Our Bandages Blessing The Lepers

What a joy to be able to share with you these brand new pictures of our latest shipment of bandages being applied to the lepers in Vietnam.

There is no clinic or medical facility for these remote villagers.  The nuns arrive on motor bike or 4 x 4 and set up on whatever clean surface they can find.

Modern sanitation is lacking but they always seem to have a bottle of betadyne or alcohol to apply.

Note the horrible old bandage that has just been taken off of this man's leg and is now being replaced with the nice, new leper bandage from The D.O.V.E. Fund Bandage Brigade.

If they have it available, the nuns also deliver basic aspirin and other across the counter meds.

This lady waits quietly and patiently for her turn with the nuns to tend to her sores and apply to her also a nice new bandage. Note that the disease has eaten away substantially at her feet.

If you are able and so inclined, a donation to The D.O.V.E. Fund designated "Food for the Lepers" provides funds for delivery of  basic food to these needy people.  For just $15 the nuns can purchase for them enough rice, noodles, dried fish and oil to sustain them for a month.

The address for donations is The D.O.V.E. Fund, P. O. Box 350741, Toledo, OH 43635.

Busy Needles Pass the Word Far and Wide

I am amazed how fast our network of volunteers continues to grow.  The credit belongs to you.  You work on them in public.  You cheerfully answer questions when people ask what you are doing and why.  You distribute our informational/instructional handouts to friends and people who inquire.

I hear about it all the time in my mail:

• The senior center where my friend got the information and pattern...
• My husband and I were at his 50th year graduation and I saw a woman crocheting bandages...
• On a recent vacation to Maui, we met a lady who was knitting bandages...

We are already up to nearly 700 bandages since our last shipment.

Recent arrivals of bandages included packages from:

• Geneva in Calistoga, CA
• Arelne in Newburyport, MA
• Maurine in South Jordan, UT
• John in West Coxsackie, NY
• Pauline in Columbus, NE
• Betty in Arlington, TX
• Joan in Tucson, AZ
• Kate in Oslo, Norway
• Marilyn in Charlotte, NC
• Rosie in Stillwater, MN
• Jean in Bloomfield, CT
• Stitch & Chat Group at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Portwentworth, GA
• Dorothy in Marshall, MN
• Julie in Cougar, WA
• Ida in Garden City, ID
• Bethany Baptist Church, Monroe MI
• Greene Street United Methodist Church in Piqua, OH
• Nelson in Bountiful, UT
• Genevieve in Brown City, MI
• Yvonne in Antioch, CA
• Jean in Plymouth, MN
• Sarah in Plymouth, MN
• Joan in Minnetonka, MN
• Lois Ann in Plymouth, MN
• Kelly in Plymouth, MN
• John in West Coxsakie, NY
• Debra in Neosho, MO
• Amy in Austin, TX
• Carol in Austin, TX
• Paddy in Salt Lake City, UT
• Mt. Bethel Knitting Angels, Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church in Marietta, GA
• Diane in Hillsdale, MI
• Kersee in Victorville, CA
• Sharlynn in Helena, MT
• Judith in Lewisburg, PA
• Karon in Bowling Green, KY
• Sheila in Bowling Green, KY
• Rosa in Tucson, AZ
• Wendy in Norwich, VT
• Diane in Hillsdale, MI
• Linda in Helena, MT
• Rachael in Reynoldsburg, OH
• Ida Lee in Salt Lake City, UT
• Julie in Cougar, WA
• John in West Coxsakie, NY
• Kathleen in Mertzon, TX
• Debra in Ottertail, MN
• Linda in Lehi, UT
• Loretta in West Deptford, NJ
• Joyce in Western Springs, IL
• Shirley in Bedford, MA
• L. in Shippensburg, PA
• Julie in Suffolk, England

May you all be blessed for your dedication and hard work on these precious items.

Helping Others Has No End

This is a favorite picture of mine.  It is of our good friend Tom Treece delivering leprosy bandages to our contacts in Vietnam a couple years ago.  Tom is a big supporter of the Bandage Brigade and our overall mission.

He is also a columnist with The Monroe Evening News, in Monroe, Michigan.  I would like to share with you an excellent column he drafted for today's issue of the newspaper.

Tom is famous for showing his humility in always ending his columns with "But what do I know".

For more about Tom check out his website at http://www.tomtreece.com/ .

 

 

HELPING OTHERS HAS NO END
How different our world would be if everyone tried to make a dif­ference in the lives of others.

... Renee and I were excited last week as the group to which we belong — the D.O.V.E. Fund (De­velopment of Vietnam Endeavors) — delivered over 3,000 freshly knitted or crocheted ban­dages to the suffering souls of Vietnam’s leper colonies. We’ve now delivered more than 12,000 of these handmade dress­ings since we began this project some six years ago.

