Sharing More Photos

This week Dr. Jason Brandt and his son Will went to Haiti with Central Baptist Church and they helped deliver shorts. I have received more photos from that trip and wanted to share them.

Thank you for your support!

In this closing blog, I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who provided support of one kind or another. Almost daily, I heard from some of you either via text, e-mail, notes, phone calls or in person giving me encouragement and providing kind words of support. I would not have made it without all of you. Also, there were those of you who provided fabric, thread, elastic, financing, and assistance in the way of cutting, and sewing and of course delivering the shorts to Haiti. I could not leave this project without the mention of your names. I hope I have listed all of you and if I have not, I apologize, and I hope you will let me know and I will gladly add your name to the list.

Fabric was donated by the following folks:

Joanne Nally

Allison Fletcher

Janice Porter

Zella Sisk

Kay Richardson

Mary Coble

Andrea Dunn

Debbie Boyd

Kristin Boyd

Stephanie Harris

Kristi Johnson

Pat Cook

Janie Krennerich

Mary Kay Jones

Maria Jones

Kacey Lieblong

Judy King

Donations Totaling $1025 were given by the following:

Mary Jo Turner

Sandi Pierce

Arleta Moore

Richard and Sandra Lusby

Paula Miles

Janice Kroeter

Sue Haggenmacher

Susan Cathcart,

Charlene Creech

Sherrell Rodgers.

Mike and Sandi Cornish

Maria Jones

Lisa Moore

Jo Wheeler

Sharon Langley

The following people helped by Cutting Shorts:

Linda Walters

Sandi Pierce

Brandon Stevens

Diane Langford

Beth Loveless

Connor McClurkan

Taylor Cornish

The following people helped by Sewing With me at my home:

Allison Fletcher

Murlene Degges

Janice Porter

Mike Cornish

Sandi Cornish

David Cornish

Janet Cornish

The following people helped by Sewing on their own:

Cindy Calhoun

Cissy Lieblong

Debbie Robinson

Shirley Bridger

The following people helped by packing shorts for delivery:

Terri Cobb

Riley Reed

Kristy Reed

Nancy Benton for donating three pieces of luggage to ship the shorts.

Jana Brandt for donating two lockers to ship the shorts.

The following People and organizations have delivered the shorts to Haiti:

Eddie and Lee Cooper

Nate and Joy Miller

Jason and Will Brandt

Terri Cobb

Central Baptist Church

The Churches of Christ International Relief Ministries

A special thanks to my sons, Matthew and Mark and my daughter-in-law Jennifer. Even though they were not here for most of this, they supported me with their words of encouragement, and, it was because of the three of them that this project came to fruition.

A very special thank you to my husband, Russ! He helped me in many ways from providing me with resources to make this project happen, to overlooking when the house went amok and taking me out to dinner when I was just too tired to cook. I love you dearly, Russ. Thank you so much for your love and support over this year.

A final word: It has been a pleasure to work on this project with all of you. It has been a joy from the beginning to watch as each of you embraced it as your own. Some of you I have met for the first time because of this project and I will always cherish that meeting and our common bond. I have truly been blessed by it and by each one of you. Look back at the photos of the children and you will realize, very quickly, that it was all worth it. This group provided a total of 5,743 pairs of shorts, skirts, and onesies to the children of Haiti. I am sure God will bless each and every one of you for taking care of his precious children. I sincerely thank you!!!

Shorts and School Supplies make it to Haiti.

Just wanted to share a couple of photos from Haiti. Jason Brandt and his son Will went to Haiti with the group from Central Baptist Church. They helped hand out shorts and school supplies. Here are a couple of precious photos of children with their skirts and shorts.

Riley Reed, Caitlin Cothern and Mikaela Lucy Provide School Supplies for Haiti

A group of three teenage girls, Riley Reed, Kaitlin Cothern, and Mikaela Lucy, through their school, decided to collect and send school supplies to the children in Haiti. Donations were taken from the students and faculty as well as the youth group that Riley and Caitlin attend. Riley and her mother Kristy sent the school supplies to Haiti, via the same group that took shorts for me, Central Baptist Church. Riley, Kaitlin and Mikaela managed to collect a very large suitcase full of school supplies. The suitcase weighed a whopping 48 pounds!!! I personally have been so impressed with these young ladies that they have given of their time and resources to provide for others that I just had to share it with all of you. Also, Riley and a friend, Rachel Ganong, share a birthday. This year instead of receiving gifts, they asked for donations toward their respective projects. Rachel's donations went to the local animal shelter and of course, Riley's money went to her Haiti project. What a wonderful group of giving young ladies!!! The photos attached are those of Riley, Kristy and me packing to send our items via Central Baptist to Haiti on January 28.

616 pairs of shorts to iron!!!!

During the last two weeks I sewed, I made 616 pairs of shorts. Usually when I sew, I will iron that very day and sort the shorts by size. However, I had so much to do the last two weeks in sewing alone that I did not do the ironing. The photo is a table covered with the 616 pairs of shorts that needed to be ironed. I ironed them last weekend and they have been taken to Central Baptist Church. Central will take the shorts to Haiti this weekend.

Project Complete!!!!

On Monday January 10, I realized that I had only 616 pairs of shorts left to make. I started sewing more each day. I had several days that I made 70 pairs and my high was 71. However, in order to finish on Friday, January 21 I needed to be able to make 95 pairs of shorts in one day. I decided I could and would do just that. I started my day at 7am and finished the last pair at 11:14pm. It was an awesome feeling to know that I had completed this year long task. It actually took me one year and 4 days. Even though I have finished the sewing, I still have to iron 616 pairs of shorts and get them packed to send to Haiti on January 28. They will be going to Haiti via Central Baptist Church. I am so thankful that they will be hand delivering the shorts to those precious children.

Cutting Shorts

Linda Walters is such a dear friend. When I think about our friendship I feel like I have always known her but in reality we have known each other a short 13 years. Linda is a hard working perfectionist. When she approached me in June to cut shorts, I thought she meant only for a short period of time, however, she very quickly told me that she did not want me to have to cut another pair. On Wed. January 19 at 10:13pm I received a text message from Linda saying simply,DONE!!! I laughed and still laugh today because of her very simplistic response. It was as if I had given her a 30 minute chore and she had very quickly and easily finished it. In reality, Linda cut shorts from early June 2010 till January 19, 2011. She cut more than 3000 pairs of shorts in that time and very diligently always made sure I had plenty of cut shorts, and never, not once, did I have to wait on her to cut shorts. Linda's crown in Heaven will surely be so heavy from all the jewels that she won't be able to wear it. Linda, thank you so much for all your work on "OUR" project. God will bless you for all your work.