Days for Girls Georgia has so much to be thankful for, but today, I would like to put out one great big thank you to Gail, Karen, and their GIRL SCOUTS! A friend's troop recently disbanded, and they had $407 left over in their bank account. They wanted to give it to a charity, and they chose DFG Georgia!!!
So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you SO MUCH. Your very generous gift will bring THOUSANDS of days of education to girls just like you all over the world.
This morning, I purchased $150 in fabrics at rock-bottom Black Friday sale prices. Over 70 yards of fabric! The flannels averaged out to about $2/yd, and the woven cotton was a beautiful quality quilters cotton for $5/yd (I only bought 10 yards of that, the rest was flannel!)
THANK YOU,
All of the members and friends of DFG Georgia
Black Friday Huge Flannel Sale!!!
TODAY.... Joann's is having a MAJOR flannel
sale. Most flannels are just $1.99/yd. with FREE SHIPPING. I just
purchased THIRTY yards of flannel for Days for Girls Georgia for only
$63. Just pennies over $2/yd.
Link to Joann's Flannel Online- Click here!
If anyone is interested in purchasing flannels for DFG Georgia, please do so TODAY! If you would like to ship it directly to our chapter, the mailing address is:
Link to Joann's Flannel Online- Click here!
If anyone is interested in purchasing flannels for DFG Georgia, please do so TODAY! If you would like to ship it directly to our chapter, the mailing address is:
DFG Georgia
c/o Lutheran Church of the Messiah
465 Clairemont Ave.
Decatur, GA 30030
c/o Lutheran Church of the Messiah
465 Clairemont Ave.
Decatur, GA 30030
Fall Update
It's been a long time since DFG Georgia posted an update, so this might be a long one! We have a lot of great things going on right now!
So far, I have raised $315 towards a trip to travel with DFG International next summer to Africa to distribute kits myself. Very proud of that!
We are currently working on a HUGE order! A group in South Carolina is working wtih ALARM to distribute 500 kits to schools in Rwanda in October. We will be instituting what Days for Girls lovingly calls the "UndieGround Railroad" to get these kits to their destination. I will be collecting supplies in Georgia and taking them to Lisa in North Carolina who will then drive them to Charlotte! Shipments of donated kits and kit components have been steadily flowing in from all over the USA- from California to Puerto Rico- with more on the way. I made an initial commitment to supply this group with 225 kits, but we are far above that! Shooting for the full 500, we will still need 760 liners, 274 shields, 336 ziploc bags, and 175 washcloths. I am confident that we can get at least half of that before our deadline on Wednesday, October 10th.
Our other big news is that an Atlanta salon has agreed to host a fundraiser for Days for Girls Georgia! They are currently very busy, but the shop owner and I are supposed to touch base in a few weeks to start working out details. I don't want to give too much away... but... it's an EXTREMELY fun and unique salon.
So come one, come all to our October meeting on Saturday, October 6th at 11am at Lutheran Church of the Messiah, 465 Clairemont Ave., Decatur, GA 30030. Sewing skills not needed! Just bring your smile and sharp scissors :-)
Melissa
So far, I have raised $315 towards a trip to travel with DFG International next summer to Africa to distribute kits myself. Very proud of that!
We are currently working on a HUGE order! A group in South Carolina is working wtih ALARM to distribute 500 kits to schools in Rwanda in October. We will be instituting what Days for Girls lovingly calls the "UndieGround Railroad" to get these kits to their destination. I will be collecting supplies in Georgia and taking them to Lisa in North Carolina who will then drive them to Charlotte! Shipments of donated kits and kit components have been steadily flowing in from all over the USA- from California to Puerto Rico- with more on the way. I made an initial commitment to supply this group with 225 kits, but we are far above that! Shooting for the full 500, we will still need 760 liners, 274 shields, 336 ziploc bags, and 175 washcloths. I am confident that we can get at least half of that before our deadline on Wednesday, October 10th.
