HUGE CELEBRATION *dancing around the room* donation for Shriners DONE!!

Oh my, you know that huge cheering you hear? Well, that is all our volunteers here at Relief Share celebrating our huge quilt drive for Shriners Childrens Hospital in St Louis. A little over a year ago they requested 240 twin size quilts for the patients beds in the hospital.  Our volunteers have patchworked and sewn quilts for a year – the quilts took over our waking moments and even started showing up in our dreams as we slept!  We adore the sweet children who are being cared for at Shriners and love the wonderful nurses, doctors and personnel who give their time, effort and expertise to make each and every child’s experience at Shriners Childrens Hospital a positive experience.

We delivered the first quilts on 4/30/2009 and the last quilts were mailed today.  We would like to thank everyone who made this large product such a wonderful success. Lucky Dollar Store in Licking gave Relief Share discounted pricing on all the fabric and batting purchased, a donation of yarn for tying the quilts came from the closeout of a knitting shop through E. Warner, Houston, MO, Grandmother’s Attic and USCybertek owned by Carol & Richard Green, RS Founders donated a great deal of the fabric, batting, sewing thread, gas and money for deliveries, T. Lund and J Stice made many of the quilts that were donated, T. Lund donated a great deal of the batting for the quilts and also some of the fabric, A. Mooney finished the edges of many of the quilts and donated a Mickey Mouse baby quilt that was sold on Ebay along with books to raise funds for supplies for the quilts.  A wonderful quilting shop in Licking, MO donated the time to machine quilt many of the quilts, and other quilting shops and guilds were also involved in helping.  A sweet lady who wishes to remain anonymous donated the machines we needed to get the job done!  There were so many people from all walks of life, economic situations and beliefs that came together to join in love to help the sick and needy.

Most of all, we would like to thank Shriners Childrens Hospital in St Louis for allowing to bless the children’s lives in this way.  All the volunteers in the world couldn’t make a difference if there was no one willing to accept our donations. Providing us an opportunity to help others is a wonderful gift that we deeply appreciate.

Motivation to help is found in each one of us.  There are many reasons to get involved in charity work and we would like so share with you why we were (and still are) highly motivated with deep gratitude to assist Shriners in their work for the world’s sick and needy children.  A picture can say a thousand words, 2 pictures are even better.  This is our precious granddaughter – she had a health care practioner dislocate her hip in a well baby checkup at 3 months old.  We rushed her to a specialist and they took ultrasounds that showed that the doctor had indeed put her joint out of socket but it appeared to be back in.  She got to be 18 months old and couldn’t walk – she would take a few steps and fall, so we took her back to the specialist who immediately called Shriners.

Until then we had no idea what Shriners did, only that they were the men in the funny hats in parades and occasionally had a monkey with them!  After a number of surgeries and many body casts to correct the problem in her hip that now affected her entire life – we are overwhelmed with gratitude when we tell you that no only is she walking – she is running and doing very well.  Her walk is not perfect, but she can now lead a normal life and walk and run like God intended her to do.

See for yourself…… Embry Claire, born perfect in every way – a bright life ahead of her. April 2006

This is Embry at her first stay in Shriners – the doctor did traction for two and a half weeks first and then surgery. Yes, she is supposed to be lying down with her feet elevated for traction but she was pretty good at sitting herself up when we looked away *grin*

The first surgery was on her affected hip alone.  Sadly, more surgery was needed to help her be able to walk.

Grandpa and Grandma flew Embry Claire up to St Louis for her surgeries.  You can see the donations we took up from Relief Share on the ground in the clear bags each time we went.  Her Mommy is stepping down out of the plane after unloading the delivery bags.

Embry Claire loves to fly, she wasn’t so thrilled when she figured out that surgeries were on the other end, but flying was a super treat for her.

Embry Claire watches another patient play a game in the red room at Shriners.  The surgery this time was on both hips and she can’t sit up with her body cast on.  We pulled her around in a little red wagon for a long time until the body cast came off.

Embry Claire using her walker.  Her hips ache but she is such a little trooper and she sticks with it.  I am so proud of her and stay right there with her.

THANK YOU SHRINERS AND DR SHOENECKER!  Look at her go! Embry Claire loves the beach! She is RUNNING!

– look at her now She has grown from that tiny baby and is now a beautiful 4 year old – walking on her own.

We would love to hear from you what YOUR motivation is for helping others.  Is it gratitude, a need to share, love for others, all of those and more?  Email us or reply to this blog

President Carol Green
Embry Claire’s happy and grateful grandmother.

info@ReliefShare.org