Click to Care Results

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the Click to Care Campaign. It was our first e-mail campaign and we learned many things from this project. While it brought approx. 98% new donors to the ministry, it fell short of our goal. We do plan on running this campaign the same time next year, we plan to make a few adjustments. thank you to all our participants, you raised nearly $800. Thank you!

'Walk & Roll, Run' slated for March 29

Last week I received an invitation to be interviewed by Kirk Boxleitner from the Arlington Times. He was great. I answered a few questions about the race and this is what he wrote. We met to talk details about the race and with one mention of our daughter Kayla, this is all he came up with. It's amazing to have so much information about our little girl on the web and at peoples' fingertips. It was a gift to our family to have him include a little about our daughter in his writing. It's clear to those who know me, how much of my work is done in memory of our little girl Kayla. Yesterday being Easter, was just not the same without her. We miss her terribly. She was such a light of hope in our lives, and yet what a terrific gift to have others remember her too. Thank you Kirk. Click here to read more of Kirk's article.

Thank you Volunteers

A big huge THANK YOU to each of our volunteers (coordinators, table hosts, servers, greeters, entertainers, speakers, cooks and many more) who served at the St. Patrick's Day Celebration at Smokey Point Community Church. You did such a wonderful job. We could not have hosted such a wonderful event without your huge outpouring of support. I've heard such rave reviews about the wonderful meal and the desserts...you really went all out! And the entertainment...Voices of the Village was just amazing. You were right about wanting to have more room for dancing in front of the stage, it was definitely needed but the guests made do with what room we had. I have to thank you for your flexibility! As more and more guests kept flooding in the doors, you quickly adapted and set up more tables and even some of you gave up your seats to become servers, rather than hosts. Thank you so much. Each of the guests felt so special. They were loved. You were truly a blessing to them. Thank you! If you would like to share your experiences, please e-mail them to us!

Time with a Friend

Meet my friend Heidi. She is reallly wonderful. This past week I had the opportunity to spend an afternoon with her. Whenever I am feeling down or overwhelmed with my work, I've mentioned before that the best therapy I know is to spend a little hands-on time with the people we serve. Heidi has a way of quickly bringing me down to reality. This week was her birthday. She doesn't live too far and appreciates ANYONE with a listening ear. Even the ear of my little grand-daughter Genesis. Genesis doesn't care that Heidi doesn't read all the words on the page, she loves it because Heidi turns the pages faster. Eating with Heidi and shopping together takes patience, and after an afternoon together I feel more relaxed. It's like taking a break from the busyness of the world and taking time for someone/something really important. Heidi is full of gifts of the heart. Spending time with a person who has special abilities doesn't take away from your life, it adds to it. Heidi has so many lessons to teach me, and I look forward to the years to come with her. Happy Birthday Heidi!!

St. Patricks Day Celebration

Were you one of the 70 people that we had to turn away for this dinner? I have to admit, it's by far the worst part of our ministry. Building capacity at Smokey Point (for serving dinner) was 180 people. As the tables were full, we kept noticing that guests continued arriving. The men were so generous with their accomodations, they kept going into the back room and rolling out more and more tables. We ended up with 33 tables (seating 7 each)...about 230 guests! WOW!! If you missed the music, they were fabulous! We danced the night away! Voices of the Village (pictured lower left) include everyone who wishes to participate in their music performances, at whatever level of ability. One of the pastors did this transparent drawing...and it was like magic. It really conveyed the story he shared about how much God loves us. The most amazing part (beyond the message) was how long the guests sat quietly and attentively to the encouragement. You could've heard a pin-drop...and that's amazing for these guests. Immediately afterwards, one gal got up and stood alone and responsively sang 2 verses of Michael Row the Boat Ashore. Very powerful evening. Here are a few pics and watch for our live video footage to be uploaded to youtube soon.

Friends being reunited at an event...what a special moment. Thank you to 100+ volunteers and partnership of Smokey Point Community Church and their In His Image Special Needs Ministry.

Thank you to the members of Voices of the Village! You did a terrific job! See you in two weeks at the Walk & Roll, Run!

