Good morning SCT friends, it's Catherine and I wanted to share with you all an extraordinary experience I had this past weekend and how that experience has developed in to a new initiative here at the magazine. As always, we love that papercrafting brings so many people together to learn and share, but also to give and support.
Last Saturday we joined forces with Crafting For a Cure, an amazing charity that we have worked alongside with at the Creativ Festival for years. Crafting For a Cure is a not-for-profit registered charity that looks for opportunities to ensure children are having a positive experience when a hospital visit is necessary. Pamela is an extraordinary woman who quite simply makes things happen. Crafting For a Cure not only crafts with children, they create new playrooms and offers creative distractions to help the kids pass the time while they are there.
Each year Pamela organizes Kilometres for Kids which encourages high school students to get out to do something unique while earning community service hours. A requirement for high school graduation. Along with a $10 donation, the students have to make a card for a child and walk around a track for 45 minutes....to great music! They can also raise donations from family and friends to earn prizes from some of the amazing sponsors ~ thank you Starbucks! This year Scrapbook & Cards Today ran the cardmaking part of this event and I have to say, we loved every minute of it.
Here are just a few pictures from the event...
Some of the SCT runners/walkers ~ Team Red!
I think these girls sat and made five cards each!
Just an example of the positive, inspirational messages the kids wrote in the cards!
Matthew, on the right, raised over $800 and won a flat screen TV from one of the sponsors!
More than 200 cards were created and will be sent to over 42 children's wards across Canada. I could not have been prouder of all the students we met that day who were touched to be doing something so worthwhile. A special thank you to Doodlebug Designs, Bella Blvd., Bazzill, Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L and Fiskars for the products we used to make these fabulous cards.
Which brings me to a new initiative we are excited about....SCT Cards for Kids!
Here's how it works. Create a card for a child with an inspirational message (not a get well soon card as sadly, not all the children have a positive outcome), sign your name and send it to our offices with an envelope to:
Scrapbook & Cards Today
Cards for Kids
139 Church Street
Markham, Ontario
L3P 2M2
We will take all these amazing cards and provide them to Crafting For a Cure who will then send them to hospitals across Canada and the US. Easy right? Just knowing we brought a smile to a child facing a difficult time is uplifting. So let's get to work SCT friends and see if we can do 1,000 cards this summer!
Thank you so much for reading and for helping us launch SCT Cards for Kids. I am excited to be working with Crafting For a Cure and visiting children's wards to be crafting with them in the months ahead. Please take a moment to visit their website and see if there is something you can do too!
~ Catherine
I have a set of cards ready to go!! Gathering them to ship off to you! What an amazing, inspiring, profoundly exciting and wonderful thing for my fave site/mag to do. Kudos!! - Mom to five, Ottawa, ON
Posted by: ChronicBadass | May 30, 2013 at 01:07 PM
AWESOME!!!! I am going to try to organize a card making party at my house for my daughter and her friends. I know they would LOVE to help with this! :)
Posted by: Michelle Liimatainen | May 30, 2013 at 01:15 PM
What a wonderful, wonderful idea. Time to get crafting.
Posted by: Josie Lajeunesse Lombardi | May 30, 2013 at 02:16 PM
Just awesome! I think it's a great idea for kids to feel like they are able to do something. Thank you for caring. I make cards for Operation Write Home, and I'm going to set up a craft night at our local studio. Thanks again. Take care. :)
Posted by: Kim Thomas | May 30, 2013 at 02:19 PM
What a wonderful idea and great cause!!
Posted by: Nicole N. | May 30, 2013 at 02:20 PM
I just love this idea!!
If I can plant a bug in your ear to make cards for our war vets who are in hospitals or nursing homes. They don't get much mail & could use a perk up too.
Will do my best to help out -it's on my "to-do" list.
Hopefully we can take off out rubber boots (from all our rain) and enjoy some time outside, eh?
Hang in there!!!
Posted by: Jude | May 30, 2013 at 02:25 PM
What a wonderful idea! I am actually having a card-making crop on 6/14 for fallen veterans' families and I will definitely ask the ladies if they want to tackle this cause next. My friends are so generous and kind with their time, efforts and resources, I certainly think we can put a small dent in that 1,000 number. :) Thanks for letting me know about this!
Posted by: cheryl | May 30, 2013 at 03:55 PM
What a great idea! It's easy and fun to make! I'm on.
Posted by: Cécile Lavoie | May 30, 2013 at 04:55 PM
My sons are always so excited to make cards for their friends' birthdays and I just know they will be super into this idea. They have both had hospital stays and know what a special place children's wards are. Thank you for being the go-between.
Posted by: Cindy L | May 30, 2013 at 08:54 PM
Count me in. What a fantastic idea and funny I was just talking to my daughter about doing cards using a image I just purchased that would be perfect.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
Posted by: Sandra L. | May 30, 2013 at 09:08 PM
Count me in. Will have to wait until mid-June to start working on them. Summer Break just started and I'm getting organized now. :D
Posted by: Ruza | May 31, 2013 at 12:15 AM
Sounds great. I will be on vacation soon and will get started.
Posted by: Jean Bullock | May 31, 2013 at 01:00 AM
I will get right on this. and pass the word onto my other scrapping buddies!
Posted by: Cheryl | May 31, 2013 at 08:31 AM
This is a wonderful cause. Love that we can help you in this way. I'm spreading the news, too!
Posted by: Lorraine Melin | May 31, 2013 at 01:53 PM
LOVE it! After having a dear friend and her 12 y/o spend 4 months in VAncouver Children's Hospital, I wanted to find a way to encourage! Now to bookmark this so I can find it!
Posted by: Romaine | June 11, 2013 at 05:38 PM
I saw this post a little while ago and have been busy making cards and promoting the cause of my blog. Such a wonderful idea! So today I have packaged up 12 cards and mailed them off to you! Thanks for coordinating this initiative!!
Posted by: Laurie | August 16, 2013 at 01:35 PM
Thank you Laurie! That is wonderful!
Posted by: catherine | August 16, 2013 at 02:20 PM