If you’re working, it’s great to have someone else notice what you’re doing and spread the word. St. Luke’s is helping us out this week with two high profile public mentions. This is high praise from not only a respected source, but people we like to work with. We’re really lucky to have such wonderful people who appreciate the real measure of our results, which is that we’re helping patients!
First, they posted pictures on Facebook of the recent Mayor’s Volunteer Houston Awards ceremony at which both St. Luke’s and The Common Thread Circle people attended. I’m not really sure what I think about this newfangled Facebook thing but the pictures are flattering. Blush with me!
Next, the St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital Auxiliary newsletter Acts & Facts included an article on The Common Thread Circle and how and why we do what we do. It’s good to feel understood, isn’t it? Their words are lighting the way for others to see that what we’re doing is an important part of patient care and well-being.
MAYOR’S VOLUNTEER HOUSTON AWARD
On Thursday, June 10, 2010, Rima Blanc, representing The Common Thread Circle, received the Mayor’s Volunteer Houston Award from Mayor Annise Parker during a luncheon at the Hilton Americas–Houston Hotel. Attending the event with Rima were Dr. Peg Van Bree, senior vice president, SLEHS and CEO, SLEH; Pam Lemp; Rima’s husband, Bob; her son and the manager of the Starbucks location that sponsors the group’s meeting every Monday afternoon.
The Common Thread Circle was originally established as a charitable arm of the United Methodist Women. Under Rima Blanc’s direction, it has become a non-sectarian group of 40 to 60 volunteers, principally, but not exclusively, women, who create comfort fabricworks for surgery patients in area hospitals. The volunteers buy and cut fabric in designs that Rima created or modified, including teddy bears, frogs, heart-shaped pillows, patient record bags and the like. Rima buys the polyfil stuffing under special arrangement with Wal-Mart and provides it to the volunteers to stuff the fabricworks at their weekly meetings at the Town & Country Starbucks, where the manager has welcomed the group as a principal charity. The group produces about 1,000 fabricworks each month; in fiscal 2009, they donated over 8,000 items. This fiscal year they expect to donate over 10,000 items to 20 hospitals, including M.D. Anderson, St. Luke’s Hospital, Memorial Hermann Hospital System, Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, The Methodist Hospital and the Harris County Hospital District (through Ben Taub Hospital).
Rima Blanc is a force of nature who gave direction to a small activity and turned it into Houston’s leading out-of-hospital volunteer organization. She is not only artistically creative in the design and execution of the fabricworks (which meet hospital sanitary and safety standards), but in the direction of her group. The expansion of TCTC to its present state was chiefly, if not entirely, due to her leadership, willingness to donate time and money to the effort, and ability to inspire dozens of people to support that effort. She donates approximately 1,500 hours of time each year to the management of the group, selection of fabricwork designs, acquisition of materials and polyfil stuffing, transportation of materials to the working meetings, sorting and repacking of completed fabricworks, and delivery of them to the benefited hospitals.
Congratulations, Rima and The Common Thread Circle!
You can click on the version of it above to see a larger version, including a picture of me giving a teddy bear to our Mayor (who graciously accepted it). It’s easier to read the text above however. A big thank you to St. Luke’s, and a reminder that you are some of our favorite people to work with ever.
Great news! Starbucks has awarded us a grant of one thousand dollars to continue our efforts. What a wonderful reward for all our hard work. Thank you to Charles Peirsol, manager of our Starbucks, for his help with the application process and throughout the year. Charles, what would we do without you?
