December 28, 2007

Artesia News

Senior Christmas Project: Raise Troop Morale


Artesia seniors have been working diligently on their own Christmas projects, with lifting troop morale as the main priority.

 

The name of this project is Operation Gratitude, which is also the name of the 501 nonprofit group that organized the campaign.  Operation Gratitude is funded entirely by private donations.

                    

Since early May seniors have been every Wednesday in the “Knitting Loom Hat Workshop,” creating helmet hats for the troops and hats for cancer patients and new born babies.  The hats for the cancer patients are delivered by Joan Marie weekly to Stitches From the Heart, a volunteer group that distributes them to hospitals through- out the United States. 

 

In addition, the Knitting Loom Hat Workshop has been making helmet hats along with the hats for the cancer patients and new born babies. 

 

“These hats have been stored and finally we sent them to OPERATION GRATITUDE ON Nov. 30 located at the Nation Guard Armory in Van Nuys,” said Betty Lou Ormonde, the senior coordinator working out of Albert O. Little Community Center.

 

The Tuesday before we were to deliver the hats, it was suggested to the seniors who were unable to participate in the knitting loom workshop, to add small items to the helmet hats for our soldiers.  A suggested list of items was made available to send cookies, gum, cracker, etc. 

 

“To my surprise, within the next two days we collected and delivered 400 hats and three pallets of items to the armory, which will be distributed to the troops overseas.  We have also been corresponding with eight members of the armed forces whose names and addresses were supplied by family or friends of the seniors and the center has been corresponding with them for many months,” added Ormonde. 

 

So, it was decided to also fill and send eight individual boxes to these eight members of the armed forces. 

 

“The seniors are very generous and supportive of our troops and are well aware of the sacrifices they make daily so all of us will continue to live in a free country,” said Ormonde.

 

The Knitting Loom Hat Workshop will continue with their helmet hat, cancer patients and new born babies hat. 

 

“Cancer patient and newborn hats will continue to be delivered on a weekly basis and the helmet hats will be stored until next spring when once again they will be delivered to Operation Gratitude,” explained Ormonde.

 

Everyone is invited to join in and make hats provided funding or yarn to keep the knitting Loom Workshop thriving.  Call the Artesia Senior Center for further information 562-865-6262.



         

Loading packages for troops.       Getting ready to ship the care      Betty Lou Ormonde drops off

                                                       packages.                                      packages from the Senior Center.

         

Betty Lou with one of the             Volunteers process the packages.    

coordinators.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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