The other day I got a package from Helen Keller International. I participated in a trivia contest with the organization on Twitter. I didn't win -- by a longshot. But they had some extra prizes and they liked my answers so I got the package. It consisted of a biography of Ms. Keller, some healthy seeds for eyesight and a magnet with an awesome Helen Keller quote. I'll get back to the quote in a second.
What does HKI do? They work globally to prevent blindess, help those with poor visition through ensuring proper vision screening and nutrition. As you know, Ms. Keller was both deaf and blind through illness contracted as a baby. This organization carries on her work. I do support the work of HKI though some of my other work.
HKI is not one of the organizations that the Quilt Block Challenge supports. I had to limit it to 5 organizations to avoid diluting the impact. If I had a list of 100 organizations (easy to do with all the great organizations out there), the $10 donations would be spread too thin. But, by limiting it to 5, it focuses the impact a bit more.
And focusing the impact is key. Helen Keller "Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much." By myself, I can only give so much to worthy organizations. I can only make so many quilts. Together, we can give to the chosen organizations, which will give them more in donations to their work. Then I can do more quilts to help others. It is a collaborative effort.
Won't you join me so we can do so much?
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Monday, June 24, 2013
Future Plans
Once this gets going I will add a gallery page.
Also, I will have a ticker showing amount raised and quilts donated. Won't that be pretty? Won't that be cool to see how all of us working together can make a difference?
So let's get going. Let's get donating so I can get quilting.
Also, I will have a ticker showing amount raised and quilts donated. Won't that be pretty? Won't that be cool to see how all of us working together can make a difference?
So let's get going. Let's get donating so I can get quilting.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Update -- Room to Read
Tune in to Girl Rising on CNN June 16-23 to learn more about the efforts to educate girls worldwide by organizations like Room to Red.. Hear some amazing success stories. Then donate to the Freedom to Dream Campaign. Donations made to this campaign through June 23 will be matched. So you can triple your impact (your donation, the match and then the quilt block).
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Don't Forget to Donate
The whole idea of the Quilt Block Challenge is you donate, I quilt, then I donate the quilt. So it all starts with you. Take up the Challenge. Just one $10 tax deductible donation gets the project going.
If you have donated and have not received an acknowledgement from me, let me know in the comments. I am not sure I trust that contact form.
If you have donated and have not received an acknowledgement from me, let me know in the comments. I am not sure I trust that contact form.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Update on Intrepid Fallen Heroes
Just caught this tweet today:
We're thrilled to announce that tomorrow we break ground on our 3rd NICoE Satellite Center at @FortCampbell KY! pic.twitter.com/ghy7fr99NK
Great job guys. You can follow all the chosen charities on Twitter through the links provided.
If you want to get in on this great work -- just a $10 donation.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Let's See a Quilt
How do you even know I can quilt? Well here is a quilt top I just finished. It's a pretty basic design.
Obviously for the challenge quilt, I will use more elaborate blocks. Because face it, this challenge is partly an excuse to do all those block patterns that are a lot of pieces that I just don't have the patience to make a whole quilt of those blocks. For people who do the whole quilt it will be an overall design like the above, although more work. After all for $10 you want some effort out of me. Probably something like a courthouse steps. As a lawyer I really should have done one of those by now. (hint, hint, hint.)
This one is just one I did while waiting for the challenge to take off. Haven't decided which organization will get it yet. This is only the top, I still need to attach the batting and the backing, then quilt it. So I have time to think about which organization will get it.
Obviously for the challenge quilt, I will use more elaborate blocks. Because face it, this challenge is partly an excuse to do all those block patterns that are a lot of pieces that I just don't have the patience to make a whole quilt of those blocks. For people who do the whole quilt it will be an overall design like the above, although more work. After all for $10 you want some effort out of me. Probably something like a courthouse steps. As a lawyer I really should have done one of those by now. (hint, hint, hint.)
This one is just one I did while waiting for the challenge to take off. Haven't decided which organization will get it yet. This is only the top, I still need to attach the batting and the backing, then quilt it. So I have time to think about which organization will get it.
