SYLW: Emily's Smile Boxes

It's amazing the difference that children can make in this world, and I have one special big sister to tell you about today.  Her name is Emily, and back in 2008, her parents got the devastating news that their yet-to-be-born baby boy, Jude, had a brain bleed, or a bilateral stroke.  They were told to terminate the pregnancy, that his condition could have profound effects on his life....or he could be a very healthy baby boy with no effects at all.  The first three months of his life were healthy, happy months, until one night he had a seizure, and the effects of the stroke became very real.  As his mother writes on her blog, Jude now has "clefts" on both sides of his brain, but it's worse on one side. Jude also has vision loss, Cerebral Palsy, and epilepsy.  You can actually read more of his story on Jude, The Diary of a Baby and a Stroke.  They have been able to control the seizures with medication, but they have spent so many days and nights in the hospital.  That is how Emily's Smile Boxes came about.  

Emily's Smile Boxes was actually started by Jude's big sister, Emily, after seeing many other children in the hospital.  She wanted to spread smiles and cheer to other patients who might otherwise have a hard time finding a reason to smile.  She puts together boxes filled with games, toys, crayons, inspirations, and smiley faces, and then they distribute them to local children's hospitals.  She also ships boxes if the need arises.  She has dropped off over 500 boxes. 

So, how can you help?  Emily frequently asks for young volunteers to put boxes together, in box making parties,  and to drop them off at local hospitals.  Even if you don't live in Texas, if you're out of state, they can ship you the supplies to put your own boxes together.  This is an amazing opportunity to make a difference in so many young patients' lives.  Children shouldn't have to go through the major illnesses that many of them go through, and if you can put a smile on just one child's face and make his/her day just a little brighter, the opportunity is so worth it.  Of course, you can also donate to Emily's Smile Boxes either financially, through Paypal via emilyssmileboxes@yahoo.com, or by donating small items like crayons, notepads, markers, and card games.  You can also sign Emily's Guestbook, leaving a note of encouragement to this very special girl. 

I think the most wonderful thing about Emily's story is that she has shown true compassion and love through her work, distributing Smile Boxes.  She and her parents are examples of courage and beacons of light to me, in that when they thought all hope was gone, they still did not give up, and they've seen Baby Jude as a precious blessing, through all of the trials.  Life is truly a blessing, and Jude and Emily's story is truly an inspiration to many.

SYLW: Ozarks Honor Flight

World War II has always been an era that has been close to my heart....I just feel so passionately about it and want to learn everything I can about that time in history.  There are so many heroes, so many men and women who served our country both here at home and overseas, some giving the ultimate sacrifice.  Having an uncle who served as a tail-gunner in a bomber plane and another uncle who heroically served as a medic, crossing the Mosell and Saar Rivers under fire, in order to save lives, I long to tell their story and hear other stories, so that those same stories can be passed down from generation to generation.  

That's one reason I'm really excited about this next organization, Ozarks Honor Flight.  Ozarks Honor Flight is a regional part of the national organization, Honor Flight Network.
Ozarks Honor Flight was started in 2009, as a non-profit organization in Springfield, MO.  Their goal is to transport our veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit their memorials.  Since the World War II memorial was just founded in 2004, many of these veterans have not had a chance to travel, in their lifetime, to see their own memorial.  Right now, Ozarks Honor Flight is focusing on veterans from World War II, since it is estimated that 1,000 of our WWII veterans are dying every single day.   This trip is a one day trip at no cost to the veterans.  Many of them want to go see the memorial for themselves or even for the sake of fallen comrades, to honor their memory and their ultimate gift to our country.  Later on, Ozarks Honor Flight will begin to transport veterans from the Korean War and Vietnam.

You can help these veterans to make this trip either by donation or by volunteering.  If you volunteer, you might help to send off these veterans in the morning or welcome them back home with much celebration.  You might help out in the office taking phone calls or prepping things to mail.  You might even help by contacting these veterans and helping them to make the necessary arrangements.  If you are interested in volunteering, you can contact the Volunteer Coordinator, debbieh@ozarkshonorflight.com.

Either way, our veterans deserve the utmost respect, admiration, and honor for the ways in which they have served.  If you'd like to find out if there's an Honor Flight Network near you, check out the Honor Flight Network website.

