I need your help

Last summer I asked for your help in making some small, handmade items for our launch of Teen Reach Adventure Camp. Camp was a huge success and the thing the girls talked about most?? The amazing, personal, handmade pillowcases and zippered pouches they each received. These tiny items meant so much more to these kids in foster care than we ever though possible, so this year, we are going to try to share that special love with the 2013 TRAC campers.


For more information, please visit my previous posts:

Background information and tutorials for drawstring bags and zipper pouches
Pillow case request and tutorials

This year we need 20 pillowcases, 11 zipper pouches, and 10 drawstring bags for the boys camp. If you could help make one or more of these items, I would be so very grateful. I need all the items shipped to me by June 30th at the very latest to give me time to make any items that do not get donated.

Please comment on this post letting me know what you are able to make and send (I am in AZ, USA) and I will update this post to let everyone know which items still need to be claimed. If you are a no-reply blogger, please also leave your email address so I can contact you.

Thank you all so much!

Pillowcases: (for girls)

1. Edy B
2. Edy B
3. Will Cook For Shoes
4. Limbania
5. Di
6. Steph
7. Gabrielle Robles
8. Ruth D
9. Ruth D
10. Ruth D
11. Ruth D
12. Ann Bixler
13. Ann Bixler
14. Tiffany
15. Tiffany
16. Jennifer
17. Jennifer
18.
19.
20.

Zipper pouches: (for girls)

1. Hadley
2. Julie
3. Julie
4. Bonnie
5. Bonnie
6. Linh
7. Linh
8. Gabrielle Robles
9. BAAMbi7
10. BAAMbi7
11. Sue
12. Sue
13. Angie Sue
14. Angie Sue
15. Tanya
16. Tiffany
17. Tiffany

Drawstring bags: (for boys)

1. Limbania
2. Jennifer
3. Ann Bixler
4. Ann Bixler
5. Ann Bixler
6. Beth
7. Jennifer
8. Jennifer
9. Jennifer
10.

TRAC Stuffs

I am getting really excited about this camp. It's coming up so soon!

This weekend, we continued preparations by painting and decorating some scrubs to make them look more pajama-pant-ish. I think they turned out really nice! We aren't finished, but at least we've started!













We littered our TRAC director, Shelly's, house with freshly painted pants. I think the girls are going to love them!



I'm kicking myself for not checking this one before turning off the camera. It's SO blurry, but I just HAD to show you my paisleys! I think this is my favorite pair.

While I was at Shelly's, I dropped off all the beautiful bags that have been donated so far:





There was even an AMH bag! Love it!

Thank you all for being so helpful with this whole process. I wanted to make sure I keep you updated on our preparations as we go so you can see how much we appreciate all of your help and donations! If you are interested in donating, we are still looking for people to make pillowcases. Go here to sign up and learn more.

So, I'm wondering, is there a charity that's dear to your heart?

TRAC {Giveaway}

I just wanted to write up a quick note to thank you all again for your support with TRAC.

As an added bonus for everyone who sent/is going to send a bag or pillowcase, my friend Jennie over at Clover and Violet has offered a giveaway for you! And out of her own stash! How sweet is she?!



If you haven't seen her work, you're really missing out. Her taste in fabric is exquisite! So beautiful.

If you haven't donated yet, but would like the chance to, I still have a few pillowcases I need made. You can sign up on the blog post here.

I need your help... AGAIN!

First of all, I want to again say THANK YOU from the bottom of my butt to everyone who has offered up a drawstring bag or zippered pouch for the kiddos (or pre-adults) who will be attending Teen Reach Adventure Camp (TRAC). The bags have been trickling in and they look fantastic! I've had a little snafu with Flickr so I will post a picture for you all to see sometime soon.

I wanted to talk you all about a new opportunity to help with this amazing camp.

Teen Reach Adventure Camp is a three day single gender camp for kids ages 12-15 providing a fun-filled, outdoors experience with safe loving adults to help provide an experience that brings hope and encouragement to these hurting teens. For more information on this camp, you can either visit their website here or visit my original blog post here.

We have something extra special planned for the girls this year. We will be hosting a pajama party for them the first night of camp. When the young ladies arrive to their rooms, they will find some up-cycled scrub-bottoms-turned-bedazzled-and-pretty PJs, a handmade zippy pouch filled with make-up and toiletries and now, thanks to a very generous gift from one of my bloggy friends, a fun pillow!

