Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family. Remember that keeping a simple project with you that is easy to pick up and put down is a great way to make use of those little moments of free time, such as when you’re out handling errands, enjoying the outdoors, or even waiting in line. This way, you can benefit from the therapeutic qualities of crafting while also working towards finishing projects that ultimately can go towards helping the underprivileged veteran community that T.H.R.I.V.E. Association serves. Happy crafting and thank you for continuing to send in your wonderfully handmade garments to us in support of our mission!
Thank You, Anchorage!
Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Anchorage, Alaska VA for inviting us to their Veterans Service Organization (VSO) Day last Wednesday. Our Chief Executive Officer got to meet so many of the wonderful veterans that we have proudly served for years and got to meet the incredibly dedicated VA staff there. Words are insufficient to express our gratitude for this opportunity and the lessons learned from Ms. Peggy Bateman and Ms. Jurileen Fex.
What we confronted in Anchorage was a very moving and eye-opening experience. As any of our volunteers and staff know, the Anchorage, AK Stand Down is always one of our biggest and also one of our favorites to serve. So many of us really don’t think about the homeless of Alaska, however it is a huge problem that we are committed to helping. During a walk through Delaney Park looking for the war monument, it was shocking to see all of the souls who were sleeping rough. This was particularly jarring, as this city is known for its below-freezing Winters and its dangerous wildlife (bears, moose, etc.), which we learned can (and often do) find their way into the city. We learned that Alaska has more veterans per capita than any other state in the Union and were shocked at the high cost of living in Alaska. Factors such as these make it increasingly harder for those experiencing homelessness to recover.
After this experience, we are more committed than ever to end homelessness in our veteran community in Alaska and every other state in the Union! Let us redouble our efforts to make this goal a reality!
Trunk or Treat 2023!
Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! This past Saturday, we were able to take part in the festivities at the annual Trunk or Treat event hosted by the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Metrocare. We are thankful to all the wonderful and welcoming staff there for allowing T.H.R.I.V.E. Association to join in on bringing the good vibes and candy to the veteran families in our local community!
Fiber Fest 2023
Happy Saturday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! DFW Fiber Fest 2023 is in full swing all weekend long at the Irving Convention Center in Las Colinas and is THE place to be for all crafters in the DFW area. We’ve got a booth set up behind the main information desk, so stop on by; we’d love to see you!
Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We hope you have a very safe and happy holiday! Many thanks to the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Metrocare for inviting us to take part in their annual Trunk or Treat event; we had a great time contributing to the festivities!
Armed Forces Bowl 2021
Happy Holidays, T.H.R.I.V.E. family! Thank you for coming out to support us at the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth. We still have several mystery gift boxes and stress footballs, so please head on over to our online gift shop at https://thrivevets.square.site to continue to support our cause of helping to end homelessness among our veterans and their dependents. All donations are tax deductible and greatly appreciated!
Trunk or Treat!
This past Sunday, October 24, T.H.R.I.V.E. Association was thrilled to be able to participate in the Trunk or Treat event held by our wonderful partners at the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Metrocare. We had a great time giving out word searches, sweets, fun, and good vibes! Thanks for having us; we had a ball!
A Spooky Holiday and an Upcoming Stand Down
Happy Halloween! We are hard at work preparing for the upcoming Stand Down being held in Dallas, Texas on November 7th. With an estimated turn out of 400-500 homeless veterans (plus more for dependents), it is looking to be the largest Stand Down that we are serving all year! With that being said, we need you to send in any last donations that you are working on as soon as possible. We will weave in any loose ends and wet block all garments. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us. We appreciate your continued support and wish you a positively frightful Halloween!
2017 Metroplex Stand Downs
2017 was a great year for T.H.R.I.V.E. Association! We are proud to have participated in many amazing Stand Downs around the Metroplex. Although we had record numbers of veterans, we were still able to ensure that each veteran and/or dependent who came though our line was served and is now the proud wearer of a handmade hat and/or scarf.
These Stand Downs left us with beautiful and moving experiences that we will carry with us for all time. It was a joy to see many of our dear veterans walking around proudly wearing their newly acquired handmade goods, all the while keeping our “handmade with love” tags visible to all. So many of the people that we served were deeply touched by the fact that our items were handcrafted and were grateful that our volunteers took the time and effort to make them. For instance, one of the gentlemen equated his new hat to his treasured grandmother-made blanket, which told us he carried with him in his backpack. These gifts really do enhance their morale and are deeply cherished.
We have many Stand Downs on the horizon this year, so there is still time to make items for our veterans. Please keep sending in your handmade hats, scarves, etc. so that we can continue to support our veterans and their dependents!
2018 Is Off To A Running Start!
We have partnered with the Tarrant County Jail to teach the incarcerated women to knit and crochet. Our goal is to give these wonderful ladies valuable skills which they can take with them through life, while also having them help us in our mission to provide handmade goods for our homeless military veterans and those whom they support. So far, we are off to a fantastic start!
These sweet ladies are really enjoying the class and in only a month of meeting for 2 hours twice a week, they have already made significant progress. In fact, they are already working on their first scarves for our veterans! We are so very proud!
In closing this blog, we’d like to also offer a very special thank you to Captain Lonnie T. Dunham of the Tarrant County Jail for his kindness and his perseverance in helping us (in more ways than we can count) and those under his care. We are truly grateful for all of his amazing support.
