Thanks for the Books!

                                               Thanks to the Waukesha Reads Service Project!

Every fall, the Waukesha Library promotes a Waukesha Reads Project, and the last two years, they have organized a book drive in downtown businesses to collect books for the VLC Children's Free Library at the Hope Center.  This year, several brownie troops, a girl scout troop and a daisy troop pitched in to share

children's books forward and to work to get books into the homes of children in need.  We send out a special thanks to all who participated,  including the smiling faces of the Bethesda Brownie group above who collected books and made book-marks.  1,700 books in total were shared!  VLC's giving library was established 2 years ago, and it continues to give over 1,000 books to children EVERY month with your continued help!

A HUGE thank you to all of the volunteers who worked the Drives for the Hebron

House Homeless Shelters this past Saturday at the Hartland Walgreens, Hartland

Pick N Save, and the Pewaukee Wal-Mart...you were AMAZING!  The Hebron

House and the families in crisis that they serve also thank this wonderful group of

strangers who on a very cold Saturday, stepped forward and shared their time to

make a difference in their lives and the lives of their families.  3 stores...8 shifts..

30 volunteers...together sharing 60 volunteer hours... Thanks to the generosity of the Lake Country community,  5 carloads of groceries, medicines, and toiletries along with $777.00 in cash donations were collected.  We had many new volunteers step forward to share 2 hours of their time for this drive, volunteers who all signed up early allowing up to set up a 2nd.... and then a 3rd location....collecting 3 times the amount of donations!

 

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world....

September's Project- Bookmark making workshop.

 

This is the 2nd year that VLC has put on a Bookmark Making Workshop for children  

visiting the Waukesha Library. It is a thank you to the Library for the Community Book

Drive they run during their Waukesha Reads Program for VLC Children's Giving Library.

Almost every parent visiting the library with their child on Saturday Oct. 29th stepped

into the rotunda to make a bookmark for themselves and one to be shared at the VLC

Children's Free Library at the Hope Center. Thanks to your continued support and  

generosity in sharing your outgrown children's books forward, VLC continues to give

over 1,000 books to children in need EVERY MONTH!  Please know that we are ALWAYS

in need of infant/toddler board books.  The can be dropped off directly at the Hope

Center at 502 North East Ave.

 Children and their parents loved this project....and we all loved working with them!

Crayons, markers, stickers, stencils, rubber stamps, foam cut outs, watercolors, yarn and

ribbon were shared and their creativity amazed us all!  Thanks to the special people

who stepped forward to share their time!

August's Project- Food Drives for 3 Food Pantries!

How can 1 person make a HUGE difference by sharing just 2 hours of time?  When you mulitply it times 36 volunteers...sharing 72 hours of time and adding 100's of customers!!!   VLC ran a Food Drive for our area Food Pantries who are always in crisis in the summer months!   Thanks to the volunteers who stepped forward this month, we were able to staff 3 Food Drives...at 3 different grocery stores...for 3 differend Food Pantries this past Saturday August 25th!  A million thanks were shared with the individuals, couples, families, and groups who worked at the drives for the Hartland, Pewaukee, Oconomowoc Pantries and the Lake Area Free Clinic and to the generosity of the customers!   SUV;s full of food along with $1,600.00 in cash donations were shared.   That's making a difference in the lives of families struggling in our own LC communities!   To those who have not yet takend a turn at a drive...give it a try...it feels so good!

Julys Project- Drive for School Supplies for Children in Need!

A special thanks to the 40 volunteers who passed out fliers or wore one of the

Racing Sausage outfits at the VLC Drive on Saturday collecting school supplies

We staffed 3 stores for this drive, the Hartland Walgreens and the Pewaukee

and Waukesha Wal-Marts.   40 strangers, who all showed up...made new friends

with other volunteers on their shifts....and  with smiles on their faces, and love in
their hearts asked strangers for their help in providing an estimated  $5200.00 in
supplies were collected!  I hope you can picture the joy in the eyes of the 2,000
children qualified for help and who will receive a brand new backpack filled with
all the supplies needed to start their new school year....and the relief in their
parents eyes thanks to you!  

July Delivery- Parents Place

We were contact in July by Parents Place.   It is a family resource center for the Prevention and Protection of Abused Children.   They have an incredibly facility where parents can come for counseling,  parenting classes, and group meetings.  They were looking for some furnishings to warm up some of the meeting areas.  VLC shared the leather couch and loveseat, dining table, and some framed prints with them...thanks to you!   

