The D.O.V.E. Fund Bandage Brigade

Bandages From Dublin, Ireland

2012-01-26T20:11:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-21T15:50:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-10T22:31:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-10T21:38:00.000-08:00

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 !

2012-01-04T21:00:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-02T21:16:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-02T15:45:00.000-08:00


				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 bandagesshown 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 crochethook (size D) or knitting needle (size 2). These are tighter and made with smallerthread/yarn (no worsted weight) thanthe ones Global Health used to send to India as the climate and needs aredifferent in Vietnam.

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

Crocheted Leprosy Bandage:
Use size D (3.00 mm = UK 11) or E (3.50mm = UK 9) crochet hook (loose tension desirable).
Chain enough stitches to measure about 4" in width.
(Iuse 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 tosingle crochet to end, chain 1 and turn. Repeatrow 2 until bandage measures 48 inches long.

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

When Completed:
AFTERyou have woven the ends back into the stitches, wash the bandages, roll themand secure with a large safetypin. Put in plastic bag (several to abag), 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.

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

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

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

Finishedbandages:
Theseshould be sent to me (address listed below) and I will combine them with othersand get them into the next shipment to Vietnam. Please enclose in your box a sheet of paper (8½ x 11) with your name, address, phone and e-mail contact information (to saveus 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

2012-01-02T13:39:00.000-08:00

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 totaltally on the blog site. Last year we deliveredmore than 3000 bandages. We already have2100 on hand, so I know we will top last year’s total.

Enclosed is a copy of our currentinstructional/informational handout...please make extra copies to share withyour friends or the curious person who sees you working on them and asks fordetails.

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 $1plus cost of shipping. E-mail me directif you would like some headed your direction.

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

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

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

Season's Greetings

2011-12-24T23:17:00.000-08:00

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"

2011-12-11T21:42:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-11-07T19:58:00.000-08:00

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

2011-10-18T20:58:00.001-07:00

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

2011-10-09T17:35:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-08T22:57:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-18T20:07:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-11T08:13:00.000-07:00

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.

Be Careful What You Pray For...Prayers Are Truly Answered!

2011-06-25T13:29:00.000-07:00

It has long been a dream and prayer of mine to locate our #10 crochet thread at a discounted price and be able to have it available for you dedicated volunteers of the Bandage Brigade.

For many of you the thread is difficult to locate and/or a strain on an already stressed budget.

This prayer has been relentless but has NOW been answered...BIG TIME!

Through a string of events we were put together with a yarn/thread mill going out of business who was closing out their inventory. The angels there have been awesome to us and I now have over 600 "balls" of #10 crochet thread available to you at $1 per ball plus my cost of shipping it to you. These are BIG balls ranging from 800 to 1,000 yards each so this is a fraction of the cost you would normally pay in our typical craft stores.

Cost of shipping will vary depending on how far you live from Washington State. For an example, if you are an individual I can pack and ship 5 balls Priority Mail to you in OR for $5.95, MT $7.80, UT $9.35. For Mid-West and East Coast States such as MO, TX, NY, GA, FL, etc. we would use a medium flat rate priority mail box which runs just $10.95.

If you are of a heart to work on creating these awesome bandages, the cost of thread need not be a factor to stop you. I even have some thread "seconds" I will share AND I will personally pay the shipping for you if you cannot afford it.

To share in this result of answered prayer, send me an e-mail (sgtstocker@gmail.com) or snail mail note telling me your mailing address, how many you would like to receive and how many volunteers you represent ( I anticipate shipping larger quantities to church groups). I will reply with actual cost and confirm with you before I send it your direction.

Blessings to you all.

Linda

(360)231-4212

Catching up on bandage arrivals

2011-06-02T10:29:00.001-07:00

I sincerely hope and pray that this finds all of our brigade volunteers safe and well.

Bandages continue to arrive as our network continues to grow.

Recent arrivals were from:

Dorothy in Marshall, MN
Marie in Troy, NY
John in West Coxsackie, NY
Melody in Woodhaven, MI
Shelley in Lockport, NY
Flo in Rockville, MD
Annette in Payson, UT
Patty in Beaver, OR
Linda in Lehi, UT
Rosa in Tucson, AZ
Julie in Cougar, WA
Dolores in Avon Park, FL
Carlyn in Templeton, CA

Blessings to you all for your hard work.

2011-05-03T23:54:00.000-07:00

Come read some of the Bandage Brigade mail with me:

Pat in Cape Coral, FL wrote:

Ariel, WA is a great distance from Cape Coral, FL, but when I sit with one of my bandages in hand I feel as if I am making a visit with you. Thank you for all you do. Made with love.

Gillian wrote on our Facebook wall:

Just discovered you. The Dorcas group at our church is going to start using up our massive thread stash. I think God has been accumulating it for you.

Sister Georgette wrote:

The ladies at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church are happy to send you 110 bandages made by our Stitch and Chat group. The group meets weekly. Among their projects, they enjoy making the bandages. We are trying to get our homebound parishioners involved in this worthy project, as well.
Although we missed your deadline of Feb 1st, it was important for us to have the bandages be a part of our parish celebration of our Lady of Lourdes. It gives us the opportunity to help the people at our church be aware of the good work you are doing.
The bandages were blessed by our parish priest with waters from the shrine at Lourdes, France and water from the Jordan River.
May you continue to be a part of responding to the needs of people who are suffering. We are thrilled to be a small part of your mission.

Together we make it happen and truly make a difference in the lives of these lepers...thanks to each and every one of you volunteers for your tireless work and effort on this project.

Busy Volunteers Making Beautiful Bandages

2011-05-03T23:36:00.000-07:00

I admit to slowing down a bit in my reporting of bandage arrivals.

They continue and I want to update you a bit. Since our shipment bandages have come from:

Linda at Christ United Methodist Church in Shippensburg, PA
Susan in Phoenix, AZ
Paula in Southern Pines, NC
Odessa and Darlene in Taylor, MI
Dorothy in Marshall, MN
Carol in NY
Pamela in Pell City, Al
Marie in Oregon, WI
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Port Wentworth, GA
Nelson in Westchester, IL
Bart in O'Fallon, MD
Irma in Portland, OR
Dawn in Anchorage, AK
Joan in Tucson, AZ
Dorothy in Monroe, MI
Julianne in Tacoma, WA
No Name in Sandy, OR
Terry in Katy, TX
Joanne in Princeton, ID
Dolores in Avon Park, FL
Louise in Las Cruces, NM
Sylvia in Anaheim, CA
Donna in Spokane, WA
Kathy in New Hope, PA
Elizabeth in Bowen Island, British Columbia, Canada
Pat in Cape Coral, FL
No Name in Layton, UT
Carol in Happy Valley, OR
Wendy in Norwich, VT
Linda in Helena, MT

Your dedication is evident and appreciated. Keep up the good work and be sure to include inside a full size sheet of paper with your name, address and e-mail address (if you have one). This information helps me in sending each of you either e-mail or snail-mail "Thank You" after your bandages arrive. During this coming summer season it may be a bit more delayed if I am off enjoying the summer weather...when it finally arrives.

Yes, this is an ongoing project

2011-03-27T23:11:00.000-07:00

The most common question I get from those contacting me via e-mail is with regard to the ongoing need for leprosy bandages and continuation of the Bandage Brigade volunteers to meet these needs.

YES, sad to say, this is an ongoing need. In a perfect world we could get leprosy medicine and proper nutrition to all those suffering lepers and heal up their wounds for once and for all.

However, we are not in a perfect world and worldwide eradication of leprosy is not yet a reality.

So please continue on in your hard work. Together we really do make a difference to these people. Our bandages are well received and appreciated.

Additional items on our wish list for these unfortunate lepers in Vietnam:

Funds to purchase food and medicine for them in Vietnam - remember just $15 can provide a food packet to help a leper family survive for a full month.

Sponsorship for children of lepers to attend a summer camp. For many this is their first time out of their village. It teaches them how to make friends and gets them interested in attending school even though it means them living in dormitory settings away from the remote village of their family. Due to transportation costs, it runs about $40 for each child to have this "summer camp" experience. Funds are needed now for this year's camp.

Sponsors for children of lepers to get them out and in schools. Many of them have never left their village and will not get an education without a sponsor to provide funding for school fees and dormitory housing while in school.

If you know of anyone able to help with this wish list, monetary donations 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. 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.

100% of your designated donation will be used to deliver the assistance that these people so desperately need.

To My Sweethearts

2011-02-12T10:42:00.000-08:00

What sweethearts you all are for your generous spirit and hard work creating these precious bandages for the lepers of Vietnam. As a result of your diligence, we now have over 3,000 bandages ready for their "military escort" to Vietnam.

Each bandage is so special and individual...the average bandage takes at least 20 hours to complete. If you multiply it out our 3,000 bandages took at least 60,000 hours to finish.

Putting that into perspective...if we took one volunteer and told them to knit/crochet 6 hours a day...they would be busy for over 27 years to complete those 3,000 bandages.

Together we all made it happen!

Keep up the good work...

Last few bandages for this shipment

2011-02-12T10:28:00.001-08:00

I am always fascinated by the variety of locations our bandages come from. These were our most recent shipments:

Sandra in Agoura Hills, CA
Margot in Quemado, New Mexico
Judy & Char in Canby, OR
Michele in Cuba, NM
Kellie and her LDS Congregation in Jessup, MD
St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Jamestown, NY
The Affin-knit-ty Group of St. John's Church in Williamstown, MA
Janet in Highland Village, TX
Alison & Mary in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Hanne in Arvada, CO
Sharon in Mahwah, NJ
Deb of St. John Center Lutheran Church in Blue Ball, PA
Terri of Clovis, NM
Pat of Sheboygan, WI
Alexandria or Mesa, AZ
Mildred of Salem, OR
Provo LDS Humanitarian Service in Provo, UT
Alpha and LeAnne in Clinton, MI
Dorothy in Monroe, MI
Maricopa in Mesa, AZ
Barbara in Oberlin, OH

Way To Go - You Are All Awesome

2011-01-26T23:36:00.001-08:00

So far this week alone we have received bandages from:

White Lake Presbyterian Church in White Lake, MI
Kathleen and Theresa in Longview, WA
Jacqueline in Corolla, NC
Rebecca and Alice in North Potomac, MD
Carolann in Pacific City, OR
Linda in Helena, MT
Kathy in Homer, AK
Dorothy in Medford, WI
Kathryn in Myrtle Beach, SC
Mickie in Deerfield Beach, FL
Karen in West Valley City, UT
Marion and the Royal York Baptist Church in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Kathryn in Lake Placid, FL
Barbara in Elgin, TX
Jeanne, Darlene and the members of "A Strand In Time" in Kent, WA
Carol and the members of Our Lady of Light Catholic Community in Estero, FL
Grace and the ladies of "Gal's Gathering at Estate of Windsor Park" in Carol Stream, IL
Joan, Linda and the members of "Simple Gifts" at Unitarian Universalist Congregation in York, PA

What a wonderfully productive group...our new total now is 2,818 and I am moving fast to try to keep up with you all. I love responding to you all but please be patient, sometimes it takes me a few days to catch up.