Our other big news is that an Atlanta salon has agreed to host a fundraiser for Days for Girls Georgia! They are currently very busy, but the shop owner and I are supposed to touch base in a few weeks to start working out details. I don't want to give too much away... but... it's an EXTREMELY fun and unique salon.
So come one, come all to our October meeting on Saturday, October 6th at 11am at Lutheran Church of the Messiah, 465 Clairemont Ave., Decatur, GA 30030. Sewing skills not needed! Just bring your smile and sharp scissors :-)
Melissa
Promoting Days for Girls
Great News! This year, Days for Girls Georgia will be represented at the Southeast Women's Herbal Conference in Black Mountain, NC in mid-October. I've been attending for a few years as a vendor for my own business, but this year I will devote half of my booth to promoting DAYS FOR GIRLS!
A Package from our Sisters in Los Angeles
Today DFG Georgia got our first package from a sister chapter. Thank you
DFG Los Angeles for ONE HUNDRED (!!!) shields, acrylic liner pattern
pieces, a drawstring tool, and several yards of fabric to share Debbie's
Light.
Also, a $50 donation came in yesterday, so we are half way to getting a full roll of PUL. I have made up some flyers to give out at our meeting on Saturday. If each of you could take one flyer and put it up in a public place, we can get the word out about Days for Girls. In the last three weeks, I have gotten communication from four women who are interested in joining us! Yay!
Also, a $50 donation came in yesterday, so we are half way to getting a full roll of PUL. I have made up some flyers to give out at our meeting on Saturday. If each of you could take one flyer and put it up in a public place, we can get the word out about Days for Girls. In the last three weeks, I have gotten communication from four women who are interested in joining us! Yay!
Yesterday's Meeting
Thank you so much to everyone who came out to Lutheran Church of the Messiah to sew for Days for Girls! We ended up with about 20 kits 100% complete, 30 shields, 20 drawstring bags, and 100 liners. We are still in need of funds to purchase PUL for the future gatherings, but we had a very kind donation of $50. That's a great start!
More Exciting News for Saturday
I'm so excited about this next meeting! The Director of the fabulous daycare center that occupies the building at Messiah has donated lots of fabric to Days for Girls. Once upon a time, she was a massage therapist, so she gave me all of her old flannel sheets. These will be GREAT for pad liners! We also have some cute prints that we can use for either pads or drawstring bags. And if that weren't enough... she's bringing in her sewing machine for me to set up for anyone who would like to use it!
I have dozens of shields sewn and turned that will need topstitching, and I have yards and yards of flannel with two edges serged for us to cut into liners and finish serging. I also have some drawstring bags that will need the twill put into the casings at the top- perfect job for our little girl helpers!
Also, as some of you may have already read on the DFG Georgia Facebook page, DFG International has put a challenge out to all of the chapters for fundraising. I spoke to Celeste, the founder, last week. She has had an anonymous donor promise to match ALL donations up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS!! She will be leaving for Africa, along with volunteer extraordinaire Kayte next week. There are lots of items that these two will be purchasing once they are in country. Specifically, the DFG Zimbabwe office is in need of supplies, and they can purchase them there while they visit. There is only so much they can carry on the plane! Saturday, I will have a collection jar for DFG International. Whatever you can give, please do. I will deposit all of the donations and send them to Celeste via paypal ASAP. If you would like to write a check directly to DFG, see DFG International Donations for the mailing address, but please mark on your donation that it was from a member of DFG Georgia!
See you Saturday!
I have dozens of shields sewn and turned that will need topstitching, and I have yards and yards of flannel with two edges serged for us to cut into liners and finish serging. I also have some drawstring bags that will need the twill put into the casings at the top- perfect job for our little girl helpers!