See where I'm going with this??

No?

I need pillowcases!!

Pillows are very important tools. They are snuggly when we're cold, naturally, but they are also our shield when we are uncomfortable; our comfort when we really need to hug; our weapon when we lay down our defense to play with our friends. They collect our tears when we are sad and our screams when we are so excited we just can't hold them in. They are more than just decoration and this is why we are ELATED to have been blessed with such a wonderful gift for our young girls.

The pillows are 20" x 20" and we would like envelope cases for them (meaning no zippers). Unlike the pouches, we have decided each case should be unique, so feel free to use more than one fabric. Use an old quilt block you have been holding on to without any real plans to use. Try a new technique you've been hesitant to try out. Use a solid and draw on it with a bleach pen! Embroider! Piece! Applique! Whatever you like!

As before, I do have some restrictions:

-No holiday fabric
-No macabre fabric (skulls, halloween-ish, the new Nightshade line by Tula Pink... you get the idea)
-Fabrics should be age appropriate. Remember, these are for teenagers. Dancing teddy bears holding bottles and sucking on pacifiers might be cute for your 2 year old niece, but not for our young women campers. Think bright colors. Think modern. Camp fabrics are acceptable as long as they flow with the teenage vibe!
-We are only making pillowcases for the girls, so please no boy-ish fabrics.

Remember, the pillows are 20" x 20"!

Here are a couple tutorials I found for what I'm looking for:

Echinops and Aster PDF and the right size!
Mejia Mamma
Cluck Cluck Sew

The tutorials are NOT for 20" x 20" pillows. Please adapt accordingly.

I need 40 pillowcases and I need them in my hands by no later than Friday, July 6th. I will be making any pillowcases that don't get claimed, giving me a week to get them made, packed up and sent off to camp. Please keep in mind shipping times when deciding to make these. They are super easy; only take 10 minutes to make the basic shape.

If you are willing to make a pillowcase or two (or three or four) for a good cause, please let me know in the comments. I will add your name to the list below and keep it updated. I will cross your name off the list once I receive your pillowcases in the mail.

1. Dona
2. Dona
3. Jenelle
4. Jennifer
5. Jennifer
6. Kelly
7. Kelly
8. Debbie
9. Debbie
10. Cherie
11. Cherie
12. Christin
13. Chrissy
14. Melissa
15. Karin
16. Barbara in TX
17. Barbara in TX
18. Bobbie
19. Bobbie
20. Ellie
21. Steph J
22. Steph J
23. Marion
24. Marion
25. xperimentl
26. xperimentl
27. Mejia Mamma
28. edyB
29. CraftyRider
30.
31. Yonah B
32. Sarah Lou
33. Marit
34. Marit
35. Angie W
36. Angie W
37. Poppy K
38. Poppy K
39. Poppy K
40. Poppy K

Thanks again to all you wonderful, giving people. Even if you can't make a pillowcase, please help me spread the word! Facebook it. Tweet it. Blog it. Email it.

You guys rock!

TRAC Bag update

I will be adding this to the end of the original post, which you can find here.

Here is what has been claimed thus far:

24 Drawstring Bags for Boys

1. Audrey
2. Audrey
3. Steph J
4. Steph J
5. Kathy H
6. Kathy H
7. Kathy H
8. Kathy H
9. Kathy H
10. Jess
11. Jess
12. Ella
13. Ella
14. Ella
15. Susan
16. Mary-Kate
17. Mary-Kate
18. Di
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.


40 Zipper Pouches for Girls

1. Susan
2. Nancy
3. Nancy
4. Helen
5. Helen
6. Shanna
7. Shanna
8. Jenelle
9. Jenelle
10. Jess
11. Jess
12. Alli
13. Alli
14. Jennifer
15. Jennifer
16. Susan
17. Roslyn
18. Mer
19. Mer
20. Jodi
21. Jodi
22. Hadley
23. Di
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.

When you are ready to send, please email me for the shipping address.

Thank you again for your help. I will be updating this list on the original post as I get more volunteers!

I need your help

Let me tell you what I want, then I'll explain why.

I am looking for donations of 24 drawstring totes for boys and 40 zipper pouches for girls.

