Thursday, September 27, 2007

Winding down third quarter... here is our update.

Greetings as we move from summer into fall...

Project Warm Hug's third quarter was awesome!!!

We received $9200 in financial donations. This kept us going for this quarter.

We received soooooo many diapers and clothing, and items.

We have expanded our donation sites. Details in Blog.

We exceeded last year's total donations!
Currently we are at 26,500
I know that this quarter is going to blow our sox off!
It is very likely that we could reach #40,000 items donated!

Thank you all!

As we move into our fourth quarter for the year, here are our goals.

In order to be current on our out of pocket expenses we need to receive: $5,800. just received another $1500, so only $4300 is needed!!

In order to pay Megan's monthly salry/stipend, we need to receive: $14,000
($1,000 a month for the past 14 months)

In order to move into 2008, we need to receive the first quarter's expenses of: $9000.
(our budget is set at $3000 a month, $1500 for out of pocket expenses and $1500 a month "salary" for Megan)

Our goal for our holiday program is to be able to donate #1000 hand crafted items to local kids and families in need.
Big Heart Designs has a variety of gifts that can be purchased and donated. For more info:
projectwarmhugsholidayprogram2007.blogspot.com

Our goal is to complete 3 Diaper and Change Drives.
Our first one got started last week at St. Timothy's Lutheran School in San Jose.
Our first one was completed at Holy Cross in Los Gatos. We received over 1000 diapers and $160.00 (third quarter)

This drive is so great for kids to participate in. Both diapers and loose change is collected, and donated to Project Warm Hug. Easy set up, great results. Let me know if you have someone you would like for me to talk with about this event.

Our goals are fairly simple this quarter. Lots of funding, lots of gift making , lots of gift buying, lots of sharing and caring throughout our community!

It is very likely that we will be hosting a Holiday Tea and Boutique as a fundraiser in Nov/Dec. Look for details soon.

Our Current Wish List includes: other than the obvious- diapers and change.

Gift Cards to Target, Mervyns, Safeway...
We would love to have some available when we need to purchase items for a family in crisis.
We would also like to give these out to families in need for the holidays.

Gift Cards to Joanne's Fabrics.

To receive $300 to pay off the balance of the new sewing machine I will be using for Big Heart Designs.

To receive a gift card for Ducky's or alike so that I can finally wash our pickup suv.

To receive a garage makeover as I am organizing my garage to be our donation inventory site.

Volunteers for a variety of fun projects! An hour can make a difference!

Anyone who can knit, crochet, sew... who can make hats and scarves for our holiday program.
or who would like to host a crafting afternoon for friends to get together and create gifts!

and personally... my goal is to receive enough extra funding so that I don't have to have a roommate and can move my office/studio out of the kitchen and have an office! (an extra $700 a month)

and to finish up this post, here is what has been said about Project Warm Hug.

"Project warm hug has been very supportive of our families. I have been with the Prenatal To Three program for 7 years and this is the first time we have had an organization donate diapers on a regular basis. I often seen clients that are on their last diaper and unsure of when they can purchase more. Project warm hug has been wonderful in provided diapers for our very poor families. Please continue to support this program as our families are very poor and have very limited resources."
Tami Whelen, RD

Thank you all for the wonderful successes so far... and Happy Soon to be Holidays.
Megan

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Sunday, September 16th update.

Greetings.

My head is spinning with the number of donations we have received and donated out in the past few weeks. We had already exceeded last year's numbers at the first of the month. I donated out close to 1,000 items and 600 diapers just this past week.

Having donation sites is great. So many more families have been donating diapers and items. It has cut my time way down by only having to collect from a number of sites. I added Sunnyvale and Cupertino sites earlier this month. Scroll down to donation sites for addresses.

As we begin into our 4th quarter 2007, our holiday program will kick into gear. Our hope is to donate 1,000 gifts to 1,000 children in need. Big heart designs has created a number of gifts that can be sponsored for the children. Not only will a child receive a great gift, but Project Warm Hug will receive a percent of the proceeds and all gifts will be made by work from home moms!!! I am setting up a special blog site for our holiday program. I will have the link set up by tomorrow.

Our first diaper and change drive is winding up with week. I look forward to announcing the results. As this one is winding down, two more will be starting up. The diaper and change drive is very simple. Each person brings in a case of diapers and a handfull of loose change for a designated period of time. Kids love this because it is so visual. A great lesson in sharing and caring for local kids in need. If you have a group that is interested, please let me know and I will get you all the information needed to get started. This is a great drive for families, neighborhoods, businesses, schools, childcare centers, church groups and so on....
My hope is that with 2-3 running each month, the majority of our fundraising will be met!

Current wish list- not in order of importance!

Diapers, diapers, diapers.
order online and ship directly to-
174 spruce ave. menlo park, ca 94025.
or- drop off at our donation site.

Volunteer help to keep our holiday program running smoothly.
There will be lots of 1-2 hour projects to choose from.