I Love All Your Packages

2011-01-22T14:24:00.000-08:00

The packages keep arriving and I am overwhelmed by your hard work and generosity. Yesterday alone I got EIGHT packages.

Recent arrivals include bandages from:

Donna in Erie, MI
Abounding Grace Church/Jay in Tucson, AZ
Liz in Bowen Island, British Columbia, Canada
Skyline Presbyterian Church/Lorna in Tacoma, WA
Alexandria in Etna, NH
Phyllis & Jean in Plymouth, MN
Cari in Logan, UT
Jacqueline in Corolla, NC
Sylvia in Springfield, MO
Rosemary in Baton Rouge, LA
Margie in Milwaukee, WI
Vera in Milwaukee, WI
Rosemary in Elizabeth, WV
Harriman's in Spencer, IN
Mountain View United Church/Sheila in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
Riverwoods Retirement Community/ Constance in Lewisburg, PA
Pat in Emmaus, PA
Our Savior Lutheran Church/ Wendy in Norwich, VT
St. Ann Convent/ Bernadette in Tacoma, WA
Helen in King George, VA
Susan in Falls Church, VA
Shirley in Bedford, MA
Granholm in Leesburg, VA
Patricia in Mason Neck, VA
Lutheran Women's Missionary League/ Honey in Holbrook, NY
Sandy in McMinnville, TN
John in West Coxsackie, NY
Lorraine in Vancouver, WA
Loretta in West Deptford, NJ
Cindy in Springfield, VA
Dorothy in Marshall, MN

Today's total on bandages for this shipment is.....2,569

New Bandage Total

2011-01-09T23:30:00.000-08:00

What wonderful packages my deliver people bring to me. Recent arrivals have come from:

Elli in Adrian, MI
Nancy in Argyle, TX
Julie in Cougar, WA
Molly in Sandy, UT
Janet in Keaau, HI
Vicky in Youngstown, OH
Tina in Fruitland, MD
Judy in Livingston, TX
Deborah in Chantilly, VA
Nancy in Salem, OR
Crystal in Provo, UT
Barbara in Katy, TX
Kathy in Eugene, OR
Antoinette in Cromwell, CT
Elaine in Galt, CA
Karen in Wausau, WI
Fridley HS Key Club Members in Fridley, MN

A special thank you to a gentleman who listed his name as "Nimble Fingers Bruce" in Beaver, OR...you made my day with that title for yourself...we look forward to more shipments from you as well.

And now for the new total you have been waiting for, as of today, we have in hand 2,110 bandages.

Awesome work and a big thank you to everyone. Keep those packages coming in...this is the kind of busy I love!

JANUARY 2011 - CALL FOR BANDAGES

2011-01-01T13:32:00.001-08:00

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, 2011...then we can all start working on another batch for next year.

Preparing the bandage for its trip:

Each bandage should preferably be washed. Just a gentle wash in the sink or a mesh bag in the washer to freshen them up. Once they are dry, roll them up, secure them with a safety pin and put them in a plastic zip loc bag (several to a bag if desired).
How you package them for shipment to me will depend on how many you have...but since they are not breakable you can get pretty creative. 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 (USPS, UPS or Fed Ex) and addressed as follows:

The DOVE FUND

Bandage Brigade

Linda Stocker

171 Mulkey Lane

Ariel, WA 98603

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.
If you have a tracking number, you will be able to track the arrival online, but I will also send you a thank you/confirmation e-mail once the package has safely arrived at my location.

As the bandages are received, you can follow our total tally on the blog site. Last year we delivered more than 2500 bandages. We already have 1950 on hand, so I know we will top last year’s total.

This past year, my husband and I were honored to personally deliver bandages to Vietnam and witness, firsthand the depth of their needs, the importance of our work and the difference we can make in their lives.

I hope you will visit our personal travel blog site http://2healthewounds.blogspot.com/ to experience pictures of the lepers.

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

A Numbers Person

2010-12-25T21:59:00.000-08:00

Being a retired banker, I guess you could say I am a "numbers person".

Blogger just added a statistical feature to these blogs and from it I was astonished to see that this blog site was visited 876 times in the past month!

WOW! We have grown so much with so very many generous volunteers willing to help.

Welcome to all...stand by as I will post the official "call for bandages" in the next week with a request to have all bandages you have done to me by January 30th...and then you can all start on a new batch for next year!

From the Bandage Brigade Mail mail bag

2010-12-25T21:34:00.000-08:00

From Janet in Keaau, Hawaii:

I thought I would let you know how I came to know about your project and became interested. I am a retired nurse and just turned 87 years old. I have a daughter who lives in Washington State and heard your presentation this past spring at her Rotary club. She took your newsletter home and gave it to me. I am an avid quilter, knitter and seamstress. I am enclosing what I have made so far. I have, in turn, given your newsletter to a friend of mine who runs a Charter school here on the island. Her students are in the process of making more bandages. It is a small world and thought it might be interesting to know how far your project has traveled. I hope this will help in your efforts to bring comfort to those you serve.

From Anne in Brussels, Belgium:

I work at an International School in Brussels. An eagle scout advertised this request to knit bandages. My lovely 76 year old mother-in-law, Jacqueline, kindly knitted these for your project.

From Julie in Owatonna, MN:

Our lovely ladies at Owatonna Senior Place have done it again. This year we are pleased to send you 50 bandages for those in need in Vietnam. We make use of donated crochet thread and yarn and are excited to be able to share the gifts the Lord has given us to help others in need.
One lady in particular, Lora, feels she is returning what others have done for her. She remembers wrapping her father's legs in ace bandages to help relieve pain he had and can remember the relief on his face as she did it. And as she sometimes has to wrap her legs, she also knows the wonderful affect a wrapped bandage can do for a person. Thanks for all you do in this matter.

From 6 ladies in Sanger, CA:

It was fun to knit these leprosy bandages, but since we are all over 80 we don't think we will continue as health problems makes it difficult. We think this is a wonderful cause.

I love these little enclosure notes and hearing the story behind your challenges to work on these bandages. What an inspiration you all are!

Blessings to you all!

Bandages Continue To Arrive Daily

2010-12-12T22:46:00.001-08:00

A BIG Thank You to everyone out there working on leprosy bandages. I can almost hear the needles and hooks clicking as I type this out.

Time to update you on a new total....as of today we have a total of

1901 bandages

Recent arrivals came from:

Mae in Mount Kisco, NY
Dorothy in Monroe, MI
Barbara in White Stone, VA
Dorothy in Marshall, MN
Earline in Ferndale, MI
Sandy in Agoura Hills, CA
Rosa in Tucson, AZ
First Presbyterian Church in Dalton, GA
Terri in Clovis, NM
H. in Salt Lake City, UT
Mitzi in Tucson, AZ
Kristen in Gilbert, AZ
Joan in Tucson, AZ
Gloria in Fairfax, VA
Frances in Alpharetta, GA
Elaine in Salt Spring Island, BC
Anne in Brussels, Belgium
Nellie in Gleneden Beach, OR
Geneva in Calistoga, CA
Husband in Alexandria, VA
Kellie in Jessup, MD
Alpha and Leann in Clinton, MI
Sarah in Austin, TX
Barbara in Alexandria, VA
Mildred in Salem, OR
Create & Relate at Presbyterian Church in Lawrenceville, NJ
Owatonna Senior Place in Owatonna, MN
Natalie in American Embassy, Middle East
Rosemarie in Tonawanda, NY
Janet and group of ladies over 80 years old in Sanger, CA
Woodhaven Bible Church in Woodhaven, MI
Milan Baptist Church in Milan, MI
Beatrice in Trenton, MI
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint Humanitarian Service Room in Provo, UT

We will be issuing our "official" call for bandages at the end of this month with a request that you send in all completed bandages by the end of January. THEN you can start on new ones for future shipments.

I hope you all know that these bandages really do make a difference in the care of these lepers. Today we even received word of a leper village asking for more bandages to be brought to them!

Most important of all...They know we care!

Bandage Brigade Blessings

2010-11-19T10:58:00.000-08:00

In this season of giving thanks, I wanted to comment (as spokesperson for the BB) of the multitude of blessings which have been bestowed upon The D.O.V.E. Fund Bandage Brigade.

First and foremost, we are thankful for you, the volunteers, who spend so many hours creating the precious bandages. What a wonderful donation to the cause!

To better quantify it...say the average bandage takes a minimum of 12 hours to make...then the 3,000 bandages we delivered this past year represents at least 36,000 hours or 1,500 (24 hour) days of knitting.

You are awesome, Thank you for each and every minute of it!

In addition we have countless volunteers who work to spread the word and promote The D.O.V.E. Fund Bandage Brigade. Every time you hand out an instruction sheet, get up at a craft meeting and talk about it, share in your church group or neighborhood gathering. That expands the network of volunteers and even results in donations to The D.O.V.E. Fund for the work of the Bandage Brigade.

We are also thankful to be a part of The D.O.V.E. Fund and able to receive monetary contributions under their 501(c)3 non-profit "umbrella". You can know that each and every dollar you contribute and specifically earmark for "Bandage Brigade" will be used to feed and benefit the lepers as well as deliver your precious bandages.

We are also very thankful for the blessings from EVA Airlines who has graciously waived baggage fees on the bandages when the D.O.V.E. trip participants take them over to Vietnam.

Once the bandages arrive in Vietnam, we have wonderful Vietnamese volunteers who help us by distributing them to the needy leper villages.

During our personal March 2010 trip to Vietnam, we accompanied some of our Vietnamese volunteers to the villages. The conditions and travel modes they endure is testament to their dedication to the mission and caring for these remote lepers. They were also very caring and loving to take care of us during these trips...so we could come back and tell their stories and work to garner more support to meet the needs there.

This past year we have been very thankful for monetary contributions made to The D.O.V.E. Fund Bandage Brigade:

The bandage knitting friends who sent a memorial donation when one of their members passed away.

Don who designated memorial donations to BB when his wife died. They had BOTH been volunteers with the BB.

Vietnam Veteran Jim who donated funds through The D.O.V.E. Fund to help feed the lepers in the Central Highlands near where he served so many years ago.

The ladies of my breakfast group who literally pooled together coins to purchase food for the starving lepers when they learned it only costs $15 to feed a family for a month.

The people of these remote leper villages are in a seemingly hopeless cycle of poverty and hunger. They live and die in hiding, cast offs because of this horrible disease. We saw many children in the villages who have never even seen the "outside world".

It is our hope to begin now to formulate a Bandage Brigade scholarship fund to be used to bring these needy children out of the remote villages to schools so they can obtain an education and one day be able to support not only themselves but their aging, disabled leper parents. Monetary donations will be needed to make this possible...any amount will help make a difference.

Yes, this is a time of counting our blessings and also hoping that you will continue to keep The D.O.V.E. Fund Bandage Brigade in mind with regard to future donations. You may not able to make a monetary donation, but perhaps you can challenge your family, church or other group to step forward in recognition of your volunteer efforts.

All donations should be mailed to The D.O.V.E. Fund, PO Box 350741, Toledo, OH 43635

with a designation "Bandage Brigade" on it.

The Bandage Brigade continues to grow

2010-10-01T14:19:00.000-07:00

Many are amazed at the growth of our network and group of volunteers.

