| A big hello from our group of intake volunteers! |
|
|
Happy June!
I love June. Gardening is in full swing. The sun is shining the perfect amount. Dog walks are warm and the birds are singing. I also turned 40 this month! I can't believe it. I feel so lucky to be at this stage of my life and be working for an organization I am so proud of. It fills my cup to know that in these difficult times, I am working with you all to make life a bit brighter.
This spring, one of Denver's premiere yarn shops, the Lamb Shoppe, chose to support K4P during their 19th Anniversary celebrations. They had a goal of donating 119 items to K4P...but they actually donated 242!!! The quality of their items and the kindness of their community has been so helpful to us. A few of them even want to start a Peace Pod! And now between August 2-10, the Lamb Shoppe is participating in the Wild and Wooly Yarn Crawl in Colorado, which ALSO benefits Knitting4Peace! You can learn more about participating in the yarn crawl HERE.
As you saw in our mid-month announcement, the Create-A-Thon is being held from August 4-18th this year and we are SO excited. Yes, we have a lot of money to raise ($7,500!), but we also have 2 amazing events with 2 fantastic makers! The first will be on August 4th with Hannah Thiessen Howard. She is a knitter, author, creator, and editor of the journal, By Hand Serial. She will be talking us through how places and geography impact the makers who live there. Our next workshop is with Ravelry maker, proud Kiwi, and Wee Folks Valley designer, Natasha Hanson. She will be showing us how to use embroidery on our knits and introduce new finger puppet designs! You can register for those FREE workshops at HERE.
Finally, in an effort to strengthen our community, we are going to be hosting a virtual K4P Community Craft Circle each month. The first will be on the last day of the CAT, August 18 from 4pm-6pm (MT). This is about creating community, having a good chat, fighting isolation, and building friendship. You can join the meeting by going HERE and following the link. The craft circle will be held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month beginning in September. Just visit our events page on the website for more details. We can't wait to see you!
Thank you- Kelly |
|
Above: Rachel from Denver's Lamb Shoppe Yarn Store and I pose with some of their beautiful anniversary donations! Below:The Fingerprint Finger Puppets Natasha has designed specifically for K4P! |
|
|
Community Member of the Month: Motherwise and Thriving Families |
Motherwise is the flagship program of Thriving Families and is one of our special long-term Community Partners. We recently had the opportunity to visit with Jessie Purcel, Director of Programs and Community Outreach, at their new location in Denver, where they hope to continue expanding vital services which nurture the well-being of women, children, and their families. We were excited to hear of the plans they have, and the many ways that Knitting4Peace will be able to support Moms, children, and families.
Motherwise began in 2016, based on needs for support for Moms identified at Denver Health hospital. Weekly, group-based workshops are offered to foster effective communication, increase problem-solving skills, and provide nurturing, supportive care for newborns. Families are provided with a dedicated support coach who helps Moms apply newly learned skills and access much-needed community resources. Following completion of the Motherwise curriculum, women and their families are offered additional program services including mental health services, support for postpartum depression, dental care, and programs designed to support basic needs. Thriving Families enrolled 710 new participants in the past year and long-term research has shown that preterm births for program participants have been reduced by 55%.
The new space, in the Valverde neighborhood in Denver, will allow Thriving Families to have the capacity to serve upwards of 1,000 families/year. Childcare is an important resource offered to Moms when they attend workshops or therapies. The space is welcome and inviting for both infants and older children so Moms can focus on care for themselves for a bit of time. In addition, the site will eventually include a kitchen for meal preparation and be able to host large events.
Knitting4Peace is eager to continue partnering with this amazing program and we can’t wait to return with more items for them to share with families. Their current requests include baby blankets, especially stroller sizes (30’x36’); gender-neutral hats, booties and washcloths; and lap blankets. We encourage you to check out the Thriving Families website to learn more and see photos of the new location.
Thank you, Motherwise and Thriving Families, for your ongoing partnership with us! |
| Above: Jessie with a K4P blanket. Note the top shelf is where they store our items and it is empty! Below: Motherwise baby with K4P blanket |
|
|
Consistency is Key: Finger Puppets
We have seen a large increase in requests for finger puppets as the word is quickly spreading on how effective these sweet little items are for supporting language development in infants and young children. Thank you to those who have recently begun to make these as we truly appreciate all of your donations! We’ve learned a few things about finger puppets lately and want to share some consistency tips with you— - Finger puppets should fit on an adult’s index finger and be long enough that they do not easily fall off. If they are too short (fingertip length) or have a loose fit, they easily fly off fingers.
