Story-Telling Photos

We like to document the work we do and the people who participate in Women's Service Day, and this year was no exception. You can view photos from the event online, and order prints through Kodak Gallery if you'd like your own copies.

Thanks again to everyone who participated! Stay tuned for plans for next year, our 10th Annual Women's Service Day, set for October 6.

We'd love to hear your stories!

We've counted up the numbers, and can report that we had 90 women serving 12 agencies throughout the Women's Service Day yesterday. We also contributed over $1,000 to Hospice of Holland, the results of our auction and raffle. We didn't count up the pounds of cheese in the breakfast strata; we'll save that for another time.

If you participated in the day, you'll soon receive a request for your feedback. And if you have any stories about what you did or who you met, feel free to share them in comments here.

Thanks again for joining us for a day of service to women and children in our community!

The speediest thank-you!

Before we'd even gotten back to our computers after our event yesterday, we'd received a thank-you note from the resource coordinator at Community Action House. We'll follow up with a more complete summary of the day, but this note captured the spirit, so we wanted to pass it along:

"A little note to express a big ‘Thank You’ to you and all the ladies who served our community today. I had the pleasure of meeting a wonderful crew of women [on...] Pine Avenue. This home is a transitional housing residence maintained by Community Action House. I saw other women working on various projects throughout our city. How sweet is that!

"Kristen, Kristi, Karen and Amy were willing workers and did a great job of painting doors, trim, a pillar and an upper level deck railing with lots of spindles. Their great work was only overshadowed by their positive and pleasant attitudes. They did a splendid job and even performed a great cleanup of the area and tools from the job. They jokingly challenged me to attend the breakfast next year as they related that there were no men attending this year’s breakfast. How sad. I will do my best to attend the 2011 Women’s Service Day breakfast.

"Please feel free to pass on this ‘Thank You’ from Community Action House to those you feel would like/need to read it. You ladies are THE BEST!"

An apron from a WSD mom

Edith Maassen, the mother of one of the Women's Service Day planning crew members, made this apron and contributed it to the silent auction, the proceeds of which benefit Hospice of Holland, in honor of friends and colleagues lost in this past year. The apron provides full coverage, has a handy pocket, and is fully washable, of course. Best of all, it's made from a pattern taken from the aprons my grandmother always wore, so there's plenty of cooking karma included at no extra charge.

To see the full list of raffle and silent auction items, see our earlier post.

Leaves of concrete! from Diane Aamoth

Sounds unlikely, yes? But it's true! Diane makes leaves of concrete. They're lovely in a garden, or cupping a little water for a birdsplash. We'll have four, two in each of two sizes, at the silent auction, proceeds from which benefit Hospice of Holland, in honor of friends and colleagues lost in this past year.

To see the entire list of raffle and auction items, see our earlier blog post.

All-wool afghan from a collaboration

This afghan is the collaborative result of knitting by Cheryl Murdoch and Barbara Loveland, and assembly by Barbara. It's a sampler afghan, with a different knitted pattern on each square. It's all wool, so it's guaranteed warm and cozy for the upcoming winter. And it's donated to our raffle or silent auction, proceeds from which benefit Hospice of Holland in honor of friends and colleagues lost this past year.

To see the full list of raffle and auction items, see our previous blog post.

MotherTongues MINGA T-Shirt

The Women's Service Day planning crew learned that coincidentally, local firm MotherTongues was introducing a new T-shirt this week that says MINGA. If that doesn't resonate, read this definition of the South American Quechua word: "In a MINGA, community members gather to accomplish a task that benefits the community-as-a-whole. A MINGA is called to build schools, health or community centers, to repair roads and water systems, or to replenish forests. Similar to a barn raising amongst a cultural group such as the Amish, a MINGA gathering is hopeful, festive, and committed work by individuals, families, and neighbors. Strangers become friends. Today, we join in the spirit of MINGA when we are engaging in a community of volunteer service. It is giving from one's heart and receiving so much more. As expected, MINGA exists as a concept in many other cultures, where it is called by different names. MINGA anticipates that every person and every community, at some point, will need the help of others. Experience the life-giving spirit of MINGA and carry someone else."

That explication was so strikingly on point to us, we bought shirts for the planning crew to wear on the day of the event. MotherTongues founder Michelle Hamman donated a T-shirt for our auction. And if you're not the lucky winner, you can purchase one for yourself (or learn more about MotherTongues) at her website. The shirts are 100 percent organic cotton and printed with waterbased inks. A dollar for the sale of each T-shirt is donated to the Center for Women in Transition, helping women and children deal with significant life challenges. And MotherTongues is a member of Green America and 1% for the Planet.

To see the complete list of items included in the raffle and silent auction, see our previous blog post. All proceeds are for the Hospice of Holland, in honor of friends and colleagues lost over the past year.