The D.O.V.E. Fund Bandage Brigade now includes

464 individuals, and
51 groups, in
39 states, AND
8 foreign countries

Just for the curious, those 8 countries include: Canada, Argentina, Belgium, England, Germany, Holland, Ireland and Scotland.

Drum Roll Please - New total on bandages

2010-10-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

What an awesome group of volunteers we have working on these precious bandages. Many of you are holding your bandages until I issue a "call for bandages" just after Christmas.

However, many are so excited that they are sending theirs in sooner.
As a result we have received a total of 1,225 bandages in the last 6 months.

This total includes recent shipments from:

**Adams in Gulf Breeze, FL
**Barbara in Bellingham, WA
**Dorothy in Marshall, MN
**Monique in Pooler, GA
**Earline in Ferndale, MI
**Sherry in Pittsburgh, PA
**Pat in Scottsdale, AZ
**Donna in Coquitlam, BC, Canada
**Terri in Cloviz, NM
**Virginia in Lansdowne, VA
**Lisa in Fayetteville, PA
**Grace in Indianapolis, IN
**Barbara in Canton, MI
**Kathleen in Orange, CA
**Maureen in Kent, WA
**Cindy in Springfield, VT
**Kathy in New Hope, PA
**Mary in Glendale Heights, IL
**John (YES JOHN) in West Coxsackie, NY
**Sherry in New York, NY
**Alicia in Denver, CO
**Marge in Tomahawk, WI
**Shirley in Bedford, MA
**Patrice in St. Helena, CA
**Amber in Colorado Springs, CO
**Doris in Riverview, MI
**Connie in Renton, WA
**Eva in Renton, WA
**Darlene in Kent, WA
**Wendy at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Norwich, VT
**St. Mark's Lutheran Church in San Francisco, CA
**St. Philip Lutheran Church in Trenton, MI
**Madeline of St. John's Church in Williamstown, MA
**Priscilla Circle of Epworth United Methodist Church in Toledo, OH

Blessings to you all for your generosity in working on these precious items.

Together We Make It Possible - 794 bandages to date

2010-07-07T22:47:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all our volunteers.

In the past 2 months we have accumulated another 794 bandages and the packages continue to appear on our doorstep daily.

Recent arrivals include bandages from:

***Reagan in Quemado, New Mexico
***Judith in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
***Barbara in Bellingham, Washington
***Lizzy in Broadview, Montana
***Jean in Toledo, Ohio
***Colona, Illinois
***Goodwin House Retirement Facility in Alexandria, Virginia
***R. in Snowflake, Arizona
***Alice in Ottawa Hills, Ohio
***Patricia in Tooele, Utah
***Ann in Owings, Maryland
***Lydia in Alexandria, Virginia
***Dorothy in Marshall, Minnesota
***Jeanne in Silver Springs, Maryland
***Karen in West Valley City, Utah
***A Strand in Time Knitting Group, Covington, Washington
***Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Flint, Michigan
***Lutheran Women's Missionary League in Islip, New York
***Relief Society Church of Latter Day Saints in Mankato, Minnesota

See a similarity there??? There is none! You are an awesomely diverse group from all corners of the world coming together with a common purpose of helping others!

Thank you. May you all be blessed for your generosity!

"A Strand In Time"

2010-06-22T16:27:00.000-07:00

Wanted to report back to you on our meeting and presentation with "A Strand In Time" a group who is actively involved in creating our precious leprosy bandages. We met at the Covington Library last week (South of Seattle, Washington).

The power point presentation was very effective in telling the story of our trip to the leper villages in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.

We shared refreshments and even tried to work on bandages while we discussed the issues at hand and the challenges of leprosy in Vietnam.

Visual aids included pictures on the table as well as those on the overhead screen. There were lots of questions and Gary even shared his "Cougar Hand Shake".

The highlight had to be when they presented to us a large number (77 as I recall) of the most beautiful, uniform bandages. Awesome work ladies...keep it up!

Thanks to all who attended and took away lots of hand outs to spread the word on this project. Already receiving invitations for other service club talks...spread the word...we would love to come talk to your group as well.

Meeting and Greeting

2010-06-15T00:10:00.000-07:00

If you happen to live in the Tacoma Washington area, here is your chance to meet me and perhaps network with some other Bandage Brigade members.

My husband and I will be speaking this week in two locations in the Tacoma area and we would love to have any Bandage Brigade members drop by to catch our power point presentation of our recent visit to the lepers in Vietnam.

Thursday, June 17th we will be at the Puyallup South Hill Rotary Club.
They meet at the Ram Restaurant and Brewery at 12 noon.

Friday, June 18th we will be at the Covington Library, 16720 SE 271st Street, Suite 100. Covington, Washington. This is a knitting/crocheting group called "A Strand In Time" holding this event to commemorate "World Wide Knit In Public Days". My presentation will be at 11:30 but I understand the event will start earlier and run longer depending on the numbers of people we have stopping by. They have promised light refreshments and lots of good company.

We are also available to speak to other groups dependent upon time and location...just contact me to discuss details.

I would like to encourage you all to grab your knitting/crocheting and get out there and "do it in public" where ever you are. Just be sure to have plenty of our instruction sheets along to hand out to interested people when they ask what you are working on.

Busy Volunteers Making Beautiful Bandages

2010-05-28T16:17:00.001-07:00

Recent arrivals of leprosy bandages have come from:
* Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Mankato, Minnesota
* Knit One/Prayer Too! at First United Methodist Church in Keansburg, NJ
* Abounding Grace Lutheran Church in Tucson, Arizona
* First Presbyterian Church in Dalton, Georgia
* Mountain View United Church in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
* Kathy in New Hope, Pennsylvania
* Bonnie in Whitehorse, Ohio
* Judith in Alexandria, Louisiana
* Veronica in Lansdowne, Virginia
* Linda in Eagan, Minnesota
* Rosemary in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
* Krys in Thousand Oaks, California
* Crystal in Provo, Utah
* Dianne in Manorville, New York
* Dorothy in Medford, Wisconsin
* Karon in Bowling Green, Kentucky
* Sandy in Agoura Hills, California
* Christine in San Marcos, California
* Sharon in Wheat Ridge, Colorado
* Elinor in Virginia Beach, Virginia
* Mary in Shell Lake, Wisconsin
* Frances in Alpharetta, Georgia
* Colynn in East Hampton, Connecticut
* Kathrene in Barnwell, Alberta, Canada
* Pat in Emmaus, Pennsylvania
* Doris in Laie, Hawaii
* Pauline in Columbus, Nebraska
* Ela in San Jose, California
* John in West Coxsackie, New York
* Sister Georgette at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Port Wentworth, Georgia
* Dorothy in Marshall, Minnesota

Many of these bandages have lovely little notes enclosed. Jean from Shorewood, Wisconsin said that her bandages had been made "in conjunction with Kenwood United Methodist Church" and "blessed by Pastor McGuin and all the members of the Prayer Shawl Ministry". Yes, these bandages are very special and I often hear that they have been blessed or prayed over...thank you so very much for these "extra touches".

The Angels Will Now Be Blessed By Her Presence

2010-05-22T14:59:00.001-07:00

The full and joyful life of Dianne Bass ended this past week. She and her husband were both good friends and volunteer knitters in The D.O.V.E. Fund Bandage Brigade as well as many other volunteer activities in Arizona and Mexico.

The angels will now be blessed by her presence!

It Brings Me Peace and Calm Each Time I Stitch

2010-05-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

You ladies are wonderful and bless me with the most awesome notes enclosed with your leprosy bandages. Today I received 16 beautiful, perfect bandages with the following message enclosed.

Congratulations on your trip. What a wonderful experience. Each time I pick up my needles I am reminded of my and my family's wonderful, safe and comfortable lives.

It brings me peace and calm each time I stitch. Thank you, not only for enabling I and others this opportunity, but for the photos. How wonderful to see them.

The picture and poem is one Judith Ann sent to me a year ago and I felt it appropriate to share it with you again today as it continues to be a blessing to me.

Thank you.

Trip Blog Posts

2010-05-10T22:32:00.000-07:00

I have finally completed the blog posts on all of our leper village visits in Vietnam. Hoping to have you "hop on over" to that blog http://2healthewounds.blogspot.com/ and check them out.

With regard to the bandages, they are so very much appreciated in Vietnam and we are doing great on them. Please continue on with the #10 cotton crochet thread as it is perfect for their use.

I watched them try to wrap a foot with one of the heavier, courser bandages some of you have made in the past with larger thread and they are just way too bulky. They also lack the softness that they appreciate against their skin.

I will try to share individual pictures with you here on this blog of bandages but yet leave the full story on the other blog for you to check out when you have time.

Blessings to you all.

Stories of Visits to Leper Villages

2010-04-30T22:56:00.000-07:00

I have now posted on my trip blog (see link below) the stories on the first 5 leper villages we visited in Vietnam. Check it out and you will see pictures of our precious leprosy bandages in use. Also several comments about how we make the bandages now and the importance of using the #10 cotton crochet thread.
Enjoy reading...more yet to come.

http://2healthewounds.blogspot.com/

A BIG thank you!

2010-04-20T23:15:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all you who sent in boxes and boxes of bandages while we were off in Vietnam. You will be receiving your normal individual thank you from me but alas I am afraid my "turn around" time is a bit longer than it has been in the past.

Just know they are awesome and greatly appreciated.

Want to see and hear more about our trip?

2010-04-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

Posts on this site will be those directly related to the delivery of bandages in Vietnam and what we found to be the plight of the lepers there. If you want to see more pictures and stories of our trip, please visit our other personal site at http://2healthewounds.blogspot.com/

I am actively working on getting the entire trip posted there...that is working on it between naps as I am still trying to get over a 14 hour jet lag (it really is tomorrow in Vietnam).

Hello from the Central Highlands of Vietnam

2010-04-04T17:14:00.000-07:00

Dear Bandage Brigaders,
Greetings to you from a small convent in the upper central highlands of Vietnam.
I am currently transmitting via a SIM card and my mini computer...the wonders of technology.
Wanted to send you at least one leper picture showing your precious bandages in use.
I have so many heart wrenching stories and pictures to share but alas they will have to wait till I have better connection and time to do them justice.

Belgium Eagle Scout Service Project Benefits The D.O.V.E. Fund Bandage Brigade

2010-03-09T21:04:00.001-08:00

Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). A Scout who attains this rank is called an Eagle Scout or Eagle.

Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 2 million young men. The title of Eagle Scout is held for life, thus giving rise to the phrase "Once an Eagle, always an Eagle".

Requirements include earning at least 21 merit badges and demonstrating Scout Spirit through the Boy Scout Oath and Law, service, and leadership. This includes an extensive service project that the Scout plans, organizes, leads, and manages.

We have heard of other Eagle Scout candidates using leprosy bandages as their service project but I want to share with you one that is currently under way.

Dallin is a young man currently living in Brussels Belgium. He is active in Track and Field but settled upon the leprosy bandages as his eagle scout service project saying he felt this was "an amazing idea". Just today he reported via e-mail that things are "in full swing". He has people from several nationalities working on the bandages and had just received 50 from Germany.

Dallin has set a target of April 16th for all bandages to be turned in to him. We will be anxious to hear the final count on participants and bandages produced.

