And the Winners

TODAY'S THE DAY TO ANNOUNCE THE 3 WINNERS

1 Boxes of yarn and or yarny things will be mailed to each our three winners! Once you determine if you're winner...please make email contact with me and provide your snail address as well as whether or not you're a knitter, or a crocheter or both....and whether or not you're a sock knitter.


The winner from Hat I (a fabulous black wool hat purchased in Charleston on vacation), was drawn from the following participants: (those who donated between Feb 14th and March 14th)
DaMarys
Karen B.
Sherry K.
Bonnie R.
Sandie in Florida
Bonnie B.
Diana K.
Sally B.
Kathryn V.
Patty L.
Gail B.
Otterbein's "Stiches to Share"
Suzy in Ohio
AnneMarie
Cheryl S.
Trudy S.
Wendy H.
Shannon P.
Martha M.
Paula K.
Elizabeth R (I need you to contact me)
Sue F.
Theresa A.
AND THE WINNER IS: Bonnie B! Congrats Bonnie B on your win. We're thrilled to have you and your thoughtful hands and hope to see you here often on Bridge and Beyond, with your donations, as well as your comments. Please remember to email me within the next 3 days. (after that time a new winner will be announced). **Added link to Bonnie's Rav page if you want to pop over and congratulate her**

The winner from Hat II (a fun hat purchased in Palm Springs to keep the sun off my head), was drawn from the following participants (those who donations included slippers and or scarves, the two highlighted items for the month of February and March):
Bonnie R.
Diana K.
Otterbein's "Stitches to Share"
Sandie in Florida
Gail B.
AnneMarie
Trudy S.
Wendy H.
Paula K.
Karen B.
Damarys
Sherry K.
Kathryn V.
Suzy in Ohio
Cheryl S.
Patty L.
Shannon P.
Elizabeth R (I need you to contact me)
Sue F.
Theresa A.
AND THE WINNER is Wendy H. Wendy be sure and email me your information within 3 days. Congrats to you, hope to see you here often with your comments as well as your wonderful donations. **Added link to Wendy's Facebook Profile, if you want to pop over and congratulate her.** Edited to add, I've already heard back from Wendy and have her address...1 down and 2 to go.

The winner of hat III (The chatty Cathy portion, those who left comments, each comment counted as 1 name in the hat, so the more comments the more times your name was in the hat--one of hubby's golf hats):
SSeger, Sue F, Patty L., Damaris, Allyson, Sally, Sherry, Liz, AnneMarie, Harvest Hill, Yvonne, Sandie P, Joy D., Jessica, Jen, RoseMarie, Sandie in Florida, Kathleen V., Trudy S., Theresa A., Crochet Princess, Kim, Wendy H.

And the winner is........SSegar. Congrats Sue, and please keep visiting and chatting along with your donating!
**Added link to Sue's Rav. profile page if you want to pop over and congratulate her.** Popped back to edit again...have now heard from Sue as well. 2 of the 3 winners have checked in.

All winners need to contact me via email with their snail addresses. Additionally, please indicate whether you knit or crochet, or whether you do both. It could influence the box of goodies you get to make. Contact via email needs to be within 3 days, after the 18th, a new winner will be announced if contact hasn't been received.

THANKS TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED WITH KNITTING AND CROCHETING AND DONATING, THANKS TO ALL WHO DONATED THE HIGHLIGHTED NEEDED ITEMS OF SCARVES AND OR SLIPPERS, AND THANKS TO OUR CHEERING SECTION OF CHATTERS. I continue to encourage all of you to visit, to chat. There are many of you, we never hear from here on the blog. Remember you do not need to be a blogger to leave a comment. Comments are nice, they show support for each other's skillful work, comments are helpful to the blog with regard to it's SEO (search engine optimization). Placing well in the SEO makes us easier to find for folks looking for some place worthy to donate their knitted and or crocheted items too. If you are not a blogger, type your comment, then click the drop down box that says name and url, type your name...first name and last initial is all that's necessary and leave the url space blank. Then click publish....quick and easy.

As I wait to here from our 3 winner, Bonnie B, Wendy H, and SSegar....I'll be looking through my stash and picking out some goods to get ready to mail.

