Bringing Comfort to Others

 Over the summer, knitters in our group continued knitting.  This year, we sent ninety knitted wash clothes to our servicemen in Afghanistan along with a letter thanking them for all they do.
When we got together this month, we brought knitted hats we are donating to Beaumont Hospital for use in their cancer treatment recovery room.  Here is the address to one of the patterns we used, Lace-Edged Women's Hat. www.headhuggers.org /patterns/kpatt18.htm.  On our agenda for the next few months, beside continuing the above projects, we are knitting mittens for children and hammocks for kittens at a local pet shelter.

Troy Women's Association Board for 2011-2012

June of each year, to celebrate the year ending, we come together and swear in TWA's new Board.  This social activity blended with business, has a feeling of finishing while at the same time beginning.  Our work and friendship, every year a new link, has 42 loops, each representing one more year for the organization.

Near forty projects were completed and we know that children and seniors, and many in between, benefited from our work.  See troywomensassociation.org /projects.html Margaret Mead was so right when she said that a committed group of people could change the world. We are doing our part to change the world for the better.

No Kill Rescue

Kitten in a hammock

Today, Donna and Edith headed south to Madison Heights to visit the Animal Welfare Society with a check for $250.  This organization started almost thirty years ago in a house of a person who loved animals and felt a deep responsibility to house them, care them to health, and give them up for adoption. 
Through the years, with donations from the public, five years ago, they moved to their own headquarters on John R.

Playroom for cats and kittens

Unlike the Humane Society, Animal Welfare Society never euthanizes a cat or a dog.  An un-adoptable cat will spend its life in a large playroom with its own kind.  The doggies are not that lucky.  They stay in cages.
Every Saturday from noon to three, dogs in foster homes (waiting to be adopted) are on display.

Animal Welfare Society
27796 John R. Road
Madison Heights
Phone: 248.548.1150  
http://www.animalwelfaresociety.net/

Sending Low Income Children to Camp Trotter

Carol, Vickie, Donna (Lukich owner), Mike Kerr, and Edith

Each year, through the efforts of the Troy VFW Post #4037 and the Troy Police Department, children from low income homes get to spend a week at a summer camp in Newaygo in Michigan.  This year, their goal was to send 30 children to camp.  

Last night, seven TWA members had dinner at Lukich Restaurant on Rochester Road that was donating 20% of the meals to help them meet their goal. 

Likewise, we wanted to show our support which came in a check for $500.  Mike Kerr, representing the Troy Police, pictured above, was thrilled to accept and shared with us stories of children who had attended Camp Trotter in previous years. "The children couldn't believe that there was so much food for them every day and that in the morning they could have eggs AND pancakes."  One week of fun; lifetime memories. 

 http://www.vfwmi.org/camptrotter.htm 

 

Hats for Our Soldiers

We, the knitting group, received a military address today so we are mailing out the hats to soldiers this week. Our output is particularly wonderful when you take into account that many of us are beginning knitters, some of us have arthritic fingers, others work all day, and some take care of children from sunrise to sunset. But we know that knitting is good for the soul, and making the world better for others is priceless.  Click, click, we continue knitting.
  

Cleaning Closets

A new project to TWA is the Community Housing Network (CHN) project.  The TWA committee (Jeanette, Karen A., and Diane C.) partnered with CHN to decide how these local non profits can help each other. Our first project was to help fill the 'Cleaning Closet' pantry.  This pantry of items not normally supplied to the clients of CHN include such things as paper goods, personal care items, and household cleaning supplies.  Even though these items are not required to sustain life such as food is, these items often times mean living with dignity or not.

 

The TWA committee worked with several merchants to purchase boxes of items.  Once purchased we loaded the items in the back of two vehicles and delivered them to CHN with the help of CJ Felton, Development Assistant at CHN. 

As social workers make calls on their clients they will take them an additional care package of soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, household cleaning supplies, and paper goods from the 'Cleaning Closet'.

CHN provides affordable housing to those with disabilities or those who on the verge of becoming homeless.  Their annual fund raiser, Raise the Roof for affordable housing is scheduled for Oct. 6, 2011 at the Royal Park Place in Rochester.

www.communityhousingnetwork.org

Diane Claeys

Knitted in Appreciation

Mount Washcloths

Knitters among the Troy Women's Association have started a new project, knitting. After less than five months, we have knitted one hundred washcloths for our soldiers in the middle east. Well, our Mary took care of 80, the rest of us awarded her with great praise as we looked at our less robust pile. We learned from warmthforwarriers.com that soldiers take the washcloths, wet them down and use them under their helmets. After contacting an officer from the 35^th Infantry Regiment recently deployed to Afghanistan, our mountain of work is on it's way—as our expression of appreciation.