Thank You Forever

While I celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends tomorrow, our kids will be on my mind and in my heart.

Our kids have been alone in hospitals for months, in some cases even years, without an end in sight.  Yet, they are the most thankful kids I know.  They are thankful for a pair of socks and a stick of deodorant to call their own.  They come unglued when we surprise them with warm pajamas, blankets, and all of the other makings of a magical Christmas.

I am thankful for our kids.  They have a way of putting life into perspective for me.  They have never asked for anything.  They expect nothing.  They don't complain about the things they receive.  Instead, they are thankful.  For everything.  Always.  Even a pair of socks.

When was the last time your kid unwrapped new socks, immediately put them on, and slid across the floor squealing, "Look!  I got new socks!"?  Have you ever seen a teenage boy (nearly 6 feet tall) wrap himself in a juvenile blanket, don a handmade hat and scarf, and hold up pajamas several sizes too small and declare he feels rich, like a king?  I have.  And for that, I am thankful.

My favorite quote though?  "Thank you forever."  It was the most heartfelt and genuine thank you I have ever received.  I am thankful I can keep those words of a child with me.  Forever.

So, tomorrow . . . Be thankful.  Remember our kids.  Maybe say an extra prayer for them around your dinner table.  And if you want to help, share our wish list and invite people to our Wrap Party.

Happy Thanksgiving Project Believers!  I am so very thankful for all you who make this possible.

Thank you forever.

Tammie Rafferty
Director

Christmas Magic 2013 Wish List

Shop For A Cause

Just in time for Back-to-School, we are proud to announce our continued partnership with Macy's!  Through their Dayton Mall store, who graciously provides all of the gift bags and boxes for our kids each Christmas, we were invited to participate in this year's Shop For A Cause.

Since 2006, Macy’s Shop For A Cause Event has partnered with non-profit organizations nationwide to raise more than $45 million for their ongoing charitable efforts.  This is your chance to be part of this monumental event on Saturday, August 24, 2013.

Shop For A Cause gives you the opportunity to give back to your community and to help Project Believe by purchasing a $5 Shopping Pass for exclusive savings in every Macy’s store on Saturday, August 24.  Not only will you save 25% storewide and can enter to win a $500 Macy’s Gift Card, but we keep 100% of the proceeds!

We have a limited number of Shopping Passes available now through the day of the event.  All of the proceeds will be used to meet the needs of our kids, starting with Back-to-School later this month when we outfit all 65 of them with new backpacks filled with supplies.

Drop off some school supplies and pick up passes at the same time!  Contact us via Facebook message or at our new email address to purchase your Shopping Passes or to help us sell more.

Find the magic of giving back, as Macy’s celebrates a national day of support for our community!

Thank You Easter Bunny!

We are pleased to announce Nashville United Church of Christ will be sponsoring our entire Easter Magic program this year!  With much thanks to Pastor Lynn Labs, the congregation will be collecting and assembling Easter baskets for all 65 of our kids.  In addition, they are collecting and filling 300 eggs for the annual egg hunt at Cincinnati Children's College Hill Campus.

Pastor Lynn Labs and her congregation at Nashville United Church of Christ have been long-time supporters of Project Believe.  After making us part of their Outreach Program in 2012, they have made on-going monetary donations and provided dozens of gloves, hats, and scarves for our kids this past Christmas.

It's amazing to see how much can be done by one small group of people.  We are grateful for the church's generosity and look forward to a long partnership.

Make Them, Collect Them, Pass Them On . . .

Who doesn't love getting Valentines?  When we began our Valentine Program in 2011, to pass along as many Valentines to our kids as we could collect, it quickly became my personal favorite time of the year.  I love the fact our kids are again reminded they matter, someone cares, and they have not been forgotten.  I love when kids - and adults - have just as much fun making (or buying and signing) Valentines as they do receiving them.  I love spending my Valentine's Day delivering all of the Valentines we collect.  It feels very selfish to love it as much as I do.

But do you want to know what I love the most?  Collecting all of the Valentines!  To see the vast array of Valentines and to experience the caring creativity poured into each of one them is nothing less than good for the soul.  If you ever get the opportunity, YOU should experience it too.

So here's your opportunity . . .

Start collecting Valentines and then pass them on to us.  Of course you can make some of your own, but go ahead and be a little selfish.  Put a Valentine box on your desk like we used to do in grade school.  See how many you can collect.  Put one in your office break room, on your front porch, in your classroom, at your church, or in your store.  There is even plenty of time to use your own snail-mailbox and get your long-distance Facebook friends involved.

I personally guarantee the nostalgia and thrill you will experience as your Valentines start to arrive.

Bring the Valentines you collect to our 1st Annual Chili Cook-Off on February 10th, at Boston's Bistro and Pub.  If you are a cook-off entrant, we'll give you extra points just for showing up with Valentines!