Longtime readers might re­member the story of my call years ago from Gary and Linda Stocker of Washington state, inquiring about my service in the Vietnam War. During a recent visit there, they found a dog tag I had lost during my tour of duty and cer­emoniously returned it to me.

Consequently, I learned of their Bandage Brigade organization, founded upon their deep sym­pathy for the many Vietnamese stricken by dreaded leprosy. They had developed a humanitarian network that created these special bandages but had no clear way of transporting them to the ones needing them.

I brought their dilemma to D.O.V.E. and we then brought the Bandage Brigade under our um­brella. The network is now world­wide and these mercy-dressings that cover open, oozing sores are mailed to the Stockers throughout the year. Then, during D.O.V.E.’s annual trip to Vietnam to inspect our projects (and insure funds are being designated as intended), we deliver them to these forlorn people.

The heart and soul of the Ban­dage Brigade are church groups, knitting/crocheting clubs and especially widows/widowers who find new purpose in the project after their loved one has gone.

We were touched by a recent Bandage Brigade story where Wendy — a member of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Norwich, Vt.— had forwarded a package with a special, unfinished bandage and note.

Wendy wrote, “One of our dear crochet ladies passed away and the day before her death she was very concerned that she could not finish one of her bandages. It’s about six inches short; would that length be ok?”

Linda replied, “It is exactly the right length ... a length deter­mined by a higher authority than us. Please accept our condolenc­es for the loss of your dear friend.

I’m sure they don’t need bandages in Heaven so now her hands can also take a rest.”

Then, on her blog Linda wrote, “ We have long known this project is beneficial to both the bandage recipient and volunteer making the bandages. However, until now I could not have comprehended anyone — on the last day of their life — regretting that they did not finish one last bandage.”

Perhaps Therese of Estero, Fla., said it best when she wrote, “It’s a blessing to be able to help God’s special children in this way. We can’t heal their wounds but we can dress them with our love and concern. When I crochet these bandages I feel like I have mean­ing to my life again. I pray for each person that is given one of my bandages.”

What a wonderful world we could all share if every day, each of us would choose one other person — whether it’s across the ocean, or across the fence — and do something to make a positive difference in his or her life!

But, what do I know. 

 

YOUR beautiful bandages are now in Vietnam!

Come along with me and I will describe to you the LONG journey your bandages have taken from the time they reached my doorstep so many months ago.
This is how the typical bandages look when they arrive.  I then repack them into larger ziploc bags and squeeze out all the air I possibly can to make them fit in as small a shipping space as possible.







Next I pack them into very special traveling bags.  These bags are symbolic as they are the same bags used by our military when they served in Vietnam.  Each bag is packed as tight and full as possible (average 335 bandages) and ends up weighing about 40 pounds.

I have also put on each bag a specially made label so all who see it and use the bag in the future will know who cared enough to send it to Vietnam.  It also contains contact information for The D.O.V.E. Fund.

On a predetermined date in advance of their flight to Vietnam, I load all the bags up into the back of our pickup for the trip to the Fed Express distribution office.  Of course, I picked the wettest day of the month so here I am in the back of the pickup taking the bags out of large trash bags they traveled in to keep them dry.

Once we have them inside the shipment office, Veteran husband, Gary (also known as "The Sarge") gives them each a last minute check over.  He is smiling cause he did not have to carry those bags inside...some nice young men in suits came by at just the right time and helped us with that.















The young man at the counter was looking pretty happy cause he likes the ease of checking in 9 identical bags and was anxious to get us and the bags out of the way of his other customers.

Every year I am always a little concerned about how much they each weigh and how much the total bill will be for this shipment.  (If any of you have an "in" at Fed Express or other carriers for discounts on future shipments, it would be greatly appreciated!)

From here the bags are shipped to a wonderful DOVE volunteer and trustee, Dianne, who stores them at her house, attaches flight labels to them and then does a late night drop off of them at the San Francisco airport. 

Our DOVE trip travelers receive the bags and incorporate them into their own baggage for check in.  Here our bags are being checked in just a couple nights ago.

We have been blessed by the wonderful people at EVA Airlines, each of the last FOUR years in that they have agreed to waive the excess baggage charges on these precious humanitarian bags full of leper bandages.  If you should ever be so lucky as to fly one of their routes, be sure to use them as they are awesome people and fly a first class airline.

Finally, here are some of our travelers in Hanoi, Vietnam.  You can see behind them, already safely stacked into their travel van, our bags of bandages.

From here the bandages will be transported by van to Hue, bus to Pleiku and then finally handed off to a Catholic priest who this year is in charge of distributing them for us to leper villages in Kon Tum and Gai Lai provinces.

