The Common Thread Circle

Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital wrote in to thank us and Starbucks for helping sponsor this project:

I want to thank you for your most generous donation of the holiday mugs to our Children’s Hospital. We received them from the Common Thread Circle, who was so kind to approach you with the initial request.

Each year we have a holiday party for all of our patients and their families. This year’s event is scheduled for the 18th. We have food and drink, arts and crafts, games and of course, Santa bearing gifts. We are going to slip these mugs into Santa’s bag for the kids to enjoy! If we have any left over, Santa seems to always appear on Christmas day, even though we have no chimney. We’ll be sure he finds the leftovers so that our newly admitted patients can get one.

Thanks again for your sweet contribution! On behalf of the staff of the Child Life Department, we want to wish you, your staff and all their families a most safe and joyous holiday season!

And for all of you with The Common Thread Circle, I want to thank all of you for everything you do to bring a smile or a bit of relief to our children and their families. I also want to wish you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving!

Richard Weir
Director, Facility Operations
Child Life Department

Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital
6411 Fannin Street
Houston, Texas 77030
P 713-704-2067
F 713-704-5246
richard.weir@memorialhermann.org

Together, we can help these patients.

Hi Hard-working Team,

We produced a tremendous quantity of hand-made items for hospitals in our two meetings last week. The totals are below. But first, please note that we will be meeting at Starbucks Town and Country on Monday Nov.24, Dec. 1, 8 & 15 from 2-4pm.

Our Christmas Party is on Dec. 16 in Room 220 at Memorial Drive United Methodist Church. We will work first and then celebrate with a lunch catered by VMR. Everyone needs to come celebrate the great 6 months we have had so far.

This week we donated to:

Memorial Hermann Hospital

124 Christmas heart pillows. Our total Christmas pillow donation
so far is 333.

MDAnderson

7 blankets, 1 crocheted blanket, 35 bone headrests, 4 stoma
covers, 25 tote bags

Ben Taub

48 pillows, 32 knitted hats

Children’s Memorial Hermann

3 fleece blankets, 9 knitted bears, 1small flannel bear, 16 premie hats, 6 large bears, 7 flannel infant blankets

We have donated 2131 hand-made items to hospitals since May 20,2008

We also have donated 120 washcloth kits to Mission of Yahweh and 34 to Galveston relief efforts

Many thanks again to all of you for your hard work.

The Department of Volunteer Services would like to thank all of the members of The Common Thread Circle for their continuous support of the patients at our hospital.  Your handmade items are so special! These items are given out by our floor host volunteers when they visit the various inpatient floors or to family members who come to our department looking for pillows, blankets, stoma covers etc. for their loved one.

I think that Rima and I have developed a great delivery system through my fellow staff member, Cindy Shursen, who lives nearby.  It’s a joy to work with you all! Many thanks again!

Maggi Suttles
Assistant Director, Volunteer Services
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

Yes, it poured on Monday, Nov. 10 but inside our friendly Starbucks at Memorial and Sam Houston feeder we drank great coffee and tea, snacked and WENT THROUGH A RECORD 35 POUNDS OF FIBERFIL!  As a result, our deliveries to hospitals this week were incredible (see below).  We will meet at Starbucks on Monday, Nov. 17 from 2:00-4:00 and on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at Memorial Drive United Methodist Church from 9:30-1:00 in Room D220.

A warm welcome to our new recruits who are busily cutting, turning and sewing pillows.  Without our wonderful volunteers, we would not be able to reach as many patients in the Houston area.  See all of you soon!

MDAnderson donations:

31 heart pillows,  8 stoma covers,  4 tote bags,  10 headrest dog bones,  15 blankets,  3 shawls

Children’s Memorial Hermann donations:

6  therapy dolls,  3 knitted bears,  14 flannel bears, 8  heart pillows,  23 Christmas  heart pillows

Memorial Hermann Hospital donations:

106 Christmas heart pillows

Total:  1,793 handcrafted items donated since May 20, 2008

On behalf of Memorial Hermann – TMC I would like to thank you and your team for everything you are doing for us! The hearts and bears have been a success, and now many other departments are requesting them! So far we are giving them to the following units: Rehab, Geriatrics, Subacute Medicine, and Children’s.

We are going to add more units as our volunteer service lines teams grow and allow our volunteers to share these wonderful items that you and your team share with us!

Thank you again for being so giving! Our patients are having a better experience because you are helping us to make it happen! Please give our thanks to all your team.  I will be looking forward to meeting all of them!

Tere Jackson
Manager, Volunteer Services
6411 Fannin
Houston, Texas 77030
P: (713) 704-0008

Today we met at Starbucks Town and Country and stuffed 76 pillows with 25 pounds of fiberfil. Yes, Charles, your mother’s cake was delicious. It was coconut and banana, and was thoroughly enjoyed by all. This Wednesday we will deliver 103 Christmas pillows to Memorial Hermann Hospital, and 59 pillows to Ben Taub Hospital, to comfort the patients there. Some people took home pillows for further work. All of your hard work is paying off and we thank all of you tremendously.

This brings us up to 1,724 handcrafted items donated since May 20, 2008. We’d love to hear from you, so please register so you can leave your message at the site.