Inspired by the Open House, work continues in the Collection Point with the Grove City Days for Girls Team

The Grove City Team’s open house was a huge success. There were over 30 volunteers to show over 120 guests around the work space, collection point, and talk about the work that we do. The team received donations of cash/check at the event, on their classy page, and their amazon wish list. Having QR codes to online donation pages was a great idea!

The Collection Point didn’t solicit donations at this event but invited other teams to come and drop off components. Thank you to: Eagleville PA, Oakdale PA, Pittsburgh PA, Pittsburgh (South) PA, and Solon OH. Many other teams shipped components that arrived before the open house too. It was wonderful to be able to show visitors how components arrive, checked, and packed.

We are all “sew” thankful to George Junior Republic, CEO Nate Gressel and the Board of Directors for allowing us to use this wonderful building on their campus. Their maintenance crew has been a huge help in getting the space ready too. It would be difficult to name all of the things they have done for us. Notably, they helped us hang the heavier and bulkier items like the bulletin board and map. They gave us a brand new vacuum cleaner when the one that was in our supply closet broke just before open house. They made sure we had a full size refrigerator to store all of our goodies.

Thank you to everyone who made cookies! Beth, Brenda, MaryAnn, Carolin, Diane, Sharon, Rayna, Harris, Denise, Judy, Ann, Sue, Chris, and Mary.

The beautiful sunflower arrangements were donated by the GRJ residents who participate in the Greenhouse Garden program.

Tracy, one of the Grove City team leaders made prints to decorate the walls of their new space. Betsy used her interior design skills to arrange and hang the photos. I sent them a few pictures from my experience distributing kits in Ecuador, one is the woman in the purple shirt above. On a different wall are pictures that we received from the Global Links distribution in Bolivia. All of the other pictures were from the DfG website of other distributions from around the world. It is so inspiring to see all of their smiling faces.

Savanah made banners. Sue and Denise put all of the little dots on the map to mark DfG team, enterprises, and collection centers. Jackie put fall decorations around the room too. The space felt joyful and festive.

Celeste’s book is displayed prominently along with how to buy it or where to borrow it locally at two libraries near by (East Main Church Library and the Grove City Community Library). East Main Church was the original host for the Grove City Team and continues their support of DfG. The Gove City Library keeps a period pantry so that students can access free menstrual products over the summer. The Gove City DfG team helped to set access to period products in the local schools and knew that community buildings like the library and YMCA would be important locations for period pantries especially in the summer months.

Grove City team leaders Ruth and Mary, have invited me on some of their school and community visits recently. I’m looking forward to having new volunteers from the community helping out with collection point tasks. I’m most excited about the Mercer County Career Center palleting our kits for our larger distribution as part of the Logistics, Material & Supply Chain Management program.

The Grove City DfG team has connections with local quilting guilds (some ladies are quilters and DfG volunteers) and they help produce beautiful quilts from fabric that can’t be used for DfG components. I’ve given them some of the ‘not fit for purpose’ items from the collection point to be used by quilters and to make these beautiful blankets that are donated to those who need them. I’m so glad that we can repurpose items for such a wonderful cause.

Speaking of quilters… this beautiful quilt was designed and completed by the Grove City team. The quilt was hung in the cottage on September 6th to the delight of the team. Judy Shaffer assisted with the block design, making adjustments to a pattern to make sure the quilt fit the wall as intended. Brenda Leone did the appliqué. The machine quilting was done by MaryAnn Snyder. The quilt was pieced by: Barb Hoffman, Ann Stinson, Harris Taggart, Beth Clancy, Mary Wike, MaryAnn Snyder, Judy Jordan, Betsy Mellon, Denise Ketzel, and Sue Lumley.

During the open house, I led a guided meditation so that everyone there could participate in blessing the space. My hope was that everyone felt like they were part of the blessing no matter what their faith tradition or even if they don’t claim a faith tradition.

Here is the script from the meditation:

We come from a variety of faith traditions, belief systems, spiritual journey, and some of us are guided simply by our compassion for others. Today, I’m going to guide us in a blessing. We are going to use all of the energy, intelligence, imagination, and love from within each of us gathered to bless this space and the people whose lives will be touched by the work we do here, the volunteers and the kit recipients.

Take a moment and close your eyes and put your hands on your heart. Connect with your higher power, the divine spirit, your ancestors, or the team that guides you. In your heart call the sacred name and become aware of the holy presence. Feel the love that this presence brings you.

Bring to mind a person who lie you when you were a child. Remember how they made you feel safe and cared for. Feel that love filling your hear to overflowing. You are beloved.

Bring to mind a person you admire. Think of the characteristics you see in them that you wish to embody. Receive those gifts. You can be a blessing.

Now slowly lower your hands so that your palms are facing up and imagine the love that you just felt in you heart resting in your hands like a glowing ball of light. Your ball can glow like sunshine or sparkle like starlight. It can be warm or cool. And it can bounce with energy in your hand or it can be softly nuzzling your finger tips. It is uniquely you. Your love, your gifts. Hold it gently and admire how beautiful your offering is.

And now give your ball of love and light a gentle nudge into the room. Watch it bounce all fovea the place with energy and excitement. Or maybe your ball is floating and gently touching each sewing machine. maybe your ball of love and light found your good friend or someone who is a new person in your day for girls community. maybe your ball of light found a picture of a woman from a place you’ve never been and thinks she is beautiful and strong and holy, just like you. Maybe your ball has bumped into another ball sending tiny fireworks out around your connection. Your love as blessed and been blessed by everything it touches.

Hold your hands out and relieve your ball of love and light back. It’s bigger than when it left you. More colorful. Full of love you didn’t imagine possible. Enjoy this gift. Bring your ball of love and light back to your heart. Your heart is full of love. Open your eyes.

Thank you for sharing your gifts with all of us in this space. Thank you for blessing this space.