A BIG THANK YOU to all who make this possible.

 Together we are definitely making a difference in the lives of the lepers in Vietnam.

Such Sweethearts, You Have Really Come Through With Your Bandages!

What an awesome job you have all done.  My postal delivery gal is finally taking a much needed rest after all the boxes you sent in.  During the final rush, bandages arrived from:

• Suzanne of St. John's Lutheran Church in Eau Claire, WI
• Melody in Woodhaven, MI
• Carla in Vernal, UT
• Adelaide in Marlton, NJ
• Marcee in Surprise, AZ
• Tyler in Dalton, GA
• Elin in Virginia Beach, VA
• Joan in York, PA
• Deb of St. John Center Lutheran Church in East Earl, PA
• Terri in Glendale, AZ
• Hardman in Lehi, UT
• Shelley in Lockport, NY
• Marion & Shirley of Royal York Baptist Church in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Pat in Sheboygan, WI
• Michele in Sheboygan, WI
• Linda in Sheboygan, WI
• Shirley in Bedford, MA
• Sue in San Antonio, TX
• Amanda in San Antonio, TX
• Carol in San Antonio, TX
• Betsy in San Antonio, TX
• Lizzie in San Antonio, TX
• Kathy in Fort Worth, TX
• Loretta in Benton, KY
• Linda in Dublin, Ireland
• Mitzi in Tucson, AZ
• Cari in Logan, UT
• Kathryn in Lake Placid, FL
• Nancy in Salem, OR
• Kathy in Homer, AL
• Darlene in Kent, WA
• Audrey in Palmer City, FL
• Darlene in Salt Lake City, UT
• Terry in Batavia, NY
• Linda in Helena, MT
• Jeanne in Silver Springs, MD
• Janet in Keaau, HI
• Mary in Springfield, VA
• Pat in Springfield, VA
• Carolann in Honolulu, HI
• Stepahnie in Hagerstown, MD
• Jay of Abounding Grace Church in Tucson, AZ
• Ida Lee in Salt Lake City, UT
• Margie in Milwaukee, WI
• Verna in Milwaukee, WI
• Helen in Stephenson, MI
• Nancy in Argyle, TX
• Lois in Falls Church, VA
• Becky in Woodburn, OR
• Kim in St. Augustine, FL

Adding it all together we have accumulated 3,134 bandages for this shipment.

Once those bandages arrive in Vietnam next month, that will mean that since 2008 The D.O.V.E. Fund Bandage Brigade has delivered over 12,000 bandages to the lepers in Vietnam.

NOW...After you all take a much needed breather...please start working on our precious bandages (our gifts of love to the lepers in Vietnam) for next year's shipment.

God bless you all!

Doing Good and Feeling Good

Always knew volunteering to make leprosy bandages was good for you.  Now we have it from the experts.  What follows is a direct excerpt from a John Hopkins Health Alert:

Volunteering doesn't just help others -- it may also benefit your health. Reviewers from the Corporation for National and Community Service (a government agency that promotes volunteerism) reviewed two decades of data from over 30 studies and found that volunteers had less depression, reported greater satisfaction with life, and lived longer than those who did not volunteer.

One two-year study found that adults over 75 who volunteered or worked for over 100 hours a year were one third less likely to report bad health and two thirds less likely to die over the course of the study. And according to other data in the review, people over 65 seemed to benefit more from volunteering than younger participants.

That volunteering has psychological benefits probably comes as no surprise to people who volunteer regularly -- doing good in turn leads to feeling good. But for older people, who are more likely to have retired or lost a spouse, volunteer activities are also a way to stay active and involved in their communities. The structure and social support that volunteer activities provide may help stave off depression that often accompanies chronic illnesses and major role transitions, including moves into long-term care residences.

According to an eight-year study of 1,137 adults, volunteering after the death of a spouse was associated with a decline in depression. And people who volunteered before their spouses died were less depressed after losing a spouse than those who hadn't volunteered before.

These emotional benefits may have a biological basis. According to Peter Rabins, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Health Policy and Director of the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry at Johns Hopkins, "Studies by my colleagues at the Johns Hopkins Older Americans Intervention Center have revealed that volunteering is associated with increased blood flow in certain areas of the brain, which might indicate more connections between brain cells in these areas. Their research also shows that volunteer work with children improves mood and morale. Perhaps better mood and blood flow are related."

Research has established that depression makes it harder both to recover from illness and to do things that are good for you, like exercise and eat well. Thus, the improved mental well-being that results from volunteering may also have an indirect impact on physical health.

Posted in Healthy Living on January 28, 2009

Bandages From Dublin, Ireland

I just love the notes I get enclosed with your bandages.  My favorite this week was from Linda sending bandages from Dublin, Ireland.  She wrote:

I'm an American who has lived in Ireland for 20 years. 