Way to go Dallin, our thanks go out to all the participants for their work on these precious items. Perhaps we can even get some "hooked" on continuing their participation beyond April!

"LOVING HANDS" - a news article from the Owatonna People's Press

2010-03-09T20:21:00.000-08:00

By: Clare Kennedy
Posted: Sunday, March 7, 2010

The word “crochet” usually conjures up stuffy bric-a-brac — doilies, table cloths — but one group of ladies at SeniorPlace is changing that one bandage at a time.

“Here’s a bandage: 48 inches by three to four. Then we wash them, roll them up, pin them, bag them, and then they take them over to Vietnam,” said Julia Smith, a key member of the group.

Smith is a member of the SeniorPlace Knit and Crochet Group — a straightforward name, the only name they’ve ever been able to come up with, said group member Grace Werner. Certainly, the ladies at SeniorPlace have made a tea cozy or two in their day, but the group has a decidedly no-nonsense approach to their craft. They use the donated string, yarn and thread in the SeniorPlace closet for practical projects — blankets for the needy, slippers for people in the hospital and in this case bandages for lepers in a country thousands of miles away.

Their bandages are part of larger effort, the Bandage Brigade, a network of volunteers around the world who crochet and knit bandages which are then sent to Vietnam through the The Development of Vietnam Endeavors (D.O.V.E.), a 501(c)3 non-profit made up of Vietnam veterans, Rotarians and others dedicated to rebuilding Vietnam. Leprosy is a significant problem in Vietnam, said Bandage Brigade Founder Linda Stocker, though it often goes unseen.

Leprosy is a disfiguring disease that causes sores on the skin and in severe cases lumps and bumps, nerve damage in the arms and legs, and even loss of limbs. It is most common in hot, humid climates, according to the National Institute of Health. The World Health Organization characterizes it as a health problem that is on the decline, due to better access to treatment. The organization counted 254,525 cases globally in 2007, a 4 percent decrease when compared with 2006.

“The world feels it’s under control. But in Vietnam lepers are discriminated against and forced to go up into the highlands, so no one ever sees them or counts them in their statistics,” said Stocker, who coordinates the effort from her home in Washington state.

Stocker saw it herself in 2005, when visiting Vietnam with her husband, himself a veteran of the Vietnam War. In such circumstances, medical gauze is not enough.

“Gauze will not hold up at all and a regular ace bandage is too heavy, thick and big. (The bandages we make) are light and airy. Because of the humidity and warmth in Vietnam you need (wounds) to air and keep the bugs off,” Stocker said. “They’re reusable and they’ll use them again and gain until they just fail. Some lepers wrap their stumps and they actually walk on that.”

Stocker and her volunteers began transporting the bandages in nooks and crannies of suitcases. Now she has over 500 volunteers working on the project all over the world — in Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland and even one person in Australia. The Bandage Brigade will send over 3,000 bandages to Vietnam by the end of 2010.

Stocker attributes the group’s growing volunteer base to the nature of the craft itself.

“I encourage (volunteers) to print out instructions for others because everyone asks you about it when youre doing it in public. It’s a good way to spread the word,” Stocker said.

The ladies in Owatonna have done it for three years now, though many have knitted and crocheted for decades. Smith has been crocheting and knitting for 35 years and it has always been a labor of love. She said she taught herself the craft when she was expecting her first child.

“When I was first pregnant I thought, well my child should have a crocheted afghan, I mean just have to have one,” Smith said. “So I picked up a book and it just fit.”

The bandages are time consuming, even to veterans of the craft. Smith said it takes three weeks to a month to finish one. So far they have sent two shipments of bandages, with more than 20 per shipment.

When asked why they do it, Smith had a simple answer.

“I guess we feel we’re using the gifts the Lord gave us to help other people. It is labor intensive and you don’t really see the smiles on their faces,” Smith said. “You just do it for your fellow man.”

Their efforts do not go unappreciated, however.

“It’s strange to say but they seem to recognize the time and love that went into each bandage and that someone cared that much about them to spend that kind of time,” Stocker said.

Anyone interested in contributing to the group’s efforts should call Werner at 451-7285 or contact Stocker at leprosybandages.blogspot.com.

Angels Watching Over Us

2010-03-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

Last year I contacted EVA Airlines in desperation. We were going to have 8 bags of bandages headed to Vietnam with The D.O.V.E. Fund group and there was no way we could afford to pay the extra baggage fees to take them.

I dialed into their customer service number and the person answering the phone was named "Angel"...to me that was a true sign that we were in good hands. Sure enough after providing information on how many DOVE Fund participants fly to Vietnam in the comfort of the EVA Airlines flights...the good people at EVA granted us a waiver on the baggage charges for these humanitarian parcels.

Well this year again I had the pleasure of talking with Angel who made sure our request got to the proper channels to result in the e-mail approval we just received today.

What a pleasure to deal with an airline with such a large heart! If you ever have occasion to fly one of their routes, we highly recommend you use their services. You will have "Angels" looking over you as well.

Drum Roll Please.....

2010-03-05T11:40:00.000-08:00

Finally a new total to share with you...Leper bandages in hand to go to Vietnam with the D.O.V.E. Fund group this month just reached 2,400.

Along with the 600 we sent in December with The Friends Of Lepers, the Bandage Brigade has produced 3,000 bandages during the past 12 months.

The prior year we were at 2200 bandages so we have made a 36% increase...and with the increase in volunteers now working on them....MANY more to come.

AWESOME LADIES...TOGETHER WE ALL MAKE IT HAPPEN !

Volunteers setting goals

2010-02-26T21:51:00.000-08:00

This past month I received a lovely Valentine's Day greeting and letter from one of our bandage volunteers, Shirley in Bedford, Massachusetts.

She shared with me that not only does she knit bandages for us but she also knits mittens for three different Native American Schools in Montana and South Dakota. She also recently started to do infant hats for the local hospital.

It takes her 12 hours to knit one bandage, but she is "only too happy to help". Her goal is to knit 100 bandages...and this along with all the other projects she is working on.

You all work so hard on these bandages, how about setting a goal this year not only for creating bandages but for distributing the handout we have available to get others to join in and work on the project. There is such strength in numbers. Let's work on doubling our number of volunteers this year. How about it???

Send me an e-mail sgtstocker@gmail.com if you need me to send you a current Word document of the hand out to print up.

Mercerized vs "Super Mercerized"

2010-02-26T21:28:00.000-08:00

We were recently contacted by one of our new volunteers, Kathryn in Lake Placid, Florida.

She wanted to make sure the crochet thread she was using was the appropriate kind and was specifically concerned because it said it was "super mercerized".

Kathryn was kind enough to send me a knitted sample and I was very pleased with the results. This was not a thread I had used before or that is listed in our instructions. However, I like it so well that I wanted to share it with you. Manufactured by DMC it is called "Baroque" and is 100% crochet cotton supposedly "super" mercerized.

Next time I update our instructions and list of recommended threads, this one will definitely be included.

Thank you Kathryn for your input and, by the way, your knitting is awesome!

P.S.

Being an inquisitive soul, I googled "mercerized cotton" to see what it really meant...I am sure you are all glued to the edge of your chair wanting to know what I found...so here is your trivia for the day:

Mercerized cotton is a special kind of cotton yarn that is more lustrous than conventional cotton. It is also stronger, takes dye a little more readily, makes the yarn more resistant to mildew and reduces lint. It also may not shrink or lose its shape as much as "regular" cotton.

Enclosure that goes with your bandages

2010-02-26T21:15:00.000-08:00

After spending so many hours working on these precious bandages, we wanted to make sure that the recipients know how to care for them.

You will see here the enclosure we developed to use with the bandages. It contains care instructions not only in English but of course in Vietnamese as well.

Knitting up a storm at Harbour Ridge, Palm City, Florida

2010-02-26T20:59:00.000-08:00

I am pleased to introduce Cynthia, Eileen, Joan and Val sharing with us their newly completed leper bandages. These ladies have been hard at work knitting bandages and recruiting their neighbors to help as well.

Great work ladies, keep up the good work!

Moving Messages from the Volunteers

2010-02-03T10:10:00.000-08:00

Wanted to share with you a few more of the little enclosure messages that come with these awesome bandages:

Sally in Dubuque, Iowa wrote:

This was a labor of love for my new granddaughter is from Vietnam. They went in March for this 10 month old . She was one of the last babies that were allowed to come to this country. She is a joy to her parents. I hope you can continue to manage this project. I don't wait very well so I always have my knitting...so waiting is much easier.

Tina in Fruitland, Maryland wrote:

Thank you for organizing this relief project. Your kindness is inspiring. I knitted these in the "small" downtimes - doctor's offices, weight watchers meetings, or while visiting with my beloved husband while we watch TV. I'll knit some more for your next trip too.

Carolyn in Winfield, Illinois wrote:

I made this bandage in memory of Sarah Reed. She passed away 2 years ago, and I thought sending one more bandage in her memory was something which would please her, since she made them while before departing to heaven.

Pat in Cape Coral, Florida wrote:

Here are my final 25 for this year's trip. I have started my goal for next year. I need to do these bandages as much as the people need to receive them. Some days when I sit down to work on a bandage, it's the best part of my day. Bless you and all the other volunteers.

"Will Be Indelible In My Memory Forever"

2010-02-02T21:55:00.000-08:00

This week I received a large shipment of leprosy bandages from a number of ladies at the Covenant Retirement Community at Windsor Park, Illinois. I wanted to share with you the inspiring letter which was enclosed:

Dot began this project a couple years ago, and I am honored for a second year to gather these these precious bandages from 9 or 10 ladies here. We have almost double the bandages we sent you last year although we had only knitted for a few months at that time. After a whole year we are proudly sending you 74 bandages from our little group. One lady knitted almost 40!

Nearly half the ladies had not knitted before, and the progress was slow but sure. But they persevered stitch by stitch, row upon row, their work becoming smoother and more uniform as their skills improved. At first some were somehow adding stitches, and the rows would get wider. But I told them that God would get the wider ones to folk who needed the added width! This lot of Bandages we are sending you in this box are all just fine on that score, and look pretty much alike.

God knows who knit which ones, and instead of the experienced knitters getting more "brownie points" because they are more prolific, I think the new struggling ones with whatever mistakes and flaws and dropped stitches get higher marks because it is so much harder for them. But God notices their love and dedication and "real grit" as they progress and produce. The looks of pride as they hand me a finished bandage will be indelible in my memory forever.

Thank you for the idea , and for orchestrating the delivery of each bandage. I am still overwhelmed by the idea of the Vietnam Vets and the Military Escort! Awesome! God bless all of you as you put feet to this labor of love!

Lovingly sent, Grace

Boxes and Boxes of Bandages

2010-02-01T20:37:00.000-08:00

Bandages, Bandages, everywhere bandages. Each one has a story, each one is blessed.
Thank you so very much for all your hard work and determination. I say determination because I know the transition from the large gauge yarn to the #10 crochet thread has been a difficult one for some of you. But you are all doing an awesome job!

Today we received nine separate packages containing a total of 100 bandages....and I know we have another 100 or so on their way here.

