| ***Smiles for Children Project*** **Needs Your Help** |
| The Smiles For Children Project was organized September 3, 2005 after hurricane Katrina hit. I began to see countless numbers of children with a dazed look in their eyes, confusion, and losing what they considered their only treasures which was their toys. This is something of little importance to us as adults but to a child it often means everything to them. This was their treasures, their dreams into the future by having something to play with. The simple expression of a Smile has been replaced with a feeling of loss, confusion and an empty feeling of no one cares. Since that time the volunteers of the Smiles For Children Project have not slowed down. As of August 21, 2008 we are happy to say 9,381 bags of embroidery treasures have been sent to children in need. Items have been sent to Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Arizona, South Dakota, Kansas, West Virginia, Kentucky, El Salvador, Mexico, Roatan, Iraq, Honduras, the Philippines, South Africa, Ukraine and Haiti.. It is our goal to reach as many children as possible throughout the world to give children a reason to Smile and to let them know that they are loved and thought of by many and to place a Smile on their innocent faces once again. Our volunteers are scattered throughout many countries and we know we may never see the faces of the children we reach out to but in our hearts we can feel their loneliness so we share our love of embroidery in hope to bring as many Smiles as we can. We would love to have you join us on our in 2008 to give children in need a reason to Smile once again. If you are interested in joining us you can visit www.smilesforchildrenproject.com and there we have a forum set up for the volunteers to share ideas and plan on where we will send to next. As you can see we are trying to reach out to as many children as we can but your help is needed. Each tote style bag that we give to the children is filled with at least two embroidery sets with accessories. The main items in each bag is a set of embroidery paper dolls with a minimum of three outfits for each doll. I must say that most of the doll sets have more outfits than three outfits which is wonderful for the children. In addition to a set of dolls each bag would have another set of various embroidery items. Our volunteers have made in addition to the dolls embroidery tic-tac-toe sets, cars and trucks with interchangeable bodies, finger puppets, pencil and sucker toppers, playmates and many other fun items. The most important thing placed into each bag is a lot of love and Smiles to let the children know they are never alone and are loved by many. At our volunteers website www.smilesforchildrenproject.com is a page set up titled, "Who has donated items". Here you will see your name posted as the items you send in to the projects center are received. This will let you know they have arrived at the distribution area safely. There is also a discussion board set up where you can chat with other wonderful volunteers for the project to share ideas and stay updated on the latest happenings. ****The Smiles For Children project has been blessed by several talented designers who have donated their embroidery designs for the volunteers of the Smiles For Children project to use. If you would like to volunteer just make a post on the Smiles For Children Project discussion board saying you would like to help. Once you make your post two sets of embroidery designs will be set up for you in your very own private download area in the Smiles forum area. These designs are given to you to help you get started making your items. You can also use any embroidery paper doll designs that you may already have. After you have made your items you can mail them to the address listed below. For every five complete sets of items you send in you will get one more free set of designs placed into your download area. You will be amazed at all the cute designs and things the volunteers make for the children to enjoy. This is a wonderful project for the experienced embroidier as well as the beginner. On our discussion board we have volunteers who are always happy to help you with any questions you may have. ****I do hope you will share the information about this project with your friends and with other embroidery groups that you are a member of. We need your help to spread the word about the project so we can spread Smiles to as many children that we can. The success of this project is only possible with volunteers such as yourself and I humbly thank each and everyone of you. If you have friends that have sewing machines and they do not do machine embroidery invite them also to help in this wonderful project by making bags to place the dolls in. Information on how the bags can be made in found in the Smiles For Children information area in the F.A.Q. (frequently asked questions) folder. Refer your friends to http://www.button-crazy.com/SmilesForChildren so they can read about the project. They can get the most current information and stay updated by joining www.smilesforchildrenproject.com PLEASE MAIL YOUR EMBROIDERY PAPERDOLLS, BAGS, AND OTHER ITEMS TO: Smiles For Children Project C/O Kathie Bush 1236 McKendree Chapel Road Franklin, KY 42134 U.S.A. Thank you so very much for your support in this project. We couldn't do it without you. www.button-crazy.com/SmilesForChildren www.smilesforchildrenproject.com Read Below some of the letters we have received from our contacts that are delivering Smiles to the children