DECEMBER 2007
DECEMBER 24, 2007--Season's Greetings one and all! The house is full of grown adult children and friends. Their girl friends helped this year decorate tree and cookies--what a terrific gift from both of the girls. My oldest son cannot be home, but there isn't a moment we don't feel his presence as we look at the tree. Peace and joy and love to all in 2008. And yes, we continue the blanket project. Thanks to Shelly for the Christmas card and "tea" as well as all your good wishes. I hope in 2008 we see New Orleans more stable, our young men and women in the military home . . .as well as our project represented by all fifty states. Enjoy your holidays.
DECEMBER 14, 2007--Can you all tell I turned my grades in? You have only heard from me sporadically during the last months and now twice in two days. I love teaching online, but this semester was brutal! Heard from Heather and Blankets for the Gulf--they have sent over 1000 blankets and still gets requests! I remember reading it would take ten years to recover from Hurricanea Katrina and Rita. At the two-year mark. . . it seems too, too true.
Below are pictures my son David sent me of the homeless encampment in front of City Hall in New Orleans. The city cannot afford to keep the homeless shelters open, so organizations are donating tentds for the people to live in on the grass in front of City Hall. I also direct you to NBC News--they had a story tonight on Katrina--FEMA is pulling out and of course leaving people homeless. Click here.
DECEMBER 13, 2007--Friends! I mailed 17 blankets to Covenant House in New Orleans today, meaning we have exceeded 200 blankets sent! Thanks to all of you, but especially Shelly, Kathy, Diane (I love the Christmas presents) and the gang in San Diego, Ruth and her nimble fingers and Mary Beth.
If you remember back in the summer, we sent blankets to Kansas. Nancy and her friends delivered them earlier this month to Greensburg. The pictures follow and say it all--I also have a promise from my son for photos of the homeless encampment in front of New Orleans City Hall. The city cannot afford to run the shelters, have closed them down, and the homeless have been provided tents which they have set up in front of City Hall.
From Nancy in Kansas:
Here are our pictures from Greensburg. We had a wonderful trip down although the wind was blowing like you would not believe. Fortunately we went on Wednesday because it blew in ice and snow the following day so God was good to give us safe travel.
The photos show the "hospital" and emergency room. There is a very nice
hospital about 30 miles away. You be able to see the foundations on some
and other homes being rebuilt. The trees are totally stripped and there are
remnants of metal and signs in many of them.
The photo with the blankets weare in front of the post office (trailer) and I'm the one in the sunglasses.The other women are some of the members of Knit Wits. It was so windy and
cold we wanted to wrap up in the blankets!
When we arrived in Greensburg we were surprised to see anything there at all
so they are making some progress. They have 69 houses occupied, up from 1
house and 29 homes are under construction. The businesses are slower in
returning but recently a new Ethanol plant is going in and that will provide
jobs and the grocery store is going to rebuild. So there is hope.We met Randy Kelly who will distribute the blankets at a community Christmas
dinner in a couple of weeks. When we left we only wished we had more to
give.
Thanks for helping to make this all possible. If you have any other
blankets you are ready to send you could send them directly to Randy Kelly
717 Sunset Ln. Greensburg, KS 67054Merry Christmas
