Service Opportunities
If you have questions about any of these service opportunities, please contact our Outreach Coordinator, Betsy Scott, at betsyandgeorge@gmail.com.
Ways to Serve
I am pleased to announce a special holiday service project for our Circle. Some of you may know that my daughter, Sallie, was born three months early in the summer of 2008. She spent two months in the Intensive Care Nursery (or NICU) at Presbyterian Hospital and we visited her twice a day. I know firsthand how well the doctors and nurses take care of the babies and their families. I reached out to the volunteer coordinator for the NICU and she mentioned that the nurses who work during the holidays are often overlooked. It is very hard for families to have children in the hospital, especially when that stay coincides with a holiday. The nurses work hard to smile and be joyful, even on dark days for families.
At our December 18th meeting we will be assembling 30 gift bags for the nurses at Presbyterian’s NICU. The gift bags will be filled with items that you can bring on November 13th or December 18th when we meet. You can also arrange to drop items off with me at church or home.
The following items would be appreciated:
*good pens (she said it is so hard to keep a good pen around the hospital!)
*candy
*lotion (they have to wash their hands so often ---their hands stay very dry)
*hand sanitizer
*small bags of chips/cookies/crackers
You can purchase these items or see if your company or your spouse’s company has any items they’d be willing to donate. I will deliver the gift bags early the week of December 19th.
This is a service project that is especially meaningful to our family. We remain grateful and indebted to the nurses who cared for Sallie, and our whole family, during Sallie’s hospital stay. We hope you will join in reaching out to these nurses, the unsung heroes, at Christmas. By taking care of these nurses, you are also taking care of the babies and families at the NICU.
Service Project Updates
Mission Madness 2011
The Mary Circle sponsored two projects: assembling hygiene kits for Freedom School participants and making activity bags for Ronald McDonald house children.
Gift Bags for CHAMP Kids Christmas Party
During our December meeting, we filled and "wrapped" gift bags for the children who attended the CHAMP Kids Christmas Party.
Trailblazers Dinner
On Sunday, December 12, we provided dinner for the Trailblazers, a Sunday School class for special needs youth age 16 and older led by Shane Page. Dinner was a taco bar catered by Salsarita's and Christmas cookies for dessert. Thank you to Catherine O'Neal, Sara Blakeney, and Melissa Sullivan for leading this effort and to everyone who contributed.
Book Collection for Habitat
Thanks to all of you who brought books to be donated to Julia’s Coffee and Books, which is part of the Habit ReStore benefitting Habitat for Humanity. Last year, over $100,000 was raised through book sales alone, which almost completely funded two homes that were built. If you’d still like to donate your like new or gently used adult and children’s books, you can drop them off at the ReStore location on Wendover Road.
School Supplies for CHAMP
A BIG SHOUT OUT to the following Mary Circle members who helped sort the school supplies benefitting CHAMP and other children: Katharine Willis (along with her children Jackson and Elizabeth), Wendi Brown (and her son Jacob) and Mary Margaret Boulware. Thank you for giving so generously of your time!
VBS Lunchbox Drive
Note: All the lunchboxes we collected in May for the Southside neighborhood child attending MPUMC’s Vacation Bible School were instead donated to this school supply drive as the children were unable to attend VBS. We were happy to see the lunchboxes still go to a good cause!
"Sport a Shirt, Share a Night" Program
Thanks to everyone who participated in “Sport a Shirt, Share a Night” Day benefitting the Ronald McDonald House that’s coming to Charlotte. Nancy Johnson sold 528 shirts!
Reach out to Haiti: Fill that School Bus!
Thanks to all of you who filled a bag (or bags) for Haiti and who helped sort the donated bags. The church collected more than 300 bags!
Mission Madness Day
Many thanks for the donations of soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste and deodorant. Our circle's donations, along with the time and talents of our children who participated in Mission Madness, resulted in the donation of 91 personal care kits to students at Sedgefield Elementary School. Wendi Brown and Betsy Scott delivered the bags and the principal came out to personally thank them for helping on this project. Thank you for all of the donations and for participating in Mission Madness!
Book Drive for Sedgefield Elementary
Along with The Children's Circle, we collected almost a thousand books. These books were used to enhance classroom libraries and develop a take-home/lending library system. They were greatly appreciated.
Donations to Sedgefield Family Displaced by a House Fire
The needy family we supported was overwhelmed by the generous support our church provided. When the mom in the family received the packages, she began to cry. She really appreciated our provisions.
Myers Park United Methodist Church 1501 Queens Road | Charlotte, NC 28207 (704) 376-8584
1501 Queens Road | Charlotte, NC 28207 (704) 376-8584