Another Project

This one was born out of a project for our Mom's Club. We were planning to put together homeless bags to give to the homeless that we see along our way on the island, but what we discovered is that with HPD cracking down on camping illegally we weren't seeing many homeless.  So our March of Dimes NICU Support contact came up with an even more exciting prospect. We would donate the bags to the NICU to be given to families who are transfered to O'ahu with their newborn, but were unprepared to do so. Many families are brought to our NICU from the "outer" Hawaiian islands as well as American Somoa and other Pacific islands. Often times it's the dad who is airlifted with the baby and they were not planning on even staying at the local hospital all night and now here they are transfered to another island. So these little care packages will take care of some basic needs.

I've set up a way for you to help and still get something great. The little tote bags that are a part of the care package are just a brainstorm idea that I had. Those first few days in the NICU I carried a little bag with me to and from the NICU with things we wanted to have with. It was sturdy so it didn't tear if moved quickly, but also it could hold the mountain of paperwork that we recieved.

These little totes will also serve that purpose for the famillies. Please check out my etsy store for an easy way to sponsor a bag and get one for yourself.


http://www.etsy.com/shop/mommaloha

If you would rather not accumulate anymore stuff at your house each care package costs $15 to put together. Please consider using the donate button on the right side of the blog.

Think February!

Sometimes there are things that happen that you don't expect. In a couple of weeks Danya heads back to the hospital for an outpatient surgery. It's just something simple, but Gammi from Minnesota will be coming to visit. Gammi has been one of our failthful supporters since the begining, so not only will Gammi's visit help me to have some extra sewing time before drop off, but I would love for her to be a part of the drop off. That means that the drop off will happen some time in the week before Valentines day. 

Another thing that I didn't really expect last month was a donation from Walmart. I sent out letters to all the major retailers in Hawaii to try and get some community funds, for most they sent me letters that said there were just too many requests, but Walmart gave us a $50 donation. So once we know what we are in need of we'll be making a shopping trip to Walmart to pick up the rest.

Please see the list below for how you can help. We'd love to answer any questions you have as well. Feel free to contact Pastor Laura at danyasgift@gmail.com

The time is coming!

Once again we will be collecting many items to help out our local Children's hospital Kapi'olani. There are 3 ways you can help. I'm sending out lots of fancy new cards to try and make this the biggest collection yet.

First, we are in need of Preemie and Newborn clothing, both brand new and gently used. Sleepers especially, those with snap closures, are the best. If you love to sew there is also a pattern for a preemie sleep sack that takes all of about 10 minutes to sew but sewing on the snaps takes a little more time and we'd love to have you help make some of those as well.

Second, the Party boxes are in desperate shape. There is not much left in any of them so we can pretty much begin again. Themed party plates (unopened) an party favors, small toys that a child could play with in their bed, art projects or make-up samples or small sized items. Anything for a child aged 1 year through 18. It's a bit tricky for the older kids but I'm sure you are all creative enough to make it work.

Third, cash. If you want to give but you just don't know how or what to send please use the paypal donate button on this site to give a cash donation and we will use it to fill in any gaps as drop off day approaches.

Remember that any donations are tax deductable so if you want to squeeze a final gift into this calendar year please do. Danya's gift is something that really makes a difference in the lives of these famililes, and I want it to continue to grow and please tell others about what we do. It's been a wonderful adventure and I can't wait to see how we can bless the hospital this year.

Etsy Store

I now have an etsy store where I sell all the stuff I make. Sewing has always been my therapy and I love it, but when I ran out of purposes to sew I would get really out of sorts, so I decided to do all the fun sewing I love so much and make a little money for me and a little money for Danya's gift. It is my commitment to donate at least 5% of every sale to Danya's gift. Please stop by and see if you need anything that will also benefit the sick Keiki on O'ahu.

Cards, cards, and more cards!

Our contact and friend in the NICU asked us to make some cards for the nurses to use to mark milestones and become special keepsakes for the families. Like a card for the first feeding, or just growing and meeting those pound milestones. So we teamed up with MOMS club WPA to make lots of cards for them.

As of this moment we have made 139 cards! It's been a fun way to work and play together, plus we get to use up those extra baby scrapbook supplies we didn't need taking up space in our paper piles. We hope that some of the families recieving the cards will visit our site and perhaps choose to join one of our projects. We just love to be able to help and give back to the hospital, but mostly to the families who really need a little encouragement, as we well know.

Drop off Day

Sometimes even when you try to be early like I always do, things have a way of getting in your way. There is always traffic on the H1 but on drop off day it didn't lighten- up like it usually does. It was bumper to bumper almos the whole way to the hospital. Yikes! But then after we got to Kapiolani the adventure and fun began.

We don't own a wagon so we improvised using our bike trailer. The good part is that with the tall sides of the trailer the boxes didn't tip over. It was quite a stack!  We got inside and after much appologizing about being late, we dropped off the Celebration boxes first. The ladies in the patient services play room were so excited to get the boxes. They've been using more generic plates than anything real kid, and they were so glad to be able to personalize it a little bit. They don't have a budget for these kinds of extras and they were so grateful for it. Danya had so much fun too. Our contact at the hospital even took us to look through the glass at the babies, which Danya is just in awe of since coming home from Minnesota and meeting her cousins. It's was an adventure. Then we met with the head nurse from the NICU to drop off all the little outfits that were made and bought. We also brought them the digital scrapbooked name cards for the warmers. The nurses are so grateful for these little things. Sometimes it's the little things that mean the most to families and the staff. Very soon I will be posting the pattern for the little sleep sacks I made for the teeny NICU babies, The nurses were thrilled with them as they are perfect for sick little ones. I still have about 6 sitting in my sewing basket that need snaps sewn on and then they will make a special trip to the hospital. It's been such a blessing to these families that you all are willing to donate and bless them in this way. It might seem small and insignificant, but it's often the littlest things that ignite the most hope. Thank You all for your support and help in making this Gift a success.