**Reasons to launder your items: Yarn sits on shelves in stores collecting dust. Yarn gets stored in our various containers...our stash areas, collects dust, sometimes get musty. Yarn picks up smoke and other aroma's from the house like food and perfume. Yarn attracts furry friends, their hair, and their dander. Yarn picks up oils from our crafty hands as we knit and crochet. And, yarn needs to rest, laundering your items, blocking if need be improves the appearance as well as the freshness of your thoughtful donation. It's not possible for me to launder ever item that comes my way; though I do sometimes need to do that when I open boxes etc. All the afghans I make from your donated squares get laundered and blocked, which also helps me make sure things stay put together. Sometimes squares need a bit more attention in terms of tails being appropriately secured. Please avoid spraying your donations with perfume, air-freshner, and or Fabreeze, it really doesn't replace the benefits of it being laundered. I generally wash the afghans in cold water, on delicate, and lay out to dry/block. Even though most of the yarn says washable and dry-able. I find these gives a good result over the long haul.**

2012 Donations:
Hats: 130
Scarves: 56
Slippers: 28
Shawls: 2
Afghans: 9
Mittens: 97
Squares: 128
Socks: 98
Rain Poncho's 2
Cotton Washcloths 15
Misc Items are not counted individually (such as personal care items, headbands, gators, yarn, wrist warmers/fingerless gloves, etc)

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated, and all donations keep someone warm. We help, one stitch at a time. YOU truly DO make a difference. THANK YOU!

Fabulous Giving from the State of Georgia

Cotton Washcloths, hats, mittens, and scarves. All from the skillful and thoughtful hands of our good friend, Wendy H, from The Peach Tree State, Georgia. Look how sweet the mittens and hat set are...that makes you think of peaches, doesn't it! Many thanks Wendy for your hard work, your thoughtful donation, and your on going support.
AND...look at this full sized patriotic, red, white and blue afghan! Awesome. How appropriate with The 4th of July just around the corner. Nicely done, Wendy H. Due do some internet issues, this post is a bit late. This afghan along with several good sized bags have already been donated to The Homeless Families Foundation. This will make such a wonderful Welcome Home Gift.

Keep up the good work Wendy H. Hope to see you here often on Bridge and Beyond.

2012 Donations:
Hats: 444+5=449
Scarves: 249+1=250
Slippers: 82
Shawls: 2
Sweaters 3
Vest 1
Afghans: 22+1=23
Mittens: 151+1=252
Squares: 345
Socks: 116
Rain Poncho's 198
Cotton Washcloths 354+9=363
Misc Items are not counted individually (such as personal care items, headbands, gators, yarn, wrist warmers/fingerless gloves, facemasks, neck warmers, t-shirts, soap, deodorant, shampoo, toothbrushes etc).

As the month of June is closing in on us, July's focus has been added to the working calendar. July's focus will afghans. PLEASE read the requirements in the calendar section, and or the afghan section, and if you have questions, leave a note here or send me an email. I've also added August's focus which will be slippers for those folks who like to work ahead. I should also add you can see all the afghans made from your squares in the afghan section.

**Looking for unknown crocheter from St. Louis to match up with a recent donation, please make contact.**

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated, and all donations keep someone warm. We help, one stitch at a time. YOU truly DO make a difference. THANK YOU!

Please Pay it Forward with your Donations

A few days ago I shared a bit about Why I donate. I asked for others to share their stories too. I think we all encourage each other when we share like this. All of us want to help others, that's the common denominator; but some have a few other reasons about how they got started, or why they got started...some even have stories about how it's changed their lives, or how their donations have changed over the years.

The first person I got an email from was our friend, Wendy H., our good friend from the state of Georgia. You might remember she was one of our winners from the last contest. You can read about her winning HERE. Wendy H. is one of donators who doesn't happen to be a blogger, but her facebook link is listed in the list of non bloggers with Facebook, Crochetville, and or Ravelry pages.

Thank you Wendy H. for your support here with your skillful hands, and thank you for sharing a peace of your heart with your story below about why YOU donate.

I have been crocheting since I was about 8 years old. I was taught to crochet by my para-professional (teacher’s aide) in grade school who had muscular dystrophy. She is the one who originally sparked my interest.

My mother, when I was in my early thirties, told me she was making bereavement gowns for the premature babies that have passed away at our local hospital and I asked her if they had a need for crocheted items. My mother is the one who sparked my interest in making donations. She would and continues to purchase yarn for me that she finds on sale to further our cause. I have a closet that is practically full thanks to her.

After I started donating to my local hospital, I figured “Hey, I could take this one step further!” So I contacted St. Jude’s Hospital. That is where I started making chemo caps for the cancer patients.

Then, before I knew it, donating my goods became a healthy addiction. I love making people feel better in one form or another.

After making monthly donations to my local hospital and St. Jude’s, I decided to see just how many people I could donate to and searched it on Google. BOY WAS I SURPRIZED AT HOW MANY PLACES TAKE CROCHETED DONATIONS. That is when I decided to sign up with Handmade Especially for You, an organization that makes scarves for battered women’s shelters in California. A few weeks later, I searched Google again and found your charity, Bridge and Beyond. I read the mission statement and I was very pleased with what I read. Now, I have yet another way I can make a difference in someone’s life simply by doing what I love to do!

