Washer and Dryer Donations

VLC shared 3 sets of washers and dryers this last month! Two of the families were families we received from Human Services. One was the family where both the mom and dad are in the reserves. (The husband has served 2 tours in Iraq). This is the third set shared. This set, along with a beautiful dining table and chairs were shared by a VLC volunteer. VLC arranged a match with the Hebron House. They picked it up and are using them in the new overflow homeless shelter that they recently opened in Waukesha for the winter months.

January's Project- A Family Visitation Room Make Over

Our goal was to create a positive environment for 2 Family Visitation rooms at Human Services. These rooms are used for supervised visits for parents and their children who are living in Foster Care, or in the care of relatives. It is a place where families who are in crises can stay connected. VLC had some very different requests on the 'wish list' and to our amazement, volunteers came forward with children's tables and chairs, lobby chairs, a loveseat, bookshelves, children's toys and family games, area rugs and artwork. Your kindness and generosity made these rooms warm and cozy, and life a little bit better for the families.

January's Client

We delivered to Jamie, who had lost her job, her apartment and then everything she had which was in a storage locker and she didn't have the money to pay her bill. She has a new job, and new apartment and a new start. You shared a couch, 2 chairs, a kitchen set, bed, and chest of drawers along with dishes, pots and pans, kitchen utensils, kitchen and bath towels. She had been in an empty apartment for weeks prior to our delivery, so she was so excited, and so grateful for these gifts when they were delivered. Thank you!

One of VLC's December Families

Tia is a single mom with 2 sons (6 & 7). She is working a part time minimum wage job, but is a full time college student, hoping to make a better life for her family. We shared 2 twin beds and bedding for the boys, a desk and chair for her homework, a braided rug for under her kitchen table, a queen bed and dresser. She was so grateful for your gifts and asked us to send you her thanks!

One of our December Families

This 16 year old was sleeping in the living room on a blanket. We brought in a bed with drawers beneath his clothes and his space, along with bedding, a couch, table, lamp, entertainment center and 3-4 boxes of kitchen utensils, and small appliances. The caseworker shared, 'I do not have enough words to express how thankful I am, and I know that this family feels the same way. I hope that this thank you can be passed along to the donors and I hope that their generosity is multiplied in blessings and health. Thank you VLC'

Brownie Troop has a Book Drive for the VLC Free Library!

This 2nd Grade Brownie Troop collected over 350 books for the VLC Children's Free Library at the Hope Center. The girl's collected books at school, from neighbors and from friends. They made homemade signs and handed out empty grocery bags with notes to neighbors asking for the donation of books. Thank you VLC for the great opportunity for the girls to realized the importance of their favorite books, and how special it is to own your own books. The girls ran this project on their own and were very proud of the tower of books they had to donate!

Novembers Deliveries!

Shaun was a single dad, who just received custody of his 4 & 6 year old son and daughter. He is a UWM full time college student in accounting. His apartment was darling, and we loved him and his children! We brought in a bedroom set for dad, a bed and bedding for his son along with a lamp, mixer, coffee pot and vacuum.

November's Pewaukee Family

Stephanie was a single mom who is a full time student and works part time. She has 2 & 4 year old daughters and they live in Pewaukkee. Mom had saved for 2 toddler beds, and the quality was so poor they ended up breaking! We delivered these 2 beautiful wicker beds and bedding. We brought a kitchen set and a desk and chair for studying. Inta a apartment that the case-worker said was dark and depressing....we brouth the light of lamps, and a bag of new clothes was shared with each of the girls. In a minutes time the 2 year old had put on a new pair of footed Barbie pj' s and was prancing around the house with the tags still on! Before we got the kitchen table legs put on....she was fast asleep in her new bed!

A Urgent Delivery!

Healthy Families contacted us about a client with a urgent need and we were able to help thanks to your generosity! A mom, dad and their new baby girl had just moved into a new apartment... life couldn't be better they thought...then they received the call that the husbands 2 boys were coming to live with them! They were so excited....but they needed 2 twin beds and a dresser ASAP. We delivered them, along with linens and a beautiful table and chairs for their growing family in a few days time! Thank you for these beautiful donations, they were so grateful. This was a very special family....

October's Deliveries!

1 trailer and an SUV were filled with a queen bed, bedding, dresser, a chair, new silverware, dishes pots and pans, utensils, bath and kitchen towels, sheets and a handmade quilt. All were delivered and shared with a cognitively disabled women who just moved in to a new apartment. She could not believe the beautiful things and said that it was October 6th was her best Christmas ever!

October's Project- Collection for the Homeless Shelters of Waukesha

33 VLC volunteers staffed the Oconomowoc Piggly Wiggly, and the Waukesha Sam's Club along with 4 of the Klements Famous Racing Sausages on Saturday Oct. 23rd. A van and 2 SUV's full of donations along with $750.00 in cash donations were shared by their generous customers! We also just received word that a Community Grant that VLC facilitated will be donated by Sam's Club for the Hebron House in the amount of $2,000.00! Thanks to the volunteers, customers, Klements and the stores...thanks for making a difference!

Learning to help others can begin at a very young age!

Thanks to the Oconomowoc Junior Women's Club Kids Who Can! They received a grant and wanted to do something special for the VLC Clients of the Month Project. They used the money to fill 16 beautiful wicker baskets with cleaning products, kitchen utensils, kitchen towels and plasticware, and then presented them to VLC. We will be sharing them each month when we deliver.

