Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! Recently, we were asked a great question: Do the underprivileged veterans appreciate the handcrafted nature of the gifts that they receive on their road to recovery and does it matter to them? Simply put, they very much do and it really does matter to these wonderful individuals. The smiles, laughs, and joy that we have experienced from them first-hand at local Stand Down events are a testament to that! From the big reactions on their faces when they realize that these gifts are all handcrafted, to the excitement of getting to choose what style, color, and type of garment that they wished to take with them, we can tell you with certainty that they appreciate the effort and love that is put into every handcrafted hat, scarf, mitten, etc. from T.H.R.I.V.E. and you, all of our dedicated donors! We’ve even had veterans who said that they felt unworthy of such dear gifts. Rest assured that we insisted that they most definitely deserved them and more! Most touchingly, we’ve had many veterans reminisce with us memories of family and friends who had made garments for them. They’ve told us about favorite hats made by their grandmothers, memorable scarves received from Christmases past, and treasured garments given from friends. Most recently, we had a veteran tell us about how his mother would knit him sweaters that he greatly cherished, but that he didn’t ever learn to knit himself. Victoria, our Chief Executive Officer of T.H.R.I.V.E., replied, “I can knit for you now.” Let us all be there for them and happy crafting everyone!
Thank You Dallas and Abilene!
Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We had two awesome Texas Stand Downs back-to-back last week. It was such an honor and a privilege to serve both of these Stand Downs. We are deeply appreciative and humbled by being able to contribute to every Stand Down that we partner with and were very moved by the response from the veterans when they received our handcrafted gifts. “Handcrafted” means so much to them! Firstly, we’d like to thank the Dallas and the Abilene VAs for organizing the Stand Downs and making this all happen! Next, we’d like to thank our awesome volunteers who continue to support our noble cause! And last, but not least, we’d like to thank our wonderful and dedicated staff who worked tirelessly to ensure that every veteran and their dependents at these Stand Downs would be served and receive their lovingly handcrafted gifts!
It’s Time for the Dallas and Abilene Stand Downs!
Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We’re all hands on deck, working hard to prepare for both the Dallas and Abilene Stand Downs being held later this week. Supporting both of these events back-to-back is looking to leave us starting back from scratch, so please don’t stop crafting for our underprivileged veterans and their dependents!
If you would like to donate a hat, scarf, lap blanket, or other handcrafted garment to our cause, please remember that the dear veterans and their dependents prefer dark colors (e.g. blue, black, green, grey, and all-time favorite, camouflage). If you would like to knit, crochet, or sew a garment in a brighter color, red or deep purple are always popular bright colors. We cannot emphasize this important point enough: please do not use sparkly or overly decorative yarns and fabrics. While they have their place, they are simply inappropriate for the veterans and their dependents (including children because of choking hazards).
If you are not a crafter, but would like to help, there are still many ways to support our cause! Please consider donating materials and/or making a monetary donation to help us cover the costs of materials, shipping, and overhead.
If you have donations and are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, we are still continuing our policy of curbside pickup. Please contact us to schedule a pickup. If you reside outside the DFW area and would like to make an in-kind donation, you can ship your donations to us here in Dallas. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us. Remember, even one lovingly handcrafted hat or scarf can make a huge difference in the life of an underprivileged veteran or their dependent(s)!
Last Call for Dallas and Abilene Donations
Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! This week is the last call for your donations to make it in time for next week’s Dallas and Abilene Stand Down events. Please send in your hand-crafted donations to us as soon as possible or, if you are in the DFW area or thereabouts, please contact us to schedule a pick up. Every donation can truly make a difference and is greatly needed and appreciated by our underprivileged military veterans and their dependents.