I knit and crochet every day and get lots of satisfaction

from making items for various charities. 

These are my first leprosy bandages.  I will make more!

My friend was a bit surprised - she thought I said "Leprechaun Bandages"!

Bandages, Bandages, Everywhere Bandages

WOW you have been so very busy.  You took me at my word when I sent out the "Call for Bandages".  My poor rural mail delivery gal carrying boxes of bandages through the snow from the plowed helipad out front.  She survived and they arrived successfully but I am sure she will be glad when it slows down again.

Since the first of January we have received bandages from:

• Marion in Kensington, CT
• Sylvia in Dover, NH
• Sandra in Agoura Hills, CA
• Pat in Emmaus, PA
• Judy in Canby, OR
• Angie in Gilbert, AZ
• Connie in Roseburg, OR
• Kathy in Eugene, OR
• Deborah in Chantilly, VA
• Lara in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
• Wendy in Norwich, VT
• Fridley High School Key Club in Fridley, MN
• Lori in Springfield, VA
• Karen in Gilbert, AZ
• Jean in Altamont, IL
• Hermila in Centerville, UT
• Nellie in Gleneden Beach, OR
• Dorcas Hand-Maden Society at Church of the Valley in Apple Valley, CA
• Ruth of Kettering, OH
• Debbie in Alexandria, VA
• Crystal in Provo, UT
• Laura in Highland, UT
• Our Savior Lutheran Church in Norwich, VT
• Milagro in The Woodlands, TX
• Sandy in Provo, UT
• Cindy in Springfield, VA
• Veronica in Lansdown, VA
• Diane in Hayesville, NC
• Virginia in Springville, UT
• Donna in Erie, MI
• Patricia in Magnolia, TX
• Kitty in Lasalle, MI
• Paula in Southern Pines, NC
• Barbara in Longview, WA
• Russell in Evanston, WY
• St. Marks Evangelical in Cudahy, WI
• Alexandra in Etna, NH
• DeVaughn in Rochester, MN
• Carol in Puyallup, WA
• Kathryn in Myrtle Beach, SC
• Grace in Carol Stream, IL
• Johnna in Manassas, VA
• Therese and Our Lady of Light Ladies Group in Estero, FL
• Dot in Carol Stream, IL
• Bliss in Whitehouse, OH
• Pat in Cape Coral, FL
• Agnes in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• Marie in Oregon, WI
• Ro in San Carlos, CA

Thanks to your hours of hard work on these precious items, we now have a total of 2,648 bandages.  With two more weeks of mail deliveries I know we will top 3,000.

Add that to the 9,000 bandages we have delivered in Vietnam 2008 - 2011 and you can see that together we are definitely making a difference in the lives of these people.

Blessings to you all and keep up the hard work!

Come along and read my mail with me

• Penny in Polk City, FL wrote...Over 30 years ago I knitted bandages with my grandmother who started making them because of a women's group at her church.  The group stopped making them but my grandmother continued to make them on her own.  She was a hair stylist and had her own shop.  Her customers would donate cash to pay for the thread and mailing costs.  I am now interested in starting to make the bandages again.
• Pamela from Springfield, OH wrote...I was so thrilled when I saw the bandage photo in the article Knitting for a Cause in Mary Jane's Farm!  Years ago - at least 30- Mother asked me to knit bandages like these for leprosy patients.  Mother did not knit and decided that I could make her quota for her Ladies Guild.  I have one bandage put away that has been waiting for a home for perhaps twenty years.  They are easy to make and are great conversation starters.  No one can figure out what you are making without asking.  I had an airline cabin attendant ask about the bandage because she had time to knit.  I couldn't give her the answer to how and where then but now I could.  So could you!
• Pat from Emmaus, PA wrote... Thank you for your kind words.  I knit every day as knitting is my passion.  Am also very involved with prayer shawl ministry at my church.  Will continue to work on bandages also.
• Ruth wrote... I can hardly believe people are still knitting bandages.  I'm 72 years old, and I was doing this in the '50s in high school.  Then, we knit them 30 stitches wide and 100 inches long, so 48 inches now is a snap!  I like doing them;  it's sort of meditative knitting, just going back and forth, easy to keep in a purse, and it's helping someone else.  Win - win!  Bless you for doing this.
• Diana wrote... How excited I was to find your website!!!  About 15 years ago I made a few of these bandages for a youth activity, before I really knew how to crochet...then again about 8 years ago as an adult for a church humanitarian project (we are LDS).  I recently was given a huge lot of yarns...but saw that our church was no longer asking for them specifically...so I took to Google to try and find a charity that might still be using them, and I found you!!!  I loved making these years ago and am so excited to find someone that is actively taking donations!!
• Jean in Alamont, IL wrote...This is how I learned to knit at my mother's knee almost 60 years ago.  Those bandages went to the Hawaiian Island of Molakai.
• Nancy in Craig, CO wrote...I was really thrilled to see that this good cause is still going on.  As a young girl, a group in the church I grew up in was doing this and I tried to do my share of knitting the bandages even back then.
• Lara in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada wrote...These bandages were crocheted with the hopes of putting a smile on someone's face and making their life a little better.
• Elinor in Virginia Beach,VA wrote...THANK YOU - this is such a good thing to do to keep busy -- and help folks around the world at the same time.  Thank you for your help with this!!  More later -- Happy New Year -- and God Bless us all !!!