from the Smiles For Children project. **************************************************************************** 2005 Letters: Dearest Sister: Don and I spent the afternoon in Pearlington, Mississippi passing out toys. My heart was really touched by the children we met. The entire community is in shambles and there is not one home that can be considered livable. The first family we met was Hispanic. We told the mother who we were and what we were doing and you should have seen the light that came into her eyes. She had 2 beautiful little girls and they were so excited to have us at their home (FEMA camper). I gave each child a Barbie doll and a bag of paper dolls. The mother was as thrilled with the items as the little ones were. She said they would have to be careful or she would have their paper dolls playing with them. She thought they were the most beautiful things she had ever seen. I asked the mother for permission to take a picture of the children and she said it would be fine. The girls took their new gifts and ran to place them under their Christmas tree. They were very proud of their little tree but my heart was touched by it. The tree was small, scrawny, (very fitting for the surroundings in which it was sitting) and sitting outside because there is no room for Christmas trees in most of the FEMA campers. The tree was decorated with a small chain made of popcorn and Cheerios strung together. There were a few colored balls here and there. The top of the tree held an old Barbie doll in place of an angel. The little girls were very happy to have their picture made while they sat under their Christmas tree. It seemed that the children didn't find anything amiss with this scene and you would have thought that the tree was sitting in a place of honor in a mansion somewhere instead of in the middle of all the devastation left by Katrina. When we were leaving we saw the children running into their camper, smiles on their little faces and their eyes all aglow as they chatted with each other about their new toys. The mother had a glow about her too and she was very grateful to all the people who have worked so hard and were so generous to send these gifts to her little ones during this Christmas season. We traveled around the community looking for children. We found a grandmother with two little grandsons and they needed some "love". The family is living in one FEMA camper and a blue FEMA tent. Just beyond their "camp site" we could see a travel trailer perched at an angle on top of the family car. The car was turned over on its side and crushed by the trailer. Everything else was in pieces scattered all over the area. We told the grandmother who we were and asked if we could give the children some gifts. She and her sister, who was visiting with her when we arrived, were thrilled to have us there. I took the box of toys out of the car and gave the boys a toy and a bag of paper dolls. The grandmother told the boys: "You see, I told you Santa Claus would come to see you. I told you he would be able to find you. This lady found you and brought you some toys so Santa Claus knows where you are too." It made all the difference in the world to those two little children. They were thrilled with the paper dolls and the other toys Don and I got for them. They were very relieved to know that Santa is going to be able to find them after all. I asked if I could take their picture and the grandmother was agreeable to that. Before we left, the little ones went in the camper to play with their new paper dolls and cards. The grandmother took Don into what was left of her home. She is planning to rebuild and she showed Don her tools and said that she is going to do most of the rebuilding herself. She rode the storm out in the top of an old oak tree with 4 huge dogs. She held onto the branches of that tree for over 12 hours in order to survive. While Don was talking with the grandmother, I was chatting with her sister. She told me that she, her husband, and a girl who was 7 1/2 months pregnant lived through the hurricane by hanging on to the roof of a house because the water was over 29 feet high and that was the only place they could get to ride out the storm. Her husband got hit by something and it knocked out 2 of his teeth and broke his arm but he survived the ordeal. The grandmother and her sister were very grateful to everyone who made it possible for the two little boys to have the toys this afternoon. It not only gave them something they could hold and call their own, but it gave them hope and the assurance that they are not stuck in the woods alone where no one can find them. We know they are there and so does Santa Claus. Don and I met a 14 year old mentally handicapped child this afternoon. She was a delightful person. She was playing with another teenaged girl and a 9 year old boy. Don and I had purchased a couple of games for some children, but we discovered they were not ready for the games yet so we decided to take them with us today in case we needed something for an older child or two. Well, the games were meant for these two girls. I have a picture of them holding the games and the little boy is holding several things because he was having trouble trying to decide which one to keep so he held all of them up for the picture before settling on the one he liked the best. Actually, he wanted to keep EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!! Another family we came across this afternoon really touched my heart. There was an Afro-American family living in a row of