The Common Thread Circle

Dear Common Threaders,

You are an incredible group of giving and caring individuals. You have made a difference in the lives of many, many patients this year. You’ve done it all because you share a vision of helping people while having fun.

And what a year we have had! Come and hear more about what we have done together. Come and be appreciated. And of course, there will be treats. You’ve earned them.

Calendar

Don’t forget we meet every Monday afternoon at Starbucks Town and Country (Memorial at Sam Houston Tollway) from 2-4 p.m. for stuffing, chatter and coffee.

Our mailbox offered a testimonial from someone who appreciates our work. She’s a living reminder that there are two sides to The Common Thread Circle: we have fun sewing together, but we’re there to help people. You can’t have one without the other. It’s like having your cake and eating it too, or at least having cake without calories.

Thank you so much for the heart shaped breast cancer pillow that I received at Mays Clinic MDA. Since I am still tender from my surgery I use it in the automobile under my seat belt. Riding to radiation daily requires a lot of miles of riding. Keep up the good work with your pillow ministry. I sew. My husband and I live in a rural area in Mississippi. I am already trying to think of a sewing ministry of my own after I recuperate. Thanks for inspiring me.

Elaine Dawson
Liberty, MS

And another truly lovely note:

Dear Common Thread Circle,

As I entered Methodist Hospital Monday, April 5 for day surgery, what a pleasant surprise greeted my arrival! Many thanks for the special soft heart pillow which brightened my spirit and aided my healing.

I appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Cheryl Levy
Houston, TX

This is why we do it. We want to comfort people like Elaine and Cheryl and guide them toward health. With your hard work, collaboration and friendship, we’re making it possible every hour of every day!

Our friendly neighborhood newspaper, the Memorial Examiner, is spreading the word of The Common Thread Circle. In their recent editions, they have included us in their community bulletin board section. The text is a note asking people to come sew with us at the Kendall Branch Library, where we’ve got a new sewing circle for people who want more sewing, friendship and helping others!

THE COMMON THREAD CIRCLE
2-4 PM every second Thursday of the month, starting April 8
Kendall Neighborhood Library and Community Center
609 N. Eldridge
713-893-8604

The Common Thread Circle makes comforting fabricworks for patients in Houston area hospitals. Come knit and crochet with us. Instructions and patterns available. Meet new people and make new friends while helping people in need. Call 713-893-8604 for more information or visit our website at thecommonthreadcircle.org.

If you haven’t attended yet, come visit. The Kendall Neighborhood Library and Community Center is just down the street and we’d be glad to welcome you.

Our efforts are being appreciated by more than the patients, nurses, doctors, and hospitals.

The folks at Volunteer Houston have selected Common Thread Circle as one of the recipients of the 2010 Mayor’s Volunteer Houston Awards. How very exciting for our group!

Stay tuned to find out more as we learn more. We’re thankful to St. Luke’s Hospital for nominating us, and to Charles Peirsol and Starbucks for supporting us in the very big way they do. And none of this would have happened without you, our volunteers.

Hospitals

Since our last newsletter, we have donated handcrafted fabricworks to the following hospitals:

• M. D. Anderson
• St. Luke’s
• Methodist
• Texas Children’s
• Memorial Hermann
• Memorial City Memorial Hermann
• Harris County Hospital System
• Children’s Memorial Hermann
• Katy Memorial Hermann
• Sugarland Memorial Hermann
• St. Luke’s Woodlands
• Shriners Hospitals

Calendar

Meetings for you to note on your busy calendars:

We’re a busy group. But no matter how high the numbers go, or how many awards we get, what keeps me going is the good that we’re doing. Look at what showed up in our mailbox:

April 4, 2010

I have witnessed how much the pillows Common Thread makes mean to the patients. I am spending quite a lot of time with a terminally ill patient at The Vosswood and when a church member (actually a Pastor) delivered her pillow to her she grabbed hold of it and wrapped her arms around it — and hasn’t let it get far from her ever since.

We also have another member at The Vosswood and I can’t help but see that her pillow stays close to her all the time. The pillows seem to be security blankets for the patients… and how wonderful that is when your life is controlled by the sterile world around you!

- H.H.
Spring Branch Presbyterian Church