Whew - Time is Flying.....

Mary Englebreit

As we work on winding up 2012, I can't believe how fast this year has flown by!  So many things going on and we are just trying to keep up.  We are trying hard to get everything we have available out to those whose needs are the greatest.  No easy feat!

Hurricane Sandy has thrown some extra challenges at us but we are pulling together to provide blankets and more to New York and New Jersey.  Our Quilter Anita has headed up this project and as always she is busy making it happen.  We have found a couple of ways to get our blankets to those who are in need in those areas.  If you know of other needs for the victims of this disaster, please don't hesitate to let us know.

Christmas will be here in the blink of an eye and Anita has out done herself this year on the challenge to get as many preemie blankets out to the NICU's in SC and in the Charlotte area.  If all goes well, we should exceed our goals and have some to spare.  This is one of our favorite projects and so close to our hearts.  Can't wait to start sending them out to the NICU's!!

We have been very fortunate this year to receive so many wonderful donations of materials, blankets and quilts, as well as hats and booties and even a few sweaters.  If you have been a part of this, please know that we appreciate you more than you will ever know.  If you are looking for a project, just email us and we will get you started.  Don't forget we can provide receipts, community service forms and documentation and we can help your scouts earn badges - not to mention the joy of providing something for a child in need. 

As we get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving, we are so very thankful for each and every one of you who make the Binky Patrol South Carolina possible.  We wish you much joy and happiness during this Holiday Season!!

Fall is Here......

Fall is rounding the bend and I for one am very happy to see it!!  We have very hot summers here in South Carolina and many of us dream of the cooler temps and less humidity.  But along with the joys of the season comes the need for more blankets, hats, booties and more.  Our winters are typically mild here but little ones always need to be warm and secure. 

We have had some exciting happenings in the past few weeks.  We had another young person work with us on a community service project and that is always exciting.  We received another box from Louisa and her friends in Italy.  As always the quilt tops and orphan squares are just beautiful!!  Many of them are the perfect size to be used for our Preemie Quilt Drive.  We also had a delivery of materials from Sara and it included so many gorgeous fabrics, yarn and many special things we rarely receive like ric rack.  We can put all of these to good very good use!!

Anita and her quilters are buzzing away with the Preemie Quilts and I believe we will exceed our wildest dreams this winter.  It is so exciting to see the pictures of all of the sweet little creations as her groups puts them together.  How wonderfully dressed the NICU's will be this Holiday Season and Christmas!!

Another exciting development is that we have found a wonderful lady - actually someone I went to high school with, who adopts a group of Army men and women.  They will be returning to Afghanistan this November and we will be sending blankets to help this project.  We are so honored to help Cherry and her husband assist these young people and hopefully ease their burden just a little.

Stay tuned - we are very busy and things are coming and going.  More pictures will be posted soon - be sure to watch the Flickr feed on our blog.  As always, if you would like to get involved and help, please do email us at binkypatrolsc@sc.rr.com or visit our site at BPSC.CO.  There is always lots to do and we can use every pair of hands we can get!!

Arf Arf...Who Let the Dogs Out.....

Squee - the most wonderful surprise was waiting for us a couple of weeks ago! A box from Tracy filled with a beautiful assortment of yarn and some of the cutest little doggies and other animals you ever saw!!  They are so cute words cannot express so here is a pic.  These are just perfect for the Boys Home of the South!  It is so hard to find things that are appropriate for young boys but these dogs really hit it out of the park.  What boy wouldn't want to share secrets with these guys and have a friend to talk to in the darkness of night.  I know they will be loved and cherished!  I can't wait to get them shipped off.

The yarn was so welcomed also - we are working hard on hats and sweaters for the fall and winter ahead.  This box along with a wonderful shipment from our very own Quilter, Anita, will get us moving on the right track.  We can't thank you both enough!!

We are still working to get pictures of all of our beautiful items received so far this year.  Keep checking our Flickr to the left and the Facebook page.  We are so very thankful for each and every item we receive!!  It is through your generosity and thoughtfulness that the BPSC's work is made possible!

Stay cool and enjoy your Summer and ......dream of the beautiful fall to come!

Anita and the Quilters are Back!!!

Anita Black ~ Quilter
Extraordinaire

Not that they ever went anywhere - they have been quietly working away in the background all along!  They are back to work on the Preemie Christmas Project and we are beyond excited!!!  We hope to get packages out to all of the local NICU's as well as a box to Charlotte.  These hospitals are very busy and get so many preemies in and the NICU is a scary place to be, even more so at the holidays.  The tiny little quilts warm and decorate the isolette.  The nurses love receiving them and they then become a gift for the family and a cherished memory for the family and the baby.

Preemie Projects are one of our very favorites at the Binky Patrol SC.  Both North and South Carolina have high rates of premature births and our local hospitals work very hard to make this transitional time a strong beginning for the families involved.  Unfortunately many of these families are financially stressed as well and the gift of a handmade quilt is so appreciated. 

Last year in 2011 we were able to send our more than 100 Preemie Quilts to the Neonatal Intensive Care Units here in South Carolina and one in Charlotte, NC.  We put this little notice out:  The Binky Patrol SC need help with preemie quilts - little tiny quilts sized 20 X 20 to send home with preemies that spend their first days and weeks, sometimes months, in the NICU ~ the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.  For any family that experiences this, they don't soon forget the trauma and worry and you are forever filled with gratitude when you are able to take that wonderful little bundle home with you.  Well little did we know that our Number One Quilter, Anita, would take this in hand for us and make it happen.

