Report on the BIG day!

Wow, what a day it was on Saturday. I'll have photos in a few days, but for now--here are the numbers:

*618 completed kits
*24 kits without pads
*77 additional cloth bags
*72 additional shields
*400 additional bars of soap
*80 additional ziploc bags
*36 additional washcloths
*702 pair of underwear

These items will be shipped to Washington this week, where they will be prepared as part of a larger shipment going to Kenya in October. More information to follow, but for now BIG thanks to everyone who participated, either through donations of money and supplies, time spent gathering supplies, sewing, organizing and then, of course, all those that gave up part of their Saturday to do what they could to move the project along. You gals are AMAZING and I'm so impressed to see what us women can do when we have a cause and a plan.

We are blessed to be able to give in this way, thank you to everyone who made it all possible. Thanks also to the Stake RS presidency that provided the good eats--they were delicious.

Join Us!

Month of preparation will come together on Saturday, August 22 2009 and you're invited to attend! From 9:00 and 5:00 we will be sewing, assembling, and packing 500 feminine hygiene kits that will then be sent to Africa. Come when you can, but please come as many hands make light work. Please send any questions to kilpack@gmail.com

Update on Donations

As of today, July 31 I have in my possession the following items: (Red indicates that we have met or exceeded our goal)

*Complete Kits: 15
*Finished Bags: 35
*Bags in need of drawstring: 140
*Ziploc Bags: 724
*Underwear: 353
*Soap: 586
*Washcloths: 450
*Safety Pins: 260

I would like to know from each ward rep what items they have gathered so I can have a perfectly accurate tally--so please let me know what you have this week. Please include shields and pads. I find it works well to put these items in Ziploc bags and then write the total on the bag, then they don't have to be re-counted later. This will allow me to better determine what equipment we need on the 22nd.

I will be purchasing the remaining items, so let your ward members know that we are no longer receiving any donations other than financial. All extra donated items will be donated to SWAN for use in other hygiene kits.

Thanks for all the great support!

Two wards down, Six to Go! :-)

The Willard 1st Ward had their ward night last night--they got most of the pads cut and sewn as well as 25 of the sheilds. the pads that didn't get sewn were taken home by individual sisters to work on at home.

JoAnns is out of the drapery fabric, and Sandy C. of the 4th ward is looking into some remnants--hopefully we'll get it all figured out next week.

Tonight, the Willard 2nd ward had their ward night--they did great as well and got all their pads cut and most of them sewn from what I saw. They may have had to take some of them home, but were making awesome progress when I left.

I was very impressed with both wards preparation and buoyed up by the enthusiasm of the sisters that participated!

We're on our way and doing great!

Sewing update

Originally, I had thought we would do most of the sewing on August 22nd--making a day of it. However, the Ward Reps got together a couple weeks ago and we did a 'practice night'. We quickly realized that if we put off the sewing until the big day, we wouldn't get it done. So, we re-calculated our plans. As it stands now, each of the 8 wards in the Willard Stake will receive 1/8 of the fabric and supplies needed to meet our goal. They will then do a ward night where this will be started and then they will determine how to meet their 'quota'. In Early August, we'll have a good idea of what still needs to be done by way of sewing. Some wards will have more left to do than others, that's fine, but getting as much done before hand will make this much more feasible.

So, if you have a sewing machine and can find a little time to do some of the work, contact your ward rep about what she'd like for you to do.

Many hands make light work!

Drapery Fabric

We are still in need of 18 yards of the drapery fabric (thank you for the donations so far). At JoAnn's Fabric in Ogden they have location codes for some of their specialty fabrics. If you would like to purchase the drapery fabric it is location code 71-6 in domestic fabrics; drapery lining. If you give that code to an employee, they can take you right to it. It retails at $5.99/yard so use your coupons! Thanks.

GOAL MET for Washcloths

Thanks to a generous donation from Stacy C. we have met our goal of washcloths. We'll still collect any that are donated and donate them to SWAN, but we are set. Thanks to everyone that donated!

GOAL MET for Ziploc Bags

Thanks to the generous donations of the sisters in the stake, we have already met our goal on one item--Gallon sized Ziploc bags. We have 506 as of today, June 21st. Any extra we collect will be held in reserve in case we are able to make more kits with other items we collect OR it will be sent with any other additional supplies to PROJECT THRIVE for them to use as needed. Thanks everyone!

Underwear Update

Since kicking off the project, the requests have changed a little bit. They give the underwear out separate from the kits, so that they can choose the sizes that best fit the girls. AND, instead of pinning the pads into the underwear, they have developed a kind of shield. It looks similar to a Maxi pad with wings, but it's washable and snaps together underneath the underwear. Kind of hard to explain.

We will still send the pins we have and any underwear we collect, but we don't need to make gathering them a matter of our goal. Instead, we need to get the supplies for the shields which are:

--Medium weight drapery fabric (water resistant) for bottom layer.
--Flannel for top layer
--Sew on snaps

I'll have a pattern for each of the wards, in case anyone wants to start on some before August 22.

Bag Instructions

A few people have asked about the bags, offering to sew them at home rather than just bring the fabric. This is a BRILLIANT idea and would be a huge help to the efforts. There is no set pattern for the bags, but they should be about 8 inches wide and about 10 inches tall--but an inch or two either way won't make a difference--it just needs to be big enough to hold all the items. For the drawstring, just fold over the top and sew it, leaving a space, or sewing button-holes, that allow the drawstring. I have lots of ribbon for the drawstring, so you can come pick it up or you can use something you have at home. You can then bring me the completed bags or just let me know how many you've made and bring them on August 22. Thanks.

