotmail account was hacked last week.  I have been notified that someone on my hotmail contact list has been solicited for money to be sent to an overseas address.  If you should receive such a request, it is NOT legit and I respectfully request you report it as junk/spam/a scam. 

 

I'm in the process of retrieving and setting up all new contact information.  I do apologize for any inconvenience.  New email address is cwells-reed@comcast.net.

 

In this installment:

- The Open House

- Inventory Needed!

- Death By Chocolate

- The Prom Project

- Work Party to set fence posts

- Volunteer Training in April

- Faces of the Homeless

 

 

THE OPEN HOUSE ON MARCH 8th:

 

MANY thanks to those who attended!  Over the course of that rainy/snowy/windy/sleety/sunny/freezing afternoon we had about 100 guests.   Deepest thanks to Pastors Steve Wilhite, Scott Hatfield and Chaplain Art Sphar for offering blessings on our new building, on the volunteers who make things happen there and the children who will find peace, joy and hope within its walls.

 

A hearty debt of gratitude to our volunteers who organized the event and especially to Andrea Henschell who coordinated it; people who created our tasty treats, especially Abertson's; Mona Jirak who was the coffee-making lady; Dana Williams who retrieved warm refreshments from Starbuck's; April Young who had a fabulous activity table and to Lisa Peters and the Home Depot crew who offered a crafts table, a number of tents, tables and their popcorn maker!  

 

To Marilee Hill-Anderson from the Sumner School District who did a totally awesome job of emceeing the event and for your wonderful, inspiring words; to Dr. Gil Mendoza, School District Superintendent for your very kind words and the presentation of the incredibly generous Target gift card from the School District's Leadership Team.  And to young Joel Anderson,  for your generous gift card contribution!  I was able to purchase two Target shopping carts full to overflowing with much-needed underwear for our young clients today.  THANK YOU!! 

 

To the Lions 4 Kids volunteers who presented me with a massage gift certificate (soon to be savored!), a gift card for a rhododendron for the garden (which will be dedicated to my recently deceased dad who took lots of convincing that Lions 4 Kids was a worthy outlet for my passion, even though it lacked pay, but then was forever pestering my mom to send money for one thing or another), and a dedication stone for the garden, I feel so blessed and very humbly grateful.  Thank you!  I hadn't expected to see my name etched in stone until it was in the form of an epitaph! What a lovely gift.

 

Despite the ugly weather it was wonderful to be able to share the results of our community's incredibly giving spirit in creating "The House That Love Built".  In the course of our renovation and relandscape project approximately $125,000 in materials was donated along with roughly 7,000 hours of volunteer labor.   Approximately 80% of the work accomplished in the Serenity Garden was done by young people of all ages.  What an amazing testament to so many who dug deep to find the resources, funds, time and energy to contribute, especially in a really miserable economy. 

 

The complete list of contributors, an incredible number as you will see, will be available on our website next week and will be published in the Courier-Herald.  More very exciting stuff to come soon on publicity too!

 

I would, however, like to especially acknowledge the City of Bonney Lake, Mayor Neil Johnson and the City Council for leasing the property to us and allowing us the freedom to renovate.  And to Bryan and Marilyn Long for seven months of unending, back-breaking work in so many, many ways.  Marilyn was still cleaning windows 15 minutes before our guests arrived on open house day to make sure the place was as perfect as could be for guests. 

 

To our extraordinary volunteers who have, since last August, made sure Our Kids were outfitted and cared for in the most wonderful ways in our other building -- especially our manager Iona Catonio, Dana Williams, April Young, Lisa Peters, Susan McCammon, and so many others who give an hour or two or ten.  To Andrea Henschell who keeps the volunteers coordinated; to Linda Morris who has photographically chronicled the renovation start to finish, and to David Colbeth who has managed our website.   

 

It's been really cool to watch our young clients as they experience this new little building that has been likened to a beautiful boutique and especially -- for some reason -- six-year-old boys.  This mini demographic walks in and invariably exclaims: "wow, this place is really COOL".   The garden is a hit with its little nooks and pathways and "settin' rocks" just the right size for a child sit to ponder nature.  

 

I believe that the quality of the environment where the children get their clothing is as important as the quality of the resources themselves.  When they come to our little place they don't feel like "poor kids" visiting a clothing bank.  This new building provides them with a sense of value, of worthiness, of dignity and esteem.  They're just kids going shopping like everyone else.  It is YOU, our amazing and generous communities, who have made that possible.  YOU give Our Kids hope for a brighter future. Thank you so very much. 

 

 

INVENTORY NEEDED! 

We find ourselves very low on inventory on clothing of all kinds for kids of all sizes:  shirts, pants, hoodies, shoes, etc.  If you are doing some spring housecleaning (weather notwithstanding, it IS spring almost, isn't it??) by cleaning out your kids' closets please consider a donation to Lions 4 Kids.  We will be MOST appreciative for your assistance! 

 

Where's the new place???  Our previous building was in front of the Bonney Lake Library which is off of Main Street on 90th.  From that location head one block north to 89th Street (on the back side of Grocery Outlet), turn east and go to the end of the road. We're on the right.  The address is 18429-89th St. East, Bonney Lake.  We are a gray building with black shutters and a red door.  Our donation station is in the front of the building on the east end, painted gray to match the main building.  Sam and Sue's barber shop is right across the street.  If you would like a receipt please leave your name and address with your donation and a tax receipt will be mailed. 

 

 

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE IS THIS SATURDAY!!  