About the Charities
I chose 5 charities to be the recipient of the donations for the quilt challenge. I went with 5 because I couldn't narrow it down any further, but I didn't want to have too many. Believe me there are a lot of worthy organizations out there. I went with organizations that are rated either 3 or 4 stars on Charity Navigator. I wanted trustworthy organizations. Then I chose organizations that operate in areas that are important to me. So let's learn more about them:
Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund -- Mission Statement: The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund serves United States military personnel wounded or injured in service to our nation, and their families. Supporting these heroes helps repay the debt all Americans owe them for the sacrifices they have made in service to our nation. They are, in the words of our founder, the late Zachary Fisher, “our nation’s greatest national resource,” and they deserve all the help that our nation can provide. The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund is a leader in meeting this important national mission. Currently IFHF is fundraising to raise $100 million to build satellite centers to serve those suffering traumatic brain injury and PTSD. I chose IFHF because I served myself for a short time, and because we owe a huge debt to those who protect our freedoms every day. Some pay the ultimate sacrifice, some live with the wounds (both visible and invisble) and every day.
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society -- Dedicated to funding research for blood cancers and providing education and patient services. More than $750 million has been awarded to researchers I chose LLS because I have lost 3 family members to cancer since 1997. A cure can be found, we just need to keep looking.
Mercy Corps -- Alleviating poverty, suffering and oppression through building secure just and productive communities. This is an international development organization. They go in to communities throughout the world and help people help themselves. This month (June 2013) donations are matched. Besides donations of any amount, you can give symbolic gifts to help people become productive, healthy members of society. Some of the gifts are: a goat, a hive of bees, a bag of seeds, a cookstove and many other items. I chose Mercy Corps because I have a degree in International Relations, so I know the link between poverty and war. I also love the symbolic gifts, it is such an awesome way to connect the work done with the donors.
Polaris Project -- Pushes for stronger laws against human trafficking, operates the National Trafficking Hotline, provides services to victims and educates the public about human trafficking. Slavery didn't end with the 13th Amendment. It goes on worldwide, including the US, today. Polaris Project is leading the fight. I chose Polaris because I interned with them in law school. I saw first hand the work they do. Human trafficking is disgusting and horrible and has no place in a civilized society, Polaris is trying to end that.
Room to Read -- Literacy improves society. Education, especially for girls in places it is denied, improves society. Room to Read works in Asia and Africa to bring education and literacy to under served communities. I chose Room to Read because I love to read. When I was a little girl we only had a bookmobile in our town. I was grateful mind you, but it only came once a week. Then my parents and a bunch of other concerned adults got together and got the town a library. Books, glorious books. I want every child to experience that joy of being transported to another place, time, world by books.
You can learn more about the chosen organizations by clicking the links on the side. The link takes you to the donation page, but from there you can navigate the websites. Learn more about these fine organizations. Don't forget to donate. Together we can make a difference (yeah, it's a cliche but it's true).
Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund -- Mission Statement: The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund serves United States military personnel wounded or injured in service to our nation, and their families. Supporting these heroes helps repay the debt all Americans owe them for the sacrifices they have made in service to our nation. They are, in the words of our founder, the late Zachary Fisher, “our nation’s greatest national resource,” and they deserve all the help that our nation can provide. The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund is a leader in meeting this important national mission. Currently IFHF is fundraising to raise $100 million to build satellite centers to serve those suffering traumatic brain injury and PTSD. I chose IFHF because I served myself for a short time, and because we owe a huge debt to those who protect our freedoms every day. Some pay the ultimate sacrifice, some live with the wounds (both visible and invisble) and every day.
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society -- Dedicated to funding research for blood cancers and providing education and patient services. More than $750 million has been awarded to researchers I chose LLS because I have lost 3 family members to cancer since 1997. A cure can be found, we just need to keep looking.
Mercy Corps -- Alleviating poverty, suffering and oppression through building secure just and productive communities. This is an international development organization. They go in to communities throughout the world and help people help themselves. This month (June 2013) donations are matched. Besides donations of any amount, you can give symbolic gifts to help people become productive, healthy members of society. Some of the gifts are: a goat, a hive of bees, a bag of seeds, a cookstove and many other items. I chose Mercy Corps because I have a degree in International Relations, so I know the link between poverty and war. I also love the symbolic gifts, it is such an awesome way to connect the work done with the donors.