Shine Your LIght Wed: The Voice of the Martyrs

Today's featured organization, The Voice of the Martyrs, has been around since 1967, when it was founded by Dr. Richard Wurmbrand, after being imprisoned in Communist Romania for 14 years, his wife being imprisoned for 3 years.  I can remember when I was younger....some of my teachers would read to us out of the Foxe's Book of Martyrs, which for me was hard to listen to, yet I wanted to hear about these great men and women who had died for their faith.  I wanted to hear their stories and the things they had to go through, dying to self, living to Christ.  I couldn't imagine, in my childish brain then, that things like that were going on still....yet today, all over the world, Christians are being persecuted for their faith.

The Voice of the Martyrs, or VOM, seeks to be a voice for these persecuted Christians.  They seek to help people in parts of the world where persecution is rampant by providing the necessary resources for these Christians to spread the Gospel, such as Bibles, literature, radio broadcasts, medical assistance, etc.  They help families whose loved ones have been martyred.  They help Christians in these countries to learn how to witness to the enemy, the one who is seeking to imprison them or persecute them.  They work in countries that have been Communist in the past.  They spread the word about these persecutions and the Christians who have been martyred, telling the story of that person's great faith in the midst of fiery trials.  They are there to encourage.  VOM's Mission Statement is simply this: Serving the persecuted church through practical and spiritual assistance while leading Christians in the free world into fellowship with them.  

There are many restricted nations, and you can actually see a map of these nations here.  When you go to the map, there are dots on every restricted nation, and you can actually click on that dot, and it will show you a detailed description of that nation, with links.  Some of the nations include Bangladesh, Iran, Nigeria, Burma, Iraq, Malaysia, Algeria, etc.  You can view stories from these nations in the VOM Newsroom.  Just to make it more personal and real, I'll tell you a little bit about what has been going on in Nigeria, since January 17.  There have been over 100 Christians killed because of riots between Christian and Muslim parties.  Hundreds of Christians have been injured, as well.  There have been shootings, fires, etc.  These riots were started when Muslims attacked a Catholic church, and they have since attacked other churches.  Right now VOM has people working to provide necessary assistance and help to the victims and their families, including medical attention.

VOM has offices all over the world, including the United States, offices in Europe, Africa, Australia, South America, etc.  VOM has many areas in which you can serve, volunteer, inform others, etc.  Here are some of those ways:

• You can share stories and news of persecuted Christians with your children or children in your church by way of VOM's Kids of Courage.  This site has activites, videos, and even a newsletter that you can sign your child up for.
• Bibles Unbound is another ministry of VOM.  You can send New Testaments to nations where Christians cannot obtain a Bible.  It's easy for us to take this simple freedom for granted, but in nations where they can't even go find a Bible in their local store, it's a freedom they crave and desire.
• You can be involved in sending Action Packs to needy families served by VOM.
• If you're a prayer warrior, you can sign up with VOM to receive specific prayer requests in your email.
• Be-A-Voice Network will help to prepare you to share the info you learn through VOM with your fellow Christians here at home and in your community.
• If you're interested in short-term or other volunteer opportunities with VOM, then you can check those out here.
• PrisonerAlert.com will enable you to write letters to prisoners spotlighted by VOM.  You might even write to government officials.  A new prisoner is posted each month.  There are certain encouraging phrases you can put in that are translated into the language of that prisoner.  I am really excited to find out more about this....this is something that would help uplift these prisoners as they are facing some of their darkest days.  Right now Asia Bibi from Pakistan is a featured prisoner to whom you can lend encouragement and support to just by writing to her.
• You can also give a donation or check out the resources that VOM has on their site.  They have books, clothing, etc. for you to browse through, including resources for teens and children.

You can follow VOM on both Facebook and Twitter. You can also follow the Persecution Blog, and you can listen to Persecution Podcasts.  I hope this has encouraged you today to Shine Your Light, especially in light of the fact that other Christians, just like you, are being persecuted and tortured for their faith.  It's up to you to shine that light even brighter, in honor of their faith....Shine!:)

(Picture and links used by Permission of The Voice of the Martyrs, www.persecution.com.)

