christmas gifts

After we handed out the Christmas gifts to the children this year, it was fun to watch them discover the goodies inside the brightly colored plastic wash basins that contained them. Included among the various groupings of gifts were:

handmade dresses/shorts
t-shirts
flip-flops
soaps
lotions
toothbrushes and toothpaste
decks of cards
beanie babies
handmade necklaces and bracelets
hand knit caps

The handmade items were donated by groups of caring, talented, generous people from various parts of the country. The dresses/shorts came from a Minnesota based non-profit called Little Dresses for Africa and from a very kind and dedicated group of women from St. Andrews Christian Church in Lenexa, Kansas (spearheaded by CTT friend Bernadette). The necklaces, bracelets and caps came from CTT friends in Wisconsin. All of the items were big hits with the children, who don't get to change into new clothes very often.

Above is a great photo taken by Suzanne showing happy kids donning their new clothes and "jewelry".

Here is a letter written to the Wisconsin knitters. It's from CTT friend Mary Sue, who organized the cap drive. It will appear in their church bulletin this weekend:

Webale! (Thank you) from Uganda

Many thanks to our Quad Parish knitters for your overwhelming response to make hats for our friends at St. Mary Kevin Orphanage Motherhood in Kajjansi, Uganda! We asked for 180 hats and we received more than 400! The children were thrilled to say the least when they opened their Christmas gifts. They loved the different colors, textures and patterns of the hats – and in the heat, our little friends wore their hats morning, noon and night. They even had fun trading hats! Thank you again for the time, effort and love that went into each of these hats. You brightened Christmas morning for these very appreciative and deserving children.
- Mary Sue

It's so cool how the ripples generated by these children continue to move outward.

Thank you, knitters, seamstresses and crafters. You made the children feel loved and very special.

bernadette

One thing I've learned since establishing Change the Truth is that there are so many people who have huge hearts and who want to help. I have been blown away many, many times... by a high school student who approaches me after a presentation to say she wants to go to Uganda with me, by a Bar Mitzvah boy who wants his community service project to benefit the kids at the orphanage, by a teacher who wants to showcase CTT at her school's "Africa Day", by an old friend who brings over 200 beanie babies for me to take to the children, by a complete stranger who makes an anonymous donation, by an eight-year old boy who wants to send his Ugandan pen-pal a new soccer ball. The list goes on and on, and as these positive ripples spread out over more and more people, more and more good things continue to happen. I feel ever so lucky to be part of such an outpouring of love.



Bernadette is one of those people who stepped up after a presentation and offered to help. Here is her story:

"I first heard about ‘Little Dresses for Africa’ from a high school friend. After checking out their website and getting a dress template I decided to sew a few just for fun.

Soon after my sewing adventure began, I attended a presentation by Gloria Baker Feinstein about CTT one evening at St. Andrew Christian Church in Olathe. After talking with Gloria and discussing the dresses I had brought along to share with the same group, I dreamed of creating as many dresses as I could for St. Mary Kevin Orphanage. But with that dream I knew I had to ask for help, and boy did I get help!

I soon spread the word about St. Mary Kevin Orphanage to anyone who would listen, along with my dream of creating dresses and shorts. To my wonderful surprise I have received donations of cash, fabric, trims, and sewn dresses and shorts from a great variety of people including members of Curves, former co-workers, friends from Minnesota and Kansas, and of course, many women from St. Andrew’s. Because of their generosity, a total of 117 dresses and 43 pairs of shorts will be on their way to St. Mary Kevin Orphanage in December!

This experience has been the perfect match for me….my love for sewing and my love for children."

- Bernadette Kautio

Thank you, Bernadette and friends. People like you inspire me to keep going.

little dresses for africa

Another Change the Truth happy ending story...

A couple weeks ago Team 4 member Avis invited me to accompany her to a speaking engagement she had been asked to do. I was excited because a) I wanted to hear her speak about her experience in Uganda b) the name of the group to whom she was speaking was called “Wise Women” and who wouldn’t want to sit in that audience?? c) I love any opportunity to spend time with Avis.

It was a great evening. We grabbed a quick bite to eat first, so we had time to catch up. When we got to the venue, St. Andrews Christian Church, we set up a little table of CTT goodies to sell: beaded jewelry, note cards, fabrics, etc. Soon the room was filled with women; there was a great turnout.

Avis gave a wonderful presentation. It was so clear that her experience at the orphanage had a profound impact on her. You could have heard a pin drop in the room. The Wise Women were hanging on Avis’ every word.

There was a woman in the audience who spoke briefly about some work she’s been doing to help children in developing nations. She sews. She sews dresses and shorts. She sews these for an organization called “Little Dresses For Africa” which, as it turns out, is very similar to the “Mother Bear Project.” (You may recall that the latter is the organization that sends a teddy bear template to knitters who make adorable bears for kids living in dire situations. These were the bears we took to the orphanage and gave out as Christmas gifts last year.)

As soon as I got home that night I googled “Little Dresses For Africa.” It was founded by a woman named Rachel and is based in Michigan. To date she has collected 120,000 hand sewn dresses (and “britches for boys” too!) from seamstresses all over the world. Check out her website here.

I wrote to Rachel pronto.

Ten days later four big boxes were delivered to my front door. 75 dresses and 75 pairs of shorts!!! A myriad of sizes, fabrics and trimmings. Unique interpretations of the same pattern. (Just like the bears!)

Guess what the children will be getting for Christmas next December?

Thank you, men and women who sew these delightful creations. Thank you, Rachel. And thank you, Avis.

I love that we are all in this together!