Babies Wrapped in Love- Goshen 2013

dieselsweetheart

Well-known member
Thank you again for a very successful "Babies Wrapped in Love" afternoon at the National Rally. I wanted to post all of the stats along with some photos (if anyone has any other photos, please post as well...Valerie and Malcolm?)

Friday morning we gathered in the east end of the rally hall (happily the history room would have been too small for us!) and we had drop-offs of items from ladies who couldn't stay for the program, and then about 50 ladies in attendance for the program. As you can see from the photos, we had a very large gathering of donations...everything from blankets to pacifiers to diapers! Overall we had 513 items donated! The breakdown is as follows:

Blankets 238 (up from 189 from 2011) !!!!!
Hats 131
Booties 20 pairs
Diapers 2 packages
Cocoons with hats 23
Sweater dresses 4
Comforter set 1
Bibs 1
Toys 32 (these were stuffed soft dolls, very unique and very cool!)
Sleep sacks 3
Taggies 8 What's a taggie? Something like a "comfy" for a baby/toddler with infant developmental texture pieces sewn on it
Burp Pads 3
Misc items 7
Baby food/cereal 30


So as you can see, it was more than blankets! As I said in 2011, although my program is named "Babies Wrapped in Love" because I brought that from my professional life...when we are talking about babies in need...your donations can be anything a baby would need. We had many hand-crafted items, but we also had many store bought blankets and hats, outfits, etc as well. Please don't think that if you are not a crafter you cannot participate. We need EVERYONE'S help!!

The woman in the photos speaking to the group is Mary Ann Leinhart-Cross, and she is the director of Purdue Extension of Elkhart County. She also accepted our donations in 2011. She spoke to us during our luncheon about where the blankets 0f 2011 went, who received them, the services they provide, and things to see while in Goshen. Among the programs who benefited in 2011 were the woman's shelter (where women only had their belongings in a paper bag), and the teen pregnancy program. When asked what some of the responses were of our donations, Mary Ann replied "especially the teens, can't believe a total stranger would do something like this for them." Clearly we are needed, and we are appreciated.

I was asked to run this program in Virginia. I make this promise that if I do it, you will need to come. If you want it, I will make it happen. I have already touched base with someone who can help put this together from the agency end.

So you know what that means. Ladies!! START YOUR KNITTING NEEDLES!!! And if you aren't planning to attend the rally next year, make plans for Goshen in 2015....cause I will be back...and I will be happy to run the program here again. Can we double our numbers for Goshen (0ver 1000 items) for 2015?? I think we can!!!!!

Bless you all!!! From the bottom of my heart I thank you all for giving to our babies in need.... BABIES WRAPPED IN LOVE!!

See you next June in Virginia!

Cheryl :angel:
 

dieselsweetheart

Well-known member
Pictures as promised!! Feel free to add more if you have them!
 

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dieselsweetheart

Well-known member
I need to send out special thanks to a few people. First, to my husband Jim (dieselengineer), who figured it out the morning of that we wouldn't fit into the history room and asked JB for an alternative spot. Thanks to JB and Marc Comer for getting the signage out quickly! Thanks to Dave Gruner for going with said husband to pick up the lunch for the ladies...couldn't do that without your pick-up service! Thanks to Valerie (my newest friend at the rally) for your support during the rally and helping me to organize the blankets so they could be displayed according to fabric and everyone could easily look at them. To Nona Gruner for doing anything I needed during the blanket drive from organizing the blankets to helping to pack them up so they could be loaded into the truck. To Malcolm (Valerie's husband) for taking photos and giving me, Mary Ann and JB a copy...to the Goshen news guy who will be covering our story in the newspaper...and to JB for bringing Dave the cameraman so we can brag about the wonderful ladies of the HOC. Finally...all the ladies who stayed behind to help pack up the blankets and other items so Mary Ann could have them all organized.

Couldn't have done this without you. We are a village...and the village can do great things~
 

VKTalley

Well-known member
You're welcome, Cheryl! I loved doing this and working with you! As someone else said, I can only have so many handmade items 'cause I run out of room.....need to donate them (to a good cause) so I'll have more room.

To all the ladies and gentleman who donated items, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the love you have shown to someone you will never meet. May GOD richly bless you!
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
YouTube Video: Babies Wrapped in Love - Goshen 2013

Thank you Heartland Owners Club members for your giving hearts. Thank you Cheryl Horst for your giving heart and the effort you, Jim and friends put forth coordinating this effort.

Heartlanders left a big imprint of their Heart on Elkhart County.

 

Nabo

Southeast Region Director-Retired
Re: YouTube Video: Babies Wrapped in Love - Goshen 2013

Way to go Heartlanders.
 
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