Delivery for Novembers Client

20 Donators sharing a couch, LR tables, a desk, 2 bunk beds, a full bed, 3 dressers, linens, pots and pans, dishes, comforters, and towels...along with 5 VLC Volunteers, 2 AHS students, and 4 Human Services Caseworkers. This delivery was like the TV make-over show! A hardworking family. A 13 year old daughter (a straight A student) and her 6 year old sister will no longer be sleeping on a mattress on the floor. They now have a bunk bed, dresser, mirror, sheets, matching comfortors, lamps, and a string of lights each with a flower strung on her mirror! Her words: "the most beautiful bedroom she has ever seen!" I peaked into the room where bunk beds were being put together for the 2 boys...they couldn't believe it...a stranger bought a brand new bunk bed to share with them! They said 'it even smells good'...the new wood!' And mom, she could not remember the last time she slept on a mattress off of the floor! You are changing peoples lives... having pride in themselves and their homes. Thank you!

Collection for the Hebron House, a Homeless Shelter for Women and Children serving Waukesha County

39 Volunteers volunteering 78 hours of time! Girl Scouts, the Arrowhead Key Club, families, and individuals...Recycle Raccoon, Mr. Pig, and 2 of the Klements Famous Racing Sausages helped bring awareness of the needs of the homeless in Waukesha County to the customers at the Oconomowoc and the Hartland Piggly Wiggly stores. The customers donated 5 carloads of groceries, toiletries, diapers, paper products etc... Over 1400 items were delivered to the Shelter, along with $725.00 in cash donations! The generosity of the Lake Country Community shines once again!

Volunteers of Lake Country Deliver to October's Client

A pick up truck, an 18' trailer, and 4 cars all filled with furniture and household items caravaned down a dark street in Pewaukee, watching for the address of Octobers Client. We didn't need an address...as we neared the house 4 children waving and jumping up and down, and shouting 'they're here!!' showed us the way! Their excitement never stopped as they held the doors, and helped us carry items into their apartment...along with the 6 volunteers, and the 6 caseworkers who all worked to unload. Their jumping never stopped...they couldn't contain their excitement as they watched the bunk bed, and trundle bed being put together, and beds made in the bedroom they all share! All so excited about having beds!

More donations then ever before....I would come home from work and my front porch would be filled with sheets, blankets and comforters for 5 beds! My living room has not been used so much in the 25 years we have lived here! It looked like Bed Bath and Beyond! Those 4 children slept that night wrapped in the love you sent them...thank you for your generosity...and for giving them a Lake Country Welcome!!

Delivery for Septembers Client

We received our Septembers Client from Human Services at the beginning of the month. A family with two brothers, 8 and 16, who had been removed from their mother's custody and permanently placed with their father. The 3 of them were going to live in his 1 bedroom apartment, and the dad had very little. The generouse donations of Volunteers of Lake Country allowed us to deliver a couch, loveseat, ottoman, end tables, a cocktail table, a bunk bed and bedding, computer cabinent, dresser, chest of drawers, kitchen towels, dishes, silverware, and lamps. The caseworker sent VLC a message: "We cannot express how grateful we are for your services to our clients. The furniture and other accessories are outstanding. The house seemed to turn into a home for these boys and their dad. They are so thrilled with all the items and have been busy getting things settled. We truly appreciate all you do".

Volunteers Of Lake Country coordinate an Emergency Food Drive for the Pewaukee Food Pantry

After reading an article in the Living Lake Country Reporter on August 5th titled 'Pantry Donations dwindle in the summer months...Pewaukee Food Pantry asks for Help' the Volunteers of Lake Country knew if was information they could not ignore. They immediately targeted the Pewaukee pantry for boxes of fresh produce from the Garden for Good. Volunteers distributed 550 bags and flyers into 5 Pewaukee subdivisions asking for donations of needed food, and picked up the donations left on their porches the following Saturday. An unplanned Food Drive was organized for Friday August 21st. Volunteers passed out lists of needed items to the customers at the Pewaukee Pick N Save on Capitol Drive. In 6 hours, the generous customers filled 4 vehicles with needed items. The total number of items collected and delivered to the pantry....over 1800! The mini-drive collected more items than we ever have before! What were empty shelves a few days prior at the pantry...were now sagging with the weight of shared food!

