2022 Stand Downs Coming Up!

Published: January 14, 2022  ~   0

Happy Friday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We hope that you all had a wonderful holiday season and a very happy New Year. We are hitting the ground running in 2022. We have many Stand Downs coming up, several are located in very cold areas, so please keep sending in your donations so that we can continue to serve those who so admirably served this great nation! We’ve had a very special request for lap/twin size blankets and slippers (for those veterans who suffer from nerve damage) from one of our long-time Stand Down partners. 

If you would like to donate a hat, scarf, blanket, face mask 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. Please remember you can support our cause by shopping on AmazonSmile. See the “Shop for Our Cause” blog post for additional information.

If you need yarn, or other supplies, please contact us through email at thriveassociation@thrivevets.org or by phone at (469) 427-9654. Please be aware that any communications are recorded. If you have donations and cannot make it to one of our in-person knitting groups, we are still continuing our policy of curbside pickup. Please contact us to schedule a pickup if you are in the DFW area. If you reside outside the DFW area and would like to make an in-kind donation, please contact us to make arrangements. Remember, even one lovingly handcrafted hat or scarf can make a huge difference in the life of an underprivileged veteran or their dependent(s).

It’s Getting Cold!

Published: December 10, 2021  ~   0

Happy Friday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We hope that you are all enjoying this lovely festive season. It is getting very cold in so many areas that we serve. We still have many more Stand Downs coming up, so please keep sending in your donations so that we can continue to serve those who so admirably served this great nation! Also, we’ve had a very special request for lap blankets from one of our long-time Stand Down partners.

If you would like to donate a hat, scarf, face mask 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. Please remember you can support our cause by shopping on AmazonSmile. See the “Shop for Our Cause” blog post for additional information.

If you need yarn, or other supplies, please contact us through email at thriveassociation@thrivevets.org or by phone at (469) 427-9654. Please be aware that any communications are recorded. If you have donations and cannot make it to one of our in-person knitting groups, we are still continuing our policy of curbside pickup. Please contact us to schedule a pickup if you are in the DFW area. If you reside outside the DFW area and would like to make an in-kind donation, please contact us to make arrangements. Remember, even one lovingly handcrafted hat or scarf can make a huge difference in the life of an underprivileged veteran or their dependent(s).

In the Loop

Published: November 19, 2021  ~   0

Happy Friday, T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! To ensure the safety of our partners and the larger community that we serve, members of T.H.R.I.V.E. Association staff/Board Members received their Covid-19 booster shots. We are dedicated to stopping the spread and keeping our stakeholders as safe as we can.

As November is quickly drawing to a close, the needs of our underprivileged veterans remain. We here at T.H.R.I.V.E Association are diligently working on donations package preparations, so if you have any lovingly hand crafted goods for our veterans and their dependents that you have yet to turn in, please make sure to do so. Please keep in mind that there are many necessary preparation steps between when we at T.H.R.I.V.E. Association receive the wonderful hand made garments from our volunteers, to when we can get them “Veteran ready!”

Stand Downs

Published: August 6, 2021  ~   0

Happy Friday, T.H.R.I.V.E. Association Family! We are preparing for several Stand Downs that are right around the corner. With that being said, we need hats, scarves, mittens, etc. so please keep crafting. Over the upcoming weeks we will be posting some of our favorite free crochet hat patterns for our wonderful crocheters. 

If you would like to donate a hat, scarf, 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 is always a popular bright color. 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. Please remember you can support our cause by shopping on AmazonSmile. See the “Shop for Our Cause” blog post for additional information. 

If you need yarn, or other supplies, please contact us through email at thriveassociation@thrivevets.org or by phone at (469) 427-9654. Please be aware that any communications are recorded. If you have donations and cannot make it to one of our in-person knitting groups, we are still continuing our policy of curbside pickup. Please contact us to schedule a pickup if you are in the DFW area. If you reside outside the DFW area and would like to make an in-kind donation, please contact us to make arrangements. Remember, even one lovingly handcrafted hat or scarf can make a huge difference in the life of an underprivileged veteran or their dependent(s).

The Gainsville, FL Stand Down is Served!

Published: February 14, 2020  ~   0

We have sent 120 of our beautiful, handmade garments to the Gainsville, FL Stand Down being held on February 20th. Many thanks to our dedicated staff, volunteers, donors, and community partners!

Stand Down This Saturday!

Published: December 18, 2019  ~   0

We would like to thank the American Red Cross again for their continued support! We are so very grateful for all that they do for us! Their awesome donation of 40 exquisitely knit hats and 27 scarves will be deeply appreciated by our veterans and their dependents.

T.H.R.I.V.E. Association is going to take part in Operation Care’s Stand Down in Dallas this Saturday. We are still collecting goods to distribute to the over 700 veterans and their family members who are expected to attend. If you have donations that you would still like to turn in for this Saturday’s Stand Down, please call our Chief Officer, Victoria Walker (469) 427-9654 so that we can arrange for a pick up.

Veteran’s Day and the Dallas Stand Down

Published: November 11, 2019  ~   0

Happy Veteran’s Day! Today we remember our nation’s brave veterans and their noble sacrifices. We at T.H.R.I.V.E. Association would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of those who have served. We are so grateful for all that you have done for our great nation.

The Dallas Stand Down was held this past November 7, and T.H.R.I.V.E. Association was able to pass out 339 hand made garments to our brave homeless veterans and their families.

​Please remember that we still have several Stand Downs coming up and with Winter drawing nearer, we need hats, scarves, mittens, etc. to meet the needs of the veterans and their dependents who are scheduled to attend.

A Spooky Holiday and an Upcoming Stand Down

Published: October 31, 2019  ~   0

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!

We’ve Got Football Fever!

Published: March 29, 2019  ~   0

When serving in numerous Stand Downs, we have found that our underprivileged veterans have a tendency to avoid colorful garments because they are deemed too loud. We strive to give the veterans what they want, which are garments in blues, blacks, greens, grays, and (our most popular) camouflage. However, as crafters we love our colorwork! What is a T.H.R.I.V.E. crafter to do? We have a solution that has proven to be successful – Show some team spirit!  Our staff has put together a handy chart of some popular football teams to help spur some inspiration! We’ve still got Stand Downs coming up, so please keep sending in your donations.

2017 Metroplex Stand Downs

Published: March 4, 2018  ~   0

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!