An Abbey Monster High doll. An Abbey Monster High doll was the only Christmas present that 7 year old Sara wanted. It also was the present she did not receive. Sara waited for Christmas Eve hoping Santa had received her letter she mailed to him a few weeks prior, so that he knew exactly what she wanted. Christmas morning, as Sara opened the two small presents sitting underneath her small table top Christmas tree, the look of pure disappointment swept over the young girls face. She quickly unwrapped the two gifts, both stuffed animals her mother had been given by a Christmas charity program aimed at making sure all children have something under the tree to open during Christmas morning. No Abbey doll. No Abbey Monster High doll. The one present 7 year old Sara had been wanting and it wasn't there. Disappointment. The look of disappointment on Sara’s face brought her mother to tears. You see, Sara’s mother is a single mother barely making ends meet. The young single mother struggled to pay her monthly bills and keep food on the table. Sara’s mother works full time, but let’s face it, one income is not enough to support a household these days.
Though Sara’s mother wanted nothing more than to watch as Sara opened up her presents and unwrap The Abbey Monster High doll she had desperately been wanting, the bills were due. Sara is such a good little girl. Well behaved, good grades in school, loves her mama more than anything, and never complains when they eat peanut butter & jelly sandwiches for dinner 5 out of 7 nights in one week. There was no extra money. Sara’s mother had no choice, she could not afford the Abby Monster High doll her daughter so desperately wanted. How can you help? There are many single mother households such as Sara and her mother in SWFL. We at A Mom’s Helping Hand of SWFL are working hard to change their circumstances. We are trying to take away some of the barriers in their way, to offer some relief; some breathing room. To help the children and the moms. We can’t do this alone. To date we have 14 families, by 2016 we predict we will have at least 20 families. We are a 501(C)3 non-profit and depend upon our fundraising efforts and donations. We have a strict screening process for our moms, including home visits. You can help bring happiness to others in our community this holiday season by adopting a family and supporting our Christmas program for our moms. We want to ensure that the little girl or boy may actually open up the gift they have been wanting. When you adopt a family, you directly sponsor a local family in need by providing toys and food for them at Christmas time. How our program works:Adopter Responsibilities
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If a friend or a loved one is celebrating a birthday or anniversary, let us help you make it an event they will remember. Think of how surprised that special someone will be waking up to a yard FULL of our "flock", announcing the occasion to the neighborhood.
Your surprise will be "on their lawn" and picked up within 24- 48 hours***...... Call us today or order online and let us help you surprise that special someone! ***Weather permitting Many parents look forward to school pictures rolling around and purchasing to cherish the memories years to come. We all have seen the pictures on the walls, shared on Facebook and exchanging of pictures to family member's far away. For several single moms this is just not possible. Pictures while a wonderful thing to have are not something that many single parent families can even think about.
One local photographer wanted to change all of that. Thanks to Aubrey Nolen, owner of Flip Flop Gal Photography our children took part in a Back to School Photo Shoot where Aubrey donated her time and donated a CD with 10 digital edits as well as 1 8x10 print, 2 5x7 prints & 8 wallets. Thank you Aubrey for making a difference in our children's lives. The Back to School Supply Distribution was held on Saturday, August 8th. Backpacks and school supplies were donated by members of the community and purchased from the flamingo fundraiser! Kids left with full backpacks and belly's! Although the rain didn't let up, we improvised and broke out the table top grills and griddles to make our BBQ a success.
Pink flamingos have proven successful in helping us raise money to send children of single moms back to school prepared. By sneakily placing flocks of plastic flamingos on the lawns of local homes and businesses, AMHH volunteers raised $1735 to purchase school supplies needed for each child of a single mom in the program. While the funds raised from the Flock-A-Friend fundraiser and donations from community members helped us meet our goal, we will continue to flock for special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries. The fundraiser was such a huge hit we had people calling to ask if they could send a flock at a later date for a friend’s birthday so we figured why not keep it going just on a smaller scale. During the six week period, we flocked a total of 82 homes and businesses including Cape Coral Mayor Marni Sawicki. To order a flocking for a friend or family members special occasion, visit http://www.amomshelpinghandofswfl.com/fundraisers.html or call 239-895-5341. Being a single mom is one of the single hardest jobs there is. Having a great support system is so important. Sometimes you need just a little bit more. That's why last night we hosted a Slumber Party for our moms at Allure Suites in Ft. Myers. The night was made complete with dinner, snacks and goodies, swimming and of course the hot tub. And to complete the night of fun and relaxation, mini massages were provided by Craig Fischer from Therapeutic Massage of SWFL .