July's Client of the Month

Nina and her 4 children had been living at Hebron House, a homeless shelter for several months. They moved into an apartment July 1st. Initially, the caseworker said she put 2 dressers on her wish list...then he stopped for a visit mid-July...and her living room was empty! He asked why she didn't ask for more...she said she was embarrassed she had so little...and didn't want to ask for too much! VLC delivered a couch, lamps, loveseat, and entertainment center, a cocktail and 2 end tables for the living room. A dining table and 4 chairs, dishes and silverware for the kitchen, 2 dressers, linens, and towels for the bed/bath. Nina was in tears with gratitude, and so were we that night. She sends her thanks & prayers to the kindness of strangers. The 8 donators and 5 deliverers who made this possible! A fresh start, and a new job on Monday....life is good~

Volunteers of Lake Country's 'Fill the Bus' collection for school supplies

A total of 74 volunteers worked 173 hours on Saturday July 25th, to collect school supplies and backpacks for children in need in Waukesha County! VLC staffed the Delafield Walgreens and the Pewaukee Wal-Mart and they recruited the Arrowhead Key Club to handle the collections at the Hartland Walgreens. Two of the Klements Famous Racing Sausages along with Recycle Raccoon, joined us for a day of fun, giving high fives to children and parents alike, and smiling for 100's of photos! Over 11,000 items were collected valued at well over $5,000.00!

Colleen Martin with the Backpack Coalition said, " The enormity of the fill the bus success thanks to the efforts of VLC is overwhelming!

Thank You....Thank You.... Thank You! Todd Cullen of InfiNET Web Design volunteered his time, and created this amazing website for the Volunteers of Lake Country. It was launched the beginning of August! Please check it out, and share it with your area friends and family! Talk about the 'kindness of strangers'...we have emailed, and phoned Todd along this journey...but we still have never met! http://www.volunteersoflakecountry.org/ We would also like to thank another VLC volunteer, Marc Wolfgram of MacCetera, whose company has been kind enough to host our new site as well!

Volunteers of Lake Country's Community Garden for Good

The month of May, 18 volunteers donated approximately 75 hours to till, and plant the garden! A weekly weed and water schedule has been set up, and volunteers are in place for the entire summer. Produce harvested from this garden, and extra produce donated from our volunteers home gardens is being collected and delivered to various pantries & agencies in Waukesha County.

VLC's Work Day at the Women's Center of Waukesha County

The Women's Center is a wonderful facility, with the most amazing staff. (though I wish it was not necessary to have such a place) 9 Volunteers logged 22 1/2 hours weeding, raking and mulching their grounds. We were in awe of the difference just a handful of people made in just a few short hours!
"I want to thank all of the wonderful people of Volunteers of Lake Country that came to The Women's Center on Saturday, June 13 to offer their time and service. All of your hard work is deeply appreciated. My fellow staff members commented on how much was done on Saturday. Your efforts made a big difference in cleaning up our landscaping. You all worked so hard on behalf of the women and children of "The Women's Center."
Sincerely,
Shelia

Volunteers of Lake Country's June Client

June's Client: Each month we help a Client from Health and Human Services with their 'wish list'. The generosity of this community has truly been over-whelming. We were again able to collect everything needed for June's Client! I feel like it is Christmas, every time I open the front door, and peak into the collection box! We collected baby gear, a bed & linens for mom, a crib, changing table, 2 dressers, kitchen items etc... A cargo van, and a Subaru totally filled with donations. The caseworker shared:
"When VLC left, Bev & I walked through her apt. When we entered her bedroom, she was overcome with tears. She informed me that for the first time her room was beautiful.. that she was looking forward to getting a good night’s rest. She had not slept in a bed in a long time". Thank you to the 15 donators and the 5 deliverers who made this possible.