Polaris Project -- Pushes for stronger laws against human trafficking, operates the National Trafficking Hotline, provides services to victims and educates the public about human trafficking. Slavery didn't end with the 13th Amendment. It goes on worldwide, including the US, today. Polaris Project is leading the fight. I chose Polaris because I interned with them in law school. I saw first hand the work they do. Human trafficking is disgusting and horrible and has no place in a civilized society, Polaris is trying to end that.
Room to Read -- Literacy improves society. Education, especially for girls in places it is denied, improves society. Room to Read works in Asia and Africa to bring education and literacy to under served communities. I chose Room to Read because I love to read. When I was a little girl we only had a bookmobile in our town. I was grateful mind you, but it only came once a week. Then my parents and a bunch of other concerned adults got together and got the town a library. Books, glorious books. I want every child to experience that joy of being transported to another place, time, world by books.
You can learn more about the chosen organizations by clicking the links on the side. The link takes you to the donation page, but from there you can navigate the websites. Learn more about these fine organizations. Don't forget to donate. Together we can make a difference (yeah, it's a cliche but it's true).
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Clinic Night 6/6/2013
Had a very long day in court today. Longer than it was supposed to be due to an emergency motion. I was tired out by the time I got back to the office. But my day wasn't done. It was Pro Bono Clinic night.
I love doing it Clinic. It's a walk in clinic in Montgomery County. We have several around the county every month. This particular one is the first and second Thursday of every month at the East County Regional Service Center. Anyone with a legal problem can walk in and get basic advice. We don't represent the folks. They either get referred to the Pro Bono Program or another agency. But it's anything goes: traffic, bankruptcy, landlord-tenant, criminal, debt collection, whatever.
I do family law. You would think after a long day I would be too worn to muster the energy. But honestly, it is the most energizing thing. People come in with their problems, you help them a bit. The whole reason most lawyers went to law school.
You get the most bizarre twist on cases. Which is why I love family law. Put family law and clinic together and you never what you will get. Heck even if it old dogs up to the same old tricks, it still can be fun. I love telling someone -- yeah that pension your spouse said you would never get, it's half yours. Oh your spouse thinks income can be hidden to avoid child support, good luck with that one. Then seeing the sign of relief when they realize that the court system is not how the other person said it was, makes all the tiredness disappear.
Clinic is not all excitement. Sometimes you have to tell people "No you are not going to get joint custody of the child you haven't seen in the last 5 years." "No joint custody does not get you out of child support." But whatever. I ain't here to be Little Ms. Sunshine. My job is to educate people about how family law works in the state of Maryland. You might not like it, but you will get the truth from me.
All in all a good night. Which is what I am saying now because after the adrenalin rush of clinic comes the crash.
I love doing it Clinic. It's a walk in clinic in Montgomery County. We have several around the county every month. This particular one is the first and second Thursday of every month at the East County Regional Service Center. Anyone with a legal problem can walk in and get basic advice. We don't represent the folks. They either get referred to the Pro Bono Program or another agency. But it's anything goes: traffic, bankruptcy, landlord-tenant, criminal, debt collection, whatever.
I do family law. You would think after a long day I would be too worn to muster the energy. But honestly, it is the most energizing thing. People come in with their problems, you help them a bit. The whole reason most lawyers went to law school.
You get the most bizarre twist on cases. Which is why I love family law. Put family law and clinic together and you never what you will get. Heck even if it old dogs up to the same old tricks, it still can be fun. I love telling someone -- yeah that pension your spouse said you would never get, it's half yours. Oh your spouse thinks income can be hidden to avoid child support, good luck with that one. Then seeing the sign of relief when they realize that the court system is not how the other person said it was, makes all the tiredness disappear.
Clinic is not all excitement. Sometimes you have to tell people "No you are not going to get joint custody of the child you haven't seen in the last 5 years." "No joint custody does not get you out of child support." But whatever. I ain't here to be Little Ms. Sunshine. My job is to educate people about how family law works in the state of Maryland. You might not like it, but you will get the truth from me.
All in all a good night. Which is what I am saying now because after the adrenalin rush of clinic comes the crash.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
The Quilt Block Challenge - Long Version
This is the long explanation for what the Quilt Block Challenge is. The short version is over on the right side there.
