Blanket Tots in Love

When: January 15, 10:30am

Where: 941 Kern St.

What: Come with your little ones and make fleece blankets and scarves to donate to Watson's Children Shelter. Sip on hot chocolate while you provide hands-on, age-appropriate opportunities to teach your kids the joy of service. Fleece is provided, but bring sewing scissors if you've got them. Excited to see you soon!

December Follow Up and Thanks!

I want to shout out a heartfelt thanks to those who helped us help out a family this holiday season through the YWCA. It was a great success! Be sure to check out our January activity!

December 2010 - YWCA Sponsor a Family

Greetings!

For the month of December, our little Tender Tots group is happy to sponsor a family of 3 through the YWCA Christmas gift program. If you would like to participate, please check out the family's wish list and email me (hollyhrogers@gmail.com) if there is an item or items you would like to provide.

Please include a gift receipt where possible, and do no wrap. Please have the item(s) to me by Wednesday, December 15, or I would be happy to pick them up from you! (Italicized items have been volunteered.)

Mom:

- Rapture perfume set from Victoria's Secret

- Norton anti-virus software for one user

Son, age 7:

- DVD player

- pants, size 7

- shoes, size 3

Daughter, age 16:

- Bed set, full size, floral and black

- Gift certificate to Buckle

- Body set from Bath and Body Works (Thanks, Lynn!)

Family: Gift bags or wrapping supplies

Thank you so much for extending the spirit of gift-giving to others in need this holiday season!

For January, we'll meet at my home on Saturday, January 15, at 10:30am to make fleece scarfs and blankets to donate to Watson's Children Shelter. (The fleece is provided, so just come and have fun :). Have a warm and cozy holiday!

September Follow up and October Reminder

Thanks to all who came and strung beads with us! We made at least 20 bracelets and talked a bit about poverty and what we can do about it. Can't wait to donate them to an upcoming Peace fair!

Our next activity will be on Saturday, October 23, from 10 am to 12 noon. We will be making spooky Halloween cards for sick kids in the hospital. Bring card making supplies or just yourselves and we hope to see you then!

August Follow Up and September Reminder

Thanks to all who participated in the Stuff the Bus program in August!

Remember to mark Thursday, September 23, 6:30 pm on your calendar for September's Tender Tots activity. Location is 941 Kern St. We will be making bracelets from beads made by impoverished Ugandan women (www.beadforlife.org) to donate to the Peace Fair. Please RSVP to the event so I can know how many beads to plan for. Thanks!

August 2010 - Stuff the Bus

For the month of August, let's individually participate in the local Stuff the Bus program! When you take your kids for their annual trip to buy school supplies, pick up a few extras and drop them off at one of the bus locations (see below for dates and locations).

And mark Thursday, September 23, 6:30 pm on your calendar for next month's activity. We will be making bracelets from beads made by impoverished Ugandan women (www.beadforlife.org) to donate to the Peace Fair. Please RSVP below on the comments or on facebook so I can know how many beads to plan for. Thanks!

Care for Kitty Cats Follow Up

We were thrilled to donate items to Animeals, a no-kill animal shelter here in Missoula. We look forward to donating school supplies for the Stuff the Bus program in August!

Welcome to Tender Tots of Missoula!

We are excited for you to join Tender Tots of Missoula, a children's service group for kids ages 2-10. We were previously located in Lakewood, Colorado, but are now beginning a new branch in Missoula, Montana (for Lakewood's group, click here, or for the branch that will be starting up in Salt Lake City, Utah, here).

On the right sidebar is a mini calendar of our tentative schedule. I will post a detailed reminder a month before the activity here on the blog as well as on our facebook page called "Tender Tots of Missoula."

While there are tremendous positive opportunities for our kids today that I never dreamed of as a child, I am concerned about the impact of materialism and overemphasis on stuff. I worry that they have too much stuff, and I'm often searching for ways to shift the focus outward. I want to find ways to involve my children and our community's youth by offering them opportunities to gain awareness and appreciation for life's gifts.

Most volunteer activities in the community are for adults or teenagers, so this is designed as a place for kids. The monthly service activities are low-key and mainly intended to generate discussion and involvement, even if on a small scale. Most of all, I want our youth to gain compassion and joy that comes from serving. I also hope to share our ideas together on the blog for getting our kids involved, excited, and empowered about giving. Please post your own comments or email me with ideas at hollyhrogers@gmail.com. And I know there are valuable lessons waiting for us, to be learned from our own little ones.

For our first activity in June, we're going to donate items to Animeals, a no-kill animal food bank and adoption center here in Missoula. Now is kitten season, so we will gather items specifically for the little cats.

Kitty Wish List:

• Kitten replacement milk formula
• Baby bottles
• Wet food
• Dry kitten chow
• Carrier kennels
• Litterboxes
• Towels
• Syringes
• Heating pads/heated floor tiles
• Sweet scoop litter

Unfortunately, we can't take the kids to visit the animals, but instead I'd love to have a little social at my home (email me for address) on Thursday, June 24 at 7 pm, to meet and pool our donations. But even if you can't make it then, you can drop items off at my home any time between now and June 24. Also, take a moment with your own kids to talk about animal welfare and how they should be properly treated and cared for (even if you don't have pets!).

Hope to see you soon!

Changing of the Guard

This is my last official post from Tender Tots of Lakewood. Thanks again to everyone who has participated. The new organizer of the Lakewood branch is Roni Miller. And the new blog is:

http://tendertotsoflakewood.blogspot.com/

Please bookmark it, and Roni will be in touch with you shortly.

Have a wonderful holiday season and a fantastic new year, filled with fun service activities for you and your kids! I will miss you!

Holly

November Reminder and Important Update

In November we are so thankful for food! We will donate items to a food bank this month. Please bring any non-perishable food items to my home any time before November 25 (just give me a heads up that you are coming so I'll be sure to be here) and I will drop the items off at a food bank.

Also, I have some personal news. My family will be moving to Missoula, Montana next month! We are very excited about our move, but we don't want to leave Tender Tots in Lakewood in a lurch. Thankfully, my good friend Roni Miller has graciously offered to take it over! I am excited to begin a new branch in Missoula, and I'm so happy that Tender Tots will continue strong thanks to the help of Roni and all of you. Thank you so much for participating and for your generosity, service, and love. I know that these are the kinds of experiences our children need. Roni is excited to carry it on and looks forward to many more wonderful opportunities for kids to serve. We will be in touch!

October Follow Up

We had so much fun making spooky cards for sick kids in the hospital. We donated them to St. Anthony's Hospital in Denver (though they almost didn't let us deliver them with the no-kid rule! :). Thanks to all who came. The cards were so cute.

September Follow up and October Reminder

Thanks to those who joined us for our September activity and for your generous donations. It was so amazing to tour the wonderful facility. The Gathering Place offers a variety of day-time services to at-risk women and children, including a cafeteria, Betsy's Cupboard (where women can access food and toiletries a few times a month), counseling, health services, job and home placement, GED and literacy training, child care, yoga classes, and art classes where the women make cards they later sell. Our favorite part of the tour was visiting the roof--complete with a playground, vegetable gardens, and an incredible view of downtown Denver!

Don't forget to join us this Saturday the 17th at 10am at our home for an hour of Halloween card-making for children in the hospital. Or if you can't make it, feel free to make your own and drop them by before October 24. Let me know if you need my address. Hope to see you then!