Regular Member Meeting Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Starts at 10:30 AM via the Zoom app. See you online!
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Assistance League of Hawaii - December 2020 |
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Transforming Lives - Strengthening Community |
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We certainly care! Assistance League of Hawaii We Care chair Jane Winslow (right) and two nurses who work at Castle Hospital's New Birth Center pose with bagged layettes for new Moms and Babies that "We Care" delivered to the medical facility last month. More on We Care below.
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Charitable Donations
Through The Holidays
Soon 2020 will be in our rearview mirror. Thank Goodness! With the end of the year, comes new beginnings ….. and taxes. Many of us have retired and perhaps are still faced with the dreaded tax payments in April. If you are looking for a way to lessen the money given to the government, try giving to a non-profit for a tax deduction!
Money generated from the Sony Open in January is shared back into the community through grants from Friends of Hawaii Charities Our Grants Chair, Gloria McGehee-Koel, has helped us received these monies to the tune of $7500 for Operation School Bell. These same folks are starting a 2-month campaign to help Hawaii’s non-profits charities BOOST direct donations through a new program called “Aloha for Hawaii Charities”.
If you click on their website http://www.friendsofhawaii.org/ you can directly donate to The Assistance League of Hawaii. All the money (plus some) will come back to us and you get the tax deduction! If the Assistance League reaches a threshold of $1000 or more, your donation will be multiplied.
I realize that most of us donated through KWAK to the Assistance League and we thank you. If you need another tax deduction or would like just give to our charity, please consider giving through Aloha for Hawaii Charities program. It truly is easy and quick and a win-win for our organization. Carol Jones has more information in this newsletter under Resource Development.
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Last but not least, I'd like to recognize member volunteer Carol Jones who was recognized for the good work she does at Kapiolani Medical Center as a "cuddler" for premature babies there. A feature article about her volunteer work at Kapiolani appears in Hawaii Pacific Health's latest annual magazine, INSPIRE. You can read it online.
Have a Happy and Safe Holiday.
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Sony Open - Friends of Hawaii Charities Campaign
Friends of Hawaii Charities donates money generated from the Sony Open every year. We have received around $7500 during the last two years. In order to boost the campaign this year the fundraiser has gone online.
Your donation is tax deductible as it all comes back to Assistance League of Hawaii, and if we reach $1000 threshold, your donation will be multiplied!
Click on this link to go to the Aloha for Hawaii Charities secured website and click on Aloha for Hawaii (See participating charities) and complete the form: http://www.friendsofhawaii.org/. Or if you prefer to use a check, please phone or text me at (760) 831-5012 or email me at cljones888@gmail.com and I will email you a form. Mahalo!
Pennies for Programs Continues
Remember to keep a can, jar, or “umbrella” cover like I use to collect all your loose coins. Yes, all that loose change really adds up! Remember you can drop that off at the Thrift Shop or if you need call or text me at (760) 831-5012 or email me at cljones888@gmail.com, and I can come by and pick your collection up!
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Say Hello to
Our Newest Volunteers
I want to introduce Lisa DeFrancesco, a community volunteer who hails from upstate New York. Lisa loves to cook and bake and has shared her gastronomical talents with the Friday crew. She also is an avid hiker and Jodie Ann Mori, our newest member, actively helps at the Thrift Shop and is part of the Marketing and Communication Committee.
Cathy Young and I are recruiting any member who would be interested in helping our Membership Committee. We are looking for people who would love to share their Aloha for Assistance League of Hawaii with others. If you are interested, please email me at sunabesheri@gmail.com.
Melvin Ah Ching once again brought his photographic talent to our Ohana Room. On Saturday, November 21st, members had the opportunity to take or retake their gorgeous portraits for our Membership Binder. Our Board members were captured by a donated wide-angle lens. You never know what treasures you may find at our thrift shop! Thank you, Mel, for bringing such holiday cheer to picture taking and better headshots of us all.
This season is unlike any other. We wish you moments of peace within the difficulties, connections with family and friends even if they can't be in person, the warmth of memories from holidays past, and wonderful glimpses of the joy that still lives under the surface.
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Layettes and Malama Bears Come and Go
Pat Dixon and I delivered 80 boys and girls baby layettes to Castle Medical Center. The staff was very appreciative of Assistance League of Hawaii’s generosity on behalf of the new mothers who receive the layettes.
Four Malama Bears remain from last year's stock. Two hundred more are scheduled to be delivered to the shop the week of December 6, where they will be stored in Bert's Room. The new bears will need to be unpacked from the shipping boxes and then repacked in plastic bags (20 per bag) for delivery to hospitals and other institutions providing comfort to the young in need.
Any help in the unpacking/repacking will be appreciated. If you have questions please call me at (808) 285-5603.