Thank You to Mary Jane's Farm Magazine

A big thanks to Mary Jane's Farm Magazine who included this reference to The D.O.V.E. Fund Bandage Brigade in their Feb - Mar 2012 issue.  We are getting lots of inquiries based on this. Awesome!

Bandages Continue to Roll In !

Bandages arriving during Nov and Dec included came from:

• Earline in Ferndale, MI
• John in West Coxsackie, NY
• Center Brunswick United Methodist Church in Troy, NY
• Hope United Methodist Church in Troy, NY
• Shirley in Bedford, MA
• Wendy in Norwich, VT
• Kathy in Raymond, MS
• Margot in Quemado, NM
• Teala in Heber City, UT
• Jessie in Springfield, VA
• Alice in Ottawa Hills, CA
• Wendy in Norwich, UT
• Karen in Mt. Morris, MI
• Ruth and Shirley in Nauvoo, IL
• Julie in Owatonna, MN
• Sharlene in Falls Church, VA
• "LoveLifters" at Raisinville Baptist Church in Monroe, MI
• Traci in New Hampton, IA
• Lynne in Braintree, MA
• Alberta in Buzzards Bay, MA
• John in West Coxsackie, NY

As of 12/31/2011 we already have a total of over 2,100 bandages on hand which will start their journey to Vietnam soon. As you have seen from my "Call for Bandages" recently posted, now is the time to send in any additional bandages you have finished and ready to go.

Humanitarian Award

We are proud to announce that the D.O.V.E. Fund Bandage Brigade is the recipient of this Humanitarian Crafting Award.  


This special award is for all those websites that make the world a better place with their charities, humanitarian projects, patterns and information for all of us online.


We are proud to join other notable recipients of this award.  


You can read more about them at :
http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/humanitarian-award.html

MAKING CROCHETED OR KNITTED LEPROSY BANDAGES FOR USE IN VIETNAM

				www.leprosybandages.blogspot.com

Patterns/Instructions:

Finished Size: approximately 3 ½ to 4 inches wide by 4 feet long. If it shrinks up to be a bit smaller when washed…don’t worry that is fine. They are used to wrap everything from tiny fingers to the stumps of lost legs and feet. No two applications are the same so our bandages can vary a bit as well.

Material specifications: 100% mercerized crochet cotton or polyester – size #10 - white, cream or ecru (no irritating dyes). This is commonly called “bedspread cotton” (1 'ball/skein' will usually make two bandages.)

Suggested brands include: South Maid D54, DMC Traditions, Aunt Lydia’s Classic Crochet Thread, Cro Sheen and JP Coats. You can find these online as well as at your local Wal-Mart, fabric or craft store.

Tightness:  The bandages shown above are good examples of how they should look. It should be 'medium-tight', not strangling, but fairly close, with breathable holes  If yours look Mesh-like they are too loose - please switch to a smaller crochet hook  (size D) or knitting needle (size 2).  These are tighter and made with smaller thread/yarn (no worsted weight) than the ones Global Health used to send to India as the climate and needs are different in Vietnam. 

Knitted Leprosy Bandage:
Use size 2 (2.75 mm = UK 12) knitting needles if you knit loosely or average,
Use size 3 (3.25 mm = UK 10) needles if you knit tightly. 
Cast on 24 to 28 stitches so the bandage measures about 4" across.
Knit every row until bandage is desired length of 48 inches long, and then bind off.
PLEASE DON’T FORGET: Secure thread end by slipping thread through last stitch, tying a double knot, and weaving end back through stitches. A sewing needle works well to do this.

Crocheted Leprosy Bandage:
Use size D (3.00 mm = UK 11) or E (3.50 mm = UK 9) crochet hook (loose tension desirable).
Chain enough stitches to measure about 4" in width.
(I use 23 chs and an E hook, and it takes about 6 rows to equal one inch.) 
Row 1: Single crochet into each chain. Chain 1 and turn.
Row 2:  Single crochet into each sc across row. Ch 1 and turn. Continue to single crochet to end, chain 1 and turn.   Repeat row 2 until bandage measures 48 inches long.