Recent bandage receipts have come from:
**Cathy in Elkhart, Indiana
**Megan in Parker, Colorado
**Barbara in Oberlin, Ohio
**Mary in Glendale Heights, Illinois
**Anna in Wheaton, Illinois
**Sharon in Wheat Ridge, Colorado
**Christine in San Marcos, California
**Susan in Gurnee, Illinois
**Madeline & The Bandage Knitters at St. John's Church in Williamstown, Mass
**Grace & other members of the Covenant Retirement Community at Windsor Park, Illinois
**Josephine in Fairfax, Virginia
**Shirley in Bedford, Mass
**Denise and Colleen in Whitehouse, Ohio
**Sally in Dubuque, Iowa
**Marty in Barrington, Rhode Island
**Carolann in Honolulu, Hawaii
**Edith in Sarasota, Florida
**Breann in Pipe Creek, Texas
**Grace in Linnwood, New Jersey
**Margery in Wever, Iowa
**Pat in Cape Coral, Florida
**Jacqueline in Corolla, North Carolina
**Donna in Erie, Michigan
**Nellie in Gleneden Beach, Oregon
**Nancy in Toledo, Ohio
**Pat in Toledo, Ohio
**Deborah in Chantilly, Virginia
**Kathryn in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
**Tina in Fruitland, Maryland
**Carolyn in Winfield, Illinois
**Linda in Batesville, Indiana
**Sandy in Chelan, Washington
**Pat, Linda & Michele of Grace Episcopal Church in Sheboygan, Wisconsin
**Residents of Riverwoods Retirement Community in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
**Di, Ginger, Audrey & Marie all of "Stitch and Bitch" in Palm City, Florida
**Val, Nancy, LInda, Cynthia, Joan, Marnie, Millo & Mamie all of Harbour Ridge in Palm City, Florida

So I am proud to tell you that together you ladies have produced a total of
***** 2736 *****
bandages since our last shipment a year ago!

SOON I hope to be on here sharing with you some of the awesome stories of special bandages and the special people who made them.

Blessed with Bandages

2010-01-17T22:28:00.001-08:00

What a wonderful group you all are!

We sent out our "call for bandages" to arrive here by February 1st and you are doing a great job of getting them into the mail.

It is amazing to see the numbers of volunteers involved in this project...this past 2 weeks we received bandages from:

** K in Desert Hot Springs, California
** Wendy in Burke, Virginia
** Margie in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
** Alexandra in Etna, New Hampshire
** Courturier in Littleton, Colorado
** Verna in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
** Susan in Falls Church, Virginia
** Kristen in Gilbert, Arizona
** Veronica in Leesburg, Virginia
** Judy in Canby, Oregon
** Kathy in Homer, Alaska
** Patricia in Mason Neck, Virginia
** Paula in Southern Pines, North Carolina
** Cindy in Springfield, Virginia
** Theresa in Batavia, New York
** Joan of "Simple Gifts" in York, Pennsylvania
** Julie of "Owatonna Senior Place" in Owatonna, Minnesota
** Sandy in LaCenter, Washington
** Kathy in New Hope, Pennsylvania
** Carolyn in Warrenton, Virginia
** Donna in Charlotte, North Carolina
** Dorothy in Marshall, Minnesota
** Dianne in Manorville, New York
** Barbara in White Stone, Virginia
** Rosemary in West Virginia
** Riverwoods Retirement Community
** Michelle in Sandy, Utah
** Meredith in Springfield, Virginia
** Rose in Tucson, Arizona
**Audrey in Merrill, Wisconsin

We sent one shipment of 600 bandages to Vietnam with Bandage Brigade supporters at "Friends of Lepers" in December.

Bandages on hand for this shipment so far total 1,797 (which already puts us ahead of the number we sent to Vietnam in spring of 2009).

We still have another 2 weeks before our "cut off" for the shipment that will go over with the D.O.V.E. group travelers in March.

MAY YOU ALL BE BLESSED FOR YOUR GENEROSITY.
KEEP THOSE BOXES ROLLING IN !

First Bag of the year all packed to go to Vietnam

2010-01-17T22:21:00.000-08:00

This was our first bag packed up with bandages for this coming shipment.
Wanted to share with you the label I made to put on them. No reason not to advertise that there is very special humanitarian cargo inside these bags.
We leave the bags in Vietnam with the bandages so this will continue to be used and tell the story of a group of people in the US that cared enough to bring it and its contents over to them.

Calling All Bandage Brigade Volunteers

2009-12-31T12:27:00.000-08:00

NOW IS THE TIME for your completed bandages to prepare for their "Military Escort" to Vietnam

All you busy D.O.V. E. Fund 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 my husband and I along with our good friends at the D.O.V.E. Fund http://dovefund.org/
These bandages travel internationally compliments of the wonderful people at EVA Airlines.

NOTE:
We need to have everything for this departure received at my address by Feb. 1, 2010 ...then we can all start working on our batch of bandages for next year.

Preparing the bandage for it's trip:
• Each bandage should preferably be washed. Just a gentle wash in the sink or a mesh bag in the washer to freshen them up.
• Once they are dry, roll them up, secure them with a safety pin and put them in a plastic zip loc bag. No need for individual bags, you may group several in one large zip loc bag.
• How you package them for shipment to me will depend on how many you have...but since they are not breakable you can get pretty creative.
• PLEASE enclose in your package a standard sheet of paper (8 ½ x 11) with your name, address, and e-mail contact information (if you have one). ALSO I love to hear comments about who worked together with you on these or how you got involved with us!

Shipping, Tracking & Notification:
• All bandages should be shipped direct to me(USPS, UPS or Fed Ex) and addressed like this: The D.O.V.E. Fund Bandage Brigade, 171 Mulkey Lane, Ariel, WA 98603
• If you have a tracking number, you will be able to track the arrival online, but I will also send you a thank you/
confirmation e-mail once the package has safely arrived at my location.

As the bandages are received, you can follow our tally on the blog site http://leprosybandages.blogspot.com/ Last year DOVE carried over 2,100 bandages. We shipped 600 last month and already have 1,638 on hand. Since our network has grown so rapidly, we expect this March shipment will be over 5,000 bandages!

Please let me know if you have questions (360-231-4212 or sgtstocker@gmail.com) Thanks again for your generous work on this ongoing project. Watch for pictures on the bandage blog site after we return so you can see the magic of your hard work in action.

Merry Christmas and Blessings to you for your generous spirit

2009-12-23T23:13:00.000-08:00

Somehow, not only for Christmas, But all the long year through,
The joy that you give to others is the joy that comes back to you.
And the more you spend in blessing, the poor and lonely and sad,
The more of your heart’s possessing, returns to you glad!

It is such a blessing to know that there are so many wonderful people out there caring enough to spend hours making wonderful bandages for the lepers of Vietnam.

Thank you is not sufficient instead the thank you comes to you in blessings.

May you continue to be richly blessed in the coming year!

Key Club Participants from Fridley Minnesota

2009-12-16T14:13:00.000-08:00

Key Club is an international student led organization which provides its members with opportunities to provide service, build character and develop leadership.

In October we reported that a Key Club in Colorado had completed and sent in a group of leper bandages. This month we received bandages from a Key Club at Fridley High School in Minnesota.

What a wonderful way to teach these young people the value of giving to others. We are so excited to see this participation and send our heartfelt thanks to them.

Riverwoods Retirement Community

2009-12-16T13:15:00.000-08:00

A recent package of 42 lovely bandages came with a note enclosed to tell us that they were made by the residents and employees of the Riverwoods Retirement Community in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

What a wonderful place to live when you can all band together and work to do good things for others. A big thank you to them from The D.O.V.E. Fund Bandage Brigade.

Busy Hands Create Lots More Bandages

2009-11-15T21:27:00.001-08:00

Recent arrivals of bandages have included packages from:

Virginia in New Auburn, Wisconsin
Deborah in Chantilly, Virginia
Daylesford Abbey in Paoli, Pennsylvania
Helen in King George, Virginia
B. in Alexandria, Virginia
Ann in Hillsborough, North Carolina
Julie in Reston, Virginia
Margery in Wever, Iowa
Tricia in St. Johns, Arizona
Denise in Wickenburg, Arizona
Suzie in Sammamish, Washington
Madeline at St. John's Church in Williamstown, Mass.

As of today our bandage total for this year is at 1,897.

My heart to yours with a Special Request -

2009-10-28T14:24:00.000-07:00

Imagine that you have a disfiguring disease so horrible that no one wants to touch you or be around you. Banished out of the cities, you and your family are forced to the remote mountains to live with others suffering this horrible disease.

In your remote location, there is no medical care and your children cannot even attend school. You have no means of making a living. You live day to day hobbling around scrounging plants and roots with which to make a simple broth. You are a very humble people and rarely, if ever, ask for help.

Now image that a horrible storm, a typhoon, comes through your village and any shelter you had is destroyed, any belongings washed away!

This is the situation right now for many of the lepers in Vietnam. One of our main contacts who visits the remote leper villages reports that there are two main leper villages in Kontum province very heavily hit by the typhoon and resulting flood with water rising above the tops of their shelters.

In typical Vietnamese resiliency, they are praising that they survived the storm even though they know not from where their next meal will come. He reports that they are literally on the verge of starvation.

Your hours of tedious work on these precious bandages tells me that these unfortunate people already have your heart. I know that many of you can barely afford the cost of thread and shipping for the bandages but somehow manage to pull it together to do your part and then some.

Right now these lepers need food just to survive the rest of this stormy season. I have seen in person how they treasure a mere can of milk or bag of rice.

Most of you belong to a church or needlecraft group. Would you please give some thought to taking up a special offering to bring these precious people through this difficult time? The funds would be delivered by representatives of The D.O.V.E. Fund and used 100% to purchase food locally (in Vietnam) for delivery to these people.

Tax deductible donation checks should be made payable to “The D.O.V.E. Fund” (a 501(c)3 non-profit) with the notation “Bandage Brigade Storm Relief” and mailed to The D.O.V.E. Fund at PO Box 350741, Toledo, OH 43635.

In keeping with the celebratory spirit of this blog site, please send me e-mail details of any fund raising successes you have that we can share with others to know these needs are being met.

Blessings to all!

Mystery Package - I could use a bit more information

2009-10-22T00:03:00.000-07:00

Just received a package of 17 beautiful bandages from one of you busy volunteers out there. The return address is listed as a PO box in Bemis Point, New York. There was no further information inside the package...just beautiful bandages.

If you are the one who sent the package, please send me an e-mail sgtstocker@gmail.com and identify yourself. I keep track of incoming bandages so I can send you a personal thank you and also keep you posted on happenings in the DOVE bandage brigade group.

To everyone else, please be sure to include inside your package a standard sheet of paper with your name, address and e-mail if you have one. It sure makes my job easier to have just a bit more information.

Please trust me, I am not selling or providing your information to anyone else.

Special Delivery of 70 Bandages

2009-10-20T22:37:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we had a very special visit from our good friends Bruce and Elaine from Salt Spring Island, British Columbia. Previously we had only "met" via internet and association with veterans' associations. This in person meeting had been a long time coming and was bitter sweet in that it was just a brief visit.

Bruce and Elaine have very big hearts for the people of Vietnam and each year spend up to 3 months there working in Vietnam on various charitable projects. They are getting ready to leave for Vietnam middle of December and are looking forward to their first Christmas in Vietnam. You can read more and follow along on their ventures at the link to the right titled "Journeys of The Heart".

