SOS - "Family Pictures for Charity!"

My thanks to all the families who supported my SOS activity- "Family Pictures for Charity!"
Together we raised $200 to buy Christmas gifts for needy children in our area!!   The money will support Reston Interfaith's "Gifts for Kids" drive.  I registered with the organization and they will send me wishlists to fill (I asked for five, so each of my kids could participate. Yes, even the baby!  ;)  Can't wait!

I believe Cindy P. already posted the link, but here it is again, in case you'd like to participate as well.  http://www.restoninterfaith.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=124904   


By Emily T.

A Classic...

Last night, Trina, Nan, Tracey and I went to the temple to do family file names for Larry L.  It took over two hours to get there. We had one of those classic temple trip experiences where everything in the world happened to discourage us from going.  First it was the traffic, then a little car accident caused by some overzealous drivers.  When we finally pulled into the parking lot, Tracey said, "I don't have my recommend!" 

We pressed on, tracked down the Bishop, and were finally welcomed inside the temple. It was all worth it when we felt the warm spirit of the temple and helped Larry get some important work done.  

If you are attending ward temple night Saturday, please pick up one of Larry's names in the family file and help us finish this work. See you Saturday night at the 6 p.m. session!

by Laurie T.

SOS: Gifts for Kids Drive and Bargain Loft Donations

Reston Interfaith is a great organization that provides lots of opportunities for groups/individuals in the community to serve.  They have a "Gifts for Kids Drive" that is an easy way for families to donate to kids in need during the holidays.  Here's a link with more info.  It might be a nice thing to let people know about.

by Cali E.

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The Bargain Loft needs quality donations such as household goods (dishes, silverware, sheets/towels, etc.), jewelry, artwork, antiques/collectibles and nic nacs. We also need name brand (ex. Talbot's, Ann Taylors, Tahari, etc.) women's clothing drycleaned on hangers. 

Donations can be dropped off during business hours which are: Tuesday - Friday 10am-3pm and Saturday 10am-4pm. We can make arrangements to pick up if you have a van full of donations. Please call me at 703-437-0600 to make arrangements.

by Cindy P.

Season of Service -- Remember the Troops!

Trina and I spent the day filling Christmas boxes for Operation Support Our Troops, Inc.  While shopping at Costco recently, our stake RS president noticed a lady buying huge amounts of food -- crackers, cakes, treats, and decorations.  She said, "You must be having a party!" The lady said, "Well, not really.  I'm shipping Christmas boxes of goodies to our troops!" 

Ever the wise and ready servant, Claudia said, "Do you need some help?"  

Phone numbers were shared and a friendship was forged right there in the Costco cracker aisle. So today, a few sisters from each ward in the stake met at the home of the cofounder of this charitable organization and we assembled festive boxes of holiday treats to ship overseas to wish our troops a Merry Christmas.  

We were reminded of how much our troops are doing for us in our ongoing war effort. We heard stories about some of their sacrifices, including one about a soldier who lost both his legs in battle. The storyteller stopped herself after saying, "He lost his legs" and said, "No.  I prefer to say he gave his legs, not that he lost them." 

A powerful reminder of what the men and women in our armed forces are doing for us!

If you are interested in doing something to support the troops, go towww.corpsofsupport.org for more information.

I know you're all out there doing good deeds in your schools, neighborhoods, families.  Share your stories ladies.  Let's pump up the energy for this season of service! Let's get the ideas flowing!

By Laurie T.

SOS: Kicking Off A Season of Service

At last night's Relief Society dinner, we kicked off "A Season of Service," which we hope will be a fun way for us to find new ways to serve each other and our communities.  Nan T. is leading the charge on this project and she shared some great ideas with us about things we can do to get involved, share our talents with others and "add substance to our souls" through helping others.  

Our goal is to see what good we can do in the world when we're all working together as a group of women on the Lord's errand.  Our official "season of service" will culminate in a celebration of the Relief Society program in March. Since one of the primary purposes of Relief Society is to provide relief, we thought focusing on service would be the best way to honor this amazing organization of women in the church.  

Nan put her artistic skills to work and created a new bulletin board for us by the Relief Society room.  Make sure to check it out.  It's not only a piece of art, it has a a plethora of ideas to spark your imaginations about the diverse service opportunities all around us.

Be creative and have fun with this and then share what you do so that you can pass on new ideas.  If it's not a secret act of service, take photos and share them with us on the blog and on the bulletin board.  Get your kids involved, reach out to your neighbors, plan on providing service to others for the holidays.  Organize a group of friends, families, couples and do something together. Think of your talents and find ways to share them.  

You don't need to feed the continent of Africa or end homelessness, you just need to find something that works for you in your current circumstance in life that will make the world a better place for someone else, and then have fun doing it!  

We can't wait to hear from you!

SOS: FISH / Bargain Loft

(Blog Note: SOS will come before posts dealing with the Season Of Service... you can also look it up by the label topic on the side bar)

I’ve volunteered for several years now with a local organization called FISH (Fast, Instant, Sympathetic, Help).

Specifically, I volunteer at the Bargain Loft as a cashier on Saturdays.  And it’s really, really fun and easy!

The Saturday shifts are broken into two shifts: 10am to 1pm; and 1pm to 4pm.

Earlier this year, I also volunteered to be in charge of the Saturday scheduling (the woman who normally does it was leaving town for an extended period).  I send out msgs to a roster of volunteers to fill the Saturday shifts for the month.  Just a minimum of 3 hours a month is all that’s required—easy peasy!  Of course, you can sign up for more shifts that just one!  I’m volunteering three shifts this month, due to lack of volunteers.  We desperately need more Saturday volunteers!  Also, there are folks who volunteer during the week, but I’m not involved in the M-F scheduling, just Saturdays. 

 

Check out this website re FISH and the Bargain Loft.

http://www.herndonrestonfish.org

By Cindy P.