#1 wish!!!
That our holiday program will be fully funded.
#1000 gifts @ ~$15-20 each. $15,000 - $20,000

We have received $600 of the $2500 that is offered to be matched.
$1900 is still needed to have this generous offer completed.
use paypal.com and my email as the receipent-
mrosenhart@yahoo.com

Basically- Funding, Time and Diapers.

Thanks to all of you who have been so supportive!!!

Megan.

p.s. I will be posting a calendar of farmers markets, holiday boutiques and events that I will be selling from. Great gifts!!!

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

it is that simple.

it is so simple.

30 moms (or businesses, families, organizations...)
who will make a monthly donation of $100.00

that takes care of our bare bones budget.
$1500- expenses covered.
$1500- megan's stipend.

it is that simple.
this is a great opportunity to teach your children the joy in giving.
this is a great opportunity to show the community that you care.

if you are interested, email me!
mrosenhart@yahoo.com

thanks, m

two new drop off locations.

Diaper Drop-off Locations... so far, if you are interested in being a drop-off location please let me know. mrosenhart@yahoo.com thanks!!!

Please ONLY leave diapers at these locations. unless you have contacted me first.

NEW LOCATIONS;

SUNNYVALE
Carolyn- 436 Leota Avenue
off of El Camino in between Mary and Bernardo and in between Olive and Iowa
please leave diapers on the porch

CUPERTINO.
Sun- My address is 10304 Colby Ave, Cupertino, 95014;
I'm near Portal Parkin Cupertino.
Nearest cross street is Amherst, nearest major crossstreets are Stevens Creek & Portal, near the Chuck E Cheese.
Drop off on the porch preferred (behind the shades).

kathy- redwood city
2532 McGarvey at Connecticut;
please leave them on the porch.

wendy- los altos.
794 Sunshine cross street springer
please leave diapers on the porch.

marquerite- palo alto
3080 Cowpersouth of oregon expyplease
leave diapers on the porch.

julie- menlo park
1339 orange
cross street valpariso.
please leave diapers on the porch.

Celeste- Daly City
145 W. Moltke St
Daly City, Ca
cross street is Station Ave
you can leave donations behind the gate.

megan- campbell
i am usually at the campbell farmers market on sundays from 9-1pm.
i am in the artist section. our booth has a blue playroom foam floor.
650-468-3065
call ahead to make sure i am there.

how project warm hug got started...

many of you have recently asked how project warm hug got started. i took a look at some very old emails and found theses. this is a conversation i was having with tijana, formerly the director of the childrens embassy in kosovo.

i finally met her, not in her home county but here in san jose, just a couple of weeks after my father passed away. included is the first attachment that went out to explain what project warm hug was all about.

i ended up having surgery that september and couldn't travel. instead of donating to kosovo... i kept it local and donated to friends outside, the organization that my grandmother started over 50 years ago.

i will never forget the morning that i drove to the santa clara county fairgrounds. this was the location that over 300 families went to pick up their adopt a family gifts. the moment i saw the kids lined up with their families, i began to cry. it was overwhelming to see all of these kids counting on friends outside for their christmas gifts. my heart was so moved by this experience that i have kept project warm hug local ever since.

there are so many children within miles of our homes that have virtually nothing. moms who are having to choose between food and diapers, moms who are raising their families while dad is a day worker, grandmothers who are raising their grandchildren while their son or daughter is not a "fit" parent.

here is where my heart is.
many of you know that i became my godson's mom just a year ago.
at that time he was only 9 months old. he had spent the summer with his birth mother, living in golden gate park in his stroller.

i have had a chance to truly understand what it is like to have virtually no money. my priority was to keep my new family safe; which meant moving when our safety was compromised last fall. the timing of this move totally de-railed my holiday fundraising plans. i am grateful that my mom has been there for us this past year.

i have learned how hard our "county assistance" plans are to navigate. i have learned that counting my change meant whether or not i could put a couple of gallons of gas in my car. i have learned to ask for help. i have learned how grateful a mom can be to given a pack of diapers, a warm sweater, a new book. i have learned how important it is to not feel all alone. i have learned that there are so many other moms out there who are struggling and who don't have family to help them out. because of all that i have learned.... i am even more determined to serve our community.

i was asked a number of times this past year, "why don't you just shut down project warm hug? you don't have the money to keep it going. you don't have the time or energy to keep it going."

my answer is simple. my family became a project warm hug "family" this past year. i know how grateful i am to be able to receive diapers, clothing, books... there are too many moms out there relying on us to help them. whether or not they even know project warm hug, what we do makes a difference, a huge difference. how can you turn your back on that?"

so from fleece hats and scarves, project warm hug donated over 21,000 items last year. our count as of august 31st is over 19,000 items. i estimate that by the end of the year, we will have donated well over 35,000 items and have served at least 1000 local children in need.

please note the following is NOT our current program....
thanks, megan

april 2004.
hi friends,
some of you knew Bill, some didn't but he did some great things in this part of the world. He died recently but his daughter decided to carry on with his important work. I will be helping her out here! If you can please do help as well!Best regards,Tijana (former Children'd Embassy)-----

april 2004
Friends.
I have just started a new project to carry forward my
dad's humanitarian legacy. Please take a moment to
review the attached file. Email me with any questions.
Thanks so much.
Megan Moser Rosenhart.

