Over A Mile of Pillowcase Smiles!

Those who can, do; Those who can do more, volunteer.  ~Author unknown

During the month of September people east, west, south, and "up north" sewed, sewed, and sewed some more.   In September Minnesota volunteers made 2,224 pillowcases!  Here are a few examples of contributions that added up to OVER a Mile of Pillowcase Smiles.

---  Many sewed a pillowcase (or a few) and mailed them to me. 
---  Many sewed a pillowcase (or a few) and brought them to our drop-off sites.
---  A few organized sewing events.
---  A few cut fabric for the sewing events.
---  Many attended sewing events. 
---  Many ironed and packaged pillowcases.
---  Many spread the word about ConKerr Cancer.
---  Many donated fabric and/or money.

Thank you to everyone who helped us make our goal of a Mile of Pillowcase Smiles!!! 

When Amy Charpentier heard we were a little short of our mile goal she decided to take on the challenge.  I am still wondering how she pulled off such a fantastic weekend in such short notice and with such style!

Amy invited a bunch of friends to her house for a pillowcase marathon.  She planned non-stop sewing from Saturday morning until Sunday night.  (Okay, maybe she got a few hours of sleep.)  Amy hung some pillowcases outside so no one would miss her house.

 

Once inside there was a lot (and I mean a lot) of fabric cut and ready to sew.

 

A chart of stickers showed the progress throughout the marathon.

A tree of pillowcase happiness hung from the ceiling.

Fabulous friends and family helped throughout the sewing event.

 

(Amy is above - second from the left.  Amy's daughter, Tessa, is on the right.)

 

Many friends showed up to help cut, sew, fold, iron, package, etc for hours and hours. The last day of her marathon happened to be the last day of September.  In the evening of the 30th I recieved a text from Amy, "Will we make a mile?  We can make more if we need them."  I couldn't believe it! 

 

Amy and her family and friends made 338 pillowcases!!

 

 

 

Shakopee High School Juniors Making a Difference

As if being a student council member, youth basketball assistant coach, SADD member, honor roll student, and basketball player isn't enough, Emily Horsmann is now volunteering for ConKerr Cancer.  Within a couple weeks Emily volunteered 12 hours ironing and packaging pillowcases.  When she has time, she'd like to sew pillowcases as well. 

Greta Schleif, another busy student, sewed pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer this month.    Greta, an honor roll student, is involved in cross country, basketball, softball, student council and Link.  Greta is also ironing and packaging pillowcases made at the recent Miles of Pillowcase Smiles event. 

Zac Etrheim, helped all day at the recent Miles of Pillowcase Smiles sewing event.  He is ironing and packaging many of the pillowcases made at the event.  Zac, an honor roll student, plays basketball and has recently gotten a job at Panera.    

In 2010 Zac made pillowcases and helped with our very first delivery to the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital. 

Emily, Greta, and Zac - Welcome to the ConKerr Cancer family!!

ConKerr Cancer – Minnesota Awarded Cities 97 Sampler Grant!

Minneapolis/St. Paul radio station Cities 97 recently awarded the Minnesota Chapter of ConKerr Cancer a grant from the Cities 97 Sampler Volume 23 proceeds.

Each year since 1989, Cities 97 has produced a CD featuring local talent from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.  The Sampler is sold exclusively at area Target stores in November and sells out in a few hours.  100% of the proceeds from the Sampler are awarded to Minnesota non-profit organizations who serve children, animals and adults in need throughout Minnesota.  Since 1989, Cities 97 has raised over $8,800,000 for Minnesota charities!

Julie Morse and Becky Jensen were honored to represent ConKerr Cancer at the Cities 97 Appreciation Luncheon.

 Pictured from left to right: 

Becky Jensen, Lauren MacLeash of Cities 97, and Julie Morse.

Thank You Augsburg College!

Good Neighbors, Giving Back to the Community

 Staff from Augsburg College, constructed pillowcases for neighbor, University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital.  Read the following from event organizer, Wendi:

We work at Augsburg College, and the college grants us two days each year to engage in a community service project or activity of our choice. Last year we made blankets for Project Linus. When I saw something on Facebook about ConKerr Cancer earlier this year, I thought this would be a great day project for those of us who sew. I saw that Amplatz is one of the donation sites, and it's right across the street from our campus, so this just seemed like a great opportunity for us.

Several of our staff colleagues and even one student donated a bunch of fabrics, and we got together to work on the pillowcases on May 17 (after classes had ended at Augsburg). Jen, Kristen, Jill, and I constructed the pillowcases, and Sandy was our wonderful helper who cut and ironed for us! We were really surprised that we were able to make 27 pillowcases in a matter of hours, and we had such a great time. Each time one of us would finish a case, we'd hold it up for the others to see and we all "oohed" and "aahed" over them.

Recently my aunt was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, and while she's not a child, I am sure that she would appreciate any little bit of color and joy in her environment just as a child in the hospital would.

Bennett Olupo had the honor of representing volunteers across Minnesota while delivering the 2,000th pillowcase to the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital.