Shine Your Light Wed: Mercy Ships

Mercy Ships is an organization that I remember dreaming about serving with back when I was still a teenager.  I used to pore over literature I'd gotten from them, thinking that someday I might volunteer with them.  In fact, one of the ladies in my church had actually returned from serving as a nurse, and her story is what got me interested in the first place.   Mercy Ships actually started back in 1978, when a couple, Don and Deyon Stephens, had a dream of serving the poor around the world, via a hospital ship.  The Anastasis, transformed from a passenger ship into a hospital ship, became the first hospital ship and would be used for 30 years.  When the Anastasis was retired in 2007, the Africa Mercy became the new hospital ship.  The volunteer crew is dedicated to bringing hope and healing to the forgotten poor.  Don serves as the President of Mercy Ships, while his wife, Deyon, a registered nurse, oversees the Ship's Watchmen program and is the Director of Training.  You might have heard Don on the radio for a daily broadcast called the Mercy Minute.  

Ships that have been used in the service of Mercy Ships but have since been retired or sold include the Anastasis, the Caribbean Mercy, and the Good Samaritan/Island Mercy.  The Africa Mercy is the world's largest charity hospital at 499 foot 16, 572 GRT.  The ship includes 6 state-of-the-art operating rooms, an intensive care unit, and patient beds enough for 78 patients.  It has a berth capacity for 484, and volunteers from over 30 nations currently serve on this ship.

Mercy Ships is involved in helping people with various medical issues.  We sometimes take for granted the medical care we receive here in the United States for seemingly non-serious issues, but in developing countries, these smaller problems can lead into huge problems for patients who cannot get the care they need.  That's where Mercy Ships comes in. They perform free surgeries and provide care for patients suffering with tumors, cleft lip/palate, deformities, congenital abnormalities, burns and leprosy, corneal growths and crossed eyes, blindness, injuries, etc.  

In Africa, they perform surgeries on women who have experience birth injuries, or "fistulas."  Often times, these women die in childbirth because of the obstruction to labor, and if they survive, the child may not.  After birth, they suffer from incontinence, which can lead to rejection by their husbands and villages, without the necessary surgical intervention they need to fix the problem.  Surgical teams with Mercy Ships are able to help these patients recover their lives back, celebrating with them afterwards with a special dress ceremony.  

Mercy Ships also helps to provide dental care to patients.  Not only does Mercy Ships provide medical care, but they seek to help the communities they minister to by providing training to national doctors/nurses, providing medical supplies where they are needed, help to renovate or construct medical facilities, provide community health education (as in hygiene, first aid, prevention of HIV/AIDS, etc.), work with agencies in different communities to help provide agricultural education, help in training people to provide clean water/sanitation, and leadership training.

Mercy Ships has mobilized a disaster response team to Haiti, and there are opportunities to serve there.  

They not only have their own teams on the ground in Haiti through Mercy Teams, but they also are working together with other organizations who are there, as well.  You can actually read more about their Haiti relief efforts on the Mercy Ships Blog.  

Mercy Ships believes in bringing hope and healing to developing nations all around the world.  Its crew takes care of patients, no matter what race, religion, etc.  They seek to give hurting people hope and help them in their time of need.  There are actually three ways that you can get involved.  First of all, you can volunteer.  You don't have to be a medical professional to volunteer.  They accept both medical and non-medical individuals who want to serve.  They need people to help run the ship, to keep the ship clean, to cook, etc.  You can volunteer short-term, or you can serve long-term.  Short-term volunteers can volunteer for a period of 2 weeks to 2 years and are usually involved in service or in specialized medical/technical fields.  Long-term crew usually serve for 2 years to start out and serve in roles that are more ongoing and that require the volunteer to gain more training.  It's up to the volunteer to raise his/her own funds to pay for crew fees, insurance, etc.  The ability of Mercy Ships to be staffed by volunteers really helps, in that funds that are donated can be used more efficiently for the work at hand.  Right now, there are positions open, including Hospital Care Provider, Pediatric Ward Nurse, IT Support Specialists, Ophthalmic Tech, Fourth Engineer, Medical/Lab Technician, Plumber, ICU Nurse, Scheduler/Unit Secretary, Videographer, Finance Officer, Academy Teacher for Grade 2, and many more.