In memory of my father, William A. Moser and to carry
on his legacy of humanitarian work in eastern Europe,
Project Warm Hug has been created.

On October 15th, 2004 (my father’s birthday),
a minimum of 100 sets of warm hug fleece children’s
accessories will be hand delivered to homeless
children’s organizations in Eastern Europe.

Details of the specific organizations will be sent to
your email address when they have been confirmed.
Because no child should be without a warm hug.

How can you participate??
Each warm fleece set includes a hat, a scarf, a small
snuggie blankie and a few lollipops. The warm hug fleece
sets are available for sponsorship at $30.00 a set.

Your $30.00 sponsorship will cover the cost of fabrics, production
and a percent of the coordination and travel expenses for delivery.
Please indicate the number of sets you would like to sponsor, your name, your address, your email address…and send your check to:
Project Warm Hug
c/o Megan Moser Rosenhart.
mrosenhart@yahoo.com
650-468-3065
Thank you for your support.
Megan Moser Rosenhart.

The Project Warm Hug Update.
May 2004
After launching this project at Menlo College’s Award ceremony last week…I am excited to report in that not only will we be delivering over 100 sets to Eastern Europe (specifically to the former Children’s Embassy in Kosovo), but I am looking at delivering sets to Lima, Peru, and in our homecounty.

Right now I am working with a team of friends who are committed to each finding 100+ sponsors. This will increase our total sets to close to 1000. Wow….wouldn’t that be great!!!
So…what can you do????
Sponsor a set or two or more☺…. or Be committed to sponsoring a 100 sets through your friends, family and organizations.
Help us with the production of the warm hug sets…cutting…sewing…assembling…
Communicate to me any information on organizations that can
benefit from Project Warm Hug…
Specifically Homeless Children’s organizations … anywhere in the world.
Communicate to me any organizations that would like to donate to this project…
We are looking for: candy, toys, stuffed animals, games….they must though be easy to transport…and not perishable.
Anything else you can think of that will help make Project Warm Hug
a success…
Thank you so much for your support,
With many warm hugs,
Megan Moser Rosenhart.

Monday, September 03, 2007

end of the summer updates...

summer greetings.

how did the summer fly by so fast?

i cannot believe that it is september and school is back in session. both of my nieces started school this past week and it reminded me of years long ago when there was so much anticipation about the first day of a new grade; who would be in your class, would you like your teacher, what i would wear for the first day back and so on...

my little guy is way too young to have any of those thoughts. so today was a slow day at home, running a few errands and playing in the backyard. i think i relaxed more today than i did on my short vacation. we went up to my mom's cabin "in the woods". four hours of driving with a 22 month old. before we had even spent an hour in the car, he had thrown up, my mom's dog had thrown up,... and the trip stayed on that level for 4 days.

we are glad to be home.

while we were on "vacation", i actually had a few moments to tally up our summer's efforts. oh my goodness, project warm hug has been rockin'.
last year's total donation count was just over 21,000 items. well, we have already donated over 20,000 items this year. just fyi, i count one diaper as one, and one crib as one. i have breakdowns of the catagories; diapers, clothing, larger items. the first month's of this year were much slower than usual as i was dealing with money challenges! most of the 20,000 has occured in the last 4 months.

good news-

project warm hug has added two new donation drop off sites; one in cupertino and one in sunnyvale. i will be adding these to our list once i confirm addresses.

a number of donations have come in as a result of our matching funds challenge. so far, $100, $20, $50, $100, $250 have been either received or promised! we still have another $1980 available for matching!!!
details are on a previous post.

requests- not many right now, but i am sure to have a lot more starting tomorrow.

a stroller for a single mom at a shelter.
diapers of all sizes.

new news-

i activated our yahoo group. all that are on this group will have first notice of requests, good news, crisis news, and so on...
project_warm_hug@yahoogroups.com

still on our wish list.

a garage makeover with storage shelving to organize our donations!
just need some manpower to make this happen.

diapers and dollars.... will always be on this list!

new on our wish list!

connections with pampers, huggies, safeway, target... oprah???\
we could seriously donate over 50 cases of diapers a week if we had them. actually we could donate as many as we could get a week...

holiday gift giving program-
details will be released very soon~~~

email me with any questions, thoughts, suggestions....
mrosenhart@yahoo.com

my son learned a new word this week. we are going "hoooooommmmme", (home) as we got in the car to leave the cabin. glad to have a home to come home to! many families within a few miles of us don't .

"how much do you make?
how much of a difference are you making?
a balance between the two is essential."

i wish i could remember where i heard this...
just thought it was appropriate for this area...

m.