Here are a few reasons why I donate: I have loads of yarn in my closet that I MUST do something with thanks to my mom. Crocheting/Knitting is said to relieve stress, and goodness knows, I have my share of stress, who doesn’t, right? I do not have much money. I do not have much free time to actually go anywhere to volunteer my time, nor the gas to get there. What I do have is the ability to make something with my hands that will either comfort, warm, or simply put a smile on someone’s face who most assuredly is having a worse day than I am. I am fortunate to have a roof over my head, a full time job, and food on my table. Most people do not know where their next meal is coming from. One simple way I can help is by doing something that I love, crocheting/knitting, to spread the love, and let someone in pain (whichever form it takes) know that there is always someone out there that cares for them. They may not know them personally, but we are all God’s children and we are all to look after one another. Please, Pay It Forward!

2012 Donations:
Hats: 382
Scarves: 247
Slippers: 79
Shawls: 2
Sweaters 3
Vest 1
Afghans: 22
Mittens: 147
Squares: 345
Socks: 116
Rain Poncho's 183
Cotton Washcloths 354
Misc Items are not counted individually (such as personal care items, headbands, gators, yarn, wrist warmers/fingerless gloves, facemasks, neck warmers, t-shirts, soap, deodorant, shampoo, toothbrushes etc)

**I'd like to post at least 5 stories, so please share yours with me via email at sandycrochet@gmail.com. Let's inspire each other, and perhaps convert a few others.**

***above daisies have been blooming for several days in my backyard, just thought I'd share with you***

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated, and all donations keep someone warm. We help, one stitch at a time. YOU truly DO make a difference. THANK YOU!

Donating Crocheted Scarves

 Thank you Wendy H and sister Catherine for this thoughtful and very generous donation of crocheted love for Ohio's Homeless.  As I type this, my hands are cold and I'm indoors, not out in the elements, not living in a shelter where things can often be not all that comfortable.  Wendy has been a long time and active supporter of Bridge and Beyond.  As you look at the variety in colors and sizes of her scarves you know how many people she's keeping warm.

 Obviously, Wendy and her sister Catherine have been extremely busy with her crochet hook.  I do hope you got some sleep, during all this.  Holly cow....she's a regular crochet machine!

Please keep up the good work, Wendy and Catherine.  Stay tuned for additional donations from Wendy folks.  Remember, larger donations are divided to minimize the number of photo's per post so you're all able to better see the work of caring volunteers, and to help us with more regular blog posts.

As we're nearing the end of yet another year here on Bridge and Beyond, please stay tuned for totals.  All items received prior to the end of 2014 will be tallied in that year, even though the posts will appear in the year 2015.  

2014 DONATIONS:
Hats: 871
Scarves: 419+21=440
Socks: 193
Afghans: 29
Slippers: 108
Rain Ponchos: 61
Mittens & Gloves:120
Wrist Warmers/Fingerless gloves: 4
Cotton Washcloths: 329
Misc. (Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's, Skirts, cowls/mobius,  and Shrugs etc.) aren't tabulated.
Personal Care Items: Shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, cream, hand warmers, lipbalm, floss, soap, shaving cream, razors etc aren't tabulated

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Crocheted Donations from Wendy Help Homeless

Thank you Wendy H for your thoughtful donation.  Wendy's crocheted dish cloths, 2 cute little pink hats, a matching hat and scarf set (love the yarn), and a kitchen set with cloth towel.  Many thanks for your on going support Wendy, it's greatly appreciated.

Please keep up the good work.

April is coming to a close, May's focus will be hats.  Hats are needed for Men, Women, and children; not toddlers and infants.  PLEASE tag ALL hats with size.  When you tag your hats you do not need to be fancy, use string, yarn, or a safety pin when attaching your tag to your hat.  Please check hat tab for help with sizing, information needed, as well as what to avoid, thank you.

2013 Donations:

Hats:  348+3=351
Scarves: 264+1=265
Socks: 152
Afghans: 17
Slippers: 132
Rain Ponchos: 202
Mittens: 22
Cotton Wash Clothes: 215+10=225
Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's: 10
Misc. Items: include personal care, headbands, hand

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Crocheted Donations Help Homeless

Thank you Wendy H for your continued support and caring heart.  Wendy has supported Bridge and Beyond with hand crafted goodies for a good long while.  We appreciate all your efforts Wendy.  Wendy's crocheted hats of various sizes, some personal care items and a scarf.

And do check back in tomorrow to see her sister's Kate's donation.  I often call them the dynamic duo...sister who spread their love through their craft and caring hearts!

Did you see yesterday's video, folks?  If not, please do scroll back and take time to watch it.