PLEASE DON’T FORGET: Secure thread end by pulling thread through last loop, secure with a knot and weaving the end back through the stitches.  A sewing needle works well to do this.

When Completed:
AFTER you have woven the ends back into the stitches, wash the bandages, roll them and secure with a large safety pin.  Put in plastic bag (several to a bag), remove air, and seal.

NOTE:  The bandages do NOT have to be perfect, so if yoou are afraid your are not straight enough

or you dropped a stitch 5 rows before, don't let that stop you.  Relax and have fun making them.

Why handmade bandages and not gauze or store bought"?   "These leper bandages breathe better, and can be sterilized for reuse." The lepers wear these bandages on their stumps as well as on sores.  Gauze would wear out much too fast. The recipients recognize the time involved in making these and it is a special blessing to them that someone cares enough to take the time.  Each one is cherished and gratefully accepted.

Leprosy in the world...
Many 3rd world countries like Vietnam still have victims of LEPROSY (also known as “Hansen’s Disease”).  They are outcasts in society and life is not kind to them. You can help make life a little easier for them by making and donating these handmade bandages to wrap their wounds.  The people are gracious and appreciative of every item. 

Your leprosy bandages will be delivered direct to leprosy villages in Vietnam:

D.O.V.E. Fund (www.dovefund.org) groups return to Vietnam at least once a year and will be escorting these precious bandages to be delivered to the remote leprosy villages where they are needed the most. 

Finished bandages:
These should be sent to me (address listed below) and I will combine them with others and get them into the next shipment to Vietnam.    Please enclose in your box a sheet of paper (8 ½ x 11) with your name, address, phone and e-mail contact information (to save us postage, if you have an e-mail address).

Mailing Address & Contact Information: Linda Stocker The D.O.V.E. Fund Bandage Brigade 171 Mulkey Lane, Ariel, WA 98603 (sgtstocker@gmail.com)                 (360)231-4212 Want to help but not interested in knitting or crocheting? ·         You can help by sponsoring your neighbor, friend, local civic, church or school group in their leprosy bandage campaign.  Some volunteers have lots of time to donate but not the money for the thread or postage to send them to us. ·         These lepers are literally starving!  For just $15 you can provide a food packet to feed a “leper family” for one month.  There is an ongoing need for funds to take them medicines.  We also want to start providing scholarships to the children of the lepers so they can get an education and help support their family. ·         Monetary contributions can be made by sending a check to “The D.O.V.E. Fund” with the designation “Bandage Brigade”.  Mailing address for donations is P.O. Box 350741, Toledo, Ohio 43635. ·         100% of your designated donation will be used to deliver to these unfortunate people the bandages, food and medicine they so desperately need.

The D.O.V.E. Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and is incorporated under the laws of the state of Ohio.  Contributions are tax deductible. For an update on current activities among our growing network of volunteers,please visit the “The D.O.V.E. Fund Bandage Blog” at http://leprosybandages.blogspot.com

These instructions are available in both Word Doc and PDF.  E-mail me (sgtstocker@gmail.com) if you would like them sent to you in either format for ease of printing up to share with others.

2012 CALL FOR BANDAGES

BANDAGE BRIGADE
www.dovefund.org                                                       http://leprosybandages.blogspot.com
JANUARY 2012 - CALL FOR BANDAGES All you busy Bandage Brigade volunteers out there; the time has come to send in your bandages so they can begin their exciting journey to Vietnam. A big thank you for all the bandages that have already been sent in…if you have any more completed, now is the time to send them to me.  Pass the word also to any friends who may be helping on them as well. This shipment will be personally escorted by veterans returning to Vietnam on behalf of the D.O.V.E. Fund http://dovefund.org/ .  The bandages will travel internationally compliments of the wonderful people at EVA Airlines Q.
NOTE:	We need to have everything for this departure received at my address no later than February 1, 2012...then we can all start working on another batch for next year.

Preparing the bandage for its trip:

• Each bandage should be washed, dried, rolled up and secured with a safety pin.  When you roll them up, please double check that you have woven in the ends of the thread (as per instructions).  When putting them in a plastic zip loc bag you can put several to a bag.
• PLEASE enclose in your box a sheet of paper (8 ½ x 11) with your name, address, phone and e-mail contact info (if available).

Shipping, Tracking & Notification: All bandages should be shipped direct to me addressed  like this è è è Once you have shipped your parcel, please send an e-mail to me (sgtstocker@gmail.com) with your name, any tracking number they gave you for the parcel and tell me how many bandages were enclosed. With a tracking number, you will be able to verify the arrival online.  I will also send you a thank you e-mail once the package has safely arrived and been logged in at my location.

