Newsletter: January 22, 2009
Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.
- President Barack Obama
Together, we are accomplishing great things!
Without you, we would be able to give less.
In 2008, because of your involvement, Creek Kids Care…
Grew to include over 200 families in the East Bay
Benefitted from thriving local high school and middle school chapters
Added a local church youth group chapter
Earned money to have a long-awaited shed installed at Fresh Start to hold supplies and donations ($3,500)
Purchased tents and sleeping bags and tarps, and then more sleeping bags to keep local people without homes warm and dry
Purchased seven turkeys for Fresh Start’s Thanksgiving meal
Made beautiful placemats for Fresh Start’s Thanksgiving meal
Organized a holiday sponsorship for Fresh Start so that 18 people without homes received lots of presents!
Conducted an amazingly successful clothing drive for Fresh Start, collecting over 60 trash bags full of clothing!
Made a commitment to donate $300/month to Fresh Start for hot lunches.
Donated an annual amount of $1500 to JF Kapnek to cover the costs of “our” preschool in Zimbabwe for children orphaned by AIDS
Participated in a preschool supply drive for JF Kapnek, donating hundreds of dollars in supplies
Participated in JF Kapnek’s annual Fun Run, which raised money for JF Kapnek
Organized sale events at the Farmers’ Market, Parkmead Elementary and Las Lomas High School and a wonderful celebration at Fresh Start
Communicated our collective love and concern and appreciation for others in our local and world community
All of this by creating art with love.
State of the CKC Union
A Financial Narrative by Julie Miles
During the past five years, I have served as Creek Kids Care’s financial officer. This has meant keeping tabs on everything from depositing checks to maintaining our non-profit status. Recently, I realized that our supporters might like to get a financial overview of what Laura, Cat and I have always kept a close watch over. This is not the fancy financial report of a huge multi-national, rather it is a simple reporting of what we have spent and donated over the past five years. Hopefully, it will be as inspirational to you as it is to us.
Most impressive are the business operating expenses which have totaled just over $1500 since our inception in 2004. We have no salaries and no monthly expenses to get in the way of our good work. We are proud of this, especially in light of the fact that we maintain a professional website and communication at no cost, thanks to the donated services of Jim McGough.
Another impressive figure is our net inflow. From 2004-2008, CKC has received over $53,000 in donations (remember that every purchase is considered a donation)! That’s a lot of cards, magnets, framed artwork and knitting. This number also includes grants made to CKC.
A final inspirational number is the total in charitable gifts that Creek Kids Care has been able to make over the past five years. Our main body of support has gone to Fresh Start and The J.F. Kapnek Charitable Trust. During that time, we have donated well over $25,000 to these and a few other organizations!
All of this good work has been brought along by the Creek Kids, day-by-day, action-by-action. Together, the Creek Kids have had some significant experiences together painting, sticking, tying, boxing, decorating, selling, framing, cutting, baking, loading, delivering, working and laughing – all in the name of learning how joyful and easy changing the world can be. The kids and teens are active in as many of aspects of running the organization as we can involve them in. Many Creek Kids, involved from the very beginning, have watched CKC grow from a “kitchen table business” to one that is city-wide and beyond. They are empowered by their successes. We are empowered by their enthusiasm and generosity.
We are all in this world together. It’s our pleasure to improve it just a little each day. We know that during the next five years, Creek Kids Care will continue to prosper both financially and spiritually because we do it all with infinite “Care”.
Time to ask for more
Now that Julie, Cat and I have taken a good look at our numbers and how they’ve changed over the years, it’s clear to us that our expenses for materials have steadily grown, decreasing the amount that we can donate. Consequently, as of right now, we are raising the price of all stationery from $10 for a pack of 10 cards to $12 for a pack of 10 cards.
2008 Acknowledgments
LLHS CKC Clothing Drive
Thank you so much to the Las Lomas Creek Kids, who collected 60 garbage bags full of clothing and supplies for Fresh Start. They organized and pulled off the entire event, down to sorting clothing, delivering the goods and distributing receipts to those who contributed. JOB WELL DONE!!!
Holiday Project
The Holiday Project was a great success. 18 families participated, each sponsoring one Fresh Start member. It was so much fun to fold this project into our holidays, and a great experience to deliver the gifts. Our children had the experience of really thinking through what someone might need and appreciate if living outside. We look forward to doing it again next year. Thank you so much to those families who participated. It was a completely worthwhile project that made 18 people in our community feel cared about.