Also, as some of you may have already read on the DFG Georgia Facebook page, DFG International has put a challenge out to all of the chapters for fundraising. I spoke to Celeste, the founder, last week. She has had an anonymous donor promise to match ALL donations up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS!! She will be leaving for Africa, along with volunteer extraordinaire Kayte next week. There are lots of items that these two will be purchasing once they are in country. Specifically, the DFG Zimbabwe office is in need of supplies, and they can purchase them there while they visit. There is only so much they can carry on the plane! Saturday, I will have a collection jar for DFG International. Whatever you can give, please do. I will deposit all of the donations and send them to Celeste via paypal ASAP. If you would like to write a check directly to DFG, see DFG International Donations for the mailing address, but please mark on your donation that it was from a member of DFG Georgia!
See you Saturday!
Our June 9 meeting will be for....
A note from Days for Girls International:
Heads up! We have a rather large request for July 1st. 600 kits for Uganda for Worldwide Orphanage Relief Corporation. We need to have this ready to go by June 15th. DFG Chicago has a huge commitment too, 1200 kits. And... if they are getting close... DFGI could use shields, liners and supplies in a big way in coming weeks as we are about to empty out almost everything we have to fulfill recent requests AND the Africa trip. Whoo hoo! It's terrific to have so many opportunities to reach so many girls!!
Heads up! We have a rather large request for July 1st. 600 kits for Uganda for Worldwide Orphanage Relief Corporation. We need to have this ready to go by June 15th. DFG Chicago has a huge commitment too, 1200 kits. And... if they are getting close... DFGI could use shields, liners and supplies in a big way in coming weeks as we are about to empty out almost everything we have to fulfill recent requests AND the Africa trip. Whoo hoo! It's terrific to have so many opportunities to reach so many girls!!
Let the Travel Fundraising Begin....
I just created an account on "Go Fund Me" to take donations for my trip with Days for Girls next year! Check it out- HERE
June's Meeting
Preparations have already been made (by me!) for June 9th's meeting at Messiah. I have cut out ONE HUNDRED shields, and I have lots and lots of flannel and hemp fleece for the liners.
Here's our problem, though: WE NEED PUL!!! We are completely out. It is only available online, and there is a link in the "Buy Supplies" tab above if you would like to order it yourself. But... Days for Girls International can get it for us at wholesale prices- which means about half off the retail price. We only have three weeks until the meeting, and I'm assuming that the wholesale order would need to be placed fairly early to get here in time, so I'm going to make a deadline of Sunday, June 27th for monetary donations. That will give the manufacturer two weeks to get it to us. If we cannot raise enough funds for the full roll, we will just need to order it at retail price.
Here's our problem, though: WE NEED PUL!!! We are completely out. It is only available online, and there is a link in the "Buy Supplies" tab above if you would like to order it yourself. But... Days for Girls International can get it for us at wholesale prices- which means about half off the retail price. We only have three weeks until the meeting, and I'm assuming that the wholesale order would need to be placed fairly early to get here in time, so I'm going to make a deadline of Sunday, June 27th for monetary donations. That will give the manufacturer two weeks to get it to us. If we cannot raise enough funds for the full roll, we will just need to order it at retail price.
May's Meeting
This Saturday, May 12th is a regularly scheduled meeting date for Days for Girls Georgia. Due to previous commitment (AKA a little boy's martial arts tournament), I am going to have to cancel the meeting.
If anyone has collected supplies or donations, please bring them by Lutheran Church of the Messiah any Tues- Fri (9am- 1pm).
If anyone would like to cut fabric or sew from home in preparation for next month's meeting, please contact me!
If anyone has collected supplies or donations, please bring them by Lutheran Church of the Messiah any Tues- Fri (9am- 1pm).
If anyone would like to cut fabric or sew from home in preparation for next month's meeting, please contact me!
