Bullying

I have come up with a new project! I will be starting and finishing my next big project over this summer. As a child I dealt with bullying from my peers. This bullying has effected me in many ways! This summer I have decided to do some type of benefit to help spread awareness about bullying. It will be part of my Gold Award project. I will be collecting people's stories and advice about bullying from now until August. If you want to give advice about how to survive bullying, how you where effected or, how someone close to you was effected. These can be in the form of a art, a letter or any other way you feel like getting your point across. Copies will be used and a displayed as art to give others who may be dealing with bullying something to keep their hopes up. I ask that you please remain anonymous and when talking about others use made-up names. Please get the word out there in any way you can. I will except stuff from outside of Hood River.

What is next for me?

I have been pondering what to do next. I have thought about Comfort Bags for Fighters. It would be the same thing as Comfort Bags for Kids but for people in war. I have also thought about Comfort Bags for Poor, Comfort Bags for Haiti and Comfort bags for Orphans. All of these will be as much work as Comfort Bags for KidsBut I need more projects. I am hoping to go to The Working boys Center in Quito, Ecuador. Maybe Comfort Bags for the working Boys would be a good one.

I know that most definitely I am not closing this process down. The Comfort Bags for Kids will forever have a spot in my heart and mind. If someone asks if there is something they can donate I will not turn them down I most definitely want their help! I am sure eventually the hospital and women's shelter will run out and will need more bags. When that happens they can call on me and I will gladly make more. For now though I would like to find a new Comfort! I think my goal is to give Comfort to every one allover the world.

I hope some of the reicipiants fof Comfort Bags for Kids will share what they did with their bags here at this blog. It would be great for me to learn about those 67 children they give my comfort to.

Bottle cap class went great! The mural was hung in Mid Valley Elementry School!

Now we are just waiting to order the art suplies. I have stuffed some bags and hope to deliver them soon!

Recycle Bottle Caps Class

Mid Valley elementary School Carnival

I will be hosting a recycling bottle caps art class where families will be able to create together with bottle caps. this also will be the last chance to make donations to my project. i am hoping to deliver the Comfort Bags on about the first week of March. Thank you for everybody support!

The Bags Are Sewn!

Over the Thanksgiving break, we finished sewing all the bags! That's over 60 bags!!! Thank you to my neighbor, Socci and her five-year old daughter for their help. Also, thanks to my mom for ironing the hem for all those bags. I am so happy to have all the bags done. Now all I have to do is fill the bags with art supplies and deliver them! Yippee!

Sewing Circle

The project is going great! We have collected a lot of fabric and have decided to have a sewing circle to make the bags. We will be ironing, sewing and putting drawstring in the bags. If anyone wants to come and help they are welcome.

What: A sewing circle to help my Comfort Bags For Kids project.

When: November 25th starting at 1:00pm

Where: 4100 Cloudview Court

Why: To help make Comfort bags

What to bring: Sewing machine, Iron, Drawstring, Thread and art supplies for the Comfort Bags.

RSVP: 541-386-5790 or Comfortbagsforkids@gmail.com

Any one is invited and any help will be greatly appreciated! Hope to see you there!

The Mural

Yesterday morning, I got together with local artist Shelley Toon-Hight to sketch out a plan for the bottle cap mural. I decided on a scene of the orchards and Mount Hood. I then spent several hours painting the scene on the ply wood. Last night, I went to Families in the Park with the mural. Young children came by through out the night to add bottle caps to the scene. It is looking really good already!

I'd like to thank Mike Schend for doing a very eloquent job of telling everybody at the park about my projects. The word is certainly getting out there about the "Comfort Bags for Kids"!

Hey, everybody. I am back from camp! Camp was such a great experience! I made new friends and learned a bunch. I came home to lots of donations. Thank you everybody for your support!

Ecology and Stewardship Camp

I will be gone at camp until Friday, July 31. My mom will be checking the blog and my e-mail for me while I am gone. I appreciate all the support and offers for donations that I have received already toward the "Comfort Bags for Kids"! It is really going to be a successful project! The camp I am going to is going to be an amazing experience. You can read about it in today's morning edition of the Oregonian:
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/07/salmon_stewardship_summit_brin.html

Here a link to the flyer we got a few months ago, which tells more about the camp:
http://www.wildsalmoncenter.org/pdf/Stewardship_Camp_Flyer_2009.pdf

I look forward to seeing some of you at Jackson Park next week!
Gabriella

We have received many donations since I started my project! Thank you to the following people and companies:

• Tracy and Tyler (neighbors) -- fabric


• Elizabeth (neighbor) -- fabric


• Patti Pearce -- money


• Lee Lariza -- money


• Paul Larive -- money


• Tum-A-Lum Lumber -- ply wood & adhesive


• Shelley Toon Hight -- volunteered to help with the art


• Church people-- money, art suplies


• Paul Scharn -- money


• Global exchange -- money

Also a big thanks to anybody who gave Bottle Caps.

Thank You!!!
I'd like to thank my neighbors for our first two donations!
Keep on donating!

Wish List

Here is a list of all that we need:

• Crayons
• #2 Pencils
• Paper
• Kids sketch books
• Markers
• Colored pencils
• Paints
• Bottle Caps
• 1 plywood sheet
• Mortar
• Ideas of what image to use for the mural
• Volunteers to help with making the mural at families in the park and movies in the park.
• Volunteers to help at art classes
• Fabric
• Drawstring
• Thread
• Volunteers to help sew the bags
• Anything else you think a kid would like to draw with. OR, something that would make them feel happy.

Another list will be coming in about a week of recycled stuff we will need for the art class.

Thank You in advance all who donate!

Comfort Bags

I am so excited that you are visiting my blog! I started this blog because I wanted to get the word out about a special project I am doing. I have decided to call it "Comfort Bags For Kids". The project is starting out as my Silver Award for Girl Scouts. The Silver Award is the highest award a Cadette (11-14 years old) Girl Scout can earn. If everything goes well and if I get lots of donations, I would like to keep this project going indefinitely.

The first part of my project is that I am collecting donations of art supplies such as paper, pencils, crayons, paints, etc.. These donations will be put in hand-sewn fabric bags and donated to children who are at the local womens shelter and the hospital. If you would like to give a donation of either supplies or money please contact me.

The second part of my project will be various art related projects for the public including a bottle cap mural that kids can add to at "Families in the Park" and at "Movies in the Park". Also there will be an all-day recycled art workshop for kids sometime in the beginning of the school year. The art workshop will be open to kids of any age. Instead of families having to pay for the art workshop, the kids can bring a donation of either art supplies or $3.00 for the "Comfort Bags". At the art workshop kids will be making crafts made out of recycled materials.

We would appreciate your help collecting art supplies, fabric, and the "trash" for the class. If you have any ideas; would like to make a donation; or would like to volunteer please contact me.