If you can't go and volunteer with Mercy Ships, there are other ways to get involved.  For example, your church can become an Anchor Church, meaning that they are partnering with Mercy Ships.  With this, your church will have an Anchor Church webpage, where the congregation can keep up with what is going on.  They will also have more opportunities to serve, meaning they could adopt a patient, assemble patient admission kits, adopt a crew member or "Ship kid," have opportunity for a missions trip, etc.

There are also Mercy Team opportunities available for people who want to go on a missions trip.  Currently, there are opportunities in West Africa, Central America, the Caribbean, and the United States.

Of course, you can also make a financial contribution to the work of Mercy Ships.  You might even get your place of work involved.  Mercy Ships has many corporate partners, including Starbucks.  You can give a gift towards the work of Mercy Ships, you can support a crew member, or you can even order from the gift catalog.  You can also help the Haiti earthquake victims.  

You can follow Mercy Ships via Facebook and Twitter.  You can also view more photos on Flickr. You can watch many videos from Mercy Ships on Youtube, videos including a tour of the Africa Mercy.

(Photos & Logo used with permission of Mercy Ships.)

Shine your Light Wed: Doctors Without Borders

Doctors Without Borders, or Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) provides medical care in approximately 60 countries around the world.  


They work in countries where there is war, epidemics, malnutrition, natural disaster, etc.  Regardless of who a person is or who they might be affiliated with, every person is eligible to receive medical care from this organization.  There is no discrimination when it comes to saving someone's life or giving them the care they deserve. MSF is an "international medical humanitarian organization" started in 1971 by doctors and journalists in France.  MSF has worked in countries such as Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Darfur, Serbia, Iraq, Pakistan, India, and even now, Haiti.  In many cases, they have spoken out for increased awareness and more medical attention to many of these countries, even winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999.  They speak up for the poor, for the needy, and for the hurting; people such as street children, refugees, prisoners, unemployed, drug users, sex workers, etc., can find treatment and compassion with MSF.  MSF is not affiliated with any parties, be they religious, political, etc., and they are completely funded through private donors.

MSF is made up of not just doctors; their workers also include nurses, lab technicians, mental health professionals, epidemiologists, logistics experts, administrators, etc.  A lot of their workers come from the communities they are attempting to help; only 10% of teams are international workers. In 2006, MSF medical teams gave more than 9 million outpatient consultations; hospitalized almost half a million patients; delivered 99,000 babies; treated 1.8 million people for malaria; treated 150,000 malnourished children; provided 100,000 people living with HIV/AIDS with antiretroviral therapy; vaccinated 1.8 million people against meningitis; and conducted 64,000 surgeries (Doctors Without Borders website).  They not only provide medical care, including vaccination clinics, but they help communities to acquire sanitary drinking water, help to rebuild hospitals, and have field teams who help to supply basic life needs when people are displaced in disasters or situations where they are forced from their homes.  Some of the epidemics and diseases they've helped to treat are malaria, cholera, measles, meningitis, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, kala azar, sleeping sickness, and Chagas.  

When it comes to malnutrition, this is something that MSF has had extensive experience in helping with.  They started the use of RUF, ready-to-use food, which has had a major impact on the hunger epidemic.  Consider this: Every day, 20 million children are starving, suffering from malnutrition (MSF website).  That is a staggering number.  

Right now, MSF is working in Haiti.  They have performed many surgeries, but there are still patients waiting to have surgery, as well as patients needing post-operative care.



MSF is not only working in hospitals/makeshift operating rooms, even their inflatable hospital, but they have gone mobile as well, searching out people who need life-saving treatment or whose conditions could quickly go downhill.  Many of the Haitian volunteers working in MSF, such as Dr. Philippe Brouard, a surgeon, and Charles Joseph, a social worker, have lost family and friends, but still they continue to work to save lives and give help where it is needed.  Click the link to see how Haitian staff are determined to help.  

You can help Doctors Without Borders/MSF.  You can volunteer, or you can donate in more ways than one.  Right now they are urgently needing OR nurses, obstetricians/gynecologists, HIV/AIDS and TB specialists, and anesthesiologists/nurse-anesthetists, as well as nurse-midwives/certified midwives.  MSF staff know that they are going into a field that involves many elements of danger, and they know that they are working in a humanitarian organization, receiving a very modest monthly salary.  You can find out more of what it takes to volunteer, as well as the benefits you would receive here.  MSF has many benefit concerts/fundraising events that you can check out, as well.  Publications also exist to help keep you up to date on what they are doing.  You can follow them on Facebook and Twitter.  