Becky Jensen, Julie Morse, Charlie Morse, Bennett Olupo and I held a sewing event at the hospital in March.  Now that we have a few sewing events under our belts we are getting into a good groove.  The time flies and we meet a lot of wonderful kiddos and their families. Becky has a quiet and gentle approach working with the kids.  Julie ensures the kids walk away with a sense of pride of sewing on their own.  This was Charlie's first time joining the group. We're hoping we can get the okay for him to entertain us with some guitar music during our next visit.  Bennett usually has a small hand resting on his as they guide the fabric to be sewn.  Even the little kids, whose legs don't reach the floor, want to push the pedal to make the machine sew.  Sarah Blanchette, our wonderful volunteer coordinator, is always so cheerful and welcoming.  We bring totes of pillowcases made by volunteers for those who want to pick a pillowcase (or two) instead of sew one on their own.  There is a lot of time and thought that goes into selecting just the right one.  Thank you to all of the volunteers that make and deliver pillowcases.  Without you this wouldn't be possible! 

Celebration marked by Service Day - 435 Pillowcases!

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormons, celebrated their 75^th anniversary of their church welfare program by doing a day of service.  The celebration was worldwide with each area choosing its own service activity.  In the Lakeville area they chose to make pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer.  Anthea Wilson, from the congregation, came up with the idea as she had already made and donated a few pillowcases on her own.

First, a youth night of about 40-50 teenagers made some.  Then they had an event the day after Thanksgiving.  Around 60-70 people participated in the event!  In addition, people made them on their own throughout the rest of the year and turned them in at the church.

I received an email from one of our drop off sites saying that they didn’t have room for such a big delivery – wow!! The group was donating 435 pillowcases!  I picked up the pillowcases from the home of Dan Brogan.  Luckily Dan’s children pitched in to help load up my van!!

Many of these pillowcases are going to bring smiles to kids and families in St. Mary’s Hospital in Duluth.  The remaining will be going to Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis.  What a great effort by the group!!   Thanks to each and every one of you for each and every pillowcase!!

Children's Hospital of Minneapolis Thanks YOU!

300 beautiful pillowcases were delivered to Children's Hospital of Minneapolis on January 9th.  Whenever I make a delivery I think of all the hearts and hands that helped make the pillowcases.  I recently received this Thank you from the Child Life Specialist at the hospital.  I want to pass this on to all of the volunteers that make ConKerr Cancer successful.  I wish I could thank each of you individually!

~Carolyn



500 Pillowcases to St. Mary's in Duluth

In February of this year, ConKerr Cancer of MN made our first delivery of pillowcases to St. Mary's Hospital in Duluth. Pam, from Silver Bay, initiated and maintains the relationship with St. Mary's for the organization. I am confident Pam feels as fortunate as I do in representing all of you wonderful volunteers. Thanks to you, 500 pillowcases have been delivered to St. Mary's in 2011! Eric, Pam's husband, also helps transport/deliver pillowcases. Thanks so much to Pam and Eric.

During our Miles of Pillowcase Smiles events in September, Toni, from Ely, organized many sewing parties.  This is the second year Toni rolled up her sleeves and took charge up north. With her direction the following groups made 125 pillowcases:

Hearts of the Woods Quilters
Ladies of the Lakes Quilters
Hearts 2 Hands Quilters
Mary's Spinning Wheel Quilt Shop (fabric donations)

Here's a picture of Toni and Pam meeting in Ely to exchange the pillowcases.  (Toni left, Pam right)










Pam also organized some parties and here are some pictures of her events.

Sewing at the Hospital

We had a fantastic day sewing at the hospital! We sewed 17 pillowcases at our event. We were very busy. This year we had quite a few kids who wanted to sew the pillowcases themselves (with a little help). That was very exciting!!! Others chose fabrics for us to sew for them while they waited. We also brought three totes of completed pillowcases. I heard many, "Cuuute", "Ahhhhh", "Look at this one", etc... The pillowcases were flying from the totes...we think patients and families took approximately 70 pillowcases. The parents, families, friends, and patients are very, very appreciative of the efforts of all of you wonderful volunteers.

Julie, her daughter, Emily, and Emily's friend were working as a great team. Emily sewed a Vikings pillowcase for a little Vikings fan. (See picture.) The game was on when we were sewing. We had plenty of Vikings fabric for those fans that may have been in bewilderment today over the game. This little guy (we didn't catch his name) has a pillowcase to match his hat now... Julie helped keep up with the "sew and go" orders we took. ;-) It's great to see another generation of volunteers! 

One of Becky's "customers" was Wes. Wes was full of energy and very wiggly.  He had some big curls under his hat that seemed to fit his personality perfectly. That was some cool hair. Wes is a firecracker!! He is growing his hair for "Locks of Love"...how awesome is that. I believe Wes's sibling is in the hospital. (Check out the picture.) I didn't get a picture of a little girl Becky helped, however, she was as cute as can be. She had the prettiest red hair. I'm guessing she was between 8 and 10. She had purple eye shadow...very neatly applied. She made a tie-die pillowcase and was as happy and as proud as can be when she finished.