June Food Drive

Volunteers of Lake Country kicked off June by running a food drive. 26 volunteers distributed 1,000 bags into subdivisions in our community and collected the donations the following weekend. There were also 2 volunteers on three 2-hour shifts that worked at the Village Square Pick N Save asking customers to consider donating items as well. 41 volunteer hours...more than 200 bags of groceries...over 1500 items...and $167.00 was collected and delivered to the Hartland Food Pantry, whose shelves were getting bare once again.

Volunteers of Lake Country's Client of the Month Project

May's Client: This has become a monthly project...receiving a family from Health & Human Services who needs a hand. May's Client was a hard working single mom, and her 15 year old son. They were beginning a fresh life, after living in an abusive situation. Furniture and gently used household items were shared again by those on our email list! We delivered donations of 2 living room chairs, and 2 tables, a bed, linens, towels, a computor desk, and 2 dressers. They brought such joy & pride to them both, and were very grateful for your help and generosity.

Spring Yard Clean Up for the Elderly in our Community

Interfaith is an organization that serves the elderly and disabled. They provided Volunteers of Lake Country with 3 women who are living independantly, but need help in the spring to get their yards in shape for the season. 13 Volunteers of Lake Country committed to 2 hours of work on Sat. May 16th. We split into 3 teams, and worked at the homes of 3 area residents, 2 in Hartland and 1 in Delafield. We raked the grass, gardens, and the beds, laid mulch, trimmed bushes and made new friends! The volunteers, and the clients enjoyed good company and a great feeling of accomplishment.

Volunteer of Lake Country at the Earth Day Spring Clean Up

On Saturday April 18th 2009, 150 volunteers came to Old World Wisconsin in Eagle Wisconsin to help with their spring clean up for their Earth Day Event. 16 of them were Volunteers of Lake Country. We brought work gloves, rakes and tarps on a beautiful spring day, and worked from 9-noon on their grounds, getting it ready for their season opening. At noon, we came in from the property, collapsed into the seats in the Clausing Barn, and Old World provided a chili lunch for us all as a thank you...and to give us the energy for our drive back home!

The first Client of the Month....April's Client

April's Client was a very proud and independent woman in her 50's, living on her own in an apartment in Waukesha. She was a stroke survivor, partially paralyzed on one side of her body. The caseworker shared that she slept on a blow up mattress on the floor, and the only other furniture she had was a lawn chair. She needed everything. It was an enormous undertaking for a 4 week project...but thanks to the generosity of those on our email list, who donated gently used household items, towels, linens, dishes, pots and pans, a dresser, kitchen table and 4 chairs, to a daughter who donated the beautiful headboard and bedding, to her mother who donated a new box spring and mattress, to a family who donated the matching couch and loveseat...who knew it would bring pride and dignity to her heart, and to a friend who donated a quilt made by her grandmother and aunt, wanting her to be wrapped in the love it was made and given with The empty apartment was transformed into a home with your generosity.

Drive for Baby Items for Healthy Families of Waukesha County

Amazing....28 of the 100 on this email list participated in the drive for baby items for Healthy Families! Whether you distributed fliers & bags to 1,000 homes, dropped collection boxes at area hospitals, dropped donations off on the porch, or attended the baby shower...what we accomplished collectively is difficult to describe! 3,000 diapers...cases & cases of formula... boxes & boxes of new baby clothing, wipes, baby wash, baby blankets etc...along with 8 large boxes of gently used items...2 SUV's full...amazing! You must see it to believe it! Thanks to all who participated...Healthy Families was incredibly grateful and shocked!!

Drive for the Hartland Food Pantry/Jan. 2009

16 people volunteered from our email list of 100 participated in our Food Drive. On Saturday January 10th 1,000 grocery bags, along with a flyer were hung on doors in various subdivisions letting the community know that we were collecting items for the Hartland Food Pantry. The following Saturday the volunteers returned to collect the full bags of groceries left on their porches! 153 bags were collected (15.3% participation) with 1139 items! Volunteers were also at the entrance, and exit of the Pic & Save on Hwy. 83 offering shoppers a chance to participate the food drive....another 100 bags and 514 items! The total items collected on Jan. 17th by our group was 1,653 along with $90.00 in cash donations! The pantry opened at 3:30 that afternoon, to allow us to unload. They were amazed...We were amazed! 5 cars & a mini van pulled in & we began to unload over 250 bags! We knew that 'We Made A Difference', and that this was only the beginning!

