COBP Newsletter

Hi everyone,


First off, I just want to tell you all thank you for all the hard work you've been doing! Central Ohio Binky Patrol is a great success and it is all because of you. We have the greatest volunteers around! Thank you all so much!

I am truly overwhelmed with the response to my plea for help for the Alabama and Mississippi Tornado Victims. You have all stepped up to the plate and I am very impressed. In a little less than a month you have provided 81 binkies, 36 hygiene kits, 16 hats, 13 washcloths, 5 pairs baby booties, 13 sweaters/gowns and a wide variety of household items. Plus, I know of a few packages that have recently been shipped. Wow - that is really amazing in such a short amount of time!!! You should all be very proud of yourselves. Thanks, also, to all of you who emailed me pictures and information on the items you've sent. I enjoy being able to post those on the website! As of June 1, we will have a new address to ship items to. Becky, the original person that is helping with the cleanup efforts is now ready to start receiving items at her house. Her mom, Wanda, has been a great help and I sure appreciate her! But please, from June 1 on, send all packages to Becky. Her address is....

Becky Ennis
480 State Hwy 19
Detroit, AL 35552

Another project that is moving along amazingly well is the Snowball Express project for children of fallen military heroes. In case you aren't aware, we have the goal of providing 600 hats for children ages 5 - 18 by October, 2011. This will be in time for the big convention that Snowball Express holds each year to honor & entertain the children of fallen military heroes. What a wonderful organization! As of today, we have donated 453 hats!!!! That means we only need 147 more by the end of October. We should be able to meet, and probably exceed, that goal! Yay for you! Remember, these hats can be any pattern, yarn/fabric, style, or color. The only stipulation is that they need to fit children ages 5 - 18. Please keep those hats coming!

I've recently discovered another organization that I would really like to help. It is called Comfort Scarves - Southwestern Pennsylvania. They provide scarves to women and children as they are entering into domestic violence shelters throughout Pennsylvania. Currently they are serving six shelters but have plans in place to reach out to many more in the upcoming months. Unfortunately, every fifteen seconds a woman is a victim of domestic violence. The shelters they serve each have 8 – 15 new residents each month thus donations are always needed and gratefully accepted. I think this is something we can help with! There aren't really any restrictions as far as the scarves go, but it is recommended that they are about 4 -5 inches wide and about 60 inches long. You can use any yarn, pattern, or style you'd like. Please feel free to make warm winter ones or light & airy spring/summer ones. This is also a great opportunity to use up your "fancier" yarns. All scarves can be sent to me directly and I will send them on to Comfort Scarves.

As always, we are still in need of baby booties for Heartbeats. These can be any pattern, style or color. They just need to be newborn size, with the sole of the booty being approximately the width of your hand. Heartbeats is an organization that helps pregnant teens and are always in need of baby booties. Also, I have local shelters and foster care agencies that need binkies so feel free to send any sizes or styles you want to make.

Finally, I just wanted to mentioned that there is an ongoing stamp drive in existance. Because of all the great projects going on shipping expenses can sometimes be an issue. I've received some very generous donations of stamps and they have come in very handy. If you are able, please consider sending some stamps - regular ones or even $1.00 ones - whenever possible.

Thank you all again for your wonderful support and assistance! I am so proud to say that I am the area coordinator of Central Ohio Binky Patrol. Remember to check out our website regularly for updates, additional information, and lots of pictures. The link is down below as well as my mailing address. Also, just reply to this email if you'd like to send me any comments or suggestions. Thanks again and keep up the great work!

Bye,
Lisa Woodruff
640 Evans Street
Newark, OH 43055

Central Ohio Binky Patrol website