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Planning for
ACTION! Week 2021
The Marketing and Communications Committee is working on our ACTION! Week activity from February 22 to 26, 2021. As many of you know our participation in ACTION! Week has in the form of book donations to various schools in need.
This year the Marketing Committee is looking into combining the book donations with some aspect of our Operation Wildlife (OWL) program. We may be targeting our OWL 4th graders with a book selection that illustrates some of the goals in that program.
The committee also brainstormed other ideas for a virtual presentation based on OWL, taking into account the possibility of the COVID-19 pandemic continuing into 2021 and 2022.
In other marketing news, our chapter now has new business cards which are simplified from the previous ones. The new card features a background image of our Thrift Shop and logo on the top. These are being handed out to the customers and the community.
Have you visited our website and Facebook page? The Facebook page has been active as of late, and the website is regularly updated with new content for both the community and our members. Be sure to also check your email for this newsletter and other bulletins that we send out through the Constant Contact platform. We know that a few of you haven’t opened our newsletter mailings.
Your marketing committee consists of chair Gerri Migita, Melvin Ah Ching, Linda McColgan, Charlene Grandé and new member Jodie Mori.
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Taking More Action!
Every month I would like to highlight action that is being taken by our Chairs and Committees to reach our goals. During the pandemic I have seen a lot of creative energy being used to come up with new strategies/actions to reach our goals.
This month it is with great pleasure that I report on one of the actions that I have seen recently.
It was strongly suggested at our evaluation meetings in March that we need to protect our most important asset - our building and Thrift Shop. Members felt that actions should be taken to improve/upgrade both the outside and inside of our building. If you have been in the shop lately you may have noticed all the effort that has gone into improving the look of our Shop.
The old cabinets behind the cash registers have been replaced by two beautiful, gently used, matching credenzas! The drawers, etc. have already been organized and labeled to make finding things easier for our volunteers.
They are a great addition to our shop (courtesy of Sharon Ehrhorn - she can tell you the story of how she acquired them). This is just one of many efforts that are in progress to improve the shop and the building!
We also have new entry doors and are in the process of having a roll-up door installed on the Kaheka side of our building. Security, which was also discussed at our evaluation meetings, is also being addressed.
Kudos to all involved - Thrift Shop Team, our tireless volunteers in the Shop, and Mary Monohon, our fearless leader, who is helping to get the job done!
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Our new credenza at the cash register area of the Thrift Shop. |
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New Credenzas and a Successful Month
The biggest news is the transformation of our cash register area with two credenzas replacing the old desk, broken bookcase and metal pull out drawers. It looks so much better and is organized very well. Peggy Monell and Ku’ulei Pai scrubbed and cleaned the coffee and soda spills and other crud on the wall and floor that had accumulated for years. If you have not seen it recently, please familiarize yourself with the new locations for the things we use all the time.
The December schedule is the same as November. It seems to be working well. Thanks to all of you who sign up to work.
We are anticipating the arrival of more furniture. We have consolidated the remaining Christmas items into a smaller area.
Donations continue to be accepted on Saturdays. Unfortunately, there have been a few disappointed customers on Tuesdays. We need more kitchen items so we may have to go back to accepting things on Tuesdays. We are always in a state of flux.
As always, the people who work upstairs and the cash register workers have made November a successful month and we can look forward to a “healthy” December.
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December 2020 Thrift Shop Calendar
Downstairs Schedule * All Shifts 9:00 am to 1:15 pm
Regular Meeting on Wednesday, December 9, Starting at 10:30 AM
This is a virtual meeting using the Zoom conferencing app.
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Your Monthly Service Hours
Thank you for your diligence in submitting your service hours every month. It is very important for National Assistance League use and to demonstrate the good work that we do to our donors. Please send your hours to me at the end of every month so I can enter them onto the spreadsheet. Only the total is necessary. For those of you who worked during the summer and forgot to give them to me, please include those. Let me know if you need assistance in submitting the hours.
Thank you, Vicki Fay - Telephone (808) 282-0878. Your hours can also be sent by email to: vandwfay@mac.com
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Amazon.com donates 0.5% of qualifying AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice. Why not choose Assistance League of Hawaii? Here’s how it works:
2) Sign in with your Amazon.com credentials (Amazon Prime can be used too.)
3) Select Assistance League of Hawaii as the charitable organization.
4) Start shopping!
5) You can add a bookmark for smile.amazon.com to make it easier to return again to shop at AmazonSmile.
Once you have Assistance League of Hawaii registered with your Amazon Smile account, every time you shop at Amazon that .5% of your purchases help us! Mahalo.
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Telephone (808)946-1505 • Email: althrift281@gmail.com
Newsletter Editor: Melvin Ah Ching assistanceleaguehimarketing@gmail.com
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