Thanks Willard 4th Ward!

Sister Braegger came by from the Willard 4th ward tonight and brought me a box of goodies: Soap, pins, ribbon, bags and wash cloths. Several sisters in their ward donated the items. THANK YOU! If each ward did something similar, we'd have all our supplies in no time. Every little bit helps, truly, so thank you to everyone that's kept this in their minds and acted when they came across the items that would work.

I also had a gal drop of 90 ziploc bags. I don't know who she is, but thank you, whoever you are.

To Donate

Thank you to those people that have given donations--any donations can be brought directly to me at my home 550 N. 200 W. in Willard. if I'm not home, you can leave it on my front porch or with my kids--they know what to do with it. You're welcome to leave a note, or just leave the item. Either way I will update the blog when I receive any of the donations. Once we have ward representatives called, you can take donations to them as well.

So far we've had one sister in the stake donate ALL the ribbon necessary for the drawstrings on the bags. Wow--thank you Kristina. Another sister purchased 60 pair of underwear that were on sale at Wal-mart and another anonymous package of underwear was left at my house. Every donation, large or small, helps us immensely and I so appreciate everyone that is keeping this in the forefront of your minds.

For financial contributions, you can put it in a tithing envelope and mark the 'other' field with 'Stake service project'. It will be placed in the account set aside for this project and will be used to purchase supplies not donated by July 1st. Feel free to leave any questions in the comment section and I'll answer it in a post. Thanks.

Hopin for Hanes

I sent a letter to Hanes requesting seconds or a reduced price or something for the underwear we need for this project. I'm hoping it works.

I got a couple bids for fabric too--aye, aye, aye. The first was about $1200.00, the second one was $750. Both of them were a lot higher than I was hoping. I think we'll be able to get donations for the cotton-poly and the fabric for the bags, but the birds-eye cotton will be a trick. It's used in diapers and the weave (little diamond shapes, i.e. birds-eye) is reputed to be the most absorbent. I guess we'll just have to see how it all shakes down. We have to place the order by early July, I think, to make sure we get it in time.

BTW, I will be removing items from the sidebar as I get them collected.

Introduction

This blog is for the sole purpose of having a 'one stop shop' for all the information needed for the LDS (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) Willard Stake 25th year anniversary Service project. If your a member of the Willard community looking for details, or someone else looking for a wonderful service project idea, we hope you'll find all the information you need to make it a success.

Our goal was to find a service project that would:



1) Include all women in the Willard area regardless of age and ability.
2) Be meaningful both for the giver and the recipient.
3) Be something from women to women.

There were several things to choose from, but each of them posed complications to one or more of the goals set at the onset. Until we found just the thing.

In Africa, the orphan population has skyrocketed over recent years. Between AIDS, war, and the overall breakdown of family units, millions of children live on the streets until/unless they find a 'home' in one of the many orphanages that exist almost entirely on donations from religious groups from all over the world. With little-to-no federal funding, the orphanages struggle to feed, educate, and clothe the children they house--often twice as many children as they have room and beds for. There is so much that needs doing; so much that a few hundred women in Willard, Utah can't do, but there is one thing we found that we can do. One thing that will make a difference to each and every one of these orphaned girls. We can give them back days lost each month when they are unable to attend school or play outside--days when they are resigned to their beds during their menstrual cycle because they have no feminine protection. Due to sanitation, sewer, and availability circumstances, the traditional (and disposable) products we use in the US are not feasible in Africa, and with so many needs in need of being met, this was one that was without a solution--until now.

SWAN (Serving Women and Nations) learned of this need and sprang into action. In October 2008 they, in conjunction with the organization Project Thrive (and several individuals that took up the cause), made 500 reusable feminine hygiene kits. Once they had the kits, they took them to an orphanage in Kenya and incorporated the giving of these packets with a day that taught these girls empowerment, morality, and basic hygiene in regard to their developing bodies. The girls, rather than being embarrassed at the sensitive issues addressed, were thrilled with the opportunity they had to take care of themselves and take control not only of their present, but also of their future. Since that singular event, SWAN has received dozens of requests from other orphanages hoping to give back the days that their girls are also losing every month. Only after presenting the program, titled "Days for Girls" did they learn that a girl's cycle is referred to as "Days" in Africa. A coincidence? Maybe, but maybe not. Either way, the individuals on both ends of the project were blessed that day. And yet the need remains.

Enter the women of Willard and Perry.

On August 22, 2009 we will meet for our own "Days for girls: Women Giving to Women" at the new Willard Stake Center and spend the day creating for these girls what they can not make or buy for themselves. We will donate the completed kits to SWAN who will then see that they are delivered to orphanages in Africa along with the "Days for Girls" presentation that helps teach these girls that they have power over their own bodies.

We will make a difference, and we invite you to join us if you live near the Willard area. Please leave any questions you have in the comment area of this post and they will be addressed in subsequent posts as the preparations for the project get underway.

Also, take a look at the "What we Need" list in the right hand sidebar. It does appear a bit daunting, we know. If you have a resource for any of these items, please let us know. This is an auspicious undertaking, but one we can most certainly do with the help of many hands and willing hearts.