2014 Donations:
Hats: 457+18=475
Scarves: 257+1=258
Socks: 56
Afghans: 12
Slippers: 46
Rain Ponchos: 5
Mittens & Gloves: 52
Cotton Washcloths:164
Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's, Skirts, and Shrugs etc. 8
Neck warmers, cowls, gators, wrists warmers/fingerless gloves and other misc items aren't tabulated; as well as personal care items

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Crocheting to help Others

Thank you WEndy H for this thoughtful donation of crocheted goodies.  Wendy has been a long time supporter of Bridge and Beyond and has helped many homeless here in Ohio.  She's included scarves sized for the kiddos and some cotton washcloths.  Blue and green has always been a favorite combination of mine and so the cute scarf on the right with the bright green and blue calls out to me.  Some little girl is going to be thrilled to sport this!

Many thanks Wendy and please keep up the good work.

**For anyone new to the blog, the counting below maybe confusing.  When 2016 began, we started with the number of items donated the previous year and are counting down in hopes of hitting and surpasses the number of items donated last year.**


2016 DONATIONS:
Hats:      4 -1 =3  (Look how close we are to hitting last years mark)
Scarves:  +153 +8= +161
Mittens/Gloves/Wrist Warmers:  52-10=42
Slippers:   16
Rain Poncho's:   +106
Cotton Washcloths:  260 - 8 =252
Afghans:  1 (wow folks, we're almost even with last year, so let's see how far beyond it we can go)
Socks:   82
Cowls/Hoody Combo's, headbands:    1 -1 = 0  YIPPEE, we've hit last years mark!
Shawls and shrugs, ponchos, sweaters & vests etc 0 +1
Misc: items like personal care, headbands etc and things don't fit into above categories aren't counted

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Donations from The Peach Tree State for Ohio's Homeless

Thank you Wendy H from The Peach Tree State of Georgia! Look at this lovely baby blanket (sorry the picture is a bit blurry), cute hats, and squares. I've always like the blue green combination and this looks so fresh and springy! Perfect, I think for little girl or boy to snuggle up with. Thanks for the nice variety in both color and size in your hats, Wendy. Wendy is our newest pair of helping hands, you can visit her on Facebook, link in the blog roll. Please keep up the good work, hope to see you here often.


2012 Donations:
Hats: 205+7=212
Scarves: 104+1=105
Slippers: 48
Shawls: 2
Sweaters 1
Vest 1
Afghans: 16+1=17
Mittens: 120
Squares: 168+3=171
Socks: 102
Rain Poncho's 2
Cotton Washcloths 27
Misc Items are not counted individually (such as personal care items, headbands, gators, yarn, wrist warmers/fingerless gloves, facemasks, neck warmers, t-shirts etc)

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated, and all donations keep someone warm. We help, one stitch at a time. YOU truly DO make a difference. THANK YOU!

Crocheted Donations for Ohio's Homeless

WOW and WOW...our good friend Wendy H has been super busy.  Look at this awesome donation.  There were multiple boxes of crocheted goodies to donate to our homeless friends.  Wendy has crocheted hats in many different colors and sizes, some cute small scarves for younger set, and cotton washclothes.  She also included a child sized afghan.

Many thanks Wendy, as always keep up the good work!

2015 DONATIONS:
Hats: 365+24=389
Scarves & Infinity Scarves: 167+4=171+10=181
Mittens/Gloves/Wrist Warmers: 113
Slippers: 91
Rain Poncho's:  105
Cotton Washcloths: 364+12=376
Afghans: 22+1=23
Socks: 201
Cowls/Hoody Combo's/ 18
Shawls 2
Misc: items like personal care and things don't fit into above categories aren't counted

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Sisters Join Forces to Donate

Our good friend, Wendy H recruited her fabulous sister, Catherine R to aid in the crocheting and donating effort.  Awesome!  Sisters working together for the good of others, how special this is.  Thanks Wendy for reaching out, thanks Catherine for joining us...and thank you both for the lovely donation above.  Can you all say Scarves?  Look at the variety.  14 scarves, 1 hat, and 3 cotton washcloths.  YIPPEE!

*February's focus is still all about fee.  Slippers and Socks focus will run til the end of February.  Necessary details about sizing, taging, colors, styles, fibers etc in the slippers tab...please check it out*

2013 Donation Totals 
Hats:  75+1=76
Scarves: 59+14=73
Socks: 39
Afghans: 2 
Slippers: 13
Rain Ponchos:2
Mittens: 4 
Cotton WashClothes:44+3=47
Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's: 4
Misc. Items: include personal care, headbands, handwarmers, cowls/gators etc aren't tabulated

 **Remember to always include a note with your name and email addy with your donation.  Friending me on Facebook will assure I can reach you easily to let you know your donations have arrived.  I am Sandy Mader Holladay on Facebook.  **


All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Boxes of Donations Delivered for Ohio's Homeless

Leave town for a couple of weeks for a great vacation in Hilton Head, and when you return you get a "special delivery" from the post office.  How fun is that.

There are lots of donations here from lots of different states, all to help homeless.  Took me all afternoon yesterday too open all the boxes, take photo's, count items, and make notes prior to sending out email notifications/thank you's and posting same on our new Facebook Group Page.

