Thanksgiving

 

Thanksgiving is only a few short weeks away, so it’s time for us to start preparing! Here, our idea of preparation is thinking of those in need of some help during the holiday season. A large meal is often a burden on families who are barely able to maintain a regular food budget, and we’ve had such success in the past with helping others celebrate Thanksgiving that we’d like to do it again!

In the last two years of our Thanksgiving outreach, we have helped over forty families put a traditional meal on their tables and celebrate with their loved ones at no additional strain or cost to them. For just under $50, a family of nearly any size can enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings, and hopefully have some leftovers, too!

If you are able to help donate toward providing for families in need this year, please send a donation via PayPal to cathy@cathyscreationsjewelry.com and mark it “Thanksgiving” so we know where the money goes! Don’t forget to select “gift” when sending money; this is a donation, and we don’t need PayPal to eat up your funds!

On the other hand, we need some suggestions of families who could use the help. If you know of anyone who could use the boost, please email cathy@cathyscreationsjewelry.com. We are asking that only families who need this apply or are nominated, and that if you have received help in the past, you allow others to be reached. Though we wish we could help everyone, our funds and resources are limited. We will help as many people as possible, but there are no guarantees. Please be considerate and patient with us!

All donations, nominations or requests are strictly confidential.

Operation Pumpkin Patch

When visiting a children’s hospital, we often face a jarring reminder that children who are long term patients must miss out on several joys and privileges of childhood. This fall, we realize that simple traditions and holidays become out of reach for thousands of children each year, and we’d like to do our best to remedy that.

Many children in the hospital this Halloween are unable to dress up in costumes due to IVs and various tubes and medical equipment. Understanding that this was an opportunity they were being denied, we came up with Operation Pumpkin Patch- a plan to donate handcrafted pumpkin hats to children who otherwise would not experience the joy of creative imagination on Halloween. Now people as far away as South Carolina are making and shipping hats for this project, including an amazing young woman named Sera.

 

Sera’s first trip out into public following a major surgery was to the craft store to grab some yarn and pitch in. As always, we are humbled and amazed by the people who think beyond themselves to reach out to others in their time of need and give.

If you would like to participate in Operation Pumpkin Patch, please contact us at cathy@cathyscreationsjewelry.com for a shipping address and if you need help purchasing the yarn required to create hats.

Delivery before Halloween is necessary, so please arrange shipping accordingly.

Additionally, if you are aware of any other children’s hospitals that are in need of a helping hand with donations, creative ideas, or just some love, please let us know! Lots of our time and energy has gone to Boston, since it is local, but we want to broaden our horizons and reach out wherever there is a need.

Operation Dress Up!

We see daily the difference that giving can make and the wonderful joy that accepting a gift or an act of love brings to a recipient. One of our favorite ways to give is to brighten the lives of children who are seriously ill and facing long hospital stays. For a child who wants to play, a hospital can be a difficult place to spend their time, filled with bed rest, lots of lonely hours, and of course, less opportunities to feel like their peers.

Our most recent endeavor is to donate dress up items to the Children’s Hospital in Boston. We believe every child should have an opportunity to imagine great things and to experience the joy of play- so Operation Dress Up was born! Cathy’s Creations recently ordered several tutus from Emmy’s Heart Oklahoma for “Sofia’s Angels” at the Susan G. Komen walk and was inspired to order ten multicolored tutus to donate to the hospital.

 Team Sofia's Angels at the SGK Boston walk 2013, sporting their awesome tutus that were handcrafted by Emmy's Heart Oklahoma.

To find out more about Emmy's Heart Oklahoma and what they do, please visit their Facebook page!

But we want to do more, and we’re looking for your help! We’d like to provide ten awesome capes so these kids can feel like the superheroes that they are. We can provide the material BUT- we can’t sew… So, if you or someone you know would be willing to dedicate some time and energy to help, please let us know! If you’d like to contribute and help pay for the cost of materials, please PayPal us at cathy@cathyscreationsjewelry.com. Any and all donations are helpful! Please put Children’s Hospital in the subject line, and send your donation as a gift to prevent associated fees.

Have a wonderful day!

Happy 4th of July! - Wounded Warrior Project

Happy week of the 4^th of July! We hope that you enjoy this special week with family and friends, relaxing in the summer sunshine, swimming, watching fireworks, and indulging in those amazing summer snacks!

As with all patriotic holidays, we are humbled and honored to be part of such an incredible country with so much to offer- and so thankful to those who make our freedom possible. In recognition of those who have served and specifically those who have had their lives changed forever in the line of duty, Cathy’s Creations is making a $100.00 donation to the Wounded Warrior Project.

