Holiday Card Planning
When James, Richard and I planned the Holiday Shoot for our card at Pathfinders late last summer, I volunteered to make the VERY, very, very long scarf with one thought in mind – it could have a life after the shoot that could benefit the community.
So, while making the scarf from 30 yards of bright red fleece, we all began thinking of possible uses for it afterwards and what we could do that would benefit the community the most. It took about 3 weeks of afterhours work – measuring, cutting, and sewing different section lengths to make about 100 yards of a scarf – so that it would appear seamless for the shoot and look like one piece. It was key to have enough strength so it could stand up to some fun, frolic, and tug of war that was planned for us during the session.
All went well during the takes and photos – especially the amount of fun we had with the scarf! The enormity of the scarf captivated the team’s imagination. More than one Pathfinder realized what a special, almost magical, scarf it was when having so much fun with our rigorous scarf activities.
Re-using Left Overs with a Cause
We triumphantly brought the scarf back to Pathfinders and began planning what to do next. It was clear to the entire team that we could uniquely give back to the community by not wasting the beautiful red fleece that was purchased and prepared as a prop for a special photo.
We contacted two community social service agencies in South Bend, The Center for the Homeless (CFH) and La Casa de Amistad, that various team members actively support during the year. Both organizations welcomed the idea of receiving and distributing the scarves – adults to CFH and youth to La Casa. We discussed a Holiday season delivery to these two locations. We set up our preparation time right after our Thanksgiving holiday and had antlers, music, scissors, yardsticks, sharpies, and smiling team members all aglow. We were amazed that we had enough material to make 62 scarves for the community and packaged them by size for delivery.
The Delivery
We delivered the scarves to The Center for the Homeless on Monday, December 8, 2014. 26 adults signed up to receive a scarf and four Pathfinders arrived around 5:30pm to help distribute them.
As you can tell from the photo – the scarves were welcomed by community members and eagerly tried on for a group photo. Some of the Pathfinders included in the photo are red scarf less – but smiling happily at the warm reception from all. I later received an email from the Director at CFH with the warmth the group felt from our delivery.
Thanks so much Nancy! I know our guests really loved the scarves – I had a few of them show them to me the next day.
On Wednesday evening, December 10, 2014, we delivered 36 childrens’ scarves to the Crece Conmigo (Grow with Me) after school program / class at La Casa de Amistad. Each student participant present received a scarf and all of them were a perfect fit! It was a very festive group and the vision of red and green merging together in the photo is striking.
Each and every one at Pathfinders is pleased that we have been able to make the winter warmer this year – and our hearts are always warmed when we revisit what the finished card and scarf photo united – the entire Pathfinder team and a warmer winter for those with red scarves.