I love to quilt. But hey, I can only use so many quilts myself even here in frozen Maryland (those from further north I don't want to hear about how MD is not frozen). So I make quilts for friends. Babies, weddings, etc. But I also want to give back. There are a lot of organizations that accept donations of quilts: Project Linus , Soldier's Angels, Afghans for Angels just to name a few. But how to get quilting. That should be a no brainer but wasn't. Just never got around to it.
So I came up with the idea of the Quilt Block Challenge. It is modeled on the "buy a brick" fundraisers that many organizations have. Except instead of a brick, you are buying a quilt block. For every $10 donation made to one of the organizations listed on the sidebar, I will quilt a block in the donor's honor. Feel free to make an "In Memoriam" or "In Honor of" donation. I make the block and sew your initials or the person being remembered/honored onto the block. I then send you a picture of the completed block. When I get enough blocks done, I make the quilt. You get a picture of the completed picture also. The quilt then gets donated to one of the organizations accepting finished quilts. So its double giving for one donation. The organizations get donations and an organization gets a finished quilt. The links for the organizations take you right to the donor page for each organization.
But QA, what if I want to give more than $10? Feel free to do so. In fact, it takes about 20 blocks to make a quilt (some more, some less, depends on size of the blocks and size of the quilt). You can donate $100 and get half a quilt made. Or be really generous and donate $200 and get a whole quilt in your honor or the in someone else's honor/memory. The only difference with the whole quilt is you don't get a picture of an individual block. Just of the whole quilt. I know breaks your heart right?
Does the donation for a half or whole quilt have to be to only one organization? No, it does not. I couldn't choose just one organization to be the recipient of the monetary donations, why should you have to choose only one. As long as you let me know the total donations, I don't care how you distribute it. The only requirement is it must be one of the five on the sidebar.
How do you prove you donated? Simple use the contact information below to copy and paste your receipt (without any bank, credit card or the like info) for the donation. Then send it to me. Make sure to include your email address so I can send you the pictures. This information will be used solely for that purpose. No marketing, no spamming, etc. Use it and forget it. I don't want to bother you after you did something so nice. Your privacy is important. If you want to continue talking about your block, quilt, the challenge or whatever, feel free to use the comments on the blog.
When I was bouncing this idea off friends they wanted to know why I didn't use Firstgiving or Indiegogo or something. Those are great places to go to donate, get funding etc. Just not right for this. First of all, I wanted you the donors to make the donations directly to the organization. That way you get the tax writeoff. And I don't have to worry about handling the money. Also those websites require a fundraising goal with a set deadline. I don't have a deadline or a goal amount in mind. I just want to see how much can be raised and how long this can keep going. If I am still making blocks and quilts in 5 years through this -- AWESOME. As long as folks are donating, I will keep making quilts.
There is a donate button on the top right side. That is to help me with the costs of this. Fabric, batting, thread, plus the occasional snack while quilting. These donations do not go to the organization, do not qualify for a block, and are not tax deductible. But your help is appreciated if you choose to help that way.
So that's it. The long version. I said it would be long. So let's get donating and quilting. Any questions? Put them in the comments and I will respond.
I love to quilt. But hey, I can only use so many quilts myself even here in frozen Maryland (those from further north I don't want to hear about how MD is not frozen). So I make quilts for friends. Babies, weddings, etc. But I also want to give back. There are a lot of organizations that accept donations of quilts: Project Linus , Soldier's Angels, Afghans for Angels just to name a few. But how to get quilting. That should be a no brainer but wasn't. Just never got around to it.
So I came up with the idea of the Quilt Block Challenge. It is modeled on the "buy a brick" fundraisers that many organizations have. Except instead of a brick, you are buying a quilt block. For every $10 donation made to one of the organizations listed on the sidebar, I will quilt a block in the donor's honor. Feel free to make an "In Memoriam" or "In Honor of" donation. I make the block and sew your initials or the person being remembered/honored onto the block. I then send you a picture of the completed block. When I get enough blocks done, I make the quilt. You get a picture of the completed picture also. The quilt then gets donated to one of the organizations accepting finished quilts. So its double giving for one donation. The organizations get donations and an organization gets a finished quilt. The links for the organizations take you right to the donor page for each organization.