How can you help? How can you shine your light?

Shine Your Light Wed: Convoy of Hope

(Throughout this post will be pictures of Haiti that Convoy of Hope has given me permission to use.  Some of these pictures are graphic, so I give warning before you read, in case you have a child in the room.)  

 

Convoy of Hope is an organization that I've been learning more about since the earthquake struck in Haiti.  They are down there right now, and at last update, they had distributed at least 229,496 meals from 9 different locations and installed 30 water filters. 

Started in 1994, their mission is simply this: The mission of Convoy of Hope is simple - we exist to feed millions of people in need in the United States and around the world through children’s nutrition initiatives, citywide outreaches and disaster response.  

I think the thing that struck me the most was that their founder, Hal Donaldson, had lost his father in an accident when he was just a little boy, and his mother had such extensive injuries that they were struggling.  With the help of local churches and neighbors, though, they were provided with food and shelter, and this instilled, in Hal, a sense of determination and drive to help those in need.  As a result, Convoy of Hope came to being.  It goes to show that the influence you have on people in your life can have far-reaching effects.

Headquarters located in Springfield, MO place Convoy of Hope in a prime location for their trucks to be able to pick up/deliver supplies.  Their distribution center/warehouse is about 300,000 square foot, in which to store food and relief supplies.  They also have a fleet of trucks to deliver these supplies (which was exciting to me because half of my family are truck drivers, and I really want to tell them about this).  

Convoy of Hope not only responds to disasters and helps prepare communities for disasters through their H.O.P.E. Begins Here program (they responded to Hurricane Katrina and are now in Haiti), but they work in different communities each year, bringing hope and compassion through their many volunteers.  

They help to provide food/hot meals, clean water, medical/dental screenings, haircuts, groceries, etc.  They also help connect the people they help with local churches and organizations in their own community, as well as help them with job placement.  Each person is treated with much respect and compassion. 

They also work with communities to become sustainable, not only through drilling wells and installing water filters, but through providing vegetable seeds and agricultural info.  They have a global nutrition program that feeds 21,000 children every day.  Convoy of Hope has helped more than 30 million people and provided more than 160 million pounds of food.

Convoy of Hope partners together with faith-based institutions, like local churches and schools, in order to do what they do.  They also have worked with organizations like FEMA, FedEx, NVOAD, Assemblies of God, Mercy Medical Airlift, North American Mission Board, etc.  When local churches, organizations, corporations, and government come together, the impact of an outreach or disaster response is significant.  

 

Convoy of Hope also offers opportunities to those wishing to volunteer and give of their time, compassionate people who truly do want to make a difference.  

 

You can give a donation to Convoy of Hope (which is tax-deductible).  You can also volunteer with Convoy of Hope.  Here in Springfield, they have the Hands of Hope project every Tuesday night, in which volunteers can help to pack, sort, and work with the relief shipments that are getting ready to go out.  Children can even go, but if your child is under the age of 12, you need to accompany them.  You can contact Convoy of Hope to find out more about this if you live in the Springfield area.  Another thing I'm excited about is their Convoy Go Teams, teams of volunteers who go when disaster strikes.  

My husband and I were just talking about doing something like this the other night, especially since I'm a nurse, and he has experience in construction/technical aspects.  You can find the application for the Go Teams here. Convoy of Hope also puts together international teams to go for 8-10 days.

In fact, they are in Haiti right now, as mentioned above.  They are providing food to people and trying to keep it organized, so that things don't get out of hand.  

Each person who comes through the gate receives two packs of Feed My Starving Children fortified rice and soy protein meal package, which contains six meals per packet.  

 

They've also installed clean water filters, since the lack of clean water in Port-au-Prince has become a major problem, so much so that officials are worried that they are going to begin seeing disease spread.  You can read more news headlines from Haiti.  You can also follow Convoy of Hope on both Facebook and Twitter.  That way you can get the latest status updates of their work in Haiti right now.

I hope this has enlightened you as to one organization that is on the ground in Haiti right now and how this organization blesses so many people through its continual efforts.  Remember to shine your light!   