Boxes and pouches arrived from: Mary H (OH), Sandra R (FL), Sarah S (VT), Wendy H and her sister Catherine (GA),  RoseMarie (TN), Joan A (MI), Sandie P (LA), Marie P (TN), and Maria R (TX).  WOW.  Many thanks to you all for your patience during my absence, it's appreciated.  We also received a couple of nice thank you letters which I'll also be posting about.  So, please keep checking in.  AND if you mailed something during the last couple of weeks and aren't listed above, please let me a comment.

As you read this post, I'll be busy writing posts for each of our wonderful donations.  Hope to see you all here reading and commenting...remember that too helps the group grow.

2013 has brought about some changes, some new ideas of ways to grow, and some new opportunities.  I do hope you'll read and keep up with all happenings here.  Truly, there's never a dull moment.  Have you noticed or taken advantage of subscribing via email?  It's in the right sidebar, thought it would be particularly nice for you folks who don't blog.  You can keep up that way, as posts will arrive in your email.  However, I would still encourage you to follow the link back here to leave comments.  Our good friend Sandie P. signed up to help me test how it works, and she says she LOVES getting the notices in her email.

AND speaking about changes.....

Have you heard we have a Facebook Group Page?
 Check it out, though ALL updates will appear here on the blog and it will still be the primary source of communication.  Links will be posted there directing you here in order to read the full content of posts and see pictures etc.  But, as one of the many goals for this group/blog for the year 2013; we're striving to reach more caring people in order to serve a larger number of people in need.  Please help us by visiting and chatting in the Facebook group as well as here on the blog.

2013 Donation Totals 
Hats:  55
Scarves: 38
Socks: 26 
Afghans: 2 
Slippers: 7
Misc. Items: include personal care, headbands, and...

**The focus for the remainder of January is slippers.  AND, we'll continue focusing on feet in February.  Cold, and wet feet are miserable.  So...for the month of February we'll continue with slippers as our focus AND add socks for the feet.  Socks are store bought and should be for men who live outdoors 99% of the time.  Remember to check out the slipper tab at the top of the blog for information about sizing, colors, styles, fiber type etc.  You might enjoy using one of the patterns available there as well.   February  continues to be about feet.**

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Crocheted Hats Donated

Our good friend, AnneMarie has done it again! Look at these beautifully made hats. She's crocheted a variety of sizes, colors, and styles with her magic crochet hook. As you know, AnneMarie has been a faithful supporter of our cause and donates regularly from her state of New York. If you missed my previous post show casing her donations from The Empire State, you can read about here.

Many thanks for all you do AnneMarie, we're thrilled to call you our friend. Please keep up the good work.


2012 Donations:
Hats: 382+16=398
Scarves: 247
Slippers: 79
Shawls: 2
Sweaters 3
Vest 1
Afghans: 22
Mittens: 147
Squares: 345
Socks: 116
Rain Poncho's 183
Cotton Washcloths 354
Misc Items are not counted individually (such as personal care items, headbands, gators, yarn, wrist warmers/fingerless gloves, facemasks, neck warmers, t-shirts, soap, deodorant, shampoo, toothbrushes etc)

**Sharing stories about why we donate:
My story Here
Wendy H tells here story HERE
Sandie P's story HERE
Diana K's story HERE
Sue F tells her story HERE
next up Sherry K tells her story, please keep checking back.

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated, and all donations keep someone warm. We help, one stitch at a time. YOU truly DO make a difference. THANK YOU!

Why Katie B. Donates, all the way from Germany!

About a week ago I posted about why I donate and asked you to share with us why you do. What motivates you. Though clearly we all have the common denominator of wanting to help others, we do have some different internal reason that keep us all going. If you missed reading these inspiring stories, please take a minute and click to catch up. If you've not shared with us your inspiration, please send me an email and let me know.

**Sharing stories about why we donate:
My story Here
Wendy H tells here story HERE
Sandie P's story HERE
Diana K's story HERE
Sue F tells her story HERE
Sherry K tells her story HERE

And now you can read why Katie B, who's on a military base in Germany crochets and donates by sending her items here to Ohio to help the homeless.

I first learned to crochet about 4 years ago when my boyfriend (now husband) joined the Army and was sent to Basic Training. I started with just simple granny squares and after I made enough to complete an afghan I realized that I couldn't keep making items for myself or family members all the time. So I went on the Internet and looked for charities that accepted crochet items. I loved the concept of HAP which provides afghans to wounded soldiers. People send in rectangles and they use 49 in each blanket so each blanket could potentially have rectangles from 49 different people. Working on rectangles kept me occupied when Andrew was away.