We're so excited for our founder and president, Kristen Schaufler, was selected as Broadway Palm's very first HERO OF THE WEEK! Here's what Kristen's friend, Janice, had to say about her: "Kristen is a true leader and hero in our community. She is always reaching out to the community to assist others. She runs A Mom's Helping Hand of SWFL, for single mothers and donates various things that single Moms cannot afford. She is doing a back to school drive to make sure kids going back to school will have all the supplies to start the school year off right. She is a Girl Scout Leader who devotes countless hours to her troop and to give back to the community. She herself is a single parent of 4 children. She does an annual Adopt a Military Family over Christmas in which troops that want to participate get a Military family and a Wish List to make their Christmas a memorable one." Kristen received four tickets to Footloose (including dinner), a shout out from the stage, a meet and greet with the cast and four souvenir glasses. To nominate someone please visit:http://www.broadwaypalm.com/content/hero_of_the_week.asp
Last night we hosted a support group meeting for our moms and kids at a local park. We had the pleasure of a new mom and her children joining us. We also had to say goodbye to a mom who's journey is taking her and her children out of the state. While we will miss her terribly, we wish her the best of luck on her new adventures! Her children also received gift cards to purchase back to school supplies with.
Are you a single mom looking for a great support system? Give us to the opportunity to be that for you. Contact us for more details! For many single moms getting the kids ready for school can be a painful process of determining what must be eliminated, in order to purchase school supplies. The average cost of school supplies for one child to return to school fully prepared averages $60, and of course we haven’t even touched new school clothes. Consider the dilemma of a parent confronted by the list of supplies each child must bring to school. Even kindergarteners must bring crayons, pencils, glue, construction and copy paper, glue sticks, etc; by 5th grade, to that list is added composition notebooks, pocket folders, pens and more, while high school students’ lists are even more extensive. Unlike cloths and uniforms, most of these items won’t last through an entire school year and will need replacement once or several times. Life’s challenges are many for children of single parents whose economic hardship has brought them to our program. The challenges of not being able to obtain school supplies should not be added to their shoulders. Perhaps, as they read this article, several community members, businesses, and donors will consider contributing to AMHH “Going Back to School Prepared” project, so that every student of a single mom in need is prepared for the first day of school. A (tax-deductible) gift of: · $20 will supply basic school supplies · $30 will purchase an appropriate backpack · $40 will provide school supplies with the backpack · $50 will provide a full set of basic school supplies · $60 will provide a full set of basic school supplies with the backpack. Gifts of any size will make a difference and are greatly appreciated. To make a donation, send a check payable to
A Mom’s Helping Hand of SWFL (AMHH) P.O. Box 100021 Cape Coral, FL 33910 Gifts can also be made online, donate now. For more information and to arrange for delivery of school supplies, call Kristen Schaufler, 239-895-5341. Pink flamingos are popping up on front lawns all over Lee County, along with a sign that says “You’ve Been Flocked.” The leader of the flock is carrying a bag containing a note that says “You have been FLOCKED” and explains the roost is a fundraising effort for AMHH. We go out between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. every night and take them off one lawn and put them on another victims yard. We will be flocking neighborhoods in an effort to raise $1,500 for our Back to School Supply project. Flocking orders have been coming in over the last two weeks. “Our first two “victims” were flocked by their brother, 120 flamingos in all between two houses, all in fun to help raise the funds needed… I have to admit, the flocking is a lot of fun.” But don’t panic if you awaken with 12 to 60 pink flamingos grazing in your front yard – you have options. The flamingos will only reside on your lawn for one day and will then be removed at no charge; however, the “victim” has the option to make a $10 donation for removal of the birds. They can even fill out the “Flock-A-Friend” form to determine the flock’s migration path. Once flocked, a “victim” can purchase anti-flocking insurance for an extra $10, which guarantees that no more flocks will roost in their yard as they migrate around the county! Have a flamingo phobia? Don’t fear! The purchase of anti-flocking insurance spares your home or business. You can learn more about A Mom’s Helping Hand of SWFL and the Flock-A-Friend fundraiser by visiting http://www.amomshelpinghandofswfl.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html or call Kristen at 239-895-5341 |
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