School Supplies for 2012 and ..... check out these cooperative efforts!

School Supplies Collected!! Wow!

Summer 2012 Hons On A Mission collected school supplies to be donated to students that come to The Franciscan Center in Baltimore for help. Angela Wu headed up this project and she wanted to extend a heart felt thank you to the community for all of these great supplies. The new backpacks, composition books, pencils, paper, markers and ..... just everything that students need to start off the school year right.

1 in 4 Baltimorians live in poverty. These children often go to school without the tools to learn. The Franciscan Center collects supplies to given out in August. Many poor children will benefit from your kind efforts.

Thank you Angela and all of you who helped make this drive a success. 

Here is a quote from our contact at the Franciscan Center about the school supplies drive - 

“The Franciscan Center is so grateful to Hons on a Mission for their generous donations of school supplies. The Center is assisting our clients with filling their children’s school supply lists and so far we have assisted 20 families! Thanks to all who helped in this effort by helping us provide the tools necessary for students to succeed!

                                    *************************************************

                   A VERY SPECIAL COOPORATIVE FOOD DONATION EFFORT  - HOAM AND MULTIPLE CARING NEIGHBORHOOD CITIZENS ON PATROL (COP) WORK TOGETHER!

Campus Hills COP member Wesley Wood picks up food from Ridgely Condominium COP leader Roger Proehl

This year National Night Out (community-police awareness raising event) featured a huge multi-community food drive to benefit the Assistance Center of Towson Churches, which coordinates the ecumenical efforts of 48 churches to provide emergency food and help to those in need. The COP patrollers participating in the motorcade brought non-perishable food items from their neighborhoods to Towson Place, where ACTC officials collected it. 

“COP leaders and patrollers are donating to ACTC because hunger does not go away," said Roger Proehl, a COP leader from The  Ridgeleigh Condominium.  "Helping those in need is always a blessing. It’s good for them and good for you too.”

ACTC is always in need of deodorant, razors, lotion, socks, and toiletries as well as cereal, canned tomatoes, pork and beans, canned vegetables and fruits, canned  pasta meals (ravioli,spaghetti), spaghetti sauce, tuna, peanut butter and jelly, soup, dried pasta (spaghetti, macaroni), boxed saltine crackers, pop-top canned goods for homeless Care Bags, canned meat (beef stew, chili, Spam, etc.), macaroni and cheese, boxed potatoes. 

Thank you Lee Klima, TACOP photographer! Above info from local press release.

Lindy Uternmhole, first director ACTC with Mary Wynne Eisenberg of Stoneleigh and Charlie Utermhole, ACTC volunteer

Brian, Bisset and Fiona with Bella - food donations from Stoneleigh

Annie Biser, Stoneleigh Neighborhood Food Drive Coordinator with Charlie

It's always fantastic to work with such positive people who want to make a difference in the world - one can, one box of cereal, one box of crackers at a time. 

Our next big drive will be for teenage girls and boys clothing, shoes, etc. We have been asked to collect these items for the residents of a nearby mental health facility. Please keep this in mind as you go through your children's clothing and pass this on to friends, family and co-workers.

If you would like to get involved with this drive, please contact me (see below).

And if you would like to start a Hons On A Mission group in your community, please contact Donna Rae Smith at donnaraesmith@yahoo.com

Have a great rest of the summer. Hope you enjoy some peaceful moments before the busy school year starts and the holiday season and so on and so forth. Fall is my favorite time of year. For me a time to reflect on the new year coming and enjoy the earth changing into a whole new beautiful landscape of color and a whole new vib. Meanwhile, enjoy these last days and what magnificent beauty they have to offer.

Photo by Emily Rae Sturtevant Martin, extraordinaire!

SHOE DRIVE A COMPLETE SUCCESS!

Bissett Schwankee - coordinator of shoe drive and really fast runner

On Saturday May 26th HOAM collected 17 bags of shoes (approximately 400 pair of shoes!). These women's shoes and also men's and children's shoes were taken by Berni Donnenberg to The Franciscan Center in Baltimore City.


A little bit about The Franciscan Center - copied from - http://www.franciscancenterbaltimore.org

The Franciscan Center, founded by the Franciscan Sisters of Baltimore in 1968, is an outreach agency with a mission to provide emergency assistance and supportive outreach to persons who are economically disenfranchised in an effort to assist them in realizing their self-worth and dignity. We serve people in need regardless of age, race, creed or national origin. Some are unable to work due to chronic illness. Some are homeless. Some earn wages below the poverty guideline. Some are members of families who have lost their means of support. Some suffer from mental illness. Some have HIV/AIDS. Our goal is to give immediate response to our client's emergency needs and to help them resolve the conditions that placed them at risk. The new volunteer and in-kind donation coordinator immediately emailed Berni thanking us for the shoes. They are interested in continuing to develop a relationship with HOAM and asked  if we would pass on to our community and others their need for volunteers. They have opportunities Mon.-Fri. 10 am-1p.m. in the dining room, food pantry, clothing room and admin offices and they are interested in regular individuals or one time group efforts.  If you are interested please contact Amy Bachman Franciscan Center  Volunteer and In-kind Donation Coordinator 410-467-5340 x 113 (c) 301-910-0545 abachman@fcbmore.org ****************************

I wanted to give you a brief summary of what we accomplished at our

annual May meeting.

After a little wine and talking about feeling good about our 2011-2012

accomplishments, we proceeded to make plans for 2012-2013.

