The Dan and Nan Project

[Jem888]

My mother launched a fabulous campaign this Christmas in the spirit of giving to those less fortunate in our community. I am including the letter she sent to the local papers in Lake Country, both of which published articles in support of our family's Christmas project. I would also like to mention that the support from people within the community was wonderful and we were extremely pleased when the Lake Country District took this on as their special Christmas project.

Also a reminder that although most people will think of giving at Christmas there is a need all year long to help others in our community. For example, my mother takes fresh produce from her garden to the local foodbank during the summer and they are always thrilled to receive it, as are the 500+ people who rely on them every month. Unlike the Kelowna foodbank which is heavily funded, the Lake Country foodbank relies entirely on volunteers and donations; although both are extremely worthy of your support.

The people I work with have been supporting the ripple effect for months now, plugging meters, paying for the person in line behind them at the store or local coffee shop, any little random act of kindness to brighten someone's day.

I hope you enjoy reading my mothers letter and perhaps next Christmas we can count on your support for the Dan and Nan Project.

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Our family thinks that we have found a good way for people to get into the Christmas spirit, and to encourage children to enjoy giving to those less fortunate. We wanted to find a suitable way to honor Dan Cyr, a young husband and father who was killed by a drunk driver, and Betty Manuel (Nan) who died of cancer. Both were nonjudgmental, caring, compassionate people. They gave freely of themselves to friends, neighbors, or anyone else who was in need, whenever the opportunity presented itself. Dan’s Mom used to say, “If Dan has money, all of his friends have money.” At his memorial service many people told how he had helped them in various ways. We discovered more evidence of Nan’s generosity when we found cancelled checks after she passed away. Neither of them told others about those they had helped, and they expected nothing in return. We think that this is an appropriate way to honor their memory.

We borrowed our idea from Operation Christmas Child, which asks people to fill a shoebox with gifts for a child in a developing country. We know that there are many people living right in our own community who need help and a little encouragement, especially at this time of year. We are asking people to fill a shoebox with small items that would be useful for someone who is in need. The Food Bank will give out the boxes in December. Our Food Bank, which is run by Phyllis MacPherson and other dedicated volunteers, helps about 500 people a month here in Lake Country.

Some suggested items are: mitts, gloves (Phyllis says that the small gloves that can be bought at the dollar store for $1 are great), socks, deodorant, lip care, gum, bandaids, razors (very much in demand), cough drops, combs, toothpaste, toothbrush, little bags of laundry soap, washcloth, Kleenex, toque, scarf, a small gift, a granola bar or other treat that won’t go bad, or anything else that you can think of that would be useful.

Please don’t include cash. If that is your choice, it is more useful to give a check to the Food Bank (Lake Country Food Assistance Society) since Phyllis uses the money to buy needed items in bulk at a substantial saving.

It would be very helpful if you could wrap and label your box to show whether it is for a man, woman, boy, or girl (with child’s approximate age). Please don’t put bows on top, since the boxes must be stacked.

If you don’t have a shoebox, we have a few extra. Call Sharron at xxx-xxxx.

Boxes can be dropped off at the food bank on Mondays and Thursdays until 4 pm, or at the Lake Country District Hall weekdays between November 19 and December 7. If that is difficult, until December 7th I can pick up boxes from those who live in Copper Hill or Clearwater subdivisions. Phone Sharron at xxx-xxxx.

It’s so much fun to shop for a person who really needs your gift, and to know that you are giving pleasure to someone who is discouraged. In addition, you are providing encouragement by showing that there are people who care enough to make the effort to help.

[Angelina_Apr]

When I lived in Belgium in 1983, a family member had me visit the site to pay our respects to his fallen comrades. He fought in that battle and somehow survived to come home. They were all heros.
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hey guys, who has the balls?