Terrance, was a fast friend to Bennett. Bennett helped Terrance sew three pillowcases - one Vikings pillowcase for himself, one Vikings pillowcase for Terrance's dad, and one U of M pillowcase to give another patient. Yep, Terrance wanted to donate a pillowcase to another patient. That was so sweet. (The bib Terrance is wearing is his sister's, by the way.) Terrance kept Bennett busy and he was chatty. He told Bennett he wanted to be a running back but will probably be a quarterback because he has a good arm and he is fast. We told Terrance he was our number one pillowcase sewer today and that got a great smile.

Thanks to all of you for your support of ConKerr Cancer. You made a lot of smiles today!!

~Carolyn

Pillowcase-a-thon Success

The Pillowcase-a-thon at Quilt Yourself on Saturday, 9/10/11, was a HUGE success!  We made 127 pillowcases! 






Volunteers were cutting, pinning, ironing, and sewing.  Everyone was fantastic and flexible.  Not only did the group make 127 pillowcases, volunteers cut all of the fabric that was brought in.   In addition to the 127 made at the event, 73 were brought in completed.  That's a total of 200 pillowcases for the day!  Thanks to everyone for your FABULOUS work. 



I had a lot of fun and hope everyone that helped enjoyed the day too.   A very, very special THANK YOU to Jeannette and Sue, owners of Quilt Yourself, for hosting our event.  You are gems for being so generous.  The MN chapter of ConKerr Cancer would not be what it is today without you.  You are the best.

Start a Family Tradition - Make Pillowcases!

Would you like to start a new family tradition? Would you like something to do at your family gatherings? How about making pillowcases?

Jenny, of Chanhassen, and 12 of her family members made pillowcases last year during the holidays. The family included Jenny's Grandma(93), her parents, Jenny's sister and her husband, and their boys (ages 9,11, 13, & 15) and last but not least - Jenny and her husband, and their two kids (ages 13 & 16)! They made 26 beautiful pillowcases.

Danny, the youngest, was one of the photographers. He took his job very seriously and enjoyed himself at the same time. They made pillowcases and borders separately. They laid them out on the ping pong table and everyone, from youngest to oldest, had the opportunity to choose a case and border to go together. Many of the pillowcases ended up with names, such as, "Cam-inals" (camo and animals) and "Cotton Candy."

What a fantastic idea, great family project, and wonderful way to celebrate the holidays!

Boy Scout Service

Andy Montean has been Scouting for 7 years and he's working towards becoming an Eagle Scout. For each rank in Boy Scouts, the boys are required to learn more about Community Service, usually by giving their time and talents. Through their efforts they gain knowledge and understanding of the world around them. Andy decided he wanted to do something for kids so he made some pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer. Until now, all of his service hours have been helping senior citizens with lawn care. Andy's favorite part of Scouting is the camping trips, including camping in the blizzard of 2010. We wish Andy the best on his endeavor to become an Eagle Scout!

University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital

• Thanks to your dedication, we delivered 130 pillowcases to the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital this week!

After the drop off, Bennett, my daughter Chrissy, and I took a tour of the new hospital. The new hospital is beautiful. There will be the same number of beds, 96; however, the rooms are much larger. Here are a few items of interest that stand out in my mind from the tour:

• there is a ton of natural light in the hallways and rooms to capture the healing power of the sun


• all of the rooms are very large and private


• all of the rooms are set up with the same design: medical care on the right, patient in the middle, family on the left


• patients will start transitioning to the new hospital at the end of April


• the hospital has approximately 700 volunteers in rotation at any one time


• each patient will receive a welcome package upon moving to the new hospital. Each welcome package will contain a special ConKerr Cancer pillowcase!!


• In February 2009, Caroline Amplatz, J.D. gave a $50 million gift to the University of Minnesota Children's Hospital building project to honor her father, former University of Minnesota professor and medical device pioneer Kurt Amplatz, M.D. To recognize the gift and the person in whose honor it was given, the hospital is now called University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital. Recently Caroline Amplatz donated 11 million for additional updates.

With Love from MN!

Anikah, a little 2 year old girl from the south metro, is in Texas getting treatment for cancer. At the end of December Anikah wasn't feeling well and her parents took her in for a check up. The Drs discovered Anikah had a tumor on her brain (grade II Ependymoma). The tumor was removed surgically at Children's Hospital in MN but she needed to have a special type of proton treatment. Anikah, her parents, and big brother, Joey, traveled to Texas the end of January to start treatment. It sounds like it has been a long road of tests, surgeries, and medicines. The good news is that Anikah will soon be coming home to MN and she is cancer free! It's a little late, but pillowcases are on their way, to Anikah and big brother Joey, with well wishes and love from MN.

First Delivery to St. Mary's Duluth

Great news! Snow will not hold us mighty Minnesotans back....our pillowcases made it to St. Mary's Hospital in Duluth! Whew-hoo!

Pam, from Little Marais, made our first delivery on February 15th. Pam has established a relationship with JoHannah Orman, the Child Life Specialist, at St. Mary's. Pam is on the left and JoHanna is on the right.





Pam is going to be our point person for St. Mary's Duluth. Thanks Pam!!