Random?

Not really.

Since I was a teenager, I've been helping with a program called Royal Family Kids Camp. This is a camp for youngsters in the foster care system here in America. These children are neglected. Abused. Abandoned. Lost. RFKC strives to mend those wounds by providing a week of fun, comfort and love. I had the opportunity to attend RFKC as an adult leader and the experiences changed my life. We played games and sang songs and ate three meals a day and had a birthday party for all the kiddos with presents; presents they took home, and for some of them, these presents became their only possessions. We hugged. We cried. We laughed. We talked. My only job for the entire week was to love on these kids. It was by far the easiest and the most mentally and physically exhausting thing I have ever done in my life.

These kids age out of the program at 12 years.

This summer, we are joining forces with a new camp geared toward teenagers; a new camp that will give these kids and others a chance to experience the love and acceptance we strive for with RFKC. Teen Reach Adventure Camp (aka TRAC) is a three day single gender camp for kids ages 12-15 providing a fun-filled, outdoors experience with safe loving adults to help provide an experience that brings hope and encouragement to these hurting teens.

Every child who attends RFKC with us gets a quilt handmade by some generous donors in and around the Valley (where I live). We would like to do something similar for the TRAC kids and have come up with a few small items that we really feel will make a difference. The kids attending these camps come with next to nothing. We give them clothes and toiletries, and since the TRAC kids are teenagers, we've decided to make them bags to hold their toiletries.

This is where you come in.

We have 24 boys attending camp this summer and we would like a drawstring bag for each of them. These bags should be fairly simple, made with manly/teen appropriate fabrics. Since this is a camp, outdoorsy fabrics are fine. Please no halloween (or any holiday for that matter), skulls, chop-choo trains, teddy bears, etc. We want these to be age appropriate and uplifting. The lovely Kat over at Mummas Time to Create has posted a recent tutorial for making drawstring bags that are the PERFECT size. You can find it here. When you make your bags, please leave the handles off.

We have 40 girls attending camp this summer. For them, we would like a simple zipper pouch measuring about 7"x 9" finished. Again, these should be simple: just one fabric for the outside and one for the inside. We want these to be special and unique, but also uniform so the girls can all feel their gifts are equally lovely. Remember, fabrics should be age appropriate (teenagers). Here are a couple tutorials for basic zipper pouches:

See Kate Sew
Skip to My Lou

Think camp. Plaid. Green and yellow are the colors of TRAC, if you want to go that route. Modern. Fun. Things teenagers would like.

If you are willing to donate one or more of these items, please let me know in the comments section on this post. I need all the items by Monday, June 18th in order to get them to the campers on time.

Also, please help me spread the word and get all these campers their bags. Blog about it. Facebook it. Share wherever you are willing and link back here so donors can let me know in the comments that they are going to help.

Thank you all so very much for your consideration!

UPDATE:

Here is what has been claimed thus far:



24 Drawstring Bags for Boys

1. Audrey
2. Audrey
3. Steph J
4. Steph J
5. Kathy H
6. Kathy H
7. Kathy H
8. Kathy H
9. Kathy H
10. Jess
11. Jess
12. Ella
13. Ella
14. Ella
15. Susan
16. Mary-Kate
17. Mary-Kate
18. Di
19. Mary-Kate
20. Mary-Kate
21. Ella
22. Kristy
23. Kristy
24. Theresa T.




40 Zipper Pouches for Girls

1. Susan
2. Nancy
3. Nancy
4. Helen
5. Helen
6. Shanna
7. Shanna
8. Jenelle
9. Jenelle
10. Jess
11. Jess
12. Alli
13. Alli
14. Jennifer
15. Jennifer
16. Susan
17. Roslyn
18. Mer
19. Mer
20. Jodi
21. Jodi
22. Hadley
23. Di
24. Marian
25. Marian
26. Judith
27. Judith
28. Angie W
29. Angie W
30. Ellie Q
31. Mary-Kate
32. Mary-Kate
33. Mary-Kate
34. Mary-Kate
35. Mary-Kate
36. Mary-Kate
37. Kristy
38. Kristy
39. Ellie Q
40. Ellie Q

I will strike your name off the list once I have received your bags.

When you are ready to send, please email me for the shipping address.