The Common Thread Circle

Since our January newsletter, we have donated approximately 1,000 items to the following hospitals:

• Memorial Hermann General and Breast Cancer Center
• M. D. Anderson
• Childrens’ Memorial Hermann
• St. Luke’s, Northwest Memorial Hermann
• Sugarland Memorial Hermann
• Katy Memorial Hermann
• Harris County Hospital System
• Methodist Hospital
• Spring Branch Medical Center
• Memorial City Memorial Hermann

None of this would be possible without you. You come out each week to stuff. You volunteer to sew and knit and crochet. You cut out hearts and match fronts and backs of pillows. You buy the material. You help deliver the fabricworks to hospitals. You even donate money to keep our coffers full.

Bravo to each and every one of you.

The upcoming calendar:

See every one of you soon.

We’re on a roll, and it’s all thanks to your hard work and friendship.

Over three dozen brave volunteers met over the Christmas vacation. We had some good food, lots of fiberfil, and produced a mountain of pillows.

We donated fabricworks at high volume through November and December. This continues our rate of about 1,000 items a month. The Common Thread Circle is on a wonderful path to success for Houston area patients and hospitals. Each fabricwork we produce means another patient gets unexpected comfort.

Special thanks go to the following indispensable people:

• All members of the circle and friends who faithfully and cheerfully show up and help sew, stuff, knit, crochet and cut.
• Charles Piersol, manager of Town and Country Starbucks, and the Starbucks Corporation for its continuing support of our group.
• Garrett and Dory Graham for delivering pillows to hospitals all over Houston.
• Marilyn McRill and Beverly Davidson for going beyond the call of duty and the limits of human endurance.

Dates to remember

I look forward to every one of these seven meetings. We keep growing and helping more people than ever before!

Further thoughts

Condolences to Charles and his family on the loss of his uncle.

Do you know of anyone who might enjoy receiving this newsletter? Email his or her email address to me.

See you soon.

This patient testimonial was a holiday gift to us:

Thank you for the pillow. I was seeing my hematologist for the first time this week. One of the volunteers was in passing out pillows. I don’t even know what to expect as an outcome from seeing this doctor.

It sure did make me smile when the volunteer handed me a pillow. Thank you for making it.

Thank you for the work you do. Keeping the pillow with me as I sleep is good. :)
– D.M.C., Houston

Knowing that what we do makes people feel better is what keeps us going. And going, and going. We’re giving more than ever before because we know that it makes patients more comfortable.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

We bring you great tidings — we are helping patients at a record pace, and having a blast doing it:

• Since June 1, when our fiscal year begins, we have made and donated 6,739 handcrafted fabricworks to Houston area Hospitals.
• In six and a half months, we have donated more items than all of last year, when our total was 5,386.
• We are now on a pace to donate 1,000 items a month.
• We have added four new hospitals to our growing list: Northwest Houston, Katy and Sugarland, and Spring Branch Medical Center.

Typical of the dedication and commitment of our members, we chose to continue meeting during the holidays because every one of us knows that there will be patients cheered and helped by our fabricworks.

We know our Christmas and Holiday pillows are a huge favorite with patients and their families. As Rev. Thomas Hill, pastor at Clarewood House, enthusiastically stated, “There’s not a measure for how much good it does to awaken compassion in a patient. Animals and handmade objects awaken compassion and often change behavior in people. Your contributions of handmade fabricworks are just fantastic.”

Thank you all for your hard work, hope and belief. More fabricworks means more patients helped, and thanks to your dedication, we are helping more people than ever before.

Texas Children’s Hospital included us in their end of year celebration of volunteers. We got the sweetest note:

The patients and their families join The Auxiliary to Texas Children’s Hospital in thanking you for your generosity and thoughtfulness. Your gift is very much appreciated.

Thanks so much for the therapy dolls, small blankets, hats, bears and heart pillows!

Jody Ryan
Corresponding Secretary

It really helps to know that our fabricworks are connecting with patients in the gentle care of such thoughtful people.

In the last three weeks, we have donated to the following hospitals: St. Luke’s (twice), Methodist (twice), Memorial Hermann (twice), Northwest Memorial Hermann, M. D. Anderson (twice), Harris County, Texas Children’s (twice), Memorial City Memorial Hermann, Sugarland Memorial Hermann, Spring Branch Medical, and Children’s Memorial Hermann. Thanks to your consistent hard work, we have donated 5,159 handcrafted fabricworks since last May 25, and we have another 200 ready to be donated as Christmas gets nearer. Your faithfulness to our mission has made all of this possible.

Today, we need to highlight Charles Peirsol, the manager of the Memorial Town and Country Starbucks. Every Monday afternoon, he opens to us his Starbucks store lounge for stuffing and closing pillows and other items. And we have grown. We typically have 15-20 women stuffing, chatting, picking up supplies, knitting, sharing patterns and generally having a great time. We use about 30 pounds of fiberfill on average. Last Monday, we got a sneak preview of the new Starbucks Christmas Blend and the Cranberry Cheesecake bars. Yum! Without Charles’ support, we would not be able to make and donate as many items as we do. We all thank you, Charles, for your unwavering support and patience.