We have especially appreciated their ongoing support of the Bandage Brigade since its infancy. They demonstrated their current support with the delivery of 70 more bandages from some of the other Canadian volunteers.

Key Club members learn community service skills by making leprosy bandages

2009-10-20T21:30:00.000-07:00

Key Club is an international student led organization which provides its members with opportunities to provide service, build character and develop leadership.

Jefferson high school Key Club members in Edgewater, Colorado chose to knit and crochet tropical sore bandages for patients in Vietnam. During the 2008-2009 school years 25 Key club members and many teachers helped make 129 tropical bandages. They reported that this effort collectively took over 1300 hours to complete. Their Kiwanis sponsors came to the high school and taught students the skill they needed to complete the project. They spent many hours working as a group and individually to exceed their goal of 100 bandages.

Funds to make their project possible came from the Kiwanis Youth Opportunity Fund.

A special volunteer in Marshall, Minnesota

2009-10-20T20:02:00.000-07:00

One of our most consistent volunteer knitters celebrated a milestone this past month. Dorothy is a Korean era Marine veteran who has contributed regularly since September 2007. Her bandages arrive almost monthly with a dozen at a time and we just celebrated her new total of 204 bandages...she refers to her efforts to keep her brain from stagnating...and we are proud to help her do that by keeping busy knitting.

Way to go Dorothy, keep up the good work!

Blessed with Bandages

2009-10-20T16:43:00.000-07:00

We were in Ohio for the D.O.V.E. Fund annual retreat for just one week and my but the bandage arrivals piled up. Time to update you all on recent arrivals and announce a new total.

During the past few weeks bandages have arrived from:

Barbara in White Stone, Virginia
Agnes in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Angie in Gilbert, Arizona
Maureen of the St. Phillips Church in Fairfax, Virginia
Dianne and Juanita in Manorville, New York
Sue in Gleneden Beach, Oregon
Ilse of the Lutheran Women's Missionary League in College Point, N.Y.
Beth of the Trinity Stitchers in Sutton, W.V.
Dorothy in Marshall, Minnesota
Edith in Sarasota, Florida
Donna in Alexandria, Virginia
Caroline in Fishkill, New York
Leona in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
Rachelle of the Women of Westlake in Jackson, N.J.
Veronica in Leesburg, Virginia
Patricia in Mason Neck, Virginia
Deborah in Alexandria, Virginia
Jackie and J. P. in Corolla, North Carolina
Mary Ann in Weston, Massachusetts
Patricia in Cape Coral, Florida
Arty in Galena, Illinois
J. in Roseburg, Oregon
J. in Tucson, Arizona
"Knit One, Pray Two" at Eternal Shepperd Lutheran Church in Seneca, S.C.
Sonja of Kearsarge Community Presbyterian Church in New London, N.H.

Thanks to you all the total bandages on hand for delivery is now...1,783

When Should I Ship My Bandages?

2009-10-20T10:53:00.000-07:00

This is one of the frequent questions that come my way for which there is no set answer.

Many of you send bandages as you make them, others as you fill a box and then many of you are holding your bandages until you receive my "call for bandages" that indicates we are assembling the bundles of bandages for shipment.

This year the D.O.V.E. Fund group will escort the majority of our bandages to Vietnam in March. Therefore, I will issue a reminder e-mail "call for bandages" about the last week of December requesting that they arrive here (171 Mulkey Lane, Ariel, WA 98603) by January 15th for inclusion in the March departure.

If you are working on bandages, please be sure to make contact with me so I have your e-mail address on file for that notification to reach you when I send it out.

Blessings to you all and keep those needles and hooks a clickin.

Bandage Workshop - Toledo Ohio

2009-10-09T11:35:00.000-07:00

A special welcome to those of you who may have heard the live interview this morning on WSPB AM 1370 in Toledo, Ohio.

My husband and I are the guests of our D.O.V.E. Fund friends here for our first D.O.V.E. Fund annual planning retreat...the first since the Bandage Brigade became a part of the D.O.V.E. Fund this past May.

During our visit we will also be holding a Leprosy Bandage Workshop Monday October 12th, 7 pm at the Point Place United Church of Christ. It is located on 119th Street, Point Place across from the library in Toledo, Ohio.

We would like to invite you to stop by and learn more about how you can join the group of volunteers making these special bandages for the lepers in Vietnam.

It will also be an excellent opportunity for you to learn about the work and plans of the D.O.V.E. Fund in Vietnam and get answers to any questions you may have.

Please come if you can!

Feel free also to address questions to me directly at my e-mail address:
Sgtstocker@gmail.com

Blessing to you all for all you do,
Linda Stocker
The D.O.V.E. Fund Bandage Brigade

Putting a Face With The Hands

2009-08-15T20:20:00.001-07:00

Another box of bandages came this week from our friend Nellie and her friends in Gleneden Beach, Oregon. You have seen her hands often on the header of this blog...but I thought it might be appropriate to put a face to the hands...so here she is.
Nellie was one of our first bandage volunteers and has continued working on them for well over two years. Thank you for your continued interest and work on these.

Keeping Cool During The Summer

2009-07-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all those who are finding time in front of the air conditioning this summer to work on leprosy bandages.

During the past month we have received shipments from:

Barbara in White Stone, Virginia
Dorothy in Marshall, Minnesota
Patti in Ariel, Washington
Julianne in Tacoma, Washington
Edith in Sarasota, Florida
Veronica in Lansdowne, Virginia
Pamela in Hastings, Minnesota
Ann in McLean, Virginia
Shirley in Bedford, Massachusetts
Ilse at the Atlantic District Lutheran Women's Missionary League
Sheila at Mountain View United Church in New Brunswick, Canada
Sister Georgette at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Port Wentworth, Georgia

Thanks to you all our accumulation is already at 957 bandages...keep 'em coming!

Blessings to you all for your generosity and dedication.

An event we do not want to miss !

2009-06-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

Normally I just scan through my Joanne Fabric e-mail newsletter but this item caught my eye and I just had to share it.

Bet none of the rest of you knew of this important event!!!

Come Together to Knit...in Public?

Often thought of as a solitary hobby, events like World Wide Knit in Public (WWKIP) Day allow knitters an opportunity to come together, getting knitting out of the craft room and into the public eye.

WWKIP Day, considered to be the largest knitter-run event in the world, is the brain child of Danielle Landes. This year’s event actually spans two weekends – June 13-14 and 20-21.

Around the world knitters will come together in cafes, stores, libraries and even park benches to enjoy the process, show off their stitches and shatter myths about who knits and what they’re making. Of course, this raises the question of what to knit – especially in this hemisphere where we’re starting to feel the heat of summer.

So, I would challenge you to grab your leprosy bandage knitting or crocheting and make it a point to work on it in public this weekend and next (in particular). I even read about one lady who is sure she concentrates better on the sermon at church when she is knitting during it (might want to clear that with your pastor/priest before you try it though). Make sure you have plenty of copies of the instruction handout to share with others as they will be asking what you are doing...who knows how many new volunteers we could garner.

But most of all, as my dear step-mother used to say, ENJOY !

Congratulations on the Hard Work

2009-06-11T22:58:00.000-07:00

The bandages continue to arrive here and we are already at 741 bandages...off to a strong start.

Recent arrivals of bandages came from:

** Dorothy in Marshall, Minnesota
** Jackie in Raleigh, North Carolina
** Cindy in Springfield, Virginia
** First Presbyterian Church in Dalton, Georgia
** St. Philip Church in Falls City, Virginia
** Konnie in Wheaton, Illinois
** Barbara in White Stone, Virginia
** Angela in Redmond, Washington
** Antoinette in Cromwell, Connecticut
** Patty in Ariel, Washington
** K in Desert Hot Springs, California
** Andrea in Sterline, Ohio
** Shirley in Woodland, Washington
** Crystal in Provo, Utah
** I. L. in Salt Lake City, Utah
** Sue in Falls Church, Virginia
** The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints in Roosevelt, Utah

Pictures that tell a rewarding story

2009-06-04T22:15:00.001-07:00

How rewarding to see the looks of appreciation on the faces of these lepers in Vietnam as they receive their new handmade leprosy bandages this past month.

Keep your work up...the need continues until this horribly disfiguring disease can be totally eradicated.

Pardon our dust !

2009-04-26T21:31:00.000-07:00

In the process of making some changes to the blogsite...hope to have it complete by May 1st.

Please check back often to see our updates and happenings.

Perfect Partners: Bandage Brigade, D.O.V.E. Fund and EVA Air

2009-04-20T23:39:00.000-07:00

This is a direct quote from the Spring 2009 Newsletter for the D.O.V.E. Fund:

By Tom Treece

I love it when a plan comes together!

It all started with a telephone call from Linda Stocker, Personal Effects Coordinator (along with Vietnam vet/husband, Gary) of Tours of Peace, an Arizona-based organization that takes war veterans back to Vietnam. As the group also returns artifacts left behind, Linda was calling to inform me they had one of my dog tags lost 40 years ago, which they sent to me in a beautiful display box.

In turn I told them of my involvement with the D.O.V.E. Fund, in which the Stockers were excited and interested. Linda informed me that she also coordinates a worldwide group called The Bandage Brigade, consisting of mostly women who knit and crochet bandages for Vietnam’s leper colonies. One problem they were having was actually getting the bandages to Vietnam as often boxes that were shipped never found their destination. Linda asked if the D.O.V.E. Fund might be able to help and last spring our group hand carried nearly 1,000 bandages to Vietnam.

Coordination for that action involved Linda shipping seven large boxes (at her expense)from her west coast state to me in Michigan where I dispensed the bandages among our group. We stuffed the bandages in every nook and cranny of our suitcases before flying to San Francisco and then on to Vietnam in March, 2008.

The Bandage Brigade has obviously grown since then and this year has prepared nearly 2,500 bandages for us to take to those suffering the open sores of leprosy. Realizing the folly of having bandages cross the country twice, Linda and I – along with D.O.V.E. Fund Honorary Member and San Francisco bay area resident, Dianne Van Voorhis – devised a plan and approached EVA Air, the Taiwanese airline the D.O.V.E. Fund uses exclusively for our annual flights to Vietnam. Our request was that they partner with us by donating fees associated with flying these boxes to Ho Chi Minh City from San Francisco for us, and they have agreed. As such, Linda will now ship the bandages the short distance to Dianne where she will then coordinate transporting them to EVA Air at the airport.

Perhaps D.O.V.E. Trustee Sharon McKisson described it best when she said, “A dove of peace in the form of an EVA Airways jumbo jet provides free transport of eight 50pound crates of specialized bandages to ease the suffering of lepers in Vietnam.”

Special thanks to EVA Air (http://www.evaair.com) - the finest airline on which this writer has ever flown - and to Gary & Linda Stocker (and their legions of supporters) at the Bandage Brigade (http://www.leprosybandages.blogspot.com/) for their humanitarian efforts. Also, special thanks to Dianne Van Voorhis and our beloved D.O.V.E. Fund as we continue in our efforts to make a difference in the lives of the poverty-stricken people of Vietnam.