FEMA campers. They had two little girls. One was 6 the other was 10 years old. The mother was busy doing something to the youngest one's hair and it was all wet so they could not come out to get the toys. They invited me into the camper instead. The children were completely speechless when they saw the paper dolls and the Barbies. The mother was as excited over the paper dolls as the children were. She said they were the most beautiful paper dolls she has ever seen and she thanks each and everyone who worked so hard and so long to make them for her girls. She thanked the ones who provided the Barbies too. I asked if I could take their picture and the mother gave me permission to do so. The little girls had several items in their hands but they wanted to have their pictures made with them before I collected my things and left. At that point, they were having a hard time trying to decide which paper dolls they wanted because they loved them all. The oldest one presented me with a very special gift that she had made. She was making necklaces out of small colored paper clips. She had just finished making a pink one when I arrived and she placed it around my neck before I left. Needless to say, that necklace went into my china cabinet along with the rest of my most cherished possessions. That little paper clip necklace is worth more than pure gold and I will never forget when, where, why, and who I got it from. I gave the little girl a great big hug and kiss but that was very little in comparison to what she gave to me this afternoon amid all the debris and destruction of a community that is trying to rise from the ashes once again. These are just a few of the children we met this afternoon. The mothers seemed to have been uplifted just knowing that they and their children have not been forgotten and that the world knows that they are here and cares about them. The children were all thrilled to get the toys. Don and I were blessed over and over as we watched their little faces light up and their eyes glow with warmth and joy as they received the gifts that you and the ladies all over the world have made possible for them to have. Thank you on their behalf for the love and gifts you have shared with our children this CHRISTMAS. GOD BLESS YOU ALL and MERRY CHRISTMAS Your sister in Christ, Mary **************************************************************************** Dearest Kathie and volunteers, The box of paper dolls arrived today. They are so beautiful and everyone just loves them. I had a grandmother ask me this afternoon if she could take a bag for her crippled 5 year old granddaughter. The child is wheelchair bound and not able to leave the house right now. The grandmother said the little girl will absolutely love the paper dolls and she will play with them for hours. Another lady asked if she could have a bag of them for her niece. She said the child will have a ball playing with them. We went to several locations this afternoon and met some really neat children. We ended up in a huge camper city but it was very cold and getting late so most of the children had gone inside for the evening. Don and I will go back there in a couple of days and try to catch them while they are out and about. The weather is supposed to be sunny and warmer the rest of this week so that will help. Thank you and the ladies who have worked so long and so hard to make these precious gifts for our children. They are really making a difference in the looks on the faces and the gleams in the eyes of the little ones down here. I am taking pictures as we go and I will send you a copy of them just as soon as I get them developed. I hope they turn out well so the ladies can see how much their gifts mean to our children. The faces of the parents are not in the pictures, but you should see the glow on their faces. Just knowing that their children are not forgotten and that someone cares enough to make gifts to send to their children really means a lot to these families and it gives them a huge up lifting to see their children smile again. God bless you and Merry Christmas. Your sister in Christ, Mary *************************************************************************** (Posted By Pastor Ruth Rowe in the Smiles For Children discussion area) I divided the boxes up. One box (the smaller one) did not stay here it went to a huge church in Atlanta that had taken in 1000 victims many of whom were children. There were quilts and dolls sent up there to help make Christmas a bit brighter there. Remember many of these folks don't even have a car, their time is running out for housing and their three months are up, almost up. There were none of the usual Christmas trees and decorations that the little ones were used to and your dolls truly made an impact. I think the givers were as thrilled to distribute as the children were to receive them. It amazes me how the grown up "guys" wish they were little kids so they can play with them.. I have heard that several times LOL. Then I divided the big box up into five sets. One set went south of me to a shelter that will be disbanding in January. There were 16 children at that shelter and your dolls were combined with a quilt and a small bag of goodies (cookies, candy canes and tooth brushes and paste). Two sets went out to Belle Glade, one went to a day care center that is operating for whatever the parents can afford, another went to the hispanic Church and I know that even though I didn't understand a word of Spanish that those tears, smiles and hugs will be with me for a lifetime