Time for Exercise

On Saturday, March 29th, we will be walking/running/rolling/jogging on the Centennial Trail to benefit Eagle Wings. Last year we gave away a van with a wheelchair lift to a family in need! it was amazing. This year we will be meeting again at Haller Park in Arlington and the gun will fire at 11am. Registration $15 - begins at 9:45-10:45am. Get your registration form in early and save $5...day of race registration is $20. Cannot participate? Consider sponsoring a group home so they can join us. We'll be grilling hot dogs for a donation at noon. Send it to Arlington Runners Club. See you there!

Communicating Obstacles

I am frequently asked, how do I communicate with a person with a disability? Sometimes they are very difficult to understand.

First and foremost, treat the person like they are your family. They are a person FIRST. Their disability is always second. If you've ever found yourself in an awkward situation, trying to communicate, you may find the following helpful:

Always give the person the benefit of the doubt that they CAN communicate. Never assume by the way that they look or judge their ability by their appearance. When communicating with someone who is slow to speak, be patient. Wait for them to completely finish their sentence. They feel valued when you listen attentively, and do not interrupt. If you have a difficult time undersanding them, repeat the parts of the sentence that you did undersand, and ask them to repeat what you didn't get. NEVER pretend to understand.

In asking one of the persons we serve about this, he went on to explain that one of the funnest times he had with our volunteer was when this volunteer couldn't understand what he was saying. The volunteer must've asked about 9 times for him to repeat was he was saying, and after about the 5th time, they both broke out in laughter and it was very funny. The issue turned into a deeper relationship when the volunteer was willing to be humbled (a bit) and they both were able to see the heart of the other.

After all, most people would say..."Lighten Up!". It's going to be ok, but you'll look dumber if you 'pretend' to understand and end up assuming something incorrectly.

Volunteers!!

Can you believe it? In a world of people who are all so busy, I pause for a moment and reflect on the response of a simple ask on a Sunday morning. You read my blog about attending Smokey Point Community Church, and I was asked to share about Eagle Wings and the upcoming opportunity for serving. Sarah and I sent out invitations for the Eagle Wings St. Patrick's Day Celebration, and in record numbers the RSVP's came in. Within 8 days we had dinner reservations for 180 people. Building capacity for serving dinner. This would require more volunteers than ever. Wouldn't you know, that over 100 people responded to help serve? I am amazed. More than 100 people demonstrating they care. Thank you.

Eagle Wings St. Patrick's Day Celebration will be this Sunday, March 16th from 4-6pm. Please drop by to observe if you're in the neighborhood. Co-hosted by Smokey Point Community Church.

Visiting at Smokey Point Community Church

What a great weekend! Man, if you've never been to Smokey Point Community Church...you should give it a try. OK OK, I absolutely love my own home church, but it was great to get away to someplace different. It was great to get away. I just loved the praise and worship. It reminded me a little of how it's done at Mt. View with the combination of contemporary songs as well as the traditional. Let me tell you, I could've sang "How Great Thou Art" about 3 more times. By the way, I was speaking there at all 4 services (2 Sat evening and 2 Sunday morning). Their church is co-hosting their 2nd Annual St. Patrick's Day Celebration and unbelievably, we had dinner reservations for 180 people within 8 days! Wow! They really have it together there. BUT the most impressive thing to me was their program for special needs called "In His Image". It consists of a Small Care group (which consists of adults with special needs) that meets on Saturday nights. They also have a S.S. Program, they have a parent support group, they have nights out and even a VBS for those of all ages with special needs. Absolutely amazing...following and honoring 1Corinthians ~ All parts of the body are needed to the "T". Those parts who are weaker are the most precious. I agree. Want more info? E-mail my friend Lindy.

Encouragement from a Caregiver

Every once in a while, someone sends a note of encouragement. This was mine today. Thank you Chris. I know caregivers typically enjoy what they do but we really appreciate them for all they do. Caregivers give so much, and at a very emotionally and physically draining job. And yet...they see it as the gift that it really is.
If you're wondering what her encouragement was...click here.