Well .... what a year it has/hasn't been eh? Anyway ..... here I am to give a brief rundown of where we are at presently. I'm at my kitchen table, coffee at my elbow (and hopefully NOT over the keyboard) And I imagine you will be pretty much the same ... options have limited us this year and all I can say is ... thank goodness for online shoe shopping (Ooops!!)
If you've been following our Facebook page and our Website you will see that we have recently been trialling our monthly 'Gathering Days' by Zoom. It enables us to 'sort of' face to face, exchange news and plan for our return to whatever the 'new normal' will be in the coming year. We had one such meeting on Saturday and combined it with our AGM ... which saw the Committee pretty well return with a couple of new faces. Looking forward to achieving much in 2021 .. lets face it, ANYTHING we do will be an achievement after our enforced hiatus ... right?
If you've followed our Website Newsletters ... put together by our Vice President Jenny .. you will see that we have been gifting, and planning to gift, many fabric 'hugs' even during our time of isolation. So 2020 hasn't been a total loss. And we plan to hit the ground running in the New Year.
In the meantime our 'Sales and Fundraising' arm ... ably coordinated by Deborah has just had its first post Lockdown foray and we had a stall at the Lakeside Market in Pakenham on Sunday November 15th. Funds gathered thru the sale of our crafted pieces and quilts will go straight back into the purchase of backing fabric and batting for more gifting quilts. I will do a bit of cyber pasting and pop in here the agenda for the Markets Deborah will be at between now and Christmas.
Fundraising and Markets ...
With the easing of restrictions, a number of markets will be run during December … QFO will be at these markets:
Saturday 5/12 Kallista Market
Sunday 6/12 Lakeside Market Pakenham
Sunday 14/12 Belgrave Big Dreams
Saturday 19/12 Kallista Market
Can you help? If so ... please email [email protected] if you would like to assist Deb on any of these days.
I'm guessing that most folk reading this will be following our Website, so rather than simply repeat what has already been put out there .. I'll flick this over to be published and look forward to reporting more as and when it comes to hand. In the interim, stay well .. keep stitching (it truly does give a creative respite from the worry so many have been facing) And I will update again soon ..
Blessings,
Susan
Contact us via our Website : www.quiltsfororphans.org
Blogger: Susan Hamilton .....phone (03)9737 1825
email: [email protected]
Our postal address (for donations) is P.O Box 398 Monbulk Victoria 3793
And .... we are www.quiltsfororphans.org
On 'social media' aka Facebook find us at https://www.facebook.com/QuiltsForOrphans/
Check out the following Links:
http://www.facebook.com/Chelseaonesock .... for delightful retro fabric childrens clothing. Chelsea has blessed us with her destashing of fabric.
http://kayleenwest.com.au .... for Art with a positive spirit
http://mellyandme.typepad.com .... creative clothing etc for children
http://mrsmartinsquiltshop.typepad.com/ ...whose customer blessed us with awesome fabric
We have also stitched for the following Childrens Homes ....
http://www.butterflych.org/.... for news about the Butterfly Palliative Care hospice in China
And their very own Blog ... which is beautifully written and contains inspirational stories on the children in their care. See the Link below:
http://butterflyhospice.blogspot.com.au/
http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d6a59784e7a45314d6a673d0d0a&sb=1
www.freetobekids.org/- .... the rescue organisation that frees children from slavery and exploitation
www.hopefosterhome.com ... the babies we are creating crib quilts for in China ...
www.zoehopeproject.blogspot.com .... giving hope to children in Zambia.
http://english.chinaconcern.org/ ... more children in China that we have stitched for ...
http://www.lolachildrensfund.org/ .... in Ethiopia
http://www.fikelela.org.za/orphan.asp .... the Fikelala AIDS Project in Capetown
http://mifanmama.com/Shining_Star_2.html the Home for vision impaired children in Shanghai
http://www.austchamshanghai.com/about-us/csr/mifan-mama.aspx
www.jewelsofhope.org ... the project we stitch for in Lesotho Southern Africa
http://www.thebabesproject.com.au/
http://elishacare.blogspot.com.au/
http://rangescc.wordpress.com/2007/05/11/elisha-care/
The Matombo Village Project vimeo.com/217129149
www.ujamaachildren.com