Today's Lessons Learned
1. Don't wait till the last minute to ship a package. 'Cause you'll end up paying half your salary in postage.
Yeah. That's what I did today. I've been working on an order of 60 Days for Girls kits (I shipped 30 of them), and I just finished the last of the liners and packaged this morning. In my infinite wisdom, I was thinking, "I know the deadline is today, but SURELY the trip isn't until next week." Uh... yeah... well... I was WRONG! The trip is tomorrow. So how much does 26 lbs from Georgia to Virginia cost with FedEx Overnight..... $196. Ouch! But the cashier was really nice and helpful and seemed very interested in DFG. Maybe I recruited a new volunteer.
2. Good things happen.
I got an email from my boss today asking if I had submitted an article about DFG Georgia to a local organization of Atlanta churches. I had not. But, lo and behold, their weekly newsletter said this:
So here's the very first shipment of 30 kits from Days for Girls Georgia:
Yeah. That's what I did today. I've been working on an order of 60 Days for Girls kits (I shipped 30 of them), and I just finished the last of the liners and packaged this morning. In my infinite wisdom, I was thinking, "I know the deadline is today, but SURELY the trip isn't until next week." Uh... yeah... well... I was WRONG! The trip is tomorrow. So how much does 26 lbs from Georgia to Virginia cost with FedEx Overnight..... $196. Ouch! But the cashier was really nice and helpful and seemed very interested in DFG. Maybe I recruited a new volunteer.
2. Good things happen.
I got an email from my boss today asking if I had submitted an article about DFG Georgia to a local organization of Atlanta churches. I had not. But, lo and behold, their weekly newsletter said this:
Every Girl in the world deserves education, safety, and dignity is the motto of Days for Girls. A Days for Girls Chapter has been organized in Georgia, in Decatur. Find out about this organization at http://www.daysforgirls.org/#! And contact the Georgia Chapter at lmessiah@bellsouth.netGood things also happen because within 5 minutes of shipping that invaluable package, I have three kind folks who agreed to help pay for it.
So here's the very first shipment of 30 kits from Days for Girls Georgia:
 |
| 30 girls lives changed for the better! Way to go DFG Georgia! I'm so proud. |
Sunday, April 15, 2012
This was a great day.
Last week, a group requested 60 DFG kits to go to Niger. The catch? They need them by THIS week! On super short notice, I informed our volunteers, but many had previous engagements. I ended up with myself and two other adults cutting and sewing liners and drawstring bags.
Jody did a great job seaming up the sides of the bags I had prepared at home, and then we had a few kids and their mom who dropped in for a bit threading the drawstrings into the bags. Jody had the idea at our last meeting to use a crochet hook to pull the strings through, but alas, we forgot them. But the kids came up with their own system! They taped two coffee stirring straws together and pushed the strings through. I love inventive kids!
The three of us (and various children) worked from about 1pm until 3pm when one of our adults had to leave. Myself and Tegan decided to keep pushing.... and we worked until 6pm! My sister even showed up the last hour with dinner, drinks, and to lend a hand helping the kids finish threading the bags.
At the end of the day, we had ready for distribution 40 bags and 160 liners. Combined with the kits we had pre-assembled at our last meeting, we now have 26 kits that are 100% ready to ship, two that just need the liners serged on the outside, and 12 more awaiting inserts. I plan to cut those out today and start serging to have them ready to ship to Virginia on Wednesday!
Thanks to EVERYONE who made this endeavor a reality for me, and most importantly, for the girls who will receive the kits.
Because EVERY girl in the world deserves education, safety, and dignity.
Last week, a group requested 60 DFG kits to go to Niger. The catch? They need them by THIS week! On super short notice, I informed our volunteers, but many had previous engagements. I ended up with myself and two other adults cutting and sewing liners and drawstring bags.
Jody did a great job seaming up the sides of the bags I had prepared at home, and then we had a few kids and their mom who dropped in for a bit threading the drawstrings into the bags. Jody had the idea at our last meeting to use a crochet hook to pull the strings through, but alas, we forgot them. But the kids came up with their own system! They taped two coffee stirring straws together and pushed the strings through. I love inventive kids!
