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On September 23, 2006 we made our first delivery to WEAVE inc., a shelter located In Sacramento, California. After a web search to reach-out to shelters beyond Southern California, we made contact with WEAVE. Below you will read some of the challenges we faced to make a delivery long distance, valuable information about WEAVE and their mission and work and a letter from WEAVE following our delivery. Scroll down for more information and pictures. What is WEAVE?WEAVE Inc. is the largest provider of comprehensive services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault within Sacramento County. WEAVE Inc. was established in 1978 as a private 501(c)3 nonprofit organization to serve domestic violence victims and their families in Sacramento County. In 1988, WEAVE added services to help victims of sexual assault. WEAVE Inc. has grown from a small, grassroots organization in 1978 to a large, nationally recognized $4.5 million per year agency with 80 paid staff members and many active volunteers. The organization has been honored for its efforts by many organizations, including the U.S. Department of Justice, the Governor, the Human Rights Fair Housing Commission, the Attorney General and the President of the United States WEAVE serves women, men, and children who are survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. WEAVE services are available to anyone who needs them, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, or income level.
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Long Distance Delivery and Assembly Pictured is Kayla, Sunshine Founder (left) and Linda, Sunshine Secretary (right) after we completed the assembly of all the Sunshine Shoe Boxes. Let me share with you some of the challenges we faced to make a long distance delivery. Kayla and Debbie, Sunshine Director made the trip north and stayed with Linda during our visit there. The first challenge was to get all the Sunshine Shoe Boxes and the box contents (unassembled) packed and ready for travel by airplane. Due to all of the security and restrictions imposed by the airlines, we were limited to four boxes that we could check as luggage and each had a maximum size limit and a 50 lb. weight limit. After packing and repacking all the precious cargo was finally packed and extra TIME and EFFORT was taken to seal the boxes with tape and twine. We just knew everything would make it there in one piece because these boxes were SEALED. We get to the airport in Long Beach to fly north and at the check-in counter the airline representative asks if we are checking any luggage and we say, “Yes, we have these four boxes.” And, her first response was, “You will have to open all the boxes so we can check the contents.” I bite my tongue, Kayla rolled her eyes but we had no choice and the boxes were opened. All of our hard work of careful packing was history. Even though the airlines put minimal tape back on our boxes, they all made it to the Sacramento airport intact. Challenge number two was to get our luggage (carried-on by us) and all of our boxes from the baggage claim to the rental car; Kayla stayed with the luggage and boxes and I went for the car. We loaded the car and we were off to Linda’s house where we would later spread everything out on the floor and assemble our 60 Sunshine Shoe Boxes. To get the 60 boxes to WEAVE, we needed to load all 60 in the car before we headed downtown. We felt pride, accomplishment and RELEIF when handing these precious boxes over to WEAVE. This was a worthwhile adventure.
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Kayla is pictured with Wanda Myers, Safehouse Director at WEAVE following our delivery of 60 Sunshine Shoe Boxes.
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Letter of Thanks From WEAVE, inc. October 26, 2006
Thank you and the Sunshine Shoe Box Foundation, Inc. for your generous and thoughtful donation of 60 Sunshine Shoe Boxes for children staying at WEAVE’s Safehouse.
WEAVE’s Safehouse program provides temporary emergency shelter, advocacy, and community resources in a secure, confidential environment for women and children. Safehouse residents are experiencing a crisis that resulted from an abusive relationship in their home. Your kind gesture of providing activity boxes for children in our program is greatly appreciated.
The boxes are just what our program was missing. We began using the boxes on the same day they were delivered. We can now present each child with their own age- appropriate Sunshine Box to engage them during the Intake process. The intake process can take between 30 and 45 minutes for the mother to complete. During this time the children are often agitated and restless. The Sunshine Shoe Box offers children a variety of activities to help welcome them into their new temporary home and it provides a special place for them to store their personal items. So far, we have distributed 17 Sunshine Boxes to the children in our program. They were each delighted to receive a box and their faces beamed with joy as they explored its contents.
Thank you for creating and sharing the wonderful Sunshine Shoe Boxes with the children at WEAVE’s Safehouse. Your kindness has extended much further than you know.
We hope you have a safe and warm season.
Sincerely,
Wanda Myers Safehouse Manager WEAVE inc. An original copy of this letter is posted on the following page. |
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