Debra Savitt commented “It went really fast and the staff enjoyed it as well. I hope we can do this again.  I am talking it up to everyone I know as the best volunteer opportunity.”

By Kate Smith

The Robert Lewis House is one of the local women’s shelters that receive Cheerful Givers birthday bags for the children that stay there. This month, however, we are shifting the focus from birthdays to Thanksgiving and learning a little bit about how the Robert Lewis House residents celebrate during this special holiday.

The activities that take place on Thanksgiving all depend on how many people are at the shelter that day, according to Support Worker, Sexual Assault Advocate and Safe at Home Application Assistant, Kelli.  

“A lot of times the women go to their families’ houses,” she explained. “But the staff will try to make some type of dinner or help residents cook dinner if anyone is there.”

Kelli recalled a memorable experience cooking a Thanksgiving dinner together with one resident who did not have anyone to visit on Thanksgiving, as her abuser had isolated her from her family. “She was so thankful to have someone help her even though I didn’t know how to cook! She was laughing and teaching me what to do. It was great having that one-on-one interaction and knowing we were making her holiday a little better.”

In addition to the staff helping to prepare Thanksgiving dinner for residents, Kelli stated that sometimes various volunteer groups come in to cook a meal for the residents as well. If you are interested in volunteering this Thanksgiving at the Robert Lewis House in Eagan, visit their website at www.communityactioncouncil.org.

Several on-line merchants, who have been generous in-kind donors, are now willing to support us further as well as offer some discounts for you when you make purchases from their websites.

Check out these sites for fun gift ideas:

• DelSol (www.delsol.com) – Great color-changing apparel and accessories – COOL stuff! They’ll donate $3 to Cheerful Givers for every order received (coupon code: “GIVER”)
• A Glove Of Their Own (www.agloveoftheirown.com) -  A children’s book that is touching hearts across the nation. When ordering, choose Cheerful Givers on the drop-down menu, and $3.00 per book will be donated to Cheerful Givers
• Adams Animals (www.adamsanimals.com) – Adam and his mom sell the best pencil toppers, erasers and tiny toys on the planet! Adam will donate a percentage of the profits to Cheerful Givers until Dec. 10 (code: CGIVERS)
• Educational Toys Planet (www.edutoysplanet.com) –Their toys are designed to bring joy to children while enhancing their ability to think, analyze, and create. You get $5 off purchase (any promotional free shipping offer would apply), plus 10% of your order will be donated  to us (key code:  55123CHGV)
• Kangaroo Boo (http://www.kangarooboo.com/give/cheerfulgivers) – Unique, exceptional quality wooden toys, handmade and handcrafted toys and smart children’s products. We will receive 10% of each purchase
• LB Toys (www.lbtoys.com) – A wide selection of toys and games that will stimulate little minds and create hours of fun (no batteries required). 10% of every sale will be donated  (Charity code: CHEER)
• Paper Tiger Pro (www.papertigerpro.com) – Sports-themed activity books, coloring pages, posters and more. Special pricing applies AND $1 of each item purchased  will be donated; click on our logo on their home page for details
• Tattoos4Kids.com (www.tattoos4kids.com ) – A large selection of temporary tattoos, stickers and body art that kids love. You receive 10% off your order until December 22nd AND 10% of the purchase will be donated (coupon code: cheerful)

If you need assistance with any of these offers, please contact nancy@cheerfulgivers.org.

World Smile Day, held on the first Friday of October, is a day dedicated to “good cheer and good works.” The idea behind this special day stemmed from the creation of the smiley face icon in 1963, now one of the most recognized symbols in the word.

World Smile Day (on October 2nd this year) has a mission: Do an act of kindness – help one person smile.

Harvey Ball created the smiley face image in 1963 as a freelance art project meant to boost employee morale for the State Mutual Life Assurance Company. Harvey’s smile symbol was used on buttons, cards and posters. He later reported this drawing took him 10 minutes, and he was paid just over $200 for the entire campaign. The likeness of his image grew in popularity, and by 1971 the smiley face was the hottest selling image in the country. According to www.worldsmileday.com, an estimated “fifty million smiley buttons alone had been sold, and the image appeared on countless other products” World Smile Day was created by Harvey in 1999 to help facilitate the mission of giving back. Let’s all dedicate some time this month to spread good cheer and Cheerful Givers is one great way to give back!

Flickr photo by Olivander

Although pumpkins or “pepos” are native to Mexico since as early as 7000 BC for having been used in everyday cooking and serving as drinking cups, we know them today as part of the holiday fanfare for Halloween and Thanksgiving. Orange is their most prevalent color, but they can also be found in shades of yellow, pink, red, green, or even white.

The first concept of Halloween is attributed to the Celts, who honored the gods of Harvest at the end of October. But long before Halloween was actually introduced, the Mexican Aztec Indians had a celebration of their own called Miccailhuitontli, which was a feast day for the dead.  They presented sacrifices as a feast for the dead during the harvest season, making the holiday the precursor of Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead held November 1st.

By the 1700s, the Irish adapted the custom of using Jack O’ Lanterns that went along with the folklore of the wicked Jack whose soul is said to be guided by the light of the lit gourd. However, the first Jack O’ Lanterns were made from various hollowed-out vegetables until explorers and settlers who went to Mexico obtained and sent pumpkin seeds to nations across the globe; hence the Pilgrims were given gifts of squash similar to pumpkins by Native American Indians, and not actual pumpkins. Eventually, the pumpkin became the Jack O’ Lantern of choice, as part of making Halloween a spooky and festive time.

Flickr photo by Mykl Roventine