The three of us (and various children) worked from about 1pm until 3pm when one of our adults had to leave. Myself and Tegan decided to keep pushing.... and we worked until 6pm! My sister even showed up the last hour with dinner, drinks, and to lend a hand helping the kids finish threading the bags.
At the end of the day, we had ready for distribution 40 bags and 160 liners. Combined with the kits we had pre-assembled at our last meeting, we now have 26 kits that are 100% ready to ship, two that just need the liners serged on the outside, and 12 more awaiting inserts. I plan to cut those out today and start serging to have them ready to ship to Virginia on Wednesday!
Thanks to EVERYONE who made this endeavor a reality for me, and most importantly, for the girls who will receive the kits.
Because EVERY girl in the world deserves education, safety, and dignity.
THIS SUNDAY!
We have been asked to fulfill an order for sixty kits by next Wednesday. We will meet THIS SUNDAY (April 15th) at:
Lutheran Church of the Messiah
465 Clairemont Ave.
Decatur, GA 30030
12:30pm- 3:30pm (ish)
Bring a smile and a sharp pair of scissors! We will have two sergers and one sewing machine, so if you are able to sew, feel free to bring your machine as well.
Lutheran Church of the Messiah
465 Clairemont Ave.
Decatur, GA 30030
12:30pm- 3:30pm (ish)
Bring a smile and a sharp pair of scissors! We will have two sergers and one sewing machine, so if you are able to sew, feel free to bring your machine as well.
Kits Needed!
We need 60 kits, minus soap and panties, ready to ship to Virginia by April 18th. Can you help?
Lutheran Church of the Messiah Welcomes Days for Girls
Last month, the women (and men!) of Lutheran Church of the Messiah in Decatur, Georgia participated in two days of sewing for Days for Girls. They were able to fully complete 12 kits (and 90% complete 55 more!) for girls who would otherwise go without.
Days for Girls is an international non-profit organization that reaches out to girls across the globe in a very personal way- providing hygiene kits. Each kit contains: a washcloth, underwear, soap, safety pins, and reusable cloth menstrual supplies. This kit costs approx. $8 in supplies and a half hour's time for the seamstress, but to the girl receiving it- it is priceless. It gives her 3-5 days of school back EVERY month. Along with the kit, she receives hygiene education from volunteers and/or nurses. She gains confidence in herself and loses some of the shame associated with "the curse" each month.
Each kit is estimated to last a girl for three years. Consider giving a few hours to sewing or collecting supplies for Days for Girls. It could add 81 days of education for a girl.
How Does Menstruation Affect Girls Worldwide?
Here's a topic that we do not hear much about- menstruation. Yet, every month, it happens. It happens to women in every income level and every country. So what happens to women in extreme poverty? In particular- what happens to YOUNG women in extreme poverty?
There are young women across the globe with inadequate access to sanitary supplies. Each month, these girls miss many days of school because they are unable to attend due to lack of supplies. In many places, girls are even exploited- forced to do unspeakable things in exchange for menstrual products.
How has it come to this? That I cannot answer. Periods have been visiting women as long as women have been. I'm interested in knowing what these girls' ancestors used for menstrual hygiene, though I suspect that missing school wasn't always an issue.
Regardless of the hows and whys, these girls are suffering. These girls need an education, they need empowerment and rights. They need EVERY day to follow their dreams, not just three weeks out of the month.
There are young women across the globe with inadequate access to sanitary supplies. Each month, these girls miss many days of school because they are unable to attend due to lack of supplies. In many places, girls are even exploited- forced to do unspeakable things in exchange for menstrual products.
How has it come to this? That I cannot answer. Periods have been visiting women as long as women have been. I'm interested in knowing what these girls' ancestors used for menstrual hygiene, though I suspect that missing school wasn't always an issue.
Regardless of the hows and whys, these girls are suffering. These girls need an education, they need empowerment and rights. They need EVERY day to follow their dreams, not just three weeks out of the month.
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