Quilts For Orphans

The 'WHY" ...... a word from Glen Cox ..... COMs CEO ...

On Sunday May 23rd we had the pleasure of attending a 'Thank You' afternoon tea at The Chapel restaurant in Lilydale for all who volunteer their services to our Christian Outreach Ministry.

Glen Cox, the CEO of COM gave a wonderful explanation of exactly WHY we do what we do for these children on the other side of the world in India. So I asked Glen, and was given the OK to share his words with our wider audience. I hope it goes some way to giving you all the 'heads up' on what our time and energy means in the long run ....

   The Why:

   No matter what path we follow in life....it is our passion/calling (the
why) that ultimately drives us. To travel to a developing country like India
& walk through the streets/slums in the big cities & the village roads of
rural communities you can't help but observe the obvious need that exists
among the children of this great land.

  To understand that literally millions (indeed 100's of millions) of Indians
never get a chance to be educated or have any hope of breaking out of the
cycle of poverty is something that strikes you as soon as you spend a few
hours in these communities. You ask yourself.....'What can I do?' or 'What
difference could I ever make?'.....The feeling can be overwhelming if not
daunting!

   It touches your heart & indeed often challenges your whole world view on
the important role we have as coming from a society that takes all we have
for granted. Often 'messes up your hair' big time as we seek to understand
what our purpose in life ultimately distills down to.

  The realisation that we can make a difference...even if it is to a single
child in India can be profound & life changing for us & the child concerned.

  This is what COM has done both through its support for on average 1250
children every year for the past 25+years. The running of the opportunity
shop(s) in Mt Evelyn has effectively supplied the capital required for each
of the 25 homes over the past 25 years & continues to allow development &
growth of this vital part part of God's plan to see us 'rescue' the widows
& particularly the fatherless in this context.

In addition to this to see the outworking of peoples concern, care & love
for these children by seeing a project develop that is going to provide each
of these children with a handmade quilt is yet another example of how we
have been able to engage in a meaningful way with these amazing children.

   Making a difference in the life of child & giving them an
opportunity that they may never have had if COM had not turned up is the
real heart beat of both the shops established in Mt Evelyn & the Quilting
group.....it is the why!

Glen Cox

The next evening several willing volunteers gathered in Wandin to help load the large container that is on its' way to India even as I type this. It is filled to the brim with clothing for those we help in India in the villages and Childrens Homes. It also carries our precious cargo of the latest batch of quilts for the children in the COM Homes. It should arrive in a couple of weeks and I look forward to being able to share with you the next batch of photos of those beaming children with their fabric 'hugs' ... love stitched into every seam!!

Blessings to all till my next Blog offering, and don't forget ... you can help through COM to make a REAL difference in the lives of these precious children Just contact Jill Malcolm at COM Headquarters on 9760 8040. You can sponsor a child ... provide a mattress/medical supplies/chickens for a village/school supplies ... the list is virtually as long as the proverbial piece of string. So .... as well as explaining the 'WHY' ... I now ask you "What are you waiting for?"

Susan

Our 'Hat Trick' ..... good things happening in 'Threes' ....

Well Hello again folks .... here we are with our May 2010 Quilts for Orphans update ... and let me explain the 'Heading' for this entry ... 'Threes' ....

We are now providing quilts for a THIRD group of orphans .... this time the Free to be Kids Orphanage in Calcutta, India. Reg and Gaynors son, Chris Peterson, will be soon travelling to Calcutta with a group of kids from Planetshakers ... and delivering 20 of our quilts to the children in this orphanage.

See http://freetobekids.org/

and  www.planetshakers.com

For further details of this amazing organisation.

 This .... when added to our COM Orphanages in India ... AND the Chinakidz Orphanages, now means that our little band of stitchers in Monbulk are bringing joy to children in three separate areas of need. Awesome stuff indeed!!!

See http://chinakidz.org/index.asp

For details on what Chinakidz is doing for the disadvantage and disabled babies and children in China.