This year Anita is getting her group going early so that she can ensure that the needs will be filled in time for the holidays.  If you are a quilter, or know of someone who is, please let them know about this group.  It is open for anyone to join.  These little quilts can be very easy and made in a pillow case style for those who don't want to piece or can't.  Being involved is more rewarding than you can imagine!  For more information visit Anita's FaceBook page here!  Email us at binkypatrolsc@sc.rr.com if you need more info and I can put you in contact with Anita.  If you would rather donate supplies to help with this project, we can let you know how to send them to her as well.

Thank you so much Anita for tackling this wonderful effort again this year.  We will never be able to thank you enough!!  You are our shinning star!!

Follow our progress on Anita's page as well as the BPSC FaceBook page located here!

Wow - Summer is Here Already!!!

I just don't know where this year has gone.  It has wings and it's flying.  We are working hard right now to inventory all of our finished items so that we can get them matched up to recipients before the summer is over and to head off cooler weather.  We are so fortunate to have items to inventory and so thankful for all of the wonderful things we have received.  If you have been a part of that, please know that we greatly appreciate every single item that we receive!!  We try to get packages posted on Facebook within a day after they arrive but if we have missed something you have sent in, please do call our attention to it right away.  During our inventory process, we will work to get pictures up of everything we have on hand - even if it has been pictured before.  We love to show off the beautiful things we receive and we hope to inspire everyone at the same time.

Even though the weather is very warm outside right now, there are still many needs for shelters, NICU's, orphanages, etc.  The needs never stop and we are always so thankful to get anything you would like to send us. 

We are working on something new - The Pink Project - and we will be sending NICU Smocks for Preemies to local hospitals.  We have a very simple pattern provided to us by The Pink Project and we can send it to anyone who would like to be involved.  Their goal is to provide a new gown to every preemie who leaves the NICU as a gift.   Read more about this group here.  If you don't enjoy sewing, we can use all sorts of supplies to make these and they are listed on the link.  So excited to be a part of this project!!

We want to also congratulate Binky Patrol National on their 16th Anniversary!!  Congratulations Susan and we are so glad it all began 16 years ago!!  BPSC is now a big two years old and growing strong!!  Thank you all who have made it possible.  Keep a watch on our blog as we stay busy this summer!!

March Madness is Coming.....

March Madness - and no I'm not talking basketball.  We are buzzing around here trying to get caught up and ready for spring.  It seems this year is flying by faster than normal. We have been blessed with an embarrassment of riches so far!  In the last two months we have received some beautiful quilts, many crochet and knit items as well as two gorgeous quilt tops from a Binky Patrol friend in Italy.  We also have some wonderful fabrics and yarns in our stash and we are dreaming of what we will create in the coming months.  How exciting.  Now we are working very hard to get these all out to recipients for Spring.

We want to send a special thanks to the ladies at Palmeto GBA ~ they sent over two large bags of goodies that are just awesome.  Included are two large soft blankets along with beautiful crocheted hats and blankets, an adorable dress and booties.  We so appreciate this donation and the bulk of it will be going to our newest recipient, The Family Shelter, here in Columbia.  This shelter is rare in that they take in families.  Most shelters are set up for either women or men and families must be separated.  We are so very happy to add this shelter to our list of recipients!!  Thank you so much Palmetto GBA for getting this donation going for us!!  We so appreciate you!

We are Thinking BLUE for February.....

We are thinking BLUE for February!  For some reason most groups receive 2 or 3 times the amount of girl items as boys.  I know it can be so much fun making the cute frilly pink things.  I especially like crocheting dresses myself.  But the boys need just as much as the girlies.  We are having a Boy Drive in the month of February to do our best to collect more blankets, hats, booties, clothing and more for our boys! 

If you need ideas or patterns, let us know - we have lots.  Blues and greens are great boy colors and there are lots of variegated boy colored yarns out there.  I am always drawn to them - I guess because I have 4 boys.  It seems there are more boy patterns in fabrics these days as well.  Jump in and help if you can - even just one little blue hat or booties would be so helpful.  Email us at binkypatrolsc@sc.rr.com or visit our web site at bpsc.co.

Ringing in the New Year.....

January is such a great time to start planning and dreaming of what we can accomplish in the New Year!  Winter is also the time when needs are the most pressing - especially for those who are homeless or those who are not able to keep their homes heated well.

 We are working on year end reports so that we can let you all know how we did last year.  I do know that we almost doubled our 2010 contributions - that is pretty exciting.  We are nearing our 2nd anniversary as a chapter and that is so exciting as well!

In the new year we will be working to find local girl scout troops who would like to earn a badge for their assistance.  What a great way to teach young girls to give back and be a part of this wonderful organization.  Susan (our founder) has made available a beautiful patch the girls can earn by participating.  Please contact us if you would like to get involved in this new project.  This is the 100th Anniversary for Girl Scouts of America - what better time for them to be involved in BPSC.   The patch is on the right and we are so very proud of this.  Keep watching and jump in when you can - we always need more hands.  Email us at binkypatrolsc@sc.rr.com.