Upcoming opportunities to meet:

• Monday, Nov. 16, 2-4 p.m. Starbucks Memorial Town and Country
• Tuesday, Nov. 17, 9:30-noon Memorial Drive United Methodist Church Room D220
• Monday, Nov. 23, 2-4 p.m. Starbucks
• Monday, Nov. 30, 2-4 p.m. Starbucks
• Tuesday, Dec.1, 9:30-noon CHRISTMAS PARTY at Memorial Drive United Methodist Church Room D220. Celebrate the season and our many successes.
• Monday, Dec. 7, 2-4 p.m. Starbucks
• Tuesday, Dec. 8 , General Meeting of UMW at 9:30, Memorial Drive Methodist Church, Wesley Hall. Come hear the singing group “The Lyrics”, followed by a Christmas Luncheon.

Finally, Santa is coming to town and checking on us. Read our earlier posts to see our latest pictures and get a check by your name on Santa’s list.

Lisa Davis at the Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital wrote in with some kind words about how our fabricworks are used:

Thank you so much for these beautiful pillows. We are currently using the pillows in our Emergency Department in order to provide comfort to patients in trauma situations. The patterns are beautiful and the ER Patients really appreciate this special gift.

The pillows give them something to hold on to when they are under stress and help to ease the long wait. I gave one out to a little girl this weekend and she commented that blue was her favorite color and it seemed to distract her from the stressful environment of the ER.

Please keep them coming. I also gave one out to a wheelchair patient who was experiencing back pain and she was very relieved and thankful. This is just such a special act of kindness that you can not imagine the impact it has on the patients that receive your touching works of art.

We have a special cart now in the ER with the pillows, magazines, color, coloring books, puzzle books and snacks. We hope to continue to provide this service through our helpful staff and volunteers such as The Common Thread Circle.

This restores my faith also and tells me that people do really care about each other in this world today.

Thanks again from the staff and patients at Memorial Hermann Northwest.

We’re committed to caring about other people and it’s people like you, Lisa, who take the time to notice that really keep us going.

Maureen Brunetti, the Volunteer Coordinator (among other busy hats she wears) at the Spring Branch Medical Center wrote what’s probably the nicest letter of support ever written:

Dear Marilyn,

We are so happy at Spring Branch Medical Center that you have chosen us to benefit from your wonderful talents.

I can’t tell you how excited the nurses and patients get when I bring up a new supply of the beautiful pillows and blankets made by the ladies of the Common Thread Circle.

They are so soft, colorful, fun, bright and cheerful, that one can’t help but feel better just to see them. The new moms up on post-partum LOVE them since they are the perfect size, shape and softness to support the newborns at feeding time.

Thank you for all you do. We are your very grateful beneficiaries. It feels like Christmas or my birthday whenever you stop by with new goodies!

Sincerely,

Maureen Brunetti, RSN, BSN
Volunteer, H2U and Marketing Coordinator
Spring Branch Medical Center

Did you catch the bit about Christmas and birthdays? I am thinking of gingerbread cookies, cider, cake, espresso and not fruitcakes (ick). I think it’s people like Maureen, who take the time to remind us that each fabricwork our fingers touch reaches a real person with a real need and comforts them, who make this world go around.

In the last two weeks, we have donated to: Northwest Memorial Herman (new addition), Memorial Hermann Katy, Texas Children’s, Southwest Memorial Hermann, Ben Taub, L.B.J., and M. D. Anderson Hospitals.

Upcoming Meetings

• Oct. 19, Monday [ map ]
  Starbucks Town and Country 2-4 p.m.
• Oct. 20, Tuesday [ map ]
  Memorial Drive United Methodist Church ROOM D126 9:30-12 p.m.
• Oct. 21, Wednesday [ map ]
  Spring Branch Presbyterian Church, Crafts Room 9:30-12 p.m.
• Oct. 26, Monday [ map ]
  Starbucks Town and Country 2-4 p.m.

Volunteers

Many of you have stepped forward recently to help with our extra work. Our pace of donations has not faltered because of you. It is heartwarming to see your love of our group and its mission. Many thanks to the following in no particular order.

• Marilyn MacRill has graciously accepted the position of Grants Coordinator.
• Margaret Atmar: buying material, cutting pillows and sewing
• Marilyn MacRill: labels, cutting, taking over meetings
• Dory and Garrett Graham: sewing, deliveries to hospitals
• Jeanne Krantz: cutting pillows
• Beverly Davidson: labels, quilts, cutting and sewing
• Sarah Dikeman: buying material, cutting
• Lenore Alfredson: buying material and sewing
• Joyce Wolf: cutting pillows
• Mary Hirscher: cutting pillows

Thanks to every member of our group for your help and continued support.

Our mailbox runneth over — with good things. Maureen Brunetti, the ever-able and cheerful Volunteer, H2U and Marketing Coordinator at Spring Branch Medical Center, wrote in to tell us that our blankets and hats are a hit:

The L&D nurses loved the latest goodie bag. The knitted, stuffed animals were adorable and the caps so cute and tiny. The receiving blankets are always a huge hit. Your work is greatly appreciated here at Spring Branch.

We’re thankful to Maureen and others like her in hospitals who make sure that patients get these fabricworks when they are in times of need.