-
We can use some finger puppets that are smaller in width so that younger siblings may use them as they talk with babies. They must still be long enough to remain on a finger throughout play.
-
It’s important that there are NO items attached that could pose a choking hazard to young infants who may mouth the puppets. So, no beady eyes, buttons, sequins, antennae on bugs, etc.
- People finger puppets are very popular. Keep your eyes out for information on a special workshop coming up during the Create-a-thon!
- If you make finger puppets that “go together” as a set, please attach them with yarn or put them in a small plastic bag so that we can make sure they are sent out together.
-
Because the finger puppets are often used with infants who may mouth them, it’s particularly important that there is no dog/cat hair or perfume on the puppets.
- Please don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any specific questions about making finger puppets!
|
| |
|
Baby Blankets & Finger Puppets |
| |
|
Item Requests: Baby blankets, Finger puppets Baby blankets, as always, are needed in a variety of programs. Our most popular sizes are “small” blankets, which are between 26” and 30”, and baby blankets that are up to 36”. Please do NOT send in any blankets that are smaller than 26” on every side. Finger puppets are a VERY popular item right now so we can definitely use as many as you can make! We’ve recently received a new request for finger puppets from a school who will use them as “reading buddies” in one of their classrooms so anticipate that this need will continue to grow. See the Consistency is Key article for specifics on these.
|
|
|
The Fine Print: *Customers must have a registered King Soopers or City Market loyalty card account to link to your organization.
*If you do not yet have a King Soopers or City Market loyalty card, they are available at the customer service desk at any King Soopers or City Market
REMEMBER, purchases will not count for K4P until after your register your loyaltycard.
You must swipe your registered King Soopers or City Market loyalty card or use the phone number that is related to your registered King Soopers or City Market loyalty card when shopping for each purchase to count.
|
|
BIG NEWS!
Knitting4Peace is now enrolled into the King Soopers or City Market Community Rewards Program.
Our assigned Kroger NPO (Non-Profit Organization) number is HL532.
To Use the King Soopers or City Market Community Rewards Program:
Simply visit the appropriate link below for your store:
For King Soopers Stores - go to http://www.kingsoopers.com
For City Market Stores - go to http://www.citymarket.com
Once logged into your King Soopers or City Market account you can search for Knitting4Peace either by name or HL532 and then click Enroll. New users will need to create an account which requires some basic information, a valid email address and a loyalty card.
|
|
|
Please note: Our donation intake is run solely by volunteers. Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to immediately acknowledge each package as it arrives. Remember, you can always track your package with your carrier.
Remember, mailing costs qualify as tax-deductible nonprofit donations. Keep your receipts! Due to a lack of storage, K4P cannot accept yarn donations unless they are new and still in the original wrapper.
Thank you for understanding. |
| Mail or bring items to: 2600 N. Leyden St., Denver, CO 80207 Drop-Off hours: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 9am-12pm The church is no longer staffed by an assistant so please be sure to go during the timeframe mentioned above.
Ring the doorbell and you will be let into the church to drop off your items. EACH mailed box or dropped-off bag must include a note with the DATE, NAME, MAILING ADDRESS, E-MAIL, AND PEACE POD.
Did you make a local delivery this month? Click the button below to report it and don't forget to send pics! |
|
|
Special thanks to Park Hill Congregational Church for their continued support and allowing us to share their space in Denver. |
|
|
HAVE A QUESTION ON HOW TO MAKE SOMETHING? ASK ARNA! |
|
|
Are you ready to support the mission of Knitting4Peace? Donate using the button below! |
|
Contact Arna@knitting4peace.org with questions about patterns and guidelines. Check out our social media posts for the latest news (links below). If you have questions about deliveries or donations please email info@knitting4peace.org. ALL donations sustain our work. Donate online or mail checks to:
2600 Leyden Street, Denver, CO 80207
Donations to Knitting4Peace are tax-deductible. |
|
|
Our Contact Information
*{{Organization Name}}*
*{{Organization Address}}*
*{{Organization Phone}}*
*{{Organization Website}}*
*{{Unsubscribe}}* |
| |
|
|