WWP is a non-profit organization whose mission is to honor and empower wounded warriors. Men and women of the United States armed forces who have been injured or disabled in worldwide conflicts will now have support to face the challenges of coming back into civilian life, and WWP boasts an alarmingly high success rate.

For those who have the means, we encourage you to join us in donating to this worthwhile organization. To find out more, or to show support even if you are unable to donate, you can follow them on Facebook. To donate, or learn more about the organization, success stories, future goals, and where your donation goes, please visit their website.

Zach Sobiech

When I get back on land
Well I’ll never get my chance
Be ready to live and it’ll be ripped right out of my hands...

- from "Clouds"

Zach Sobiech is an eighteen year old with a loving family, an adoring girlfriend, a close-knit group of loyal friends, a talent for music, a passion for sports cars, and only days to live.

In 2009, after taking a run with his sister, Zach experienced a pain in his hip that his parents expected was a sports injury; an examination shocked the family- it was osteosarcoma, a rare cancer that is normally found in the long bones of teenage boys. Zach was treated with chemo with great success until a tumor appeared in his lungs. Aggressive treatment was administered, including chemo therapies and surgery, and there were nine blissful months where he was declared cancer-free… But it was not meant to last- a scan showed that several lesions had appeared on his lungs once more, and he experienced hip pain again. An examination revealed that massive amounts of cancer had grown in his pelvis. With these new revelations, Zach’s options became more and more grim. If he agreed to battle the tumors in his lungs and remove the cancer that had invaded his pelvis, he would have to suffer through chemo therapy, lose a leg and part of his abdomen, and never be able to sit up again. Being bedridden and in a hospital for the rest of his life and living in wait, wondering about the next blow the cancer would offer was not an option for Zach; he chose to continue to live as normally as possible and enjoy his remaining time, accepting that it would mean that doctors expected only six to twelve months. Even though he was only seventeen at the time, Zach understood that the life he wanted to experience had more to do with quality than quantity. If cancer was going to set limits, Zach was going to return the favor- he would not let the disease stop him from enjoying and experiencing the best of what life could offer, even if he had to accept that he had less time than others to do so.

Zach’s mother, painfully aware that his loss would impact so many people, suggested that he write letters to loved ones he would leave behind. Zach took his talent for writing and his vocal skills and created a song called “Clouds,” sharing his thoughts and ultimately comforting those he cared about through music. In response to the YouTube video of his song that quickly went viral, several celebrities were inspired to reach out to Zach by participating in a collaborative music video of his song.

Since his diagnosis, Zach has had the opportunity to enjoy several of the things that mean the most to him in life. He was able to borrow his dream car for a week and be behind the wheel of the vehicle he has always wanted. He asked out the girl he had his heart set on and she accepted. He has spent his time with his friends and his family- particularly his best friend and sister Grace, with whom he shares a special bond. On his difficult days, Zach dreams of a future he will never have. A career, marriage to his current girlfriend, four children (he hoped he would have two boys and two girls, the same dynamic he had growing up), the chance to be the kind of parent he had as a child… the things most of us take for granted every day.

We may expect we have the time to do all of the average things we see as part of a normal, every day future, but there are no promises of tomorrow, and no guarantees about the next decade, let alone the next week. Zach starts each morning with appreciation for having opened his eyes, and ends each day knowing it could be his last. If we all lived like Zach, if we all enjoyed our relationships with loved ones to the fullest, appreciated the small things like a picnic with our partner or driving a car with the windows down, thanked our parents for their support and sacrifice, and made the most of our obligations, we might feel more like Zach does about mortality… that a lot of time is nice, but a lot of meaning matters more.

It won’t be long now, it won’t be long now
If only I had a little bit more time
If only I had a little bit more time with you...

- from "Clouds"  

 

We have had the honor of teaming up with the Children's Cancer Research Fund, and with the blessing of Zach's mother, we are proud to announce a Zach Sobiech "Clouds" Pendant. All proceeds from the sale of this pendant will be donated in Zach's name to help fund research for osteosarcoma. To donate directly, watch a heartwarming documentary on Zach, learn more about his life, and indulge in more of his talent, visit his page.

Please consider sharing this blog to spread the word about Zach and his amazing story.

Nicole & Mallory accept your dares...

As many of you know, Cathy is participating in the Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure and is now fundraising for her position in this summer's walk. Mallory and I want to help Cathy see her goal met, so we'd like to offer the only thing we can right now... our wild and crazy selves!