Trauma Therapy / Post-Tramatic Stress Disorder

Someone had donated a beautiful white loveseat to VLC awhile back. Because it was white, it was not the most practical item for a family. Along came a beautiful blue wing back chair, and a glass top, silver framed cocktail table...all a bit impractical for a family with children! And then came a call from Human Services. A new office space has opened up in their building for a Trauma Therapist. She would be working with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder patients. A new therapist....a new office....patients...but no furniture....A perfect fit!

Septembers Client

We delivered to Katie who is a single mom with 3 children. She works a full time job and is struggling since a divorce to keep the bank from taking the house that they have owned and lived in for the past 10 years. We brought a dresser for each of the boys, a twin bed and bedding. After we set the bed up, we opened a brand new set of sheets and a comforter for the bed. Clients are so grateful for gently used....but they are truly overwhelmed when they see that someone gave them something new....something just for them! We also shared a wicker basket of plush bath towels, bath and body lotions and a candle that someone dropped off for Katie. A basket filled with luxuries....when right now, she is living in a world of neccessities... She was so grateful, and she sends her thanks to all of the donators!

Collection of Children's Books for the new VLC Children's Free Library

In August the Volunteers of Lake Country launched the Children's Free Library hosted by the Hope Center of Waukesha. Studies have shown a correlation between children having books in their homes and their success in school. VLC's goal was to get books into the hands of children whose families cannot afford them. Hundreds upon hundreds of individuals (sorting their own and donating) and groups (churches, schools, and businesses doing book drives) stepped forward to donate thousands upon thousands of books! 1,000 books are being given to children each month at the Hope Center. With the present inventory, and the upcoming drives that are already in place, we are set until spring! Thank you for the amazing response!

Food Drive for the Hartland and Pewaukee Food Pantries!

Volunteers of Lake Country staffed 3 two-hour shifts at the Hartland Pick 'n Save on Saturday Aug. 28th collecting food for the Hartland Food Pantry. Summer months are a crisis time for the pantries, and their shelves were close to empty. Volunteers passed out fliers to customers with a list of most needed items, and collected their donations as they exited. Customers were happy to help and their generosity filled many cars with food by the end of the day! A commitment of just 2 hours of time....thank you for making a difference!

The Pewaukee Kiwanis volunteered to staff the Pewaukee Pick 'n Save on the same day as the VLC drive...allowing us the opportunity to run 2 Food Drives for 2 Food Pantries on the same day! Donations poured in for their local Pantry, and shelves were full again....at least for awhile! Thank you all for commitment to helping others....thank you for your gift of time!

August's Second Client!

This is a story about a dedicated caseworker named Susan who drove to Hartland with her pick up truck, about Kathie the Arrowhead High School Key Club advisor who rounded up the muscles to help load, and finally about Cindy the donator of a beautiful couch, who has been keeping it in her dining room for 2 months because there was no room in the VLC locker....who all

came together to load up a couch, two LR chairs, a table and a lamp and deliver it to Susans client! The mom and dad both work, have 5 children of their own and have just accepted placement of their 8 year old nephew, who needed a home. Thanks to all who made this happen!!

August's Client of the Month

After losing her job, and then her apartment, Amy, her son (7) and her daughter (8) lived in a shelter for a few months. she is now back on her feet with a new job and a new apartment. they moved in the day before VLC delievered. It was an easy move, they had very little. They all slept that night in mom's bed, as it was the only one in the apartment, and they were unable to cook, because they had no cookware. The outpouring of donations for this client were amazing. It was Christmas on our porch 3 days in a row! On delivery day the couch, loveseat, table and lamp were set up in the living room. The kitchen cupboards were filled with dishes, silverware, pots and pans, utensils, kitchen towels and mitts you shared. A dresser in mom's room and bath towels in the linen closet. A beautiful metal lofted bed for Sienna, and another matching (but shared by another donator!) for the son that we tucked beneath, as the room was very small. We still had room for dresser and shelving that was shared, and made up the beds with new linens. Amy could not believe your generousity and she thanks you all. Her comment to her children....volunteers did this. They made our apartment a home!!

School Supplies for Children in Need!

Volunteers of Lake Country staffed Sam's Club, Wal-Mart, and Walgreens with volunteers on July 31st. We collected mountains of school supplies for children in need estimated at $5,800.00, $550.00 in cash donations, a $1,000.00 Community Grant donated by Sam's Club, and a $500.00 Community Grant donated by Wal-Mart. VLC donated almost $8,000.00 in supplies and cash to the Backpack Coalition of Waukesha County. Volunteers had so much fun, and were so amazed at the generosity of strangers! One women filled her cart with $285.00 in school supplies to share! She recalled when her husband taught school, that many of his students were unable to afford school supplies. She was so happy to have stopped the day that VLC was collecting and so happy to be able to help!

Delivery to July's Client of the Month

Beds....Beds....Beds! We shared 6 of them in July! VLC delivered to 2 families this month. The first was a mom with 3 teens, 2 which had disabilities. All were sleeping on blow up mattresses, none of which held air any longer. We shared 4 beds and all of the bedding. The 2nd family was a single mom with health issues and 2 teenage children. They came to WI after Katrina with very little. We brought a bed for mom who had been sleeping on the couch, and another for one of the children. We shared bedding for all of the beds, a dresser, and boxes of dishes, silverware, utensils, and pots and pans for mom. Mom was going thru her boxes of kitchen items with the excitement of a child at Christmas!