Shine Your Light Wednesdays: Reminder About Haiti

Last week, I posted an early edition of Shine Your Light Wednesdays about Haiti....don't forget to check it out to find out what YOU can do!  Shine your light!

Early Edition: SYLW: Haiti- How You Can Help

With the earthquake devastation in Haiti, an early edition of Shine Your Light was warranted....I've been ready to jump on a plane and just go....not that I have a passport or anything (I'm thinking a passport is in the works, though, over the next year), but I would give my eye teeth to go and help these hurting people.  So, I decided to go on a quest for Shine Your Light and find as many agencies as I could find that are down there right now....and that need your help.  Yes, I said your help.  Even if you're stuck here in the U.S. watching from the sidelines, you can be a forefront fighter for these people by 1) praying, and 2) giving.  Who knows?  Maybe the resources listed in this post, along with the nudgings of the Holy Spirit, will lead your heart to want to go, as well.  Ok, so how can you help?

Here are some organizations that are trustworthy, some of whom are there right now, needing all the help we can muster.

• Paige Strackman, a friend and Gospel music recording artist, is hosting a Benefit Concert for Haiti at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on Friday, February 26 from 8:00-9:30PM.  If you can make it to the concert, you can purchase tickets here.  If you can't make it to the concert, you can make a tax-deductible donation to Lemonaid for Haiti.  Food will be purchased with your donation, and you will be sent a receipt.
  
• World Vision- You can follow World Vision on Facebook and actually read their status updates on the situation there and what their workers are doing.  You can also help support their efforts by donating dollars that will help to provide food, water, tents, blankets, etc., to survivors who have, literally, no homes to go back to. If you want to know more, you can check out the different videos and information on the support efforts in Haiti that World Vision has posted on their site.
• Convoy of Hope is there, trying to help provide food to the Haitian people, and they need our help.  Food is such a basic but necessary survival item.
• The Red Cross has donated $10 million to relief efforts in Haiti.  If you have family you are searching for in Haiti or want to register as missing, you can do so on the Family Links Website. 
• MercyCorps is sending an emergency response team, and you can donate, but you can also build your own fundraising page with MercyCorps.  Some pages have raised as much as $6,000 already.
• Read up on the Salvation Army's disaster relief work in Haiti, and find ways you can help, including through texting.
• To find countless other ways in which you can help, check out this page with the Today Show.  They have numerous listings/websites and phone numbers of organizations who are either raising funds for the relief efforts or are there offering relief, as you read this. 

You may think that you have nothing to give, but believe me, you can give if you get creative.  Put a Paypal Donate button on your site or blog, and start your own fundraising campaign.  Think of ways in which you can be of assistance.  Perhaps you could get your church or local classrooms involved in putting care packages together.  After all, these people are going to need basic necessities.  Some of them have lost everything, save the clothes on their backs; some of them probably didn't have a whole lot to begin with, as Haiti is considered to be the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere.  With countless orphans already, there are, sadly,  bound to be countless more.

Imagine it is you or I, sleeping with our children outdoors in the darkness of a park, surrounded by multitudes of other people.  Maybe we are even wounded and have no way of really getting medical help....imagine that your child is stuck in the concrete ruins of a building, with only her feet sticking out, crying out for help (yes, I actually saw that last night on Anderson Cooper).  Imagine that it is you or I....imagine that those children are our children....what can you give?  What will you do?  Will you shine your light in the darkest of days?

Shine Your Light Wednesdays: All Souls Friday Soup Kitchen

A couple of years ago, we were blessed to volunteer with the All Souls Friday Soup Kitchen in the heart of the Upper East Side in Manhattan.  

We spent one Friday afternoon there, and the people we met really spoke to our hearts.  The soup kitchen was slightly different than your usual soup kitchen.  It was a serving atmosphere, meaning we helped to set up the dining room, and then we helped to serve the guests who came to have dinner. 

Most of these guests were people who had fallen on hard times or people who couldn't cook for themselves, people with various disabilities; many just needed a helping hand.

The Friday Soup Kitchen operates on a weekly basis, and they need about 25 volunteers to help feed and serve around 160 people.  You can help prepare food, set up, serve the guests, take down and clean up, etc.  I was fortunate to help serve a table of blind men, who were really very sweet; I am so happy I was able to serve these guys; they were so grateful and a lot of fun to serve, as well. 