And our ladies on Sunday May 8th were kept incredibly busy, as we put the finishing touches to over 200 quilts which will be heading to Chennai next week .... I will be sharing photos in this Blog of the quilts AND the special extras that will be going with them ... there are going to be some extremely happy children when this lot get unpacked at their destination!!! This weekends efforts, added to the 414 quilts that we have already sent to India ... AND the quilts going to Calcutta with Chris ... means that we will have provided 634 children on the other side of the world with fabric 'hugs' of love to brighten their lives.

Speaking of happy .... see the grin on Gaynors face as she sits with some quilt tops that came to us last Friday from Gayle Cunningham in Rockhampton, Queensland. Gayle kindly made 5 stunning quilt tops for  us, which will brighten the lives of children in our COM Homes very soon ... aren't they brilliant???

  Isn't this one a stunner????

These are SO colourful Gayle ... the children will be THRILLED with them!!!

WE have received some wonderful donations from our generous stitchers out there ... am not 100% sure where these next ones came from ... but wanted to share with you their beauty. Please contact me if you recognise these so that I can backtrack and credit you ... sometimes paperwork goes astray between the arrival and my camera shots each month ... so please don't be afraid to tick me off so that I can thank you properly .... OK??

 

 

Now Gaynor has been very busy also, putting together a beautiful quilt which will be one of our 'For Sale' quilts. We make a number of special quilts for sale,  as part of our fundraising for materials needed for the childrens quilts. Have a look at this 'work in progress' ... when finished it will have appliqued fans attached with gold thread to the corners ... and will make a stunning showpiece in someones bedroom. 

Now before we could get started last weekend, we had to unpack the bags of quilts destined for Chennai, in order to stitch pockets for the special 'extras' that were to accompany them ... do you have any idea how many bags are needed to transport 200 quilt tops from storage at Paulines home to Gaynors... answer is .... lots!!!

And the ladies were soon busy, stitching pockets and bindings to these quilts so that we could meet the deadline for the container headed for India ... we were 'flat chat' busy ... and yes, read that as 'chatting' whilst we stitched ... nothing nicer than convivial company and we have PLENTY of that!!

 
We had a new member join us, Wally Thorpe (centre) ...ex infant teacher from Mount Evelyn Christian school came along and was soon put to work with Yvonne and Win .... welcome Wally, it was lovely to see you again!!

  
 
Pauline and Amber were kept busy too ... and I must apologise for the quality in some of these pictures ... goodness knows what I have been doing ... but maintaining focus obviously hasn't been on my agenda ... sorry folks!

 
Here we have Margaret and Annette .... stitching happily ... impossible not to smile when we get together!

And Janagi and Isobel do their bit too .... they had a little more leg room than Lois and Karen, pictured below .... ....

Now all this stitching of pockets was done so that the children had a place to put a special 'something' ... and this extra was provided by Paulines friend Tracey ... who had kindly sourced a pile of Beanie Bears and similar other soft toys for them. Now the collective noun for a heap of bears is called a "hug' apparently. ....think I read that on the back of a matchbox somewhere ... and how very appropriate it seems. A 'hug' of bears to accompany our fabric 'hugs' ... neat eh?

 
Can't you just picture the excited children when they see this batch of furry friends?? Thank you SO much Tracey ... you have been incredibly kind ... this has pretty much knocked my socks off!!!

Before lunch Gaynor was also able to share some more of the stunning quilting work done by Lynn in Mildura ... we love the way that she co-ordinates the quilting pattern with the fabric used in the quilt tops we send her ... check this inspired train fabric quilt and the pattern that she has used to finish it off ... just wonderful!!

Isn't this just brilliant?? Nice work Lynn ... you are incredible!!

 

Soon it was time for lunch and appropriately enough, this months culinary theme was curry, my favourite!!

 Absolutely delicious lunch  and it fulfilled my own benchmark of a successful curry ... my eyebrows perspired ... gotta love a curry that does THAT!! I certainly did!

We then resumed our stitching ... busy as could be ... and the time flew!

 
  

Amber, Rachel and Margaret ... never without their smiles ... our group must be one of the happiest!

 Finally ... a little bit of 'Show and Tell' ... Lois wanted me to share some of her work (below) with you ... aren't these lovely?