What a beautiful thing it is when a plan comes together, pairing perfect partners in unity to help change the lives of those less fortunate on this planet that we all must share; may this only be the beginning!

Wonderful New Announcement

2009-04-20T23:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a sneak preview at our wonderful new announcement...

The Bandage Brigade is now an official project of The DOVE Fund www.dovefund.org (use link on right side of this post)
"DOVE" stand for "Development of Vietnam Endeavors" and they have a strong history of doing many wonderful things in Vietnam...check it out at their website!

This is the wonderful non-profit organization who has carried our bandages to Vietnam the past two years. Now that we are a part of DOVE we have the capabilities to expand into other areas of benefit to the Vietnamese lepers. This is all very exciting.

Also if you have a friend or group who wants to help with this project they can now make donations through the DOVE Fund for the Bandage Brigade. Since they are a 501c3organization this gives the donor the opportunity of potentially using it as a tax deduction. It is as simple as writing a check to "DOVE Fund" with the notation of "Bandage Brigade" on it. That would be mailed to The DOVE Fund, P. O. Box 350741, Toldeo, OH 43635.

In the next week or so I hope to update our header on this blog to reflect our new partnership with DOVE so keep watching for it.

All Recruits Are Welcome

2009-04-08T12:37:00.000-07:00

As the news of our hard work spreads we are having all kinds of recruits joining in on the activity of the Bandage Brigade!

Another Bandage Delivery by our Canadian Friends - Bruce & Elaine

2009-04-04T23:57:00.000-07:00

Bandage Brigade member, Elaine from Salt Springs Island is again working in Vietnam for three months this year with her husband Bruce doing a number of humanitarian projects (featured on their personal blog "Journeys of the Heart" which you can follow at www.ebtovietnam.blogspot.com )

One of their visits last year was to a remote leper village accessible only by boat. They vowed to return to that village again and delivered bandages to the residents there. Their trip this year was quite an adventure and I would encourage you to visit their blog and read more of the details if you have the time.

Here is an excerpt from her blog regarding that bandage delivery:

We brought another precious gift from Canada, hand knit bandages for the wounds left by leprosy. We had a good talk with the male nurse, who was grateful for the delivery (we had included bottles of bleach and lessons on how to sterilize the bandages) The nurse assured us that he knew this procedure, but when we went over to deliver the food packets to the patients in the hospital, we were aghast at the condition of their bound feet. The bindings were far from clean and certainly not sterile. The nurse estimates his needs to be about 600 bandages a year.

The important piece of information for the Bandage Brigade is that the finer gauge bandages are preferred, and surprisingly he would like them to be a shorter length, about three feet......so girls, it will be more tedious to knit on smaller needles with finer yarn, but at least we will finish in the same time with the shorter length.

Another Touching Story to Share

2009-04-04T23:31:00.000-07:00

Many times there are notes enclosed with bandages with special messages. I was particularly moved by 4 bandages which arrived this year from "Speical Gifts" group in York Pennsylvania.

The note explained that these bandages were started in 2008 by one of their members who had since died. The group "took up the gauntlet" so to speak and finished these bandages, sending them to the Bandage Brigade in her memory.

What wonderful friends!!!

Meet Olive of York, Pennsylvania

2009-04-04T23:08:00.000-07:00

I'd like to introduce you to a very special lady who work on our leprosy bandages. Olive is a member of the "Simple Gifts Group" at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in York, Pennsylvania.

I first learned of Olive last Fall when Joan from their group sent me bandages and told me that Olive made more of them than all the rest of their group combined. Olive has poor eyesight but reportedly could knit a bandage in an evening without even needing to look at her work.

Olive was one of the ladies using the larger gauge thread and I was concerned that when we switched to using exclusively the #10 crochet thread it would be too small for her to handle visually. Well I have been proven wrong!

In February Joan reported:

"Of note is that one of the bandages with the "skinny" yarn was made by Olive, the lady we thought couldn't work with tiny things. She says she can't read small directions, which is why she couldn't make mittens like the rest of our group did for the church's Christmas tree, but she can knit with small yarn because she doesn't look when she knits. We have offered to enlarge directions, but she doesn't seem interested in that."

Olive is a real producer on bandages, once she got started with the "skinny" yarn in just two nights she completed her first one...only problem was someone forgot to tell her when to stop...it was 77 inches long. WOW, we should all be so energetic.

Way to go Olive...we are so very pleased to have you working with us.

Bandages Continue to Arrive

2009-04-04T22:41:00.000-07:00

New arrivals this week included bandages from:

**Madeline in Adams, Massachusetts
**Cathy in Elkhart, Indiana
**Karen in Madison, Wisconsin
**Atlantic District, Lutheran Women's Missionary League,Holbrook, New York
Since we will not be shipping bandages again to Vietnam for a number of months now, it is your option to send them as they start to accumulate at your location or save them up for a larger future shipment to me and perhaps save some on your shipping costs.

Be sure to let me know if you have any questions on the banages you are working on. Occasionally I will receive just one bandage or part of bandage when someone has a question on the gauge of their work...that is great!

Hugs to all...Linda

Helping to Bandage Sufferers

2009-04-02T13:48:00.000-07:00

Falls Church Knitting Group Aids People With Leprosy in Vietnam

By Sandhya Somashekhar
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, April 2, 2009; VA01

Every week after Monday morning Mass, a half-dozen women get together in an empty classroom at St. Philip Catholic Church in Falls Church to knit.

There are no balls of hand-dyed wool in pastel colors, no half-made baby's booties. These women turn narrow, austere threads into identical strips of white, cream and tan. The products of their labor will not swaddle chilly necks or warm cold feet; instead, they will protect wounds thousands of miles away in the jungles of Vietnam.

The women are among hundreds across the country who make bandages by hand for sufferers of Hansen's disease, more commonly referred to as leprosy. The dreaded and once-incurable disease has been virtually eradicated from the developed world but persists in pockets of Asia, Africa and South America. According to the World Health Organization, more than 200,000 people contracted the illness last year.

For years, the women at St. Philip had assembled weekly to make rosaries, the strings of beads Catholics use for prayer. They made pearly white ones for small children and sturdy black ones threaded with parachute cord for members of the military.

Last year, the church's pastor returned from a trip to Vietnam with disturbing stories of people who developed open sores and lost fingers and toes after contracting a scourge that some didn't know still existed. He told them the afflicted people were subsisting in an isolated settlement with the help of nuns who live nearby.

The churchwomen, some of whom had never traveled overseas, said they were moved and heartbroken by the plight of people a world away, suffering from an illness that was straight out of the Bible. Later, they learned of an organization called the Bandage Brigade, which sends handmade bandages to leprosy patients in Vietnam.

"We thought, 'Hey, we can do that,' " said Maureen Walsh, one of the St. Philip bandage makers. "That's something we know how to do."

The World Health Organization has been on a mission to eradicate the bacterial illness, which affects the skin and nerves and can cause numbness, paralysis and other damage to the hands and feet. Although leprosy is contagious, it is not spread easily and can be cured with drugs.

But the organization's efforts have been hampered by substandard health care in remote places, and the disease's stigma, which still leads to the creation of settlements, or leper colonies, even for victims who are cured. And because many are disabled, their ability to work is limited.

"There's a cure for this disease, but because these people live up in the jungle and the mountains, and because they are ostracized just like in biblical times, they have to live off of charity. It's terrible," said Carol Vincent, another bandage maker. "We were shocked. We had no idea."

Not just any bandages will do, Walsh said. They must be made of mercerized cotton, which is treated to strengthen the fibers so they can withstand repeated use after being boiled and sterilized. They must be four feet long and three to four inches wide, so they can be used to dress sores as well as be wrapped around wounded hands and feet.

They must be washed in very hot water, thoroughly dried, carefully rolled and sealed into plastic sandwich bags before they are ready to ship.

And it is important that they be knitted or crocheted by hand, said Linda Stocker, a retired banker and wife of a Vietnam War veteran who founded the Bandage Brigade from her home north of Vancouver, Wash. Stocker's group, which is not religious but has inspired church groups across the country, has sent an estimated 3,500 bandages to Vietnam since 2007.

Handmade bandages are stronger than gauze and lighter than Ace bandages, she said, and there are other benefits.

"What I'm seeing as I talk to the people in the Bandage Brigade -- and it's true of giving in general -- is that there's therapy on both sides," she said. "People have told me it helped them quit smoking, helped them diet, help them get over the death of their husbands. . . . People are saying this is filling their idle hours and makes them feel like they're doing something meaningful."

Creative Names for Creative Groups

2009-03-22T22:57:00.000-07:00

I LOVE the creative names that some of the groups have "adopted".

"TAGS" (The Amazing Grays), is a group from St. Timothy Catholic Parish in Chantilly, Virginia

"Simple Gifts" is a group from the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in York, Pennsylvania

Broadmoor Knit "WITS" (Woven In The Spirit) meets at the Broadmore United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

"Chicks With Sticks" is the name of the creative group at Custer Road United Methodist Church in Plano, Texas

The newest one to come across my key board and my personal favorite name is:
"Stitch and Bitch" who meet weekly at Harbour Ridge in Palm City, Florida

This blog site is intended to bring us all together, coordinate our efforts and encourage each other. If you have a group name, slogan, story and/or picture to share, please forward it on to me for posting.

Off to a great start

2009-03-22T22:44:00.000-07:00

Our shipment of bandages are finally on their way and I am soooo very pleased to hear and see that everyone is already busy working on bandages for next year's shipment.

In just the last couple weeks we have received bandages from:
**Edith in Sarasota, Florida
**Anita in Athens, Pennsylvania
**Michelle in Hesperia, California
**Margie in Milwaukie, Wisconsin
**Mary in Hilton, New York
**Austintown Community Church in Youngstown, Ohio
**St. Timothy Catholic Parish in Chantilly, Virginia

Great work ladies...one suggestion...since we have months until our next large shipment goes, you are welcome to accumulate your bandages at your location and ship them to me in larger quantities in the hopes of saving you some postage.

Bidding Safe Journey to 2091 Precious Friends

2009-03-16T22:13:00.001-07:00

It may look like just a stack of 8 plump totes ready to go on a trip. Somehow I am a bit emotional tonight as I prepare to ship off these precious bundles which contain exactly 2091 of your beautiful leprosy bandages.

Why "exactly 2091"? because that is all I could tightly fit into our allotted 8 bags without running the risk of splitting the zippers and having leprosy bandages scattered all across the airport tarmack.

Itinerary for this long journey includes...
**truck ride to Vancouver, Washington
**Fed Express shipping to Los Gatos, California
**SUV ride to the San Francisco airport
**Plane ride via EVA airlines to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
**Another automobile ride before the hand off to our Vietnamese contacts who will handle distribution to the leper villages

I am moved as I think of how many volunteers that collection represents and how many hours of tedious work, painful details but yet soothing, comforting often therapeutic work.

Then I also think of the beautiful people of Vietnam, beseiged with leprosy, who will be blessed by your thoughtfulness and hard work. You see the bandages are applied to and help their wounds, but they also recognize and appreciate the fact that someone cared enough about them and their plight to spend countless hours in making this specialized bandage.

Yes, together we are making a difference...my heart reaches out to you to say a big "Thank You" for your hard work, dedication and participation.

