September 16 Stampin Up designated as their Day of Service. Demonstrators are encouraged to share their talents in ways that will better the lives of others and make a difference. This year a portion of the proceeds from sales of the Strong Of Heart Stamp Set goes to supporting heart health but there are so many ways to serve others with our talents.
Perfect combination – friends and service
September and October are especially dear to me however, since the anniversary of my mother losing her battle with breast cancer is during September and October is also Breast Cancer Awareness month. Three very dear friends of mine spent the day helping me finish a grant I wrote for breast cancer through Thrivent, a mutual funds benevolence organization – a time to catch up while we worked.
My friendship with Maureen Funk, Johnna Bixenman Clarke, and Gerry Berti dates almost 25 years ago when we were on staff at a local parochial school in Macon. Through the years we have celebrated weddings, births, and anniversaries. We have also supported each other through health issues such as breast cancer, moves due to job changes, and deaths of loved ones. We may not see each other for months on end and yet, the friendships remain strong.
Service for the James E. Cary Cancer Center
Our project yesterday was designated for breast cancer patients receiving treatment at the James E. Cary Cancer Center in Hannibal, MO. The finished project includes 50 packages of thank you cards to be distributed to patients during October so they have supplies on hand to thank those who have reached out to help them during their treatments.
Each package has 10 simply stamped thank you notecards/envelopes and are packaged in the 6×8 clear cellophane bags available through Stampin Up. I have a collection of retired stamp sets with perfect greetings and images, along with multiple shades of pink inks that are used. My goal is not to sell product, but to use all seed monies from the grants for notecards and bags so we can maximize the number of card packages for the recipients. Do the math – 50 packages of 10 cards each meant we had 500 cards!
Stampin Up will have more Days of Service promoted in the months ahead, so I encourage you to think about what you can do to be part of this movement. Find something near and dear to your heart and think how you can make a difference in the lives of others. Including dear friends makes it that much stronger! We decided yesterday we will gather again in a couple of months for the same purpose – a time to catch up while helping others – the perfect combination!
Until next time, keep stamping, keep crafting, and God Bless!
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