Success! Thanks Everyone

     - a note from our Stake Relief Society President

This is one of the first pictures, BOXES and BOXES more came in

Yesterday, I delivered the rest of the art/school supplies all of you so generously donated.  We gave six additional FULL boxes of notebooks, crayons, paints, pencils, pens, erasers, rulers, markers, colored pencils, glue, glue sticks and miscellaneous items to more charities in our area.  Judy Kasten Bell, Executive Director of Boys and Girls Clubs of Weber-Davis counties was most appreciative.  She said this would make such a difference in the lives of the children who use their services.  The ladies at the YCC who received our donation were equally grateful and expressed how dependent they are on donations from the community in order to provide the services they do to women, children and sometimes men.  The gentlemen who accepted our donation at St. Anne's said thanks--such a man.  Thank you again for your generosity.  You all have truly been the Saviors hands in serving those in need in our community. 

 - Patty W

Because I have been given much, I too must give

On Mother's Day, my family and I made arrangements to go on a tour of St. Anne's.  I had previously learned that every time a child (18 and younger) has a birthday while staying at St. Anne's s/he is given a present and a party.  One thing they NEED are presents.  They get a lot of gifts at Christmas, but not so many the rest of the year.  Jenny Cantor, the director of St. Anne's, told me they could use any new toy/gift, but they really needed items for kids 12 to 18.  She gave me several ideas which I passed on to my children.  My husband and I had asked our kids to buy gifts for St. Anne's instead of purchasing Mother's Day and Father's Day presents for us. 

It was truly a great opportunity for my family to have this experience.  Please consider going as a family or see if your RS would plan a tour for your ward.  It truly helps us recognize how blessed we are.  If you go, put yourselves in the place of these mom's and their children.  Think how different your life would be if this was your home.  Listen to things they mention you could do to help.  Consider what you could do. 

When I was a small child I had polio.  I spent a month in the hospital and was blessed to have no long lasting effects.  One day when I was a teenager and looking out the window of our living room, my father and I noticed a young girl walking by.  She had braces on both legs and would take a few steps and fall, pick herself up, take more steps and stumble again.  My father said to me, "There but for the grace of God goes you."  I will never forget those words and try to remind myself all the time how blessed I am and how different my life could be in all regards except for the grace of God.  Our lives could all be different than they are.  We could be the ones who are homeless.  Read the words of the hymn "Because I Have Been Given Much" and let's all think what we can do to help.

I will be talking to Pres. Smith the second week in June to see how he feels about some things we could do as a stake to help them.  Nothing big or major, just each of us doing one or two little things individually, but hopefully, a big thing collectively.

Patty W., Stake RS President

St. Anne's

Looking for ways to serve?

 “Too often we notice the needs around us, hoping that someone from far away will magically appear to meet those needs. … When we do this, we deprive our neighbor of the service we could render, and we deprive ourselves of the opportunity to serve.”

                                     October 2011 general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Here are just a FEW of the ways you can serve locally.  There are so many different ways and places to provide service.   This portion of the blog will be dedicated to showcasing a few of them, in order to help each of us develop an attitude of service in our lives.

What you can do - The Church of Jesus-Christ of Later-day Saints - Humanitarian Services

As disciples of Jesus Christ, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints strive to follow the Savior’s admonition to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, take in the stranger, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and those in prison. The Savior also taught that we are to love and care for each other and visit the fatherless and the widow in their afflictions.

The Christmas Box House International

The Christmas Box International partners with local and international communities and groups to prevent child abuse and to improve the quality of life for children who have been abused or neglected.

Your Community Connection (YCC)

YCC of Ogden is a non-profit community based organization that assists
victims of domestic violence, rape and economic hardship. The YCC provides
shelter, food/clothing assistance and rape recovery services at no cost.

St. Anne's Shelter

St. Anne's Center was established in 1981 by a coalition of churches to help meet the basic food, clothing and shelter needs of "the poor, the transient and the needy." The current facility, built in 1994, with the generous help of the community, contains a 100 bed homeless shelter and a soup kitchen which is open daily for lunch to anyone in need.

It is also houses case workers who are dedicated to helping those in need get back on their feet by identifying their specific problems, and helping them access community resources to meet their needs. We also help those who through no fault of their own, are unable to provide for themselves and have nowhere else to turn, such as those who are mentally or physically ill.

Working in partnership with other community organizations, it is our desire to insure that no one slips through the cracks.