Volunteers of Lake Country In the News!

Please check out the links to newspaper articles highlighting the efforts and projects by Volunteers of Lake Country

Can you help these struggling families?
October 16, 2011
 

http://www.livinglakecountry.com/living/can-you-help-these-struggling-families-131826323.html

Lake Country families need your help /  August 4 2011

http://www.livinglakecountry.com/living/126799193.html

Volunteer and help kids in your local community / July 3, 2011

 http://www.livinglakecountry.com/living/124818469.html

Make a difference in the life of a child  / June 2, 2011

 http://livinglakecountry.com/living/123063458.html

Children's books bring joy to Hope Center's youngest patrons http://activepaper.olivesoftware.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q1RGLzIwMTEvMDUvMDUjQXIwMDIwMG%3D%3D&mode=HTML&locale=english-skin-custom

Can you help these families?

http://www.livinglakecountry.com/living/119436519.html

The Kindness of Strangers / March 6, 2011

http://www.livinglakecountry.com/living/117327673.html

Many Thanks for generous donations / February 3, 2011 http://www.livinglakecountry.com/living/115225819.html

Children in need of a comfy place to sleep / February 17, 2011 http://livinglakecountry.com/living/116432344.html

These families need your help, do you have something to share / December 9, 2010 http://livinglakecountry.com/living/111633439.html

Single parents need help from area volunteers / November 4, 2010 http://livinglakecountry.com/living/106729708.html

Families Need Your Help / October 8, 2010

http://livinglakecountry.com/living/104564639.html

Books, books and more books needed / September 12, 2010 http://livinglakecountry.com/living/102576464.html

Volunteers need your help to fill the pantry shelves / August 15, 2010 http://livinglakecountry.com/living10057834.html

Help Volunteers Stock Children's Library / August 2010 http://livinglakecountry.com/lakecountryreporter/news/101794608.html

Helping kids turn the page on hardship / September 5, 2010 http://www.jsonline.com/news/waukesha/102200609.html

Harvesting Help for the Community / June 26, 2010 http://livinglakecountry.com/living/97116084.html

Volunteers honored for Community Service / May 6, 2010 http://livinglakecountry.com/living/93009954.html

Volunteers inspire by example, Close to Home / May 6, 2010 http://livinglakecountry.com/living/92982039.html

Volunteers of LC 'Spring' forward to Help / April 8, 2010 http://www.livinglakecountry.com/living/9028587.html

Volunteers Help Build A Better Community / March 11, 2010 http://www.livinglakecountry.com/living/87398152.html

Spread Some Real Love this February

http://www.livinglakecountry.com/living/83592442.html

Volunteers Make Lake Country a Better Place http://www.livinglakecountry.com/lakecountryreporter/news/80623047.html

VLC Coordinates a Surprise Delivery for 2 Families http://www.livinglakecountry.com/living/79553987.html

Volunteers log 1,000 hours to date / September 13, 2009 http://www.livinglakecountry.com/living/58555947.html

Community Fills the Bus with Supplies / August 9, 2009 http://www.livinglakecountry.com/living/52598597.html

Volunteers continue branching out / July 11th. http://www.livinglakecountry.com/living/50396717.html

Volunteer garden brings fresh produce to pantries / June 25 2009 http://www.livinglakecountry.com/living/49124062.html

Fresh produce drop off sites / June 25, 2009

 http://www.livinglakecountry.com/living/49124067.html

Dispatches from Lake Country Helping Hands / May 28, 2009 http://www.livinglakecountry.com/living/46401407.html

Local Group Seeks Help for those in Need / May 11, 2009

http://www.livinglakecountry.com/oconomowocfocus/news/44711417.html

Lake Country Volunteers hooked on helping the needy / April 28, 2009 http://www.jsonline.com/news/waukesha/43928202.html