Once we were married and sent to our duty station in Germany I had to adjust to military life. It was and still is hard to deal with your life revolving around the military all the time. Sometimes I just need an escape from it so I decided to focus instead on another charity and somehow I found Bridge and Beyond. I think I read about it on Crochetville. I like how so many different items are accepted so that way I don't get bored making the same thing all the time.

Crocheting is such a good stress reliever for me. Helping out others while doing something I love is a win win situation.

**Thank you for finding us Katie, and thank you to you and your husband for your service to our country.**

The Pink Lilly is my favorite of all my Lillies, because it's heavenly scent. I look forward to this one blooming every year. This picture is from last year. The rabbits I can't seem to get rid of have totally eaten this one to the nub...so, it's not going to bloom this year. Anyone want to come hunting in my backyard....Rabbit Stew Perhaps?

****I'd also like to mention here that HAP is a closed group, and is in fact soon to shut down for a variety of reasons. Thought I should mention that in case anyone was thinking of searching them out.****

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated, and all donations keep someone warm. We help, one stitch at a time. YOU truly DO make a difference. THANK YOU!

Why Diana K. Donates

A few days ago I posted about why I donate, and asked that some of you share your reasons. Not only does it help us get to know each other, I find it very inspiring to see what drive so many goodhearted people. In short order I heard from Sandie P by way of a comment, which I posted yesterday. I've gotten emails from our friend Wendy H, who's post is here.

Here then is Diana K's (from Georgia) incredible story. You might need a hanky for this folks. It's truly heartwarming, inspiring, and sad, all at the same time. Thank you Diana K. for sharing.Why I donate.

As I look back on my 76 years of life I realize I have been so very blessed by our God.

I could have been born in Hungary where my father was born except my widowed grandmother took her three children to America just before WWII. In January 1945, 32,000 ethnic Germans from within Hungary were arrested and transported to the Soviet Union as forced laborers. In some villages, the entire adult population were taken to labor camps in the Donets Basin. Many died there as a result of hardships and ill-treatment. Overall, between 100,000 and 170,000 Hungarian ethnic Germans were transported to the Soviet Union. I was ten in 1945 and could have been there.

I had a stable family. My parents loved each other and through thick and thin stayed together until death in their later years. So many children come from broken homes, unwanted, mistreated.

Although I was born during the Great Depression I never was homeless, never hungry, always had a place to get in out of the cold. I lacked nothing.

I’ve have a long happy marriage of 58 years with two children, three grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Through inevitable trials and testing I have always been surrounded by those I love and who love me - never alone.

As I and look around me and see the hardships and misery of others not so well blessed my heart breaks for them.

Physically I cannot do a great deal any more but I can take up some yarn and create something to make life a little easier for others who have not been as blessed as I have been.

I pray that if disaster happens to me there will be someone out there who cares enough to relieve my suffering.

**This is a marvelous story of the human spirit. The Pink Lilly is the first of it's group to bloom in my backyard.**

2012 Donations:
Hats: 382
Scarves: 247
Slippers: 79
Shawls: 2
Sweaters 3
Vest 1
Afghans: 22
Mittens: 147
Squares: 345
Socks: 116
Rain Poncho's 183
Cotton Washcloths 354
Misc Items are not counted individually (such as personal care items, headbands, gators, yarn, wrist warmers/fingerless gloves, facemasks, neck warmers, t-shirts, soap, deodorant, shampoo, toothbrushes etc)

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated, and all donations keep someone warm. We help, one stitch at a time. YOU truly DO make a difference. THANK YOU!

Why Sue F., donates

A few days ago I posted some of what drives me to donate, and asked you to share why you all do? I've been posting some beautiful stories. I hope you all have been reading them. It's inspiring to see what keeps us all doing this, and it's nice to learn things about each other. My original post is HERE, if you missed it. Wendy H's story is HERE, Sandie P told her story HERE, and Diana K's story is HERE. Please do take time to read, let them inspire you, leave a comment or two. And if you'd like to share your story...please email me at sandycrochet@gmail.com. Thank you to all who've participated.

Here's what Sue F shared.

As with most knitters/crocheters, I had made all the afghans/scarves/hats my family could use (and some of them were sick of getting stuff) so I made some scarves to donate. I had a friend who taught at an elementary school so I gave them to her. When she took them into the teacher's lounge and explained the donation, several teachers were confused. "Why is she doing this?" sort of thing. Apparently being kind to strangers was a mystery to them. Anyway, the school principal took the scarves and wrapped them around the necks of a few of the kids. According to my friend, the kids just lit up. "For me? Someone made this for me?" Many wore them all day.

I made mittens for a friend who teaches special needs kids. The mittens were to stay in the classroom and only be used for going out to recess by those who didn't have any. One day a little boy wanted to wear some of the donated mittens but my friend told him he couldn't because he'd worn his own mittens. The next day the little boy came in, showed my friend his cold red hands and said "Look Teacher, I don't have any mittens. Now I can use the ones in the box, right?"

