Featured Cardmakers: Los Gatos Elks Lodge!
>> Friday, August 27, 2010 –
Featured Friday Cardmaker
This week, meet Cindy and the Los Gatos Elks in California!
This all began with Nancy C, a long time card maker for Operation Write Home. She is a family member that got me (Cindy E) hooked. I started by traveling to her home to make cards.
I took my friend Linda (an Officer of the Los Gatos Elks Lodge) with me once and she was hooked. She spoke to some Lodge members found a woman (Evelyn Pedron) with many rubber stamps and a room in her home to make cards. We went to her home a couple of times but it was getting a bit crowded.
Linda felt that the Elks do many things for Veterans and felt it was apropos that the Lodge get behind making these cards for those currently serving in the military. She is the one that obtained the Lodge for our use.
The Lodge has also provided funds to purchase supplies for us to create these cards through their charity program. We have been creating these cards for the past year and a half at the Los Gatos Elks Lodge. We began hoping to create about 1,500 cards in a year. We far surpassed our expectations by creating over 5,000 cards in our first year.
The women in this group have all joined by word of mouth. We have a group of women that make cards, at home, all month long: There is my family, Amber, Megan and myself (scrap bookers), Rosa Lee Tipton, Susan Knapp (a scrap booker), Rebecca Valverde and June Ellington (an 80+ woman enjoying every minute she spends making cards).
In addition to them, we have some of our friends and students in Junior High, High, and College that join us when they can (we have anywhere from 5 to 20 people joining us each month). We also have a Mary Johnson who teaches card making. We have had other Elk officers and members make cards and help us write 'Any Hero' cards.
We have been fortunate enough to have the Elks Lodge provide us with their Lodge to meet once a month. We bring the cards we have made all month long then spend three to four hours making an additional 100 to 150 cards that are needed for that month.
This all began with Nancy C, a long time card maker for Operation Write Home. She is a family member that got me (Cindy E) hooked. I started by traveling to her home to make cards.
I took my friend Linda (an Officer of the Los Gatos Elks Lodge) with me once and she was hooked. She spoke to some Lodge members found a woman (Evelyn Pedron) with many rubber stamps and a room in her home to make cards. We went to her home a couple of times but it was getting a bit crowded.
Linda felt that the Elks do many things for Veterans and felt it was apropos that the Lodge get behind making these cards for those currently serving in the military. She is the one that obtained the Lodge for our use.
The Lodge has also provided funds to purchase supplies for us to create these cards through their charity program. We have been creating these cards for the past year and a half at the Los Gatos Elks Lodge. We began hoping to create about 1,500 cards in a year. We far surpassed our expectations by creating over 5,000 cards in our first year.
The women in this group have all joined by word of mouth. We have a group of women that make cards, at home, all month long: There is my family, Amber, Megan and myself (scrap bookers), Rosa Lee Tipton, Susan Knapp (a scrap booker), Rebecca Valverde and June Ellington (an 80+ woman enjoying every minute she spends making cards).
In addition to them, we have some of our friends and students in Junior High, High, and College that join us when they can (we have anywhere from 5 to 20 people joining us each month). We also have a Mary Johnson who teaches card making. We have had other Elk officers and members make cards and help us write 'Any Hero' cards.
We have been fortunate enough to have the Elks Lodge provide us with their Lodge to meet once a month. We bring the cards we have made all month long then spend three to four hours making an additional 100 to 150 cards that are needed for that month.
Oh my this are some amazing cards....
This is just awesome!! Keep up the great work all of you. Love all your wonderful cards!!
What an awesome story of community support and everybody pitching in for a great cause! And the cards are so pretty!!
What a great story of folks coming together by word of mouth to share their talent and their love for our troops. Hurray for the Elks and all you wonderful ladies. <3
I love the cards too!
Love how word of mouth and determination made all this possible for you ladies. Wonderful cards.
Great cards!! And what fun you must have every month.
Wow! What a wonderful story! Hooray for all of you. Your cards are beauties and so are each of you!!
These are some super cards, and what a GREAT story! It makes me think about trying to get a local lodge or VFW to lend some crafting space in my area once in a while. Thanks for sharing!
Fantastic job Los Gatos Elks! What a great way you've managed to combine spending time together and spreading the word about OWH. I am certain your story is going to inspire a lot of people in the OWH family to maybe consider how they might get more people involved in their communitites. Terrific cards too!
how wonderful to have a group of ladies working together for such a worthwhile cause . Thank you very much. Keep up the creative work.
Barb Housner
I'm just touched by the way your community has come together to make cards for OWH! I'm sure you all have fun together while doing something so good for those serving our country! TFS all these great cards, and keep up the fantastic work! You ladies can all take a bow :)
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