Dan was able to serve these two women, who he enjoyed getting to know very much. 

Even Jacob was able to help out.

We met other guests and volunteers.

They had also hired two of the usual guests to play the piano and accordion while dinner was being served, which was wonderful.

It was a very inviting, relaxing atmosphere for these people who just needed a bit of hope.  As a volunteer, it was far from relaxing; they kept us hoppin', but I wouldn't trade this experience for the world.

If you would be interested in volunteering with All Souls Friday Soup Kitchen, you can contact Ashley Garrett at (212) 628-8815 or AshleyGarrett@msn.com. You can volunteer once or as many times as you like. 

Shine Your Light Wednesdays: C.O.P.S.

Too often, I think we fail to recognize those who are protecting our neighborhoods, homes, families, and even our children, some of whom have given the ultimate sacrifice.  I know I myself sometimes see police as people I've got to watch out for, or I might get a ticket....I fail to see them as fellow human beings sometimes.


This past week, my family and I watched an older episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition that really touched my heart (to read the story about the fallen officers whose families were helped in this episode, you can scroll down to the bottom of the page on this link), and we learned about a non-profit organization called C.O.P.S., Concerns of Police Survivors.  Here is their mission statement, just so you can learn what their purpose is: Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc. provides resources to assist in the rebuilding of the lives of surviving families and affected co-workers of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty as determined by Federal criteria. Furthermore, C.O.P.S. provides training to law enforcement agencies on survivor victimization issues and educates the public of the need to support the law enforcement profession and its survivors.  

According to statistics on the C.O.P.S. website, between 140-160 law enforcement officers are killed in the line of duty every year; these officers, in turn, leave behind family and coworkers and friends, and this organization is there to help support the surviving families and coworkers, free of charge, with no strings attached.  With more than 15,000 families as members today, this shows you how many officers we have lost since C.O.P.S. was started in 1984.  C.O.P.S. programs for survivors include the National Police Survivors' Conference held each May during National Police Week, scholarships, peer-support at the national, state, and local levels, "C.O.P.S. Kids" counseling reimbursement program, the "C.O.P.S. Kids" Summer Camp, "C.O.P.S. Teens" Outward Bound experience for young adults, special retreats for spouses, parents, siblings, adult children, and in-laws, trial and parole support, and other assistance programs.  They also provide special training for different law enforcement offices across the country, in order to help them learn how to cope when a member of their particular office is lost.

Here are examples of what the people working in this organization do for the survivors:

• C.O.P.S. is there to help the survivors as quickly as possible after the death of the officer.  These deaths are too often sudden, unexpected, and violent.  They are there to be a support and encouragement and to help the family to relate to someone who's gone through the same thing they are going through.  Through the months and years, they are encouraged through newsletters, remembrance cards, etc.
  
• During National Police Week, there are counseling sessions and seminars available to both adults and kids who have survived the death of their loved ones or coworkers.  Something I really thought was wonderful is that they also have summer camps for surviving spouses and kids ages 6-14 and a Wilderness Experience for older teenagers, ages 15-20.  This allows them the chance to work through their grief in the company of other survivors, as well as counselors who can help them deal in a healthy manner.
• C.O.P.S. has information available to survivors on death benefits they might receive in their state; this can be very helpful to these families whose lives have been turned upside down.
• There are local C.O.P.S. chapters in several states.
• During National Police Week, which runs the week of May 15, people are encouraged to have the blue ribbons on their car as a remembrance of fallen officers and as a show of support to those who protect us day and night.
• When a "cop killer" is about to be paroled, support volunteers are also there to help the family get through the trial and even in the preparation of a "victim impact statement."  They also help survivors with letters written when a "cop killer" is being considered for parole. 

Since C.O.P.S. runs solely off of donations and contributions, they need our support.  They need support from individuals, families, organizations, corporations, etc.  Donations can be made online.  Maybe you're not able to make a donation, but maybe you could hold a fundraiser for this organization to show your support.  To find out how you can help support C.O.P.S., I encourage you to check out their page, Ways to Donate.  You can even check out the C.O.P.S. Store. 

To close, here is a recent press release, written by Brooke McKay, for the end of 2009:

For Immediate Release

Brooke McKay

Marketing Coordinator

Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc.

