Hello everyone, and a very happy Thanksgiving week to you all!
We at Lions 4 Kids House have a gargantuan cornucopia overflowing with blessings big and small: from fundraisers, to teens moving a small mountain, to bulb planting, to a teen using a Sawz-All for the first time. To dads using hammers and pry bars, to mossy-roof-scraping calling on knowledge from a decades-old former profession. To donors of our gorgeous resources, to attic-checking for wrapping paper, to clothing kids, sorting, cleaning, hauling away garbage, and keeping a little building with a big mission running with military precision, we are so incredibly blessed.
It is impossible to find the words to describe how people coming together in many ways is changing the lives of children living in poverty and will continue to do so in the future. There are MANY individual thanks to offer and I will do so in my next update. It's been a really fun week watching Kids Helping Kids in particular. (One fun observation with a group of middle school boys digging in the dirt: you can take the boy out of elementary school, but you can't necessarily take the "elementary" out of the boy -- take leaves, sticks, dirt, rocks and squiggly worms, add a dozen boys, and create the perfect "worm habitat".)
Stories of wayward kids make the news but make no mistake, there are a whole bunch of pretty cool, smart, caring (and creative) kids out there who will lead us into the future.
Requests:
- Christmas Angels: if you have an hour or two during December on a Wednesday evening (4-8:30) or Saturday mid-day (10-2) to wrap gifts for Our Kids to give to the significant adult in their lives, we will sincerely appreciate your skills. You don't have to stay the entire time -- just a short shift helps immensely. This is an opportunity to see the magic of Christmas on the face of a child who didn't expect to be able to give something special to a gramma, mom, dad or foster parent. We have the mom & dad gifts, we have the wrapping paper thanks to Lake Tapps Community Church -- we just need some Christmas Angels to wrap. This is a way-cool experience for teens.
- We are in desperate need of Santa!!! We'll provide the fuzzy red suit in exchange for some hearty ho-ho-ho's for our holiday fundraiser to benefit Lions 4 Kids. On Sunday afternoon, December 13th, 1:30-4:30 at the Bonney Lake Senior Center, consultants from many home-based businesses will showcase their products, with a percentage of sales benefiting Our Kids. There will be a bake sale, "garage sale", refreshments and photos with Santa (but a Mrs. Santa would certainly be acceptable!) Do YOU know the perfect "jolly old elf" (or Mrs. Elf) who could be available for a few hours of Christmas magic??
If you'd like to bake some delectable delights to donate for sale, that would be awesome too. Of course, tax receipts are gratefully provided!
We'll have some great "stuff" on sale, and this is a perfect opportunity to cross some wishes off that Christmas list AND help Our Kids in the process!
- Roofing expert: We are in need of an expert please who can guide a few willing Oldie-But-Goodie volunteers in the intricacies of installing shingles. There are a few of us who can wield a hammer but lack the expertise to get started, and install the ridges, and valleys. The shingles sit atop the roof at our new building awaiting the assistance of a seasoned expert. Do you know someone who might be able to help us before the rains set in in earnest??
- Exterior door installation: Next Saturday, November 29 from 9 - noon our contractor will be installing two exterior doors. A couple holder/helpers will make the process easier and faster if you have an hour or two. Please email me if interested in assisting.
- Fence movers: We need to move the chain link fence from our old building to our new location and are requesting some helpers. In the interest of cost savings we're going to dig up the existing posts, cement and all, and relocate them to a larger hole to fill with additional cement. We will provide augers to dig the new holes, a cement mixer and the materials, if a few helpers can provide the labor. We have a supervisor who is medically unable to participate in the physical portion of this task, but he knows the ropes of how to do the job. We have some fence across the back of the new property already; this new segment will help secure the rest.
Note: If we can get the old fence removed and transported to our new property in December, the reinstallation can wait until after the holidays. (This removal segment might be a good task for some supervised teens?)
Status of renovation:
We will be calling for our first building inspection this week and pending a successful outcome will be ready to insulate walls and begin sheetrocking the end of the week. The reconstruction process begins in earnest now, and December will be busy as we work to meet our January 1 deadline to vacate the old building. We plan to move our inventory late in the week following Christmas so we are ready to open our beautiful new energy-efficient space to our young clients on January 7th.
Work continues in the Serenity Garden, rain or shine, on Saturdays from 9-12. We hope to have some beauty bark on site in a couple weeks to help prevent weeds from sprouting in the areas that will be completed by then.
We are still working to find interior flooring materials and cement for exterior hard surfaces. The only major item that will remain after December will be the installation of our new Champion Windows that will be available in January.
From the volunteers at Lions 4 Kids House, the children we serve and me, we give heartfelt thanks for YOU. We simply could not do what we do without your contributions in so many ways. May you and your loved ones have many things to be thankful for this week, and always.
THANK YOU for all you do for Our Kids. Together we ARE making a difference, one child at a time.
Happy Thanksgiving with deepest gratitude, Carol
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