Adopt-a-Shelter is Dec. 4

Submitted by Seth on

What Is This?

It's the charity event that MGoBlog saved last year. We take over a couple of homeless shelters in Detroit for a day and give the kids a giant Christmas party, while their parents "shop" for donated holiday gifts. Activities for the kids include a pizza party, Santa Claus, a teen game room, facepainting, artwork (Misopogal's room), dancing, and the opportunity to become one of those people in Metro-Detroit who can opine on the subject of Mitch Albom's height in real life.

What Do You Want From Me?

We're looking for volunteers, and gift donations. Also, for the Santa thing I have a photographer but we need some sort of photo printing solution -- like a printer that can make printed photographs off a digital camera. We tried my Bubble Jet once and...no. And I lost my bagel donation connection so if any of you know an important person at a Metro Detroit bagel confectionary, please hook me up.

I Have a Photo Printer You Can Use/Have!

Dude, sweet. E-mail me.

I Might Know a Bagel Guy

It's not a goyisha bagel place is it? Doesn't matter. E-mail me.

I Want to Volunteer!

There are two sites, the Booth Evangeline Salvation Army, which is the larger and put together by Mitch Albom's A Time to Help organization, and the Genesis II House, organized by a nice lady named Julie.

Booth Evangeline

TIME:  8:30-Noon

DATE:  December 4, 2010

LOCATION:  (Returning starters: note new address this year): Booth Evangeline Salvation Army, 20775 Pembroke Ave., Detroit, MI  48219-1345

Volunteers will help with decorating, setting up the gift shop, serving food, crafts, games, working in the gift room, manicures, karaoke, and makeovers.

TO SIGN UP:  Visit the Time to Help volunteer sign-up page.

QUESTIONS:  E-mail or call Project Coordinator, Marci Fitch at 313-993-4700 x 4715 or marci at drmm dot-org. Or e-mail me.

Genesis II House

TIME:  9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

DATE:  December 4, 2010

LOCATION: Detroit Rescue Ministries' Genesis House II homeless shelter, 2015 Webb St., Detroit, MI, 48206

We will set up crafts and games, play with the children and talk to the ladies, and have lunch together (lunch will be provided). Then we'll set up a Holiday Store, where the donated gifts will be set out for the ladies to "shop" for themselves and their children for Christmas

TO SIGN UP or QUESTIONs: Contact Julie Kroflich, 248 478-5168 (home), juliekroflich at yahoo dot-com.

I Want to Donate a Gift

The volunteers each are asked to come with 1 UNWRAPPED gift. You can also just send/drop off gifts. The gifts will be given away to mothers while they shop in the Gift Room during the event. Gift ideas include toys, clothing, and toiletry items. Stuff that needs batteries should come with batteries. No guns, no swords, no violent comic books.

As with last year, the easy way to do this is to buy something on Amazon.com and send it to one of the shelters. If you use the link above, Brian gets some credit for it too.

Have it shipped to:

Time to Help Christmas Party Gift Room

Booth Evangeline Salvation Army

20775 Pembroke Ave.

Detroit, MI  48219-1345

Or contact Julie Kroflich if you'd like to donate a gift for the party at Genesis II House. You can also drop off gifts for that at Allen Park Community School, 14700 Moore, Allen Park, MI, 313-827-2660 by Wed. Dec. 1. Julie's at 248 478-5168.

AGE RANGE: The age of the children range from Newborn to 17 years old, with most of the children being between the ages of 4-11 years old.



SIZES: A variety of sizes ranging from newborn to 3X are needed. The larger sizes (2X and 3X are for girls.)



TOYS: Age-appropriate toys and educational toys are needed. 



TOILETRIES: All types of toiletries are needed, except NOTHING with ALCOHOL in it. Shampoo, Conditioner, Toothpaste, Toothbrushes, Body Lotion, Women’s Deodorant, Body Wash, Soap, Washcloths, Towels.



SUGGESTIONS:

Child (4-12 years) Teen  Parent Infant/Toddler
Underwear Underwear Underwear Diapers
Sweat suits Sweat suits Sweat suits Sleepers
Socks Socks Purses Onesies
Hats Hats Socks Socks
Mittens Mittens Hats Hats/mittens
Coats Coats Mittens Coats
$15 Gift certificates for Payless shoes $15 Gift certificates for Payless shoes Coats  
Board games  Board games  $15 Gift certificates for Payless shoes  
Stuffed animals Radio walkman Resume paper and envelopes  
Activity books Jewelry kits Radio walkman  
Puzzles Puzzles Crossword puzzles  
Dolls  Books Books  
Books Notebooks/pens    
Toy cars/trucks      

Thanks to a generous donation from Oakley Park Elementary School in Commerce Twp. we don't need any more school supplies at the Genesis II house. I don't know if that applies to the Booth House.

Can't I Just Give You Money?

This is not the preferred option for me. My association with this thing is because I was a board member for Volunteer Impact (Adopt-a-Shelter was one of our signature programs), which has since shut down. Without VI, things get a bit more hairy.

Option 1: Donate to S.A.Y. Detroit, the umbrella organization for Detroit charities, and specify in the comments what it's for.

Option 2: I have set up a Paypal account that goes to just me. On Friday, Dec. 3, whatever is in this account I will use to purchase last-minute stuff we need for the Booth House party. If there's any more than a few hundred in there by then, I will donate the rest in the name of  MGoBlog to S.A.Y. Detroit.

Understand, this is no more safe and secure than if you found me at a Michigan tailgate and handed me cash. If you wouldn't be comfortable doing that, this isn't a good option. Also, I don't think I can get you the same tax papers.

I Have Other Stuff to Donate...

We also could use stuff donations: This is like, say, if you own a pizza joint and can donate pizza for 200 people, or orange juice/donuts/bagels for 200 people. Or cream cheese. Or balloons, game prizes, arts&crafts stuff.



One year we had a Saturn Dealership give us 50 empty popcorn boxes (don't ask), and they were awesome. Another year we had paper crowns from a certain restaurant chain that kids decorated. Someone once gave us a big cardboard box of all their kids' old Halloween costumes. You know what schlock you got.



We have the forms if you want tax receipts for the donations.

Comments

UMAmaizinBlue

November 14th, 2010 at 1:18 PM ^

Thank you for posting this. Every year I look to adopt a kid or a family to buy gifts, clothes and other needs for, and I think I just found it. It's great to see that charity isn't dead in this country and that people are still willing to stop thinking about themselves for a little bit and go out of their way to help those in need. 

 

I'll also be sure to spread the word to my friends and family about this. God smiles upon those who do good for those less fortunate. I hope this year those kids and their parents have an amazing Christmas. Just tremendous. Thank you.

Blazefire

November 14th, 2010 at 6:40 PM ^

Thanks so much for posting this. I do some PR work. If you don't mind, I'd like to locate Michigan friendly bars in the area and get their permission to post some flyers for this, as well as see if I can get you a little press. Let me know if that's okay.

Seth

November 14th, 2010 at 7:00 PM ^

Go ahead. Keep in mind Mitch is going to be there, Marci herself does PR work around town (she's the lady from the Comcast commercials), and there's a chance (don't tell the kids) that the Detroit Lions' mascot will make an appearance as well, so I don't want to give the impression that this is flying under the radar for the Metro Detroit press.

Mostly I'm looking for volunteers, gift donations, a photo printer, and bagels, and of course an opportunity to brainwash children to be Michigan fans forever and ever.