The event is SO much more than just a dessert auction this year!!  David Colbeth has chaired the planning of this fabulous evening and has totally outdone himself!  Join us for the "dessert dash" after feasting on an elegant meal prepared by the Bonney Lake High School culinary arts students (who again this year did very well in the state-wide culinary competition)!  Beef tenderloin is on the menu and vegetarian options are also available! 

 

Enjoy the sounds of the Bonney Lake High School jazz choir, the jazz ensemble AND the vocal talents of the very unique Four Tunes!  The live and silent auctions will have a delightful array of wonderful treats and treasures including a full week at the TrendWest resort in Depoe Bay, Oregon; a weekend at Duck Lake in the Cascades; home makeovers; mind, body & soul makeovers; handmade leather and textile creations; death & taxes preparations (the ONLY two sure things in life!!), and SO very much more!  There will truly be something for everyone! 

 

The location is Bonney Lake High School commons; doors open at 5 p.m. with auction previews until dinner which will be served at 6:30.  Tickets may be purchased ahead of time for $30 from our website, http://www.bonneylakelions.com, or for $40 at the door the night of the event.  We can only accommodate 200 guests, but some tickets are still available.  Proceeds will benefit programs of the Bonney Lake Lions Club including Lions 4 Kids House.  Hope to see you there!!

 

 

THE PROM PROJECT:

We are now accepting donations of prom attire including gowns, shoes, handbags, jewelry, "underpinnings", and items to fill the kids' goodie bags for their preparations the day of their events: shampoo, body wash, lotions, shave gear for the Cinderfellas, breath mints, etc.  Our Primping Day for the girls will be Saturday April 4th at Cedar Ridge Retirement Center.  If you may be interested to volunteer as a Fairy Godmother, please email me.  We aren't sure how many we'll need this year as we don't yet have a firm count of kids we'll be assisting but will know within a week.

 

If you don't wish to put the items in the donation station you may drop them at the Lions 4 Kids building during our open hours which are Tuesdays 10:30-1:30; Wednesdays 4:00-7:00 and Saturdays 10:00-2:00.  Donations of prom items are also accepted at Windermere Real Estate in Bonney Lake, Liberty Tax Service in Bonney Lake, the Sumner Family Center and Sumner School District main office and in Orting at Colleen's hair design (call for address at 253-862-7746.)  As always your donations are tax deductible.

 

 

UPCOMING WORK PARTY:

On Saturday March 28th from 9-1 we are asking for volunteers to assist with digging holes for the fence posts to enclose our garden.  We have 19 holes to dig.  Community volunteer Jim Bouchard pulled a number of the posts from our previous property so they will be reset along with about a dozen new posts.  A week or so thereafter we will stretch the chainlink fabric so that our property will be more secure and little kids can't escape into the street. 

 

 

VOLUNTEER TRAINING: 

Training in April will be Wednesday the 15th at 7 p.m. and lasts about 75 minutes. There is no obligation to volunteer afterward; no need to pre-register.  All volunteers are subject to a Washington State Patrol background check.

 

Two special needs we have:

Librarian - we get lots of great books for kids and try to organize them on our selves by age group and/or subject matter...for example, animal stories, princess stories, other cultures, seasonal, first books, early readers, teens, etc.  An individual or two or three willing to shelve the new donations and keep the bookshelves organized would be most welcome. It would require an investment of maybe a half hour per week.

 

Housekeeping -  we would love to have a regular housekeeper who could clean floors, countertops, the bathroom, dust the tops of our fixtures, etc.  on a regular, preferably weekly, basis.  Again, this could be a team effort and shouldn't require more than about 90 minutes per session per week. 

 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION!

 

 

FACES OF THE HOMELESS:

Tuesday March 17th, 11:00 a.m.:  A call arrived from one of our volunteers who also happens to be employed in one of the Sumner District school offices.  She had the mother of six children with her who had fled extreme domestic violence on the east coast.  She and  the kids, ages 6-17, had put some clothes and a few treasured possessions in two small boxes and stashed them in the belly of a Greyhound bus enroute to the northwest to stay with friends.  Three days later they arrived here with nothing but the clothes on their back, two small boxes and the promise of a temporary roof over their head.  The kids are enrolled in school but needed virtually everything.   Enter Lions 4 Kids! 

 

The mom and the three older kids arrived, and within an hour had filled bags and bags with great clothes, shoes, coats, personal care items and school supplies for the whole family.  Even though the family is starting from Square One, the children will all be on a level playing field with their peers appearance-wise on Day One.  The kids were signed up for our Cuts 4 Kids program next week and will have tidiness haircuts all around.  The mom received referral information for other resources like the Sumner Family Center, St. Francis House for items for her, and a place she can get one of the younger children's abscessed teeth treated.  (Imagine being a young child, 3 days on a bus, moving far from everything you've ever known AND having an painful, swollen infected tooth.)

 

Soon, the mom will be looking for a job in the medical field. For, in spite of being terribly battered and having six children, she put herself through school, graduating with a 4.0 gpa.  The three older kids we met were clean, very polite, well-behaved and so grateful. 

 

It was an emotional and very remarkable experience that was incredibly joyful.  Because of YOU, we had everything the children need to get a fresh start.  Because of our volunteers Iona, April, Sherry, Rose and Paula the racks were well stocked, tidy and the place clean.  Because of our volunteers Dayna, Dana and Amanda, the family was served with dignity and respect.  The mom kept saying how blessed she felt to have so much help available to her family and how very grateful she is.  To be able to be part of that experience was a gift. 

 

This exemplified what Lions 4 Kids House is all about: to be a safety net for now AND a springboard to future success.  Thank you so much for making that possible not just to this family but for all the families we serve -- 130 children so far in the first two weeks of March.

 

With an overflowingly grateful heart, Carol