Week 2- Donation Week

Donating to the Union Gospel Mission

Collecting things to donate to the Tri-City Union Gospel Mission was rewarding in many ways.  We were able to get rid of a lot of things we didn't need any longer that were still in great condition and know that they would benefit someone in need.  We made a HUGE dent in our books and stuffed animal collections.  We were really proud of Braelin who gave away a LOT of her beloved stuffed animals with a wonderful, giving attitude.  I was surprised by several she chose because they looked brand new, some with their tags still on them.  She even gave away some of the pigs from her beloved pig collection!  That was when I knew she had truly caught the spirit of giving :)  Owen came up with considerably less animals to donate (which was not surprising) but he had a very willing and happy attitude.  He even decided to give away his Magic Treehouse book collection.
It was amazing how easy it was to find so many things to give when focusing on how it would benefit someone else.  Braelin kept saying how she knew some kid was going to LOVE each of the stuffed animals that she so lovingly chose to give away.  Travis was just pretty happy that we were getting rid of stuff and made it really easy by going through the garage and filling up a laundry basket of books.  I gave a large amount to Braelin's school and still had plenty to donate to the homeless shelter.  Travis came through at the very end with clothes and a few jackets.  This was awesome since he is a minimalist when it comes to clothes and usually wears his stuff out before buying something new.

The Wuerches brought over quite a few bags filled with a variety of great things including two lap desks that will come in really handy for a couple of kids.  A few friends were also kind enough to bring over several bags full of many useful things as well.
Dropping off all of the stuff at the mission was interesting.  There were only a group of men hanging out in front so Travis had us stay in the car to find out where we should drop everything off.  They sent some nice, happy men to take everything out of the back of our van.  One made us laugh by saying he wanted the stuffed dog at the top of the bag he was carrying :)
Owen said, "It felt good thinking that we could do something for someone living in such a challenging situation.  It will make a  big difference for them and yet it was so easy for us."  It really isn't that hard to make a positive difference in someone else's life.  Sometimes we just need to remember that we are all children of God and are on this earth to help each other! We can't wait to get to help  again when we get to make and serve dinner at the mission next month!

We are excited to share our experiences with Widowers Week :)
-- Rebecca

Week 1- Gratitude Week: Serving Those Who Serve Us



Gratitude Week
Week one was a kicked off with saying thank you to those who serve us.  We started with the trash men.  The Carters were up early and actually saw the surprised look on thier trash man's face when he saw the sign, cookies and gator aid for he and his partner.  Owen said "This is Fun."  The Wuerch family was not so sucessful.  We got everything set up and made sure nothing would blow away with duck tape.  It was such a windy day and the trash man doesn't come to our place until the afternoon.  When we got home from school it was more than obvious that that he hadn't seen it.  It was dispointing for the kids and us.  Luckily we had the fire department to go to after school.


The firemen and firewoman were awesome!  They were so excited and gracious about it that it made the day for all of us.  They even offered to give us a tour.  Allison said "I love this."     The postman/woman was positive and easy to do.  We just made a little thank you that we  attached a treat to and put into the mailbox for them.

Last we went to the police department.  Luckly we knew a police officer otherwise you aren't supose to take stuff to them.  We dropped off more gateraid and water.  There was no interaction other than the receptionist at the window.


 

            The Wuerch family loved the fire department the most and the Carter's fav was the trash dudes because they were so surprised.             --Miryam





KICKOFF

Kickoff  Planning  Fireside

 We chose a firside type kickoff to launch our Service 365 family group.  We met last Sunday at the Wuerches and followed with dinner.  Every member of the group had a part in the program from prayers, leading music, sharing scriptures & stories about Jesus and a few short videos.