Can't make it to the Cook-Off?  Mail your Valentines to us or drop them off in the Project Believe Valentine box no later than February 10th, at:

435 South First Street

Tipp City, OH  45371

Need some inspiration?  Check out our Valentine pictures from 2011 and 2012.  We even received some braille Valentines last year!

As always, thank you for being a part of the magic!

Tammie Rafferty

 ~ Director

Let Me Tell You About the Magic

The magic is not that hundreds of 'strangers' donated thousands of gifts and dollars to provide Christmas to kids they don't even know.  The magic is not that over 100 people, who otherwise would not have gathered on a Monday night in the midst of the holiday hustle and bustle, came together and wrapped over 2500 gifts in just 3 hours.  The magic is not that we busted out of our space's seams 15 minutes into an event and were able to still fit people -happily- into every available nook and cranny.  The magic is not the 'feel good' feeling we all experienced at the opportunity to make a child's Christmas merrier.

Let me tell you about the REAL magic . . .

There are 65 kids who are at an age that any kid would not believe in Santa.  There are 65 kids who have grown up in situations where they have had little to no Christmas.  There are 65 kids, many of which have no place to call home, in hospitals knowing they will not even have a visitor on Christmas Day.  There are 65 kids who are so very excited about their 1 to 2 gifts under the tree the hospital staff was able to buy with their $25 per child budget.  This is the biggest Christmas they have ever seen.

These are our kids.  And they have NO idea we were busy hiding gifts at their hospitals the last two days.  With the exception of two very kind and gentle souled boys who helped us unload and carry gifts . . . and I personally swore to secrecy . . . these kids, our kids, can't even fathom what they are in for on Christmas morning.

I was told we are the only family these kids, our kids, have . . . and they have never seen our faces.  They have no idea we were even there.  These kids, our kids, are going to bed on Christmas Eve, alone in a hospital, knowing they only have each other and the staff to spend Christmas with.  They are grateful for that.  These kids, our kids, are going to bed on Christmas Eve excited about their ONE gift under a tree.

These kids, our kids, have nothing more to believe in than hospital staff and ONE gift.  The hospital staff will be putting ALL of the gifts under ALL of the trees while our kids are sleeping Christmas Eve.

Imagine Christmas morning for them.

In that instant, we gave our kids something to believe in.  And that is the REAL magic.

Thank you making it happen.

Tammie Rafferty
 - Director

Just the FAQs

We are just one week away from The 5th Annual Wrap Party!  The outpouring of support has been nothing less than awe-inspiring.  You won't want to miss your opportunity to be a part of the most magical night of the year.

As we draw nearer to our big event, we've tried to answer the questions we get asked the most.  If you still have unanswered questions, please send us an email at projectbelieve@live.com.  See you at the Wrap Party!

Q:  What do you still need?
A:  Everything!
As we continue to grow, we need an endless supply of everything.  There is no such thing as 'too much' when there are nearly 30,000 kids we'd like to add to our Christmas Magic list someday.  Check out our suggested gift list and our 'must have' list.

Q:  When is the last day for donations for Christmas Magic 2012?
A:  THIS Friday, December 14th
While we gladly accept donations all year long, if you want yours included in this year's Christmas Magic, please be sure to drop by Crossroads Christian Fellowship between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm on Friday evening.  Anything collected after the 14th, will be used next year.

Q:  Do you need volunteers for the Wrap Party?
A:  Yes!
Everyone who comes out to wrap gifts is a volunteer, but it also takes a team of volunteers behind the scenes to make the magic happen.  We have most of our volunteers lined up and are asking them to arrive at 5:30 on December 17th, but there's always room for a few more.  If you are interested, email us at projectbelieve@live.com.

Q:  Do you need wrapping supplies?
A:  Yes!
We have had a lot of wrapping paper, tape, and scissors donated but can always use more.  If you have extra, bring it with you to the Wrap Party.

Q:  Can I go see the kids and watch them open their gifts?
A:  That depends . . . 
We are delivering gifts to Cincinnati Children's at noon on December 18th, and to Marsh Foundation at noon on December 19th.  We can always use volunteer drivers (or wish for our own truck someday) to haul the gifts, but that doesn't mean we will do anything more than drop the gifts off with hospital staff members.  For starters, you must be 18 or older and sign an Observer Agreement to visit the hospitals.  The safety and privacy of the residents always comes first!

There have been times we have dropped off gifts with the staff at the doorstep late at night, and other times we have been treated to songs, performances, snack-times, games, and have been honored to be a part of watching some of the kids open a few gifts.  Those times are just a bonus to us!

It's important to remember we are creating Christmas Magic for these kids.  That means when they wake up on Christmas morning, they wake up to gifts and stockings like any other kid because they have not been forgotten . . .

 . . . Therein lies the magic . . .