Thanks to Fran and Friends
Julie's mom, Fran Sherwood, has been one of our most loyal customers during the past five years. For Christmas, Fran's friends decided to collect money for a local non-profit instead buying each other gifts that they didn't really need. They decided on Creek Kids Care. Together the women donated over $400! We received the money just as a few unexpected Fresh Start needs became apparent. It was wonderful to have this most generous gift from these thoughtful friends. Thank you Fran's friends!
2009
MLK Jr. Day of Service
It was wonderful to gather at Hillside Covenant this past Monday to be part of a nation-wide day of service. We filled the room and painted away for a couple of hours. Thank you to all those who attended – and especially to David Weiner Light, who showed up with his out-of-town Bar Mitzvah in tow. Very very fun.
A reason to celebrate
Although I’d never be able to re-tell the story as well as it was told to me, I am so very happy to tell you that Bill Lunghi, husband of the late (and ever-present) Susan Prather, and Robin Zachritz, Fresh Start volunteer and Board Member extraordinaire, are getting married this June. We are so happy for them! The short story is that this relationship, although new and magical, was something that Susan had jokingly(?) planned long before she ever passed away.
A reason to pray
Two and a half years ago, Julie Miles, Creek Kids founder and ever-present contributor, was diagnosed with breast cancer. With characteristic clarity and determination, Julie went through all recommended treatments and came out the other side with excellent results. This past summer, to all our dismay and disbelief, Julie learned that the cancer metastasized. A fight for health is back on her plate.
We wanted to let you know, because so many of you kept track of Julie the first round. In the interest of maintaining normalcy for her daughters and to ensure she can talk about it only when she feels like it, Julie has created a page on CaringBridge. If you’d like to read Julie’s updates and keep in touch with her via the CaringBridge guestbook, please do so. It’s a wonderful format for this kind of communication. www.caringbridge.org/visit/juliemiles
In the meantime, please join us in visualizing Julie with gray hair and wrinkles. With a total devotion to all aspects of health – spiritual, emotional and physical – Julie has every intention of living a quality life that defies any predictions or odds.
WCI in action
This month, the WCI Creek Kids are running a “HEAD TO TOE” clothing drive for Fresh Start. They are collecting NEW and ADULT socks and undies, along with gently used/new adult hats and gloves. They are working in conjunction with WCI leadership. The drive ends at the end of January, so please encourage your WCI student to participate, or contact any WCI CKCer to contribute. Thank you so much to this awesome group!!!
Upcoming Dates for WCI CKC
Please mark your calendars for the following meetings at WCI (Wednesdays in Room 601 at 8:45-9:20 a.m.):
January 28 - End of Clothing Drive/assemble cards
February 11 -Make Valentines and cookies for Fresh Start
February 25
March 4
March 25
ART PARTIES!!!!
Saturday, January 31st – 11 a.m. – noon
Murwood Elementary School, Room 4, Walnut Creek
The Las Lomas Creek Kids would like to host an art party for middle and high schoolers. If you are a middle or high schooler interested in creating art for the greater good, it’d be fabulous to have you! The school building will be closed, so you’ll have to reach the room from the courtyard (off the playground)
Monday, February 9th – for all ages
Parkmead Elementary School Art Room (off Azalea Circle)
3:30-4:30 p.m.
We’d love to have your kids/teens for a bit of the afternoon for some painting. If you’ve never come to a Creek Kids event, this is a great “starter.” It all starts with the art. An easy, creative, no-stress environment to paint and not worry about the product.
Wanna help?
If you are able and willing to cut up art after the art parties, it’d be so absolutely terrific. We have a paper cutter for you to use, and you can have some Zen moments, staring at the art, cutting it up, seeing it pile up in preparation for card assembly. Please email Laura at creekkidscare@sbcglobal.net if you can cut up a pile of art. Thank you thank you thank you!
Looking forward
This winter and spring, we’ll be working on a pre-school supply drive for JF Kapnek, working on packing up these supplies for the freight container bound for Zimbabwe. We’ll also be forming a team to run in the JF Kapnek Trust Fun Run in April.
That’s it for now.
Take excellent care of yourselves and each other.
With love,
Laura, Cat and Julie
© Creek Kids Care, 2006