2012-2013 Projects will include:

Shoe Drive at Stoneleigh Stampede on May 26th -  (see above wonderful results);

men’s, women’s and children’s athletic, casual andwork

shoes that are in good shape. New flip flops also appreciated for use

in the showers at homeless shelters.

Towel Drive; all summer; Donna Rae organizer; If you’d like to

participate just leave your towels at the pool and we will collect,

wash and deliver them to those in need! Ha!

School Supply Drive; summer; Angela Wu organizer

Teenage Boys and Girls clothing; fall; Ann Snead organizer

Women’s Business Attire (clothing, coats, business shoes,pocket books,

jewels, belts, stockings, etc.); winter; Heidi Bunes organizer;  Will

be donated to Suited to Succeed; details will follow at a later date.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

By going through your “stuff” and making donations as needed, of

course.

And……………. Specifically:

1.     ***Mobilize your work place to help needy, poor children have

school supplies

2.     ***Talk to your friends and relatives about donating women’s

business attire

3.     ***Get your kids and their friends involved with the clothing

drive

We learned at the meeting that our working poor (that is, people who

are not homeless) are allowed to come to the food pantry where our

food goes (ACTC) every 3 months. Yes, you read that right ----- every

3 months. The reason for this is that there is not enough food for them

to come in more often.

Homeless people can pick up a “Homeless Bag” once a week and can

receive lunch every day.

Our monthly donations really help keep some food on the shelves,

but….. as you can see, there is a huge and growing need.

                                     Please keep those donations coming!

We concluded our meeting recognizing the fact that we know we make a

difference in people’s lives, people that are hungry and poor and

often miserable. And at the same time they make a difference in our

lives.

If you have any questions, suggestions or if you would like to help

out with any of these projects, please contact me and I will direct

you to the right person.

Thank you neighbors and friends for everything!!!

Be safe and have a wonderful summer.

        Donna Rae and all the other HOAM (by the way, all folks are welcome to join HOAM, you don't have to be a Stoneleigh resident)

p.s. News flash from Stoneleigh Road

A giant swarm of about 25,000 bees suddenly arrived right across the street from our home! Fortunately, Stoneleigh has several resident bee keepers. They soon arrived and were able to relocate this huge swarm of bees.

*******************

Thank you cards from kids at Sheppard Pratt

                                           Thank you cards from the kids at Sheppard Pratt                                          

(If you haven't read the  previous post about this very important HOAM project, please do.)




These are thank you cards from the kids at Sheppard Pratt. They were so happy to receive the DVD's and games and puzzles and Wii. Here are a few of the comments that were written on the cards.


"Thank you for the puzzles. I enjoyed putting them together. It's a great coping skill for me. I appreciate it a lot!"


"Thank you for the amazing Spider Man Puzzle!!! "


"Thank you very much for the puzzles cause I need them for when I'm angry or bored. I love all the puzzles."


"Thank you for donating the puzzles to our unit. It was very nice and you gave me something to do to pass the time away."


"Thank you. We really needed those games."


This all came about with very little effort - a little communication, a little time and a little compassion. Thank you folks!!!!


Happy New Year,
Donna Rae
Founder HOAM

A Small Holiday Miracle!

                                                     
This photo is a very small representation of the huge haul we made for the residential girls and boys adolescent units at Sheppard Pratt and the Good Shepherd Center (all girls).


Here is a list of the items we collected (some gently used and some new)
*160 DVD's (so many really really great ones like- 
                      Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, 
                       Herbie Fully Loaded, 
                       Spiderman, 
                       The Blind Side)
*30 Videos
*41 Puzzles
*15 Games (including Dominos, Chess, Fruitomenos, Scrabble, Scribblish and more great ones)
*16 Card Games
*8 Books
*1 Brand New Wii


About the unexpected new purchase - Cheryl, our contact at Sheppard Pratt mentioned to Annie Biser that their Wii was broken and the kids really missed it. She said this in passing - not expecting us to replace it. Some folks had emailed me to ask if they could give a monetary donation instead of "stuff". $150 was donated and that is the exact cost of the Wii! My husband Henry purchased it and Annie Biser delivered the Wii to the unit. It was sort of a holiday miracle!


One of the donations came in an envelope that had no return address and the note inside was not signed. The note said, "Thank you for doing this project for Sheppard Pratt. I am happy to donate this money. I was one of the benefactors of that great place and it really helped me." Person - whoever you are, thank you for giving back and for caring.


This project was suggested by my daughter, Sarah Clinton, who after graduating from college worked on the adolescent boys unit at Sheppard Pratt. She said the kids watch the same movies, play the same games and work on the same puzzles over and over again. The staff use these recreational activities as a reward. There is no reward if you have seen the same movie 15 times already.


Just think, because of you - there are some kids on those units really trying their best to behave so they can have a turn on the Wii and see the cool movies we donated!!! Ha!


You can imagine how much the kids (and the staff) are enjoying this little bit of sunshine in their day.


And it took very little effort on our part to make it happen.


Thank you neighbors and friends. Thank you so much.


With every best wish for a happy and healthy new year,


Donna Rae Smith and Annie Biser
(thank you Annie - couldn't have done it without you!)


p.s. If you know of a need in the community, please contact me at donnaraesmith@yahoo.com
In the spring we will have our annual organizational meeting to determine the projects for Sept. 2012-June 2013 - if you would like to participate please join us at that meeting. HOAM projects take some creativity, some communication and VERY LITTLE time.