But QA, what if I want to give more than $10? Feel free to do so. In fact, it takes about 20 blocks to make a quilt (some more, some less, depends on size of the blocks and size of the quilt). You can donate $100 and get half a quilt made. Or be really generous and donate $200 and get a whole quilt in your honor or the in someone else's honor/memory. The only difference with the whole quilt is you don't get a picture of an individual block. Just of the whole quilt. I know breaks your heart right?
Does the donation for a half or whole quilt have to be to only one organization? No, it does not. I couldn't choose just one organization to be the recipient of the monetary donations, why should you have to choose only one. As long as you let me know the total donations, I don't care how you distribute it. The only requirement is it must be one of the five on the sidebar.
How do you prove you donated? Simple use the contact information below to copy and paste your receipt (without any bank, credit card or the like info) for the donation. Then send it to me. Make sure to include your email address so I can send you the pictures. This information will be used solely for that purpose. No marketing, no spamming, etc. Use it and forget it. I don't want to bother you after you did something so nice. Your privacy is important. If you want to continue talking about your block, quilt, the challenge or whatever, feel free to use the comments on the blog.
When I was bouncing this idea off friends they wanted to know why I didn't use Firstgiving or Indiegogo or something. Those are great places to go to donate, get funding etc. Just not right for this. First of all, I wanted you the donors to make the donations directly to the organization. That way you get the tax writeoff. And I don't have to worry about handling the money. Also those websites require a fundraising goal with a set deadline. I don't have a deadline or a goal amount in mind. I just want to see how much can be raised and how long this can keep going. If I am still making blocks and quilts in 5 years through this -- AWESOME. As long as folks are donating, I will keep making quilts.
There is a donate button on the top right side. That is to help me with the costs of this. Fabric, batting, thread, plus the occasional snack while quilting. These donations do not go to the organization, do not qualify for a block, and are not tax deductible. But your help is appreciated if you choose to help that way.
So that's it. The long version. I said it would be long. So let's get donating and quilting. Any questions? Put them in the comments and I will respond.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Welcome
Yes this is the traditional welcome to the Blog post. I think it is required by law to do one of these. Since I am a lawyer, I should check on that. Oh well, here goes:
The purpose of this blog is really to promote the quilt block challenge. The general idea is over on the side there. Go ahead try it. You will be helping others. And besides the warm fuzzy feeling you get from donating to really good causes (all of them are 3 and 4 rated charities on Charity Navigator) you get that warm feeling again knowing you helped make a quilt that was donated to a worthy organization. Twice the warm fuzzies for one donation. Plus you get not one, but two pictures of "your" block. One of just the block, then one of the quilt into which the your block went. All for one low, low, donation of $10. I'll stop now because I am starting to sound like a Ronco commercial.
I will also be posting about the pro bono work I do as a family law attorney in Montgomery County, Maryland. No, don't call me to take your case pro bono. I only take cases approved by legal services organizations. And no, I won't be talking specifics of any cases. Just more my overall experience. But hey, at least I won't be posting about football (hopefully), I have another blog for that and twitter.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading, and helping me help others. Drop a line and say hi. Participate in the discussions I hope to get going here. Comment on the pictures of blocks and quilts I hope to post. You know all the fun stuff that bloggers hope happen when we start blogs.
The purpose of this blog is really to promote the quilt block challenge. The general idea is over on the side there. Go ahead try it. You will be helping others. And besides the warm fuzzy feeling you get from donating to really good causes (all of them are 3 and 4 rated charities on Charity Navigator) you get that warm feeling again knowing you helped make a quilt that was donated to a worthy organization. Twice the warm fuzzies for one donation. Plus you get not one, but two pictures of "your" block. One of just the block, then one of the quilt into which the your block went. All for one low, low, donation of $10. I'll stop now because I am starting to sound like a Ronco commercial.
I will also be posting about the pro bono work I do as a family law attorney in Montgomery County, Maryland. No, don't call me to take your case pro bono. I only take cases approved by legal services organizations. And no, I won't be talking specifics of any cases. Just more my overall experience. But hey, at least I won't be posting about football (hopefully), I have another blog for that and twitter.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading, and helping me help others. Drop a line and say hi. Participate in the discussions I hope to get going here. Comment on the pictures of blocks and quilts I hope to post. You know all the fun stuff that bloggers hope happen when we start blogs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)