Together We Did It! – a 2014 Summary | Family Compassion Focus

[This was what I posted on Facebook 12/10/14 at the end of my family’s Family Compassion Focus projects in 2014. We are always amazed at how exuberantly people join in our kids’ world changing ideas.]

None of us are surprised, right?
*** $2162.00 ***

G was blown away by a large donation sent by someone I only knew from Facebook.

Thank you so much. That is more than FOUR TIMES Greta’s goal of raising $500 to Help the Homeless through (another) craft sale. Makes me teary. God is good. Greta is beaming and singing. So many shiny, happy people donating with joy. We are giddy and humbled and tired.

After school today we:

– Dropped off a check and birdy ornament to DuPage Pads. $1000 total will be given to them for their comprehensive work with the homeless in our town and county. You made that happen.

– Shopped as a family on Amazon to purchase $500 worth of sheets, blankets, flatware, toothbrushes, maxi pads, pots and pans, a toilet brush (Caleb thought this was a great gift), tissues, oil, rice, and a fan for newly arrived World Relief refugee families through Church of the Resurrection‘s registry. You made that happen.

– Bought 62 pairs of socks and 96 pairs of underwear in response to an urgent need from a group of local homeless and refugee children. We learned about this need at 3:40pm. We had exceeded Greta’s wistful, fantasy $2000 goal at 3:00pm. We spent the extra $162 on the socks and underwear. Amazing match of needs and resources! You made that happen.

– Tomorrow evening when Chris returns we will buy the blankets, sheets, towels, crafts, and games for the homeless family’s first apartment. We will use $500 for that. You made that happen. (We’ll post a picture of us smiling at Walmart with full carts. It will be the first time I’ve ever smiled in a Walmart.)

Thank you for being so generous. Thank you for encouraging Greta and our whole family. Thank you for learning about the homeless with us this year. Thank you for joining in our Underwear Drive with Kate Roche in February, Zoë’s School Supply Collection in August, and Caleb’s 5k in September. Thank you for helping us grow as World Changers together. Thank you for trusting us as a bridge between abundant resources and sobering needs. We all made a great team.

Celebrate with us! Together we did it!

A local shop owner said she wanted to join our Compassion Focus right away in 2014. Her shop patrons donated 1202 pairs of clean underwear for kids in our county February 2014.

Z was passionate about getting school supplies for the homeless and refugee kids in our beloved public school down the street. We didn’t know our comfortable suburb had homeless children until I asked the social worker. She collected more than $400 worth of school supplies in August before school started.

C did not want to do any crafts. But this boy can run very fast. Since we are in this together, all 5 of us went to the track and trained the summer prior to the race. He set a goal of raising $100 in the 5k for our local homeless shelter. He was blown away when that became $415.