Christina started out by leading the Hymn "Have I Done Any Good In The World Today" & the Dads gave the prayers.  The parents started out by sharing our feelings about why we felt this was important and a great opportunity for our families.  Braelin shared our group scripture Matthew 25:40 (When ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me) & Acts 10:38 (Jesus "went about doing good").  Allison shared about Jesus healing the 10 Lepers. She shared how even though only 1 came back to thank Him he had still healed the other 9 and that we are doing the service because it is the right thing to do not in order to get others gratitude. Bekah shared about the story about the loves & fishes and how even though they only had a little bit of food, they were willing to give it all and Jesus showed them a miracle by making it feed over 5 thousand people. Elizabeth shared the greatest gift that Jesus gave everyone-- the Atonement. This was His greatest demonstration of love for every person no matter who they are or what their circumstances are. Owen shared 3 videos: 2 from the Mormon Channel: "Peter's Roof" & "Pass It On" and a video from the non-profit organization www.waterforsouthsudan.org. It is where the "Lost Boys from Sudan" came from. Braelin & I had read the book "A Long Walk to Water" their story. It is very inspiring and an example of the kind of project we would like to support for one of our quarterly global service projects.

We next went over our service list and began calendaring.  I found an Excel calendar online, filled in any commitments I was aware of, printed off 6 months of copies for everyone and way we went.  We had planned on taking turns having each member pick a service project and a week.  What happened was a combination of looking how busy our weeks were, letting each member pick a service project they were interested in and then plug it into the calendar where it made the most sense.

Here is what our MAY & JUNE SERVICE PLAN looks like:

MAY WEEK 1:  Gratitude Week for people who serve us (Miryam in charge):  This week will include the following:

- Cookies & sign on our trash can for the GARBAGE GUYS

- Treat & sign for our MAIL LADY

- Gatorade, water, cookies & sign for our local FIRE FIGHTERS

- A recent addition of spudnut donuts for our local POLICE OFFICERS

MAY WEEK 2:  Donation Week to the Union Gospel Mission & Women's Shelter (Rebecca in charge)

- Donate gently used clothing & shoes for Men, Women & Children

- Gently used books, stuffed animals, toys/games (they suggested crayons & coloring books/paper) for homeless children

- Gently used small household items & linens



MAY WEEK 3: Widower Week (Mother's Day Week) (Rolf in charge):  Visit with Widowers and let them talk about their wives.

MAY WEEK 4:  RAK (Random Act of Kindness) Week (Bekah in charge):  Perform random acts of kindness throught out the week (if something is done for you we have no idea who did it :).

MAY WEEK 5:  Tri-City Union Gospel Mission (Travis in charge): Prepare & service dinner to the homeless. If you see Travis' smoker going all night & smell something yummy in the air you will know what we are doing for service that week ;)  Tour the mission midweek to learn & see what they do and to help prepare for the dinner.  Kids will also be making balloon animals for the children who come for dinner.

PLANNING MEETING: Lizzy & Owen in charge

JUNE WEEK 1:  Dollar coin Bus Stop project (Owen in charge): Put uplifting messages on dollar coins & tape them to bus stops all over our community.

JUNE WEEK 2:  Hospital Roses Week (Christina in charge):  Take potted flowers to patients in the hospital.

JUNE WEEK 3:  Humane Society Week (Lizzy in charge): Do Volunteer training at the Humane Society.  Bring things for their list of needs to donate.

JUNE WEEK 4:  Fleece Blanket Week (Braelin in charge): Tie fleece blankets during our planning meeting to be donated to the Cancer Center, Project Linus and other organizations that need them in the area.

PLANNING MEETING: Bekah & Braelin in charge

After a very productive meeting we finished with the YUMMIEST Belgian Waffles (we will have to include the recipe next time) with fresh fruit & Bacon!!!

Our first week of service has started with a bang!  We can't wait to hear Miryam share all about it!!

If you would like more detailed information about anything we are doing just comment below. :)

SERVICE IDEAS

Here is our first Service Idea List:

-Serve at Soup Kitchen- Tri-City Union Gospel Mission  www.tcugm.org                                            Serve meals, prepare & serve meals, sort items for their store
-Walk Dogs/ Pet cats at Humane Society
                 collect items to donate to Humane Society
-Play with/read to kids at hospitals                                                                                                           -Balloon animals for kids in hospitals (found out can't do so moved it to giving to homeless kids at Gospel Mission
-Yard work for Elderly/widows
-Visit rest homes
-Piano playing/dancing/playing games/talking  at rest homes
-Food shopping/collecting for food banks- get list & contacts
-RAKs
-Bishops storehouse
-Pick fresh fruit & share it
-Collect things for women's shelter
-Write anonymous kind notes
-Notes of gratitude
-Tape quarters to candy machines & rides at the mall
-Buy food gift cards to give away
-Drive through service (pay for the cars items that is behind us)
-Plant flowers for someone
-Give a family fuzzy socks (Braelin's idea;)
-Safe Harbor Crisis Center needs
-Indexing
-Picking up trash
-Donating books
-Make FHE kits for young families/ quiet books
-Heart attack people
-"Ding Dong" door ditching
-Tie fleece blankets for cancer center & project Linus
Write to missionaries
"Gift boxes" for missionaries in our mission
-Fetal demise bracelet sets
-Hygiene kits
-Heifer Society (buy animals for families in Africa)
-Smile week
-Sincere compliment week
-Family secret service week
-Gratitude week
-Service people Gratitude week:                                                                                            Firefighters/Police appreciation
Cookies / thank-you sign for Garbage workers
Life savers or other treat/Thank you signs for postal workers
-Bus stop dollar coin project
-Good Will donations
-Back to school donations (backpacks,school supplies)
-Coats for kids                                                                                                                                Collect hat, scarves & mittens (or make fleece scarves) to donate to local schools

-Book of Mormon project                                                                                                                         -Church humanitarian projects
-Water 4 Africa project/ A Long Walk to Water project
-Pull weeds for others
-ARC of Tri-Cities- Parners n Pals Summer Camp
-Hospice House
-Sewing projects
-Buy flowers or plant & give to random person in the parking lot

-Volunteer Chore Services: Catholic Family Services                                                                       Help the poor/Elderly with home projects                                                                                    

 

This is the list so far. It was super fun coming up with ideas & talking to some of the organizations! If anyone has any other ideas let us know.  My kids have now started asking what service we will be doing at our upcoming vacations this year.  I love it!!

-- Rebecca

 

HOW IT ALL STARTED

A Year of Family Service: the who, what & why

So, this is how our whole "year of family service" thing got started.  Our families were together a few weeks ago and the subject came up about how to keep our kids from falling into the selfish, entitled trap that is becoming so prevalent in our society today. Actually Rolf said they were switching from dance to a year of family service (like his girls would ever let them quit dance;)  It's really hard when we are raising our kids in a more affluent lifestyle than we were all raised.  We decided that really the only way was to get them involved in service and it would have to go beyond the occasional church or holiday service project.  It would need to become a part of who they are-- become who our family is.  This really is the best way to truly follow in our Savior's footsteps.  I have always LOVED service (our parents were AMAZING examples) and my kids are always happy and willing to serve whenever we are asked but that has seemed to be the biggest problem to becoming a service family-- we wait until presented with the opportunity instead of seeking it out.  So when the Wuerches said they wanted to start a year of service we immediately jumped at the chance to join them and create a family service group that performed some kind of service every week for an entire year!

     Here is how we decided the group would work:

- Each week we would do some kind of service either together or as individual families depending on the type of service or what our week looked like in terms of other commitments.

- Each person would choose a service project and be in charge that week.  That person would also be charge of documenting the project on our blog.

- We would choose a quartly bigger/global project to contribute to as well.

- We made a list of service ideas and the moms did the research on contacts, what was available, filling out volunteer forms etc.  This list would continue to be added to as we heard of or thought of more ideas.

- We created a name, theme & logo.  We also have t-shirts & bumper stickers in the works :)

- We would have a kick-off to go over everything & calendar out 2-3 months at a time.

- We would meet at the end of each month to go over what we did the past month, make changes for the future & continue to calendar out 2-3 months.  Leadership over our planning meetings would rotate amongst family members.

- It was really important that our kids take ownership of it & it not just turn into something the parents were making them do.

- We would share what we are doing & invite other families to join in any of the service opportunities that will accomodate more people.

- We would set up a blog to document our journey as well as share information to help other families more easily find out about service opportunities in our community, join with us or start their own family service groups.

- We would culminate the year of service with a Humanitarian Service trip.

When we told the kids for the most part they were pretty excited.  As the weeks went by leading to kick off and we started talking and brainstorming ideas, the excitement grew and I was amazed at how service minded they became.  They talked about ideas they had and how they couldn't wait to start!  It was AWESOME!!
                                                                                                                                                                            --  Rebecca