Hands-On Day for Haiti

Thank you so much for making Sunday such a SUCCESS!!

The “Goodwill in Motion” this past Sunday at our “Hands-On Day for our Neighbors in Haiti” event was a sight to behold!!  The fervor of volunteers working together in one large room was an experience to behold.  Words fall short in an attempt to describe 66 volunteers, working side-by-side, heart-to-heart and hand-to-hand – each moved by the desire to help the sick and wounded by supplying hospital sheets and tourniquets – each connected by the wish to add dignity to the multitude of burials by decorating sheets for palls.

The morning began with a moment of reflection – our intention was to make a difference in the wake of this earthquake disaster.  For the next five hours a crescendo of love and compassion directed busy hands to sort, cut, design, paint, glue, iron, fold, pack and label hundreds of sheets and pillowcases for a total of 43 boxes packed, sealed and ready for delivery by days end:

- 167 decorated palls,
- 1,109 nondecorated palls and sheets,
-  5 boxfuls of tourniquet fabrics and
-  40 sets of new packaged sheets, at final count
Outstanding!!

Our “gifts of love” were carefully packed and sealed and transported to Munster, Indiana where John Shattuck, a member of Friends of the Orphans, will ensure safe delivery to Haiti. Some sheets will go to St. Damien’s Hospital in Port au Prince and will be used for bedding – some for tourniquets.  Many will be used to bury the dead.

We were moved by the volunteers who turned out this past Sunday.  We are inspired by their willingness to help and we are thrilled to have such a long list of people and businesses to thank.  We Give Many Thanks to these Many Heroes:

• Perma-Seal Basement Systems
• Jennifer Wolfe Photography
• Keith Kelly/ Innovative Communications
• Berto’s Deli
• Prairie Yoga
• The Yoga Place
• Yoga Among Friends
• 2HotYoga & Pilates
• Shala Yoga
• Conrady School Adventure Club
• Students at Sutherland School
• The Quilt Basket in Downers Grove

Plus, all the many more generous folks who donated the bed sheets and pillowcases, money, food, supplies and time!

For us, this event – this roomful of neighbors helping neighbors – brought into focus how small this world truly is.  “Who isn’t our neighbor?” becomes the better question.  People reaching out to people is where Global Hope comes in. A hand in need reaching to a hand extended in service is where our volunteers come in.  We applaud our community of volunteers – they performed magic at this event – magic that will be felt all the way to Haiti.  Enjoy a special view of that magic with this video of the event from our friend Keith at Innovative Communications:

Hands-On Day for Haiti: Global Hope from Keith Kelly on Vimeo.

We thank everyone who gave so generously!

[Show as slideshow]

Hands-on Day for Our Neighbors in Haiti

Sunday, February 7th
9:00am-2:00pm
Perma Seal, 513 Rogers, Downers Grove

Thank you to all who RSVP’d – all our Volunteer spots all filled!

We called out to all of you for sheets and pillowcases – and your loving donations are flowing in.  Thank you and keep them coming!  This project is in support of our neighbor, John Shattuck, who serves on the board for Friends of the Orphans and travels to Haiti regularly to personally transport much needed supplies.  Because many of the sheets must be cut down to various sizes before he can deliver them to St. Damien’s Hospital outside of Port au Prince, Haiti, we call out to you once more.  This time we need your hands.

We will cut sheets down to specific sizes for tourniquets needed in the hospital.

We will also cut sheets down to specific sizes for palls needed for burials and we will adorn these with religious and inspirational markings and glued on “fabric art”.

We will press and reverently fold our “hands-on” work and pack them according to shipping guidelines to ensure safe delivery to Haiti.

Please bring your own scissors, permanent markers (Sharpies work well – and they come in assorted colors), craft glue, craft paints, craft trim, and appropriate embellishments.

We will supply additional craft glue, paints, fabric scraps for “glue on art”, markers and various embellishments.  Water and snacks will be provided.

Bedsheets and Pillowcases for Haiti in partnership with “Friends of the Orphans”

Your part:

Collect new or slightly used sheets and pillowcases (any size) and drop them off by Feb 7 to:

Yoga Among Friends, 4949 Forest Ave., Downers Grove

John Shattuck, a board member for Chicago-based, Friends of the Orphans, will deliver the sheets to a hospital/orphanage in Tabarre for desperately needed bedding to accommodate the huge influx of patients, and for transporting patients to and from the hospital.  Shifting from the more familiar focus of “rescue”, these sheets and pillowcases may also be used as palls for burial.  Your donations will be respectfully and lovingly decorated in order to use them for this purpose.  In an effort to improve the severely inadequate burial conditions for earthquake victims, Mr. Shattuck assures us that our donations will insure that as many victims as possible be “buried with dignity”.  Take a minute to learn more about Frankfort resident, John Shattuck, and his work to help Haiti in this newspaper article.

Global Hope’s part:

Coordinate expedient delivery of sheets and pillowcases to the appropriate destination.

More Ways You Can Help –

In Partnership with One-Dime-At-A-Time Program at Whole Foods, January 1 to March 31, 2010

We are directing all proceeds from the Willowbrook Whole Foods “One-Dime-at-a-Time” Program toward relief efforts in Haiti in the most efficient manner possible.  So spread the word – the more who shop and bring their own bags to this location – the greater the difference we can make.

Monetary Donations

Monetary donations are always appreciated and presently all will be used to fund relief efforts in Haiti.   Click here to contact Global Hope to ask a question or make a donation.

Global Hope holds the vision of

“helping those in need who dwell amidst the effects of this  “inconceivable disaster”.

“an overwhelming public response to any and all means for helping Haiti”.

“thousands upon thousands of people in Haiti finding relief from any and all efforts to help”