 
 
The appliqued wildlife on this one will keep some young lad enthralled ... nice work Lois!

And that just about wraps up this months Blog ... but before I go, I have been asked by Gaynor to alert our Quilting ladies to a special afternoon coming up ... especially for them ... and for the Volunteers who serve in our COM Treasure Corner Opportunity Shop. This is to be a Thank You to them in the shape of an Afternoon Tea at the Chapel Restaurant in Castella Street Lilydale on Sunday May 23rd ... from 2.30 till 4 pm. Could I ask our Quilters to please call Gaynor on 9756 7950 BEFORE the end of this week (May 14th) to let her know if they will be attending, for catering purposes. If any of our QFO members are able to alert the QFO quilters who are NOT on-line and let them know about this, it would be much appreciated, as Gaynor has just discovered that she does not have all the phone numbers for our little band of stitchers.

Our next Working Bee will be on Saturday June 12th at Gaynors ... starting as usual at 9.30am and finishing at around 3.30pm. The lunch theme (always a drawcard!!) will be Italian .... another favourite of mine ... :)

And I remind our followers and supporters that we are always happy to receive donations of cash, threads, quilting fabric ... offers of help in stitching our quilts ... and we still have those beautiful wedding/debutante frocks available for sale ... see below:

 
  

.... as well as the lovely mock suede furnishing fabric in a variety of colours ... would make awesome bean bags, tote bags ... let your imagination run wild!!! Pictured below is just a small section of the fabric stored at Reg and Gaynors ...

 All funds generated by the sale of the fabric and dresses will be ploughed back into this project ... to provide quilts for children in need in our COM Homes in India ... and now at the Home run by Free to be Kids in Calcutta and the Chinakidz Home too.

We are contactable by the following means:

Gaynor Peterson: 9756 7950

Rachel Breukel: [email protected] or 0430203485

Susan Hamilton: [email protected] or 9737 1825

till next time ... blessings to all,

Susan

Also many thanks to the following who have supported us by spreading word of our efforts thru their own  websites ... repaying the compliment here Folks:

http://mellyandme.typepad.com ...for individual and beautifully crafted childrens patterns and quilting.

http://kayleenwest.com.au/ .... for art with a positive spirit and childrens book illustrations.

  

Did you know that you could provide the kids in India with mattresses to go UNDER the quilts we make???

Well Folks .... here's a quick 'Heads up' before I do the all new Blog update after this coming weekends Working Bee ... and it's a beauty!!! Did you know that for paltry (was going to say measly ... but 'paltry' sounded snazzier!!) .. for a paltry $10 you can organise a MATTRESS for a child in one of our COM Homes in India?? There are a heap of kids who would absolutely ADORE a comfortable .... and affordable.... mattress upon which to place the quilts which we make for them. And I have the photos to show just how spiffy these mattresses are ... see for yourself!!

Here are a stack of mattresses ... just waiting to be distributed to the children in our Chennai Home ...

And here they are ... all laid out, just waiting for the kids to take up residence ...

 
Here are a group of extremely happy lads ... trying out their mattresses for size in the communal bedroom. The shelving at the end of the room holds the childrens little tin trunks ... into which all their worldly possessions are kept. A far cry from the abundance of belongings that Western children have ...

And here are the girls ... don't those smiles say it all? Prior to receiving the mattresses, the children slept upon thin mats ... how much more comfortable will they be now eh?

Now to organise a mattress for a child in a COM Home in India .. all you need do is contact Jill Malcolm at our COM Headquarters ... the phone number is (03)9760 8040. When you purchase a mattress you will receive a Thankyou certificate in appreciation, on behalf of the children.

Why not consider doing these gifts this coming Christmas ... or anytime beforehand. Jill tells me that there are many, many children in the COM Homes who have yet to receive a mattress ... why not call her now?? In this country we have SO much .. how wonderful it would be to share our blessings with children such as these.

COM can also organise any number of other gift options, chickens that can start a family in a village on the road to independence, school satchels to kit out a child for an education, medical kits for Childrens Homes, mosquito nets .. the list is long and suited to every pocket. Call COM now!!

Blessings in anticipation,

Susan