The Dove Fund Bandage Brigade Linda Stocker 171 Mulkey Lane Ariel, WA 98603

As the bandages are received, you can follow our total tally on the blog site.  Last year we delivered more than 3000 bandages.  We already have 2100 on hand, so I know we will top last year’s total.

Enclosed is a copy of our current instructional/informational handout...please make extra copies to share with your friends or the curious person who sees you working on them and asks for details.

Yes, we’ve got thread:  We still have a good supply of #10 thread for you to make bandages.  A 1,000 yard ball of thread costs you just $1 plus cost of shipping.  E-mail me direct if you would like some headed your direction.

Let me know if you have questions or if you have moved on to other projects and wish to be removed from this list.  

May you all be blessed for your generous work on this ongoing project!

Linda Stocker  (360-231-4212) or sgtstocker@gmail.com

Season's Greetings

May your Christmas be full of Love, Joy and Peace.

Blessings to all our volunteers

Now and throughout the year,

Linda Stocker
The D.O.V.E. Fund Trustee
The D.O.V.E. Fund Bandage Brigade

Behind Every Bandage is a Story: The "Unfinished Bandage"

Sitting in front of me are four lovely bandages. They are all very special but one in particular instantly brings tears to my eyes.

 

 

These bandages were knit by a lovely lady named Meiko and forwarded to me by her dear friend Wendy a member of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Norwich, Vermont.

 

Wendy had contacted me via e-mail as follows:

 

Dear Linda, Just a question, one of our dear crochet ladies passed away and the day before her death, she was very concerned that she could not finish one of her bandages. It is about 6" short of completion. We don't have any others who crochet. Would that length be OK or do you have anyone who could complete it?

 

 

Now this e-mail had come to me literally just after my husband and I had been discussing how important the process of creating the bandages was to our volunteers. I truly believe that God sent me her e-mail at just the right time as it totally wrapped up the conversation I had just been having with my husband.

 

 

Here is the reply I sent to Wendy:

 

 

Regarding the length of the bandage...I would say it is exactly the right length...a length determined by a higher authority than us. Please send it to me marked "special".

Wendy, you have literally made my day, my week, my month, my year, etc.

Please also accept my condolences for the loss of your dear friend. Perhaps if she knew the day was coming it may have been a relief from pain and suffering. I am sure they don't need leper bandages in Heaven so now her hands can also take a rest.

 

 

We have long known that this project is beneficial to both the bandage recipient and to the volunteers making the bandages. However, until now, I could not have comprehended anyone, on the last day of their life, regretting that they did not finish one last bandage.

 

 

May you all be blessed by your work and generous spirit!

Our postman was very glad to see us return from a recent 2 week trip as the incoming packages of bandages and mail had really piled up. Over the past month we have received a total of 533 new bandages including ones from:

• Jeanne of "A Strand in Progress" in Kent, WA
• Myrna in Redding, CA
• Spring Creek Stake of LDS Church in Springville, UT
• Marge, Ethel and the rest of the "Happy Stitchers" in Ridgeway, SC
• Someone in Mooresboro, NC
• Kay in Trenton, MI
• Ida in Salt Lake City, UT
• LDS Young Women in Escondido, CA
• Karl of Spring Creek Stake of LDS Church in Springville, UT
• Jean in Plymouth, MN
• Joan in Minnetonka, MN
• Lois in Plymouth, MN
• Gaye in Loretto, MN
• Valerie in Plymouth, MN
• Rachel in Oakdale, MN
• Karol and the Ladies Knitting Group at Chapel of the Cross Lutheran Church in St. Peters, MO
• Linda in Helena, MT
• Barbara in White Stone, VT
• Judith in Lewisburg, PA
• Bev's Country Cottage in Logandale, NV
• Jeanne in Silver Springs, MD
• Dorothy in Marshall, MN
• Therese in Estero, FL
• Linda in Lehi, UT

Awesome job from all of you. Thank you so very much!

Tune in to cheer me on and hear my interview

I am so excited. Tomorrow (Wednesday Oct 18th) I will be a guest on "Creative Mojo" and be interviewed by Mark Lipinski.

The show runs LIVE from 3 pm - 5 pm EST; 2 pm - 4 pm CST; 1pm - 3 pm MST; 12 pm - 2 pm PST. I am scheduled to be on during the first half hour.

You can listen LIVE by going to www.toginet.com and click on the "Listen live" button.

The show is also available via podcast after the fact. The podcast is also located at www.togoinet.com. on the show host page under "Our Shows" scroll down to "Creative Mojo" and select the latest podcast on the right hand side of the page.

I am so grateful for this awesome opportunity to reach so many more people with the story of all The D.O.V.E. Fund Bandage Brigade does to reach out and meet the needs of the forgotten lepers in Vietnam.