May God's blessings continue to shower down upon you as you start working on our shipment for next year!

Hugs from afar,
Linda

Conversion Chart for your reference

2009-03-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

Some had asked and one of our blog readers, Liz, offered this chart of conversions. Hope it is helpful.

Knitting needles:
US size 2 = 2.75 mm = UK size 12
US size 3 = 3.25 mm = UK size 10

Crochet hooks:
US size D = 3.00 mm = UK size 11
US size E = 3.50 mm = UK size 9

Beautiful Stories Abound

2009-03-04T23:35:00.000-08:00

There are soooo many beautiful stories of our awesome volunteers.

They tear at my heart wanting to be told...but alas you will have to wait a bit for me to post them and do them the justice they deserve...perhaps another way to keep you checking back to the blog for updates.

I do want to leave you tonight with the awesome picture above and poem sent to me by Judith Ann in Whitney Texas:

More bandages

2009-03-04T23:30:00.000-08:00

Three more shipments of bandages arrived this week coming from:

**Tina in Fruitland, Missouri
**Judy in Penfield, Pennsylvania
**First Presbyterian Church in Dalton, Georgia

Final total is now a whopping 2457 - You are all awesome !

Together We Are Definitely Making A Difference!

2009-02-28T15:57:00.000-08:00

Well the last of the bandages arrived today and I am awe struck with your enthusiasm and hard work.

New bandage total has exceeded the goal I had set of 2400...yes, we have 2434 !

New arrivals came from:
**Judi in Whitney, Texas
**Christine in Shoreline, Washington
**Donna in Charlotte, North Carolina
**Joan of Simple Gifts in York, Pennsylvania
**Olive in York, Pennsylvania
**Liz and Lea in Littleton, Colorado
**Elizabeth in Star Tannery, Virginia
**Claire in Newport, Michigan
**Mountain View United Church in Moncton, New Brunswick
**Grace in Indianapolis, Indiana
**Don & Diane in Green Valley, Arizona
**Lorrie in Dewey, Arizona
**First Presbyterian Church in Dalton, Georgia
**Grace in Carol Stream, Illinois
**Lindsay in Lacey, Washington
**Sandra in Springville, Utah
**Laurel in Bellflower, California
**Michele and Pat in Sheboygan, Wisconsin
**Maureen in Fairfax, Virginia
**Arty in Galena, Illinois
**Kathy in Poteau, Oklahoma

Blessings to you all...keep in touch by checking this site often for updates.

What does 2057 leprosy bandages look like?

2009-02-21T21:05:00.000-08:00

Perhaps one of these days I will have a couple pictures to post for you of the collection of bandages.

This year they will be traveling to Vietnam in their own suitcases. I purchased the largest soft sided barrel bags (and a couple military duffel bags) that the airlines will carry. These bags will hold close to 300 bandages each and weigh close to 45 pounds each.

So our current total of 2,057 bandages fill SEVEN of those BIG barrel bags and then some. We are slated to send EIGHT of those bags in total and with current arrivals will have no problem filling them to the maximum.

Recent bandage arrivals came from:
**Peggy in Enumclaw, Washington
**Sue in Oak Park, Illinois
**Judy in Canby, Oregon
**Phyllis in College Place, Washington
**Nellie in Gleneden Beach, Oregon
**Shirley in Bedford, Massachusetts
**Kellie in Lehi, Utah
**Sandy & Jenny in Salt Lake City, Utah
**St. John Center Lutheran in East Earl, Pennsylvania
**Serena in Kalaheo, Hawaii
**Sally in Dubuque, Iowa
**Dorothy in Marshall, Minnesota
**Rosemary in Elizabeth, West Virginia
**Adelaide in Marlton, New Jersey
**Fran in Southern Pines, North Carolina
**Kathryn in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
**Sister Georgette in Port Wentworth, Georgia
**Junie Moon's Bandage Brigade in Tucson, Arizona
**1st Ward, The Church of Jesus Christ LDS in Palmdale, California
**Ladies Air, St. John's Lutheran Church in College Point, New York
**St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Jamestown, New York
**Cynthy of Jamestown, New York
**Sandra of Bemis Point, New York

Awesome work!

March 1st due date for bandages

2009-02-11T22:28:00.001-08:00

A point of clarification:

Please note that the due date of March 1, 2009 is just for the upcoming shipment to Vietnam. After that date, we will be working on the next batch of bandages to travel to Vietnam Spring of 2010. Thank you for your hard work and asking the questions when I have you confused.

Hugs to you all...Together we make it happen!
Linda

My pleasure to introduce Georgina

2009-02-09T22:51:00.000-08:00

One large batch of bandages (53) which arrived this past week came from Barbara in Canton Michigan. They were so very delicate and the stitches were just perfect. Barbara was quick to inform me that the majority of these lovely bandages were created by her 82 year "young" mother "Georgina"...I was especially pleased when Barbara was willing to share this picture with us.

What a lovely lady Georgina is and we are so very pleased to have her working on our bandages. I am told that she has already started work on bandages for our 2010 shipment. Blessings to you...I can almost smell those beautiful rhododendrons!

New Bandage Total = 1835

2009-02-09T22:34:00.000-08:00

The packages just keep arriving. My heart goes out to each one of you for your generous donation of the hours and hours that goes into making each one of these beautiful bandages.

Recent arrivals have come from:
** Karen in Wausau, Wisconsin
** Edith in Sarasota, Florida
** Dorothy in Medford, Wisconsin
** Kathy in Eugene, Oregon
** Dorothy in Marshall, Minnesota
** First Presbyterian Church in Oak Hill, West Virginia
** Susan in Gurnee, Illinois
** Barb in Livingston, Texas
** Rosemary in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
** Mildred in Salem, Oregon
** Kathy in Homer, Alaska
** Margie in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
** Lisa in Mesa, Arizona
** Helen in King George, Virginia
** Barbara in Canton, Michigan
** Union Circle of Kings Daughters in Williston, Vermont
** International Order of the King's Daughters and Sons, Adelphia Circle in Middlebury, Vermont
** Jasper N. Keller Pioneers Chapter 33

Blessings to you all !

Our friend Dorothy in Marshall, Minnesota

2009-01-24T14:28:00.000-08:00

Dorothy has been sending us the most beautiful bandages since September 2007. It has been cold in Minnesota and we are receiving the benefit from it. Today we received a box of 20 of the most precise bandages I have seen. Dorothy was in the Marines during the Korean era and her military training translates well to her retirement past time with the crochet hook.

Thank you to Dorothy for her hard work and persistence!

NEW BANDAGE TOTAL = 1645

Current Bandage Total = 1625

2009-01-22T23:07:00.000-08:00

Yes, that is right...to date we have received 1625 bandages toward the upcoming shipment to Vietnam.

Recent packages came from the following brigade volunteers:

Molly in Sefner, Florida
Karen in E. Brunswick, New Jersey
Rosemary in Baton Rouge, Louisiane
Patty in Ariel, Washington
Maureen in Fairfax, Virginia
Carole in British Columbia, Canada
Elizabeth in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Kathleen in Pflugerville, Texas
Betty in Arlington, Texas
Carol in Defiance, Ohio
Grace in Linnwood, New Jersey
Katheryn in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Judith in Whitney, Texas
Joan in York, Pennsylvania

A heartfelt thank you to all of you for your hard work on these precious items...together we all make a difference in the lives of these unfortunate people.

Blessings to you all.
Linda

2009-01-22T22:38:00.000-08:00

Calling All Angels

Time for your bandages to prepare for their

2009 "Military Escort" to Vietnam

All you busy angels out there, the time has come to send in your bandages so they can begin their exciting journey to Vietnam.
We need to have everything for this departure received
here at my address no later than March 1 st.

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 our good friends at the D. O. V. E. Fund and will travel internationally compliments of the wonderful people at EVA Airlines.

Preparing the bandage for it's trip:

Each bandage should preferably be washed. Just a gentle wash in the sink or a mesh bag in the washer to freshen them up and remove any hand cream, ice cream, coffee, cat hair, whatever that we got on them while we were toting them around working on them.
Then roll them up and secure them with a large safety pin.
Put them in a plastic zip loc bag, remove the air from the bag and seal.
How you package them will depend on how many you have...but since they are not breakable you can get pretty creative.

Shipping:

ALL BANDAGES should be shipped direct to me and addressed as follows:

Bandage Brigade
Linda Stocker

171 Mulkey Lane
Ariel, WA 98603

Tracking and Notification:

You have put so very many hours into these wonderful, magical items that we want to track very carefully their journey until they are safely in our hands. It is your choice, but I recommend you pay the extra cost to put "tracking" on the package.
Once you have shipped your parcel, please send an e-mail to me (sgtstocker@gmail.com) with your name, tracking number they gave you for the package and tell me how many bandages were enclosed.
You will be able to track the arrival online but I will also send you a thank you/confirmation e-mail once the package has safely arrived at my location.

Questions?

By all means let me know if you have questions... thanks again for your generous work on this ongoing project. I will make sure we get some pictures back of the bandage delivery so we can see and share the magic of our hard work in action.

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

Meet Jackie - A special brigade member from Virginia

2009-01-13T14:53:00.000-08:00

One of the boxes which made it through our snow to my door step recently came from Maureen in Virginia. She is involved in a church group who works together on leprosy bandages, but pointed out that one of the 113 bandages in her box was made by a very special young lady named Jackie.

Maureen and a group of ladies visit a nursing home every week and thereby met Jackie. One of the group members described Jackie for us as follows:

Although she is just under four feet tall, twenty-eight year old Jackie is a bundle of energy and enthusiasm according to her fellow residents at Sleepy Hollow Manor in Virginia. She is paralyzed from the waist down due to spina bifida. When she was a toddler, Jackie was adopted by a family in Virginia which gave her three big teenage brothers. After the death of her adoptive/foster mother, Jackie moved into Sleepy Hollow Manor nursing home. Jackie is always seeking ways to enhance her life with new experiences.

One day Jackie noticed a visitor from a local church crocheting a long, narrow, white strip. The lady explained that the strip was a bandage that Vietnam veterans will take to Vietnam for use by those with leprosy.

Jackie immediately decided to join the effort and made a bandage even though she hadn't crocheted in years. Although she pulled it out several times, she pursued it and finally with great pride showed off her special bandage to her new friends.

It is my pleasure to share this story and picture with you...somehow the look on her face tells it all...tells of the great love and effort that went into this bandage which she was making to help someone who had more serious problems than her own.

When not crocheting, Jackie's hobbies include collecting postcards, reading, watching Disney movies, and listening to music.

If you would like to send Jackie a post card for her collection or communicate with her by e-mail, contact me (sgtstocker@gmail.com)and I will provide you her contact information.

Another Bandage With a Fascinating Story

2008-12-06T23:20:00.000-08:00

Today I received a tidy little package addressed to the Bandage Brigade from Ontario, Canada.

Inside was one beautiful little intricately knit bandage and a note which reads as follows:

This bandage began as a prop for a grade 11 mummification project, but it was meant for a nobler purpose.

We may never know the full story but what a fascinating and original history for this wonderful item which will now benefit a leper in Vietnam. A big thank you to our benefactor who sent this from Ontario.