573.346.4911

Another Year of Rebuilding Shattered Lives

By: Brooke McKay, C.O.P.S. Marketing Coordinator

Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) mission since 1984 has been to “rebuild the shattered lives” of the surviving family members of law enforcement officers who have made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. C.O.P.S. helps the officers’ survivors by providing emotional support and healing programs needed to cope with a sudden, and often violent, death. C.O.P.S. aids the surviving family members through grief retreats, conferences during National Police Week, scholarships, and strong peer support…survivors helping survivors, the foundation on which the organization was built.

C.O.P.S. provided seven hands-on programs in 2009 for just about every category of survivor. C.O.P.S. Kids Camp was held for surviving children ages 6-14, Outward Bound® for surviving teens ages 15-20, and retreats for adult children, siblings, spouses, parents, and in-laws. Starting in 2010, C.O.P.S. will host an inaugural affected co-workers’ retreat. All programs provided by C.O.P.S. are free of charge; the price paid is already too high.

In 2009, C.O.P.S. spent $307,500 on hands-on programs and $327,850 at National Police Week. At total of $635,350 was spent in 2009 for C.O.P.S.’s healing grief retreats and counseling. C.O.P.S. also awarded $102,788 in scholarships.

C.O.P.S. Kids Camp was held July 27-August 2, in East Troy, Wisconsin, at the Salvation Army Lake Camp. Kids Camp had 206 survivors and a staff of 44 with an average cost of $609 per person. Outward Bound® was held July 26-August 3, white-water rafting in Grand Junction, Colorado. Outward Bound® had 42 attendees and 4 mentors with an average cost of $1,733 per person. The adult children, siblings, spouses, and in-laws retreats were all held in Potosi, Missouri, at the YMCA Trout Lodge. The Adult Children’s Retreat was held June 26-29, 25 were in attendance with an average cost of $624 per person. The Siblings’ Retreat was held September 11-14, with 64 in attendance and an average cost of $542 per person. The Surviving Spouses’ Getaway was held September 18-21, with 90 spouses attending and the average cost per person was $500. The In-Laws Retreat was held October 16-19, with 25 attending and the average cost of $558 per person. The Parents’ Retreat was held in Little Rock, Arkansas at the C.A. Vines Arkansas 4-H Center, October 30-November 2, there were 196 parents at the retreat with an average cost of $391 per person. At these retreats, survivors attend grief seminars led by mental health professionals and find great support from their peers. The afternoon programs provided at the retreats help the survivors to learn new outdoor skills and rebuild self-esteem which is often destroyed with the sudden, violent death of a loved one. The vast majority of survivors attending C.O.P.S.’ programs say the weekends initiate positive change in their lives.

C.O.P.S. also holds a two-day grief conference each May during National Police Week in Washington, DC. In 2009, C.O.P.S. spent $327,850 to provide support to the nations’ law enforcement survivors during National Police Week. Over 2,000 survivors attended that event.

C.O.P.S. is a national, nonprofit 501(c)3 organization with 50 chapters throughout the United States. C.O.P.S. membership is comprised of more than 15,000 surviving families; and, unfortunately, that membership continues to grow as 140-160 law enforcement officers are killed every year in the line of duty.

Visit C.O.P.S.’ website, www.nationalcops.org, for more information on the organization and the programs offered to America’s surviving law enforcement families.

Shine Your Light Wednesdays: Happy New Year!

This week, I decided to kinda take the week off from Shine Your Light.  Except I wanted to just put out one reminder.....

Even though I don't drink myself, I know New Year's can be a big holiday for parties and drinking, and many may be tempted to drive home drunk.  Please, I beg you, to please remember that when you drive drunk (or even buzzed), you're putting not only yourself at risk, but others, even potentially, children.  So, if you're partying this week, just pick up the phone; call a cab, or call a friend.  Heck, if you live close to me, call me; I will be there in a heartbeat.  Real friends don't let friends drive drunk; that may seem cliche, but think about it; it's so true.  Love you all, my dear readers....I'll leave you with a sad, but very thought-provoking, chilling thought (but this is real, people; don't ever think it couldn't happen because it did):

If the statistics on this video mean nothing, just look up the number of videos related to memorials of victims on Youtube.....this may seem harsh, but it's real....and as you know, I'm just keepin' it real.