I know a teenage girl who has spent many years in Foster care. When I told her about how I knit and donate different things she told me that even though she had been adopted she still slept with two small afghans on her bed that were donated to kids in foster care. She said that when she moved from foster home to foster home, the afghans were just about the only thing that were hers and hers alone, to take with her.

For those of us who have so much, it's hard to imagine, but yes, one scarf, one pair of mittens, one afghan can make a difference in the life of someone else.

And that's why I donate.

2012 Donations:
Hats: 382
Scarves: 247
Slippers: 79
Shawls: 2
Sweaters 3
Vest 1
Afghans: 22
Mittens: 147
Squares: 345
Socks: 116
Rain Poncho's 183
Cotton Washcloths 354
Misc Items are not counted individually (such as personal care items, headbands, gators, yarn, wrist warmers/fingerless gloves, facemasks, neck warmers, t-shirts, soap, deodorant, shampoo, toothbrushes etc)

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated, and all donations keep someone warm. We help, one stitch at a time. YOU truly DO make a difference. THANK YOU!

From Michigan to Tennessee and Back Again

We've been sharing stories of why some of us knit or crochet for charity. I find all the stories heart warming and inspiring and hope you do too.

If you've missed reading them, here they are. Please do take time to read them, and as always leave us a comment so we know you were here. Remember you do not need to be a blogger to do so. Simply type your comment, then click name and url in the drop down box and leave the url space blank. We like knowing who visits and reads our posts, we like having support for each other's crafts/donations and stories, and spending time on the blog leaving comments etc. helps the blog which in turn helps us help more people in need. So please, those of you who are shy (and I know there's a good number of you out there), please leave messages when you visit us.

We've been sharing stories...about why we donate. If you've not read them, please do. And when you read them, please leave a comment so we know you were there/here. Remember you do not need to be a blogger to leave comments. And leaving comments, spending time on the blog reading does help the blog.

**Sharing stories about why we donate:
My story Here
Wendy H tells here story HERE
Sandie P's story HERE
Diana K's story HERE
Sue F tells her story HERE
Sherry K tells her story HERE
Katie's story is HERE

And now, you can read why Sue W from Michigan donates. You might know Sue from Ravelry as SSeger. She's moved from Michigan to Tennessee and now is back in Michigan.

The reasons I knit for charity are: I just can not sit and watch TV and not have knitting in my hands. There are so many people out there who have less than I do, so I want to help them. I don't have much money, but I have yarn.
I started knitting for charity about 25 yrs ago when I lived in Muskegon, MI. The mall put up a mitten Christmas tree for the poor, well I did not knit mittens, but I made scarves for the tree for several years. Then I moved to TN. Stopped knitting for a while, then I found a group in Nashville that I knitted for. Got a computer, and signed up with Revelry. There I was able to find even more charities to knit for and that is how I found Bridge and Beyond.

*Thank you Sue for sharing your story with us. We're happy to have you join us from whatever state you're from. Hope your move went well.*

**Anyone notice this is post #763? WOW, can you believe it? I'm thinking about another contest...by way of celebrating....please stay tuned for an announcement**

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated, and all donations keep someone warm. We help, one stitch at a time. YOU truly DO make a difference. THANK YOU!

My Hats off to you, Katie in Germany

Katie B has knitted and crochet and donated 40 hats. Hats in a variety of sizes and colors. All fabulously made to warm the cold in need people here in Ohio all the way from Germany! Katie we love having your skilled hands help us with the cause of giving to those who need help.

A hat is such an important item to have. A hat can make a huge difference in how warm and or dry you are. We loose lots of heat through our head. There is some controversy about how much heat we loose when our heads not covered. Scientist originally thought one lost about 45% of the body's heat when not wearing a hat; some no longer believe the percentage is quite that high; but all do agree it is ESSENTIAL for survival outdoors. Add that it can keep you dryer, add that it can keep you from ear aches....and you can see how important a hat is to someone living outdoors, under a bridge...asleep in an alley. Many people in need also wear hats in doors, even if they're lucky enough to have a roof over their heads.....because often they live without proper heat.

Thank you Katie for your thoughtful donation, we surely appreciate all you do.

2012 Donations:
Hats: 398+40=438
Scarves: 247
Slippers: 79
Shawls: 2
Sweaters 3
Vest 1
Afghans: 22
Mittens: 147
Squares: 345
Socks: 116
Rain Poncho's 183
Cotton Washcloths 354
Misc Items are not counted individually (such as personal care items, headbands, gators, yarn, wrist warmers/fingerless gloves, facemasks, neck warmers, t-shirts, soap, deodorant, shampoo, toothbrushes etc)

We've been sharing stories...about why we donate. If you've not read them, please do. And when you read them, please leave a comment so we know you were there/here. Remember you do not need to be a blogger to leave comments. And leaving comments, spending time on the blog reading does help the blog.