Here's what we want you to do:

-Suggest below in comments a dare idea for us. What crazy/wild/funny thing do you want to see us do once Cathy hits $1500.00? (Please keep it appropriate.)

-We will hand pick five dare ideas, then you vote for the final one!

-Share the link to Cathy's fundraiser page and/or this blog and encourage people to donate for this amazing cause in honor of Cathy's mother, Sofia!

At $1500.00, you'll see us do whatever the majority chose!

BRING IT ON!

Stop the Hate! - UPDATE! WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

The winners of the t-shirt contest are: 

Rachelle Gagne
Rea Valley
Colleen Doering
Greg
Jordan Haller
Amy
Patricia
Paula McClendon
Jackie Stevens
Tina L.

To claim your prize, please email cathy@cathyscreationsjewelry.com with your address and what size shirt you would like! Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone for your participation and support!

After Matthew Bent’s son was body slammed to the floor from the shoulder of a classmate three times last week, the frustrated father decided that enough was enough. During the last year, Matthew’s son was repeatedly returning home from school with tales of torment from a group of boys who allegedly did things that ranged from stealing his personal property to calling him names, all while facing little to no consequences. Police officers went so far as to blame Matthew’s son, saying there was little they could do about the “rough housing” because he had walked “straight into the lion’s den” by willingly entering the area where the bullies were gathered. Matthew decided to post his story on Facebook, posing with his son in a photo that showcases the duo holding up a sign explaining the situation and calling attention to the lack of effective measures in place to protect Matthew’s son. Little did Matthew know that this one picture would make him an overnight Internet sensation and the new face of anti-bullying campaigns online.

  

Bullying is an epidemic of unlimited proportions. It is estimated that 1 in 4 teachers does not perceive an incident as bullying when it is; as a result, over 3.2 million students are bullied each year. Over half of all students have reported witnessing a bullying event while at school, and 1 in 10 students will drop out of school due to bullying. An alarming 90% of 4^th to 8^th graders report being victims of bullies. And, in the wake of the most violent times our nation faces, we surrender to this shocking statistic: 75% of school shooting incidents were triggered by bullying and harassment.

Matthew Bent’s son’s most recent incident was classified as “horseplay” by authorities, but Matthew disagrees. So how is bullying defined?

Bullying is:

-Verbal harassment:

Saying or writing mean things

Name-calling

Inappropriate comments, sometimes of a sexual nature

Taunting

Threats

-Social/Relational:

Excluding someone from a group or activity with the intent of isolating them

Pressuring others to behave negatively toward another person

Spreading rumors about someone

Public embarrassment

-Physical

Hitting/kicking/punching

Spitting on or at someone

Tripping/pushing

Blocking someone’s exit to continue harassment

The taking and/or breaking of someone’s items

Rude or mean gestures

One or all of the above guidelines should be considered bullying if the behavior is aggressive and characterized by an imbalance of power (physical strength, access to embarrassing information, popularity, etc.) and repetition (if the behaviors happen frequently or appear that they potentially will.) Bullying has been shown to have negative life-long effects on both the victim and the aggressor.

Supporting zero tolerance for bullying in your local school can start small. Meet with teachers and administrators and ask what their policies are. Read over the student handbook and educate yourself on the rules and punishments of your school, in case you need to demand enforcement. Most importantly, reach out to your child. Explain what bullying is, and that it’s unacceptable. Help problem solve with them the steps they will take if they or another student are being bullied. And don’t forget to check in with them frequently to make sure they are not facing issues with their peers; even children who are very open and communicative may be confused, hurt, or scared to open up. Of equal importance, if your child is bullying others, reach out for help. Work with the school, counselors, and other officials to remedy the problem, and do not give up. We owe it to ourselves and to our children to work together and set good examples to stop the issue of bullying once and for all.

Cathy’s Creations is proud to say that we have joined the battle to raise awareness about the negative effects of bullying and have teamed up with Stop the Hate, Spread the Hope to create a Stop the Hate pendant. All profits from this pendant are donated to help this wonderful 501(c)(3) approved non-profit anti-bullying awareness organization with education, outreach, support, and efforts.

In an attempt to help spread the anti-bullying message, we will be giving away ten of these wonderful t-shirts! To enter to win, comment on this blog. We will select winners randomly.

Thank you Matthew Bent (and son!), Stop the Hate, Spread the Hope, and all anti-bullying warriors for your amazing approach to this societal issue. Keep up the good work!