and that was from the parents. The little ones OMGosh am crying as I sit here thinking about it. Two boxes went to camps between here and Belle Glade. One was down a dirt road, me and my brothers rode horses there for years when I was growing up. These folks lived in small wood frame homes that usually were one room and a bathroom with a galvanized tin roof. Formerly used for the seasonal housing of grove workers, and cattlemen they now house mostly full time grove workers whose wives work in janitorial services. The first camp had a lot of children most of whom were dressed for Christmas Eve services and each taking their turns getting bathed and dressed. Ohhh you know how good a fresh bathed baby smells and I hugged bunches. Their english wasn't great but better than the one church where the majority were sugar cane workers. There wasn't a window in any of the houses and curtains blew in the wind, fires outside the houses in pits were being used to cook and you could tell that they were well used to this lifestyle from their former Guatemala (spelling?). The little ones knew I was different and were a bit stand offish until I handed them the treasures. LOL the boys were down on the ground playing with tic tac toe before I barely got started and the little ones, who didn't have an idea what a paper doll was went running to their parents waving their little bags in the air squealing in delight. When I ran out of children I started to pack up the jeep and realized how quiet everything had gotten. It was getting really dark... but you could see the children sitting on mothers laps peeking in their bags slowly pulling out their new treasures. Their community is a bit different and the little ones would run out to find their dads usually in clusters through out the camp. As they loaded way too many folks into their pick up trucks to head off to church not one left their precious toys behind... just clung to them. The last camp that I went to had only a hand full left and they too were heading off to their church of Guadalupe. I managed to give them out and found out there were several children who had already gone and left them each a gift too. They didn't each have a tree rather there was one tree in the common gathering area that seemed to be the center of their small community. One look said that these are a prideful people but also realistic. I have a few left over that I am going to send out to Mary and Don as effective the first of the year most of the folks in our region from Katrina will be gone and the hurricane victims from Wilma have no where to stay here and will have to move on themselves. Our last shelters close this week and the next nearest place is well over 100 miles from here. Sadly many will be homeless, let down by systems that don't know how to run themselves much less help humanity... I won't go there... I don't care what language is spoken when a child smiles (at any age) it is the light of God shining its way for us to see where the next step leads. Sure wish you could have been there, I will tell you I did NOT take pictures for my own safety. As I went alone, there are some cultural aspects that I do not infringe on and as long as I identify myself as Pastor and deal solely with the women usually that is enough of a shield. With limited communications I did not want to take the chance as they are loyal and VERY protective of their babies and wives. So I pray that each of you understands how truly blessed you are, that the sacrifice of time, supplies and postage stretched across the miles to give hugs, smiles and Christmas to little ones that have suffered greatly this year. Humbling does not remotely touch the experience but to see people with nothing, dressing up to honor God with the best that they had, pressing precious dimes into the palms of their children to tithe in faith, offering the Pastor something to eat and drink (knowing they didn't have enough) what you gave to me is the greatest gift of all... I got to walk on a path that I will never forget *smile* and I pray honored God and you. Thank you! It was the greatest gift I could ever have been given... the honor to serve HIM by sharing YOUR love with precious children of God. Pastor Ruth Rowe The Bruised Rose Ministry www.thebruisedrose.com ******************************************************************** 2006 Letters In 2006 the Smiles For Children Project teamed up with a medical missions team going to Honduras. Hundreds of children were seen by the medical team and each child was given a special Smiles For Children Project bag. Here is the letter received from one of the teams members. Dear Smiles For Children volunteers, A belated, but heartfelt, thank you to you and each one who had a part in preparing and sending the gifts to Honduras. The Children were just delighted to receive them and it was a pleasure to be the "middle-man" between the loving handiwork and the Smiling children. May God bless and multiply your work. Brenda and Weston Smith *************************************************************** Getting ready for 2007 Normally we only send embroidery paper doll sets and other embroidery toys but one of our volunteers grandchildren wanted to help us bring Smiles also and of course we were happy they chose the Smiles For Children Project to share their collection with.. Read the newspaper article below telling how they helped the Smiles For Children Project send even more Smiles. These are being shipped to Nicaragua in 2007. |
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