**Sharing stories about why we donate:
My story Here
Wendy H tells here story HERE
Sandie P's story HERE
Diana K's story HERE
Sue F tells her story HERE
Sherry K tells her story HERE
Katie's story is HERE


All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated, and all donations keep someone warm. We help, one stitch at a time. YOU truly DO make a difference. THANK YOU!

Dynamic Duo Sisters Donate

Here's a donation of crocheted hats and scarves from our dynamic duo...sisters, Wendy H from George and Catherine W from Florida!  Nice soft scarves and hats and some personal care items (soap).  There's a cute little ruffled edge to a couple of the scarves...click to see better folks.

As I typed this scheduled post folks it's 26 but with wind chill feels like 14 degrees.  We got snow AGAIN last night (about 7 inches), followed by more ice.  This winter is getting to be very tiresome.  I know Ohio isn't the only state being hit hard this year....enough already Mother Nature.  We could sure use some spring!
2014 Donations:
Hats: 19+4=23
Scarves: 19+8=27
Socks: 4
Afghans: 8
Slippers: 7
Rain Ponchos: 
Mitten:
Cotton Washcloths: 18
Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's, Skirts etc. : 
Misc. Items: include personal care, headbands, hand-warmers, cowls/gators/neckwarners and all meal prep related items, Dolls, associated items, stuffed/crocheted/knitted toys... etc aren't tabulated

**Remember folks to always include a removable tag on your slippers, mittens, and hats with the size you made**

***Please remember to check the tabs across the top of the blog, included in each tab is necessary information about which fibers to use, as well as which fibers to avoid.  Example please avoid using novelty yarn, and suede for all items being donated.

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Bountiful Harvest Afghan

Another afghan made from Liz's lovely squares for our project, "Welcome Home". I asked for opinions on the name of this afghan, just couldn't settle on one myself and am thrilled to say hakucho, one of my regular blog visitors to Sandy's Space suggested it's name. Bountiful Harvest. I really liked the name and appreciate her suggesting it. By the time you read this scheduled post I'm onto another one.

There is no end to the afghans that can be made from your creative and thoughtful squares. With what I have in que to assemble, I'll probably not set aside a month to focus on squares for a bit yet; please keep checking though. Many of you go ahead and mail your squares when you're mailing other items, and that's perfectly fine. Makes sense, most cost effective...we just won't be highlighting another month for squares for awhile.

Have you noticed I added a tab for afghans to the top of the blog? Some folks like to make full afghans themselves vs squares, that's fine and dandy. Please though, do read the requirements. I've not yet posted any patterns, but will on down the road. So do check back.


2012 Donations:
Hats: 118
Scarves: 47
Slippers: 26
Shawls: 2
Afghans: 7+1=8
Mittens: 88
Squares: 111
Socks: 98
Rain Poncho's 2
Cotton Washcloths 14
Misc Items are not counted individually (such as personal care items, headbands, gators, yarn, wrist warmers/fingerless gloves, footies etc)

4 more days in the contest....chances in hat 3, Chatty Cathy are as follows:
SSeger 22, Sue 4, Patty L. 5, Damaris 8, Allyson 9, Sally 21, Sherry 14, Liz 1, AnneMarie 2, Harvest Hill 12, Yvonne 8, Sandie P 3, Joy 1, Jessica 1, RoseMarie 2, Sandie in Florida 5, Kathleen 1, Autumngeisha 1, Trudy S 1, Theresa A 1, Crochet Princess 1, Kim 1, Wendy H 2, Emma 1
**Kim and Emma, please make contact I'm not finding you in the donations database

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated, and all donations keep someone warm. We help, one stitch at a time. YOU truly DO make a difference. THANK YOU!

Crocheted Scarves From Catherine for Ohio's Homeless

Thank you Catherine W from Florida, sister to our friend Wendy H for these crocheted scarves.  Catherine has crocheted 15 scarves and a cowl.  The cowl is center top of the picture.  Remember you can always click the picture to enlarge it to see details.  Many thanks Catherine, we love seeing you here on Bridge and Beyond, please keep up the good work.



April has now to a close.  May's focus will be hats.  Hats are needed for Men, Women, and children; not toddlers and infants.  PLEASE tag ALL hats with size.  When you tag your hats you do not need to be fancy, use string, yarn, or a safety pin when attaching your tag to your hat.  Please check hat tab for help with sizing, information needed, as well as what to avoid, thank you.

2013 Donations:

Hats:  351
Scarves: 265
Socks: 152
Afghans: 17
Slippers: 132
Rain Ponchos: 202
Mittens: 22
Cotton Wash Clothes: 225
Shawls, Sweaters, Vests, Poncho's: 10
Misc. Items: include personal care, headbands, hand



All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.