Keeping Me Busy

Congratulations to all our volunteers.

This is NOT YET the season for collecting up all the bandages for an upcoming shipment but yet we already have 1360 bandages in our storage space (my spare bedroom).

New arrivals have come from:

• Karol from Chapel of the Cross Lutheran Church in St. Peters, MO
• Shirley in Ashburn, VA
• Judith from Riverwoods Senior Living in Lewisburg, PA
• Ida in Salt Lake City, UT
• Linda in Salt Lake City, UT
• Chris in DePere, WI
• St. John's Church in Williamstown, MA
• Dorothy in Monroe, MI
• Veronica in Leesburg, VA
• Dorothy in Marshall, MI
• Lori in Salt Lake City, UT
• Nora in Post Falls, ID
• Beth in Deaver, WY
• Kellie in Lehi, UT
• J. in Vancouver, BC, Canada
• Robbie in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Therese in Estero, FL
• John in West Coxsackie, NY
• Ruth in Blanchard, ND
• Mary in Grafton, OH
• Abi in Heidelberg, Germany
• Shirley in Bedford, MA
• Nellie in Milton Freewater, OR
• Fei Fei in Carrboro, NC
• Herriman, UT
• Audrey in Barrington, RI
• Lesher in Aurora, CO
• Judith in Livingston, TX
• Elaine in Salt Spring Island, BC, Canada
• Marie in Palm City, FL
• Janet in Keaau, HI
• Kim in St. Augustine, FL
• Joan in Tucson, AZ
• Janelle in UT
• Vickie in Watertown, NY
• Sister Andrea in Media, PA
• Wendy in Norwich, VT
• Kathleen in Orange, CA
• Sheila at Mountain View United Church in Moncton, NB, Canada
• Melody in Woodhaven, MI
• John in Wilcox, NY
• Karen in BelAir, MD
• Dorothy in Monroe, MI
• Elaine in Columbus, OH
• Marilyn in Mesa, AZ
• Louise in Las Cruces, NM
• Brooke in Grass Valley, CA
• Linda and Lois at Knox Presbyterian Church in Falls Church, VA
• Nancy in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada
• Lynda at Pioneer Valley Lodge in N. Logan, UT
• Janice in Sandy, UT
• Julie in Cougar, WA
• Agnes in Vancouver, BC, Canada

Thank you for all your hard work.

We still have plenty of crochet thread available for your use. A ball is 1000 yards and produces 2 to 3 bandages. Your cost is just $1 per ball plus shipping cost to you. (More details in June 25th blog post).

Those cool winter nights, perfect for working on bandages are coming soon.

E-mail me sgtstocker@gmail.com if you would like some #10 crochet thread coming your direction.

A surprise package from Heidelberg Germany

What a blessing today to receive a package from Germany containing 96 of the most beautiful bandages. The enclosed note explained "We are a knitting club of mainly British expats living in Germany and enjoy knitting for global projects such as yours."

Abi and the "Knit Weaver Knitters" found us on the internet and just hopped right onto the Bandage Brigade. How awesome is that?

Our network of volunteers continues to grow as we have also been recently contacted by willing knitters in Thailand and Australia.

So many generous souls around the world willing to help others.

May you all be blessed for your efforts.

We Can't Heal Their Wounds, But We Can Dress Them With Our Love And Concern

Therese in Estero, Florida got her box of 30 balls of crochet thread this past week. She belongs to a group ladies working together on these bandages. She sent me an excited e-mail:

I received the package this morning. I can't wait to tell the ladies...Today, I already have a new person who bought thread and is joining the group. She feels as I do. It's a blessing to be able to help God's special children in this way. We can't heal their wounds but we can dress them with our love and concern.

When I crochet these bandages, I feel like I have meaning to my life again. I pray for each person that is given one of my bandages.

Thank you Therese for sharing that with us. Now you ladies know how I feel when I get one of your boxes of bandages. Together we can reach out and bless others with our efforts. Blessings to you all.

From Thread to Bandages

Cheryl from Walhalla, South Carolina recently received some of our donated #10 crochet thread. She quickly began to work it up, starting her first bandage but sent me this picture wanting to make sure the tension of her stitches was correct. I was pleased to tell her what a great job she is doing.

We have already shipped out over 150 balls of thread to volunteers working on bandages. My thread shelves are still full and there is plenty available. Let me know (sgtstocker@gmail.com) if you would like some as well. Cost is just $1 per ball (covers the shipping I paid to receive them from our donor) and the cost of shipping to you.

Therese in Estero, Florida received 30 balls for her group at a total cost of $56.31. These are big balls with 1,000 yards each. I am so pleased to be able to pass this windfall on to you all.