Newpaper articles and other honors
Area Girl Scouts share their love of helping others
MEGAN GRAY
The Ellis County Press April 29, 2010
DESOTO - Sixty-three volunteers from 11 Girl Scout Troops across Northern Ellis and Southern Dallas counties joined together for the love of helping others over the weekend.
"Horseshoes for Hope," a non-profit effort making pillows to be distributed to babies with special needs started when a local scout from Red Oak was working on her Bronze Award more than two years ago.
"My sister Catherine has Down Syndrome and she wanted to keep her pillow from the hsopital but she couldn't so my dad had to sew one for her that night so she could have one," said Elizabeth Joines, now a Junior Girl Scout.
A bond between two sisters doesn't stop growing and neither does the need for special needs infant pillows.
Joines saw something needed to be done and took action to move forward.
Partnering with Anna Mae McAdams, another fellow Junior Girl Scout, the two girls arranged a workday scheduled in conjunction with Youth Services Day with a goal to make at least 50 pillows to be sent to children in the Dallas and Ellis County Areas.
The goal more than met their expectations during on Saturday, April 24 in DeSoto at the Girl Scout Southern Sector Service Center before noon with 57 completed and 29 remained to stuff.
"Thank you so much everyone," said McAdams.
Joines' mom, Bonnie, attributed the $500 grant from Get Ur Good On, a online community for youth with more than 8,000 volunteers founded by Miley Cyrus in partnership with Youth Service America, as a huge help.
"The money helped cover the costs for several boxes of suffing and fabric for the event as well as a few snacks."
Global Youth Service Day is the only day of service specifically highlighting children and youth as problem-solvers.
"Young people from Ghana, Ireland, Australia, India, and the United States submit exciting stories to Get Ur Good On and support each other in their desire to strengthen their communities," said YSA President and CEO Steve Culbertson.
The Joines' have partnered with Ellis County Early Childhood Intervention and Children's Medical Center, who will then pass the pillows out for use as positioning aids for infants and small children struggling to meet developmental milestones.
"It's amazing what happens when people get together and work on something as a group" said Joines, a recipient of a $1,000 Kohls Kids Who Care scholarship towards the college of her choice.
"I love my sister very much."
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Congratulations! Elizabeth was recognized by the Kohl's Kids Who Care 2009 Scholarship Program as a Regional Winner.
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Horseshoe for Hope
Sister’s love threads project to aid infants, families
By TRACY CHESNEY
Daily Light staff writer
Elizabeth’s sister, Catherine, was born with Down syndrome 15 months ago and had to spend more than a month in Children’s Medical Center, where she became attached to her special pillow – a horseshoe-shaped, neck pillow designed for infants, especially for infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
“When we got Catherine home the first night, she was fussy, so we quickly realized that she was attached to her pillow,” said Elizabeth’s father, Wesley Joines.
It was Elizabeth, however, who decided to make pillows as part of earning her Bronze Award badge. Because the pillows used at the hospital are sold at most department stores, Elizabeth wanted to make affordable pillows for children in need. She calls her pillows “Horseshoe Pillows.”
“I’m calling my project, ‘Horseshoe for Hopes,’ because I’m hoping it will help babies in hospitals have a happier stay,” Elizabeth said.
Elizabeth’s pillows are washable-fabric, stuffed pillows that provide comfort to a baby’s neck. For babies and toddlers with special needs, the pillow helps with physical and occupational therapy needs.
Elizabeth’s mother, Connie, said the pillows provide an extra amount of comfort for the babies.
“The babies snuggle in them and Catherine got to where she wanted to snuggle in bed with her pillow,” she said. “It created a nest for her and she was little enough so it was like her whole body was encased in pillows.”
Elizabeth said her father came up with the idea of making the pillows for other children in need.
“There are group of elderly ladies who make blankets (for people in the hospital), so after we brought Catherine home, I thought this would be a great thing to do,” he said. “I expect that as this grows, it will form into another (type of volunteer group) and that people will contribute to it.”
The Joineses said Catherine’s therapists are amazed and excited about the pillows and their potential to help children, with Elizabeth saying her goal is to make 100 pillows.
“By the time I bridge up to Cadets (Girl Scouting’s next level), I want to have my goal met,” she said.
Elizabeth’s initial goal is to make 10 pillows, which will help her earn her Bronze Community Service Award badge. Those pillows will be donated to Children’s Medical Center.
