This year we had 334 participants engaging in a variety of on-site and off-site activities. For Our Daily Bread, Mary Obrecht organized a group to make 800 sunbutter and jelly sandwiches. Children at the Mt Washington Children's Hospital will benefit from decorations that will adorn their halls and rooms for Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick's Day and Mardi Gras. Just over 100 scarves were made under Monica Stewart and Melissa Riorda's leadership for those that live or visit the VA. For Sarah's Hope, a local homeless shelter for women and children, Peggy Sczerbicki helped us decorate 55 hope chests, each of which contained a few small toys and a $5.00 gift card to Target. For those recovering at Walter Reed Hospital, thanks to Cricket Woloson, we wrote over fifty cards sending them our best wishes. Under Kathy McGonigle's tutelage, Gedco benefitted because we made numerous cards for them to sell, while at the same time selling over $100 worth of merchandise. Lastly, for some, the highlight was playing BINGO with our special needs friends from Gallagher Services. Thanks to the Rubins, Quichey and her Tynisha Brown for overseeing this activity and providing an extraordinary experience for all involved.
Meanwhile, we also visited three off-site places. The first was Langston Hughes where Pragna Balasubramanyam’s sister helped her coordinate our painters. A hallway, mural and part of the cafeteria were painted by this tenacious group. Meanwhile, at The Door, Ronae Brock had us categorizing the library, making sight word flashcards and decorating their recycling containers. Lastly, at The Lodge, Molly Shattuck and her group of hearty souls reorganized their basement food pantry and had such a wonderful experience that they are planning a return visit.
Please join me in thanking the committee and our facilitators. These wonderful people include, Kathy McGonigle, Mary Obrecht, Cricket Woloson, Pragna Balasubramanyam, Peggy Szczerbicki, Monica Stewart, Angie Rubins, Jen Armstrong, Mollie Williams, Elizabeth Martin, Zelda Gilliam, Wesely Finnerty, Molly Shattuck, Ronae Brock, Kathy Liotta, Casey Briggs, Lillie Stewart, Tynisha Brown, Quichey Johnson and Kaye Whitehead