Huge Delivery to VLC's June Family

Thanks to all of the donors for their generosity to the June Family.  We delivered last night.  Mom, her 3 & 16 year old daughters and 12 year old son had moved into their new apartment a few days prior....it was hard to tell because there was NOTHING in the apartment but a few clothes. VLC coordinated 2 trailers & 3 SUV's for this delivery and shared beds, and bedding a dresser, desk, computer, printer, toys, books, couch, futon, living room tables, lamps, TV, DVR, bookshelf, a shower curtain, and towels, kitchen table & chairs, dishes, silverware, coffee maker, crock pot, microwave, boxes of kitchen utensils, baking and casserole dishes etc.... It was truly one of our favorite deliveries ever! It was like Christmas on a 100 degree evening in July...   A delivery of love to a family who were both gracious and grateful.  They asked us to thank you all! 

June's Project- VLC's Garden for Good!

This month the VLC project of the month was for one of VLC's own projects!

A group of VLC volunteers shared 2 hours of time on Saturday June 23rd to help

weed, mulch and ready the garden for the coming hot summer months.

Thanks to the 10 volunteers who helped....to those who have signed up to weed

and water all summer,  and to those who have signed up to harvest and

deliver the produce to our area Food Pantries and Meal Sites!  Families who

are struggling in our community will have some 'perishables' at their meals....

salads and veggies for the 4th season in a row!! 

Deliveries to May Families

A trailer & 2 SUV's full of donations were shared with  two families and their 4 children coming together into 1 household. Twin beds, and bedding, couch and chair, end tables, computer desk, dishes, glasses, microwave, pots & pans, waterproof mattress pads, bath towels etc...  Thank you for your generosity this month!  They had just moved into the apartment and it was difficult to get any photos, but here are a few of the items we shared.

A mom with 4 children working full time had bedroom

and kitchen furniture for her family....but a caseworker

emailed that her living room was empty....the next day,

you guessed it....a VLC member contacted us with a

couch, loveseat and chair to share! Volunteers with a

trailer picked the items up at the donors and drop them

off at the clients home! Another very happy family!

The May family from Safe Babies Healthy Families (single mom working full time with 3 children) will be receiving the queen frame, towels, bedding for the 10 year old daughter along with handmade quilts for the 2 &  4 year olds! 

May's Project- Spring Yard Clean Up at the Women's Center

A short video presentation was shared with the VLC volunteers about the work  that the Women's Center does in our community before we  began the Spring Yard Clean Up on the grounds.  It was a powerful presentation that I think made us all feel  happy to be able to make things just a little nicer for the women and children that are staying at the Women's Center while  they get back on their feet.  A special thanks to the VLC volunteers who shared their morning weeding, planting, and mulching the beds around the Women's Center and the transitional homes.  I suspect that the volunteers had the same work waiting for them in their own yards, so it was very kind of them all to set aside the time and give a hand!  Everything looked so much nicer than when we had arrived.  



Aprils Family of the Month

Our April family was a mom and dad expecting a baby girl in May.  It was like Christmas on the front porch for the past 3 weeks....and soon became Babies R Us in the living room as you shared everything a new mom could possibly need for a little girl!  People went on shopping sprees in the infant department and purchase new baby clothing, diapers, lotions and potions and dropped them off to share.  A beautiful gently used crib, glider, changing table, and basinett.  A car seat, stroller, baby swing, mobile, bumpers, sheets, blankets, bibs, monitors, baby bottle, pack n play, kicking mat, play mat, exersaucer....the list goes on and on!

The family and caseworker were overwhelmed.  The caseworker shared that it was the most incredible Baby Shower ever!  She also shared "this is the most deserving couple ever...."

Those who emailed with any duplicate baby supplies decided to share their donations with a 2nd mom who was also expecting in May....so 2 families ended up being helped due to the amazing generosity of so many...

Aprils Project- Drive for the Homeless Shelters

Thanks to the amazing volunteers who shared two hours of time and staffed the Pewaukee Wal-Mart, and the Delafield Sentry on an incredibly cold and rainy Saturday!  The 25 volunteers did an amazing job!  6 cars full of food and toiletries were collected along with $450.00 in cash donations, all of which were shared with the Hebron House Homeless Shelters.  Individuals, families, teens, young children and their parents all pitched in passing out lists of most needed food and toiletries to customers as they entered....and collecting their bags full of donations as they left!  You are AMAZING....