“I started the project on June 7 and I plan to have it finished in September,” she said.
Her next 100 pillows, which she hopes other people will help by volunteering their time to make them, as well contributing some financial support, will be donated to families in Ellis County.
Elizabeth, a fifth-grader at Red Oak Elementary School, is a junior in Girl Scout Troop 1188 and she hopes to get other scouts involved.
Elizabeth’s project is a great idea, Connie said, noting how proud she is of her daughter’s accomplishments.
“I think Elizabeth is advanced (beyond her years),” she said. “You read about these amazing children who do great things and I’ve realized that my child is now one of these type of children.
“It’s a good feel that this project has the potential of becoming huge,” Connie said.
“This makes me feel good and that’s what Girl Scouts are all about,” Elizabeth said. “This is helping people in the community and I think that’s a really good thing. But, I really started all of this for the love of my sister.”
For information about the pillows, call the Joineses at 972-576-8623 or e-mail via the Web site at www.skyridgedesigns.com.
E-mail Tracy at tracy.chesney@nwinews.com.
Horseshoe for Hope
Sister’s love threads project to aid infants, families
By TRACY CHESNEY
Daily Light staff writer
Elizabeth’s sister, Catherine, was born with Down syndrome 15 months ago and had to spend more than a month in Children’s Medical Center, where she became attached to her special pillow – a horseshoe-shaped, neck pillow designed for infants, especially for infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
“When we got Catherine home the first night, she was fussy, so we quickly realized that she was attached to her pillow,” said Elizabeth’s father, Wesley Joines.
Wesley, who knew how to sew (as does the entire family), made his daughter her own special comfort pillow – as the hospital pillows don’t go home with the infants.
It was Elizabeth, however, who decided to make pillows as part of earning her Bronze Award badge. Because the pillows used at the hospital are sold at most department stores, Elizabeth wanted to make affordable pillows for children in need. She calls her pillows “Horseshoe Pillows.”
“I’m calling my project, ‘Horseshoe for Hopes,’ because I’m hoping it will help babies in hospitals have a happier stay,” Elizabeth said.
Elizabeth’s pillows are washable-fabric, stuffed pillows that provide comfort to a baby’s neck. For babies and toddlers with special needs, the pillow helps with physical and occupational therapy needs.
Elizabeth’s mother, Connie, said the pillows provide an extra amount of comfort for the babies.
“The babies snuggle in them and Catherine got to where she wanted to snuggle in bed with her pillow,” she said. “It created a nest for her and she was little enough so it was like her whole body was encased in pillows.”
Elizabeth said her father came up with the idea of making the pillows for other children in need.
“There are group of elderly ladies who make blankets (for people in the hospital), so after we brought Catherine home, I thought this would be a great thing to do,” he said. “I expect that as this grows, it will form into another (type of volunteer group) and that people will contribute to it.”
The Joineses said Catherine’s therapists are amazed and excited about the pillows and their potential to help children, with Elizabeth saying her goal is to make 100 pillows.
“By the time I bridge up to Cadets (Girl Scouting’s next level), I want to have my goal met,” she said.
Elizabeth’s initial goal is to make 10 pillows, which will help her earn her Bronze Community Service Award badge. Those pillows will be donated to Children’s Medical Center.
“I started the project on June 7 and I plan to have it finished in September,” she said.
Her next 100 pillows, which she hopes other people will help by volunteering their time to make them, as well contributing some financial support, will be donated to families in Ellis County.
Elizabeth, a fifth-grader at Red Oak Elementary School, is a junior in Girl Scout Troop 1188 and she hopes to get other scouts involved.
Elizabeth’s project is a great idea, Connie said, noting how proud she is of her daughter’s accomplishments.
“I think Elizabeth is advanced (beyond her years),” she said. “You read about these amazing children who do great things and I’ve realized that my child is now one of these type of children.
“It’s a good feel that this project has the potential of becoming huge,” Connie said.
“This makes me feel good and that’s what Girl Scouts are all about,” Elizabeth said. “This is helping people in the community and I think that’s a really good thing. But, I really started all of this for the love of my sister.”
For information about the pillows, call the Joineses at 972-576-8623 or e-mail via the Web site at www.skyridgedesigns.com.
E-mail Tracy at tracy.chesney@nwinews.com.