As you all know, I believe in Layers of Hope - Quilting 911 so much that I have registered it as a special charity in Washington state (meaning we raise less than $5000 per year) and recently had a new design for the blog and logo made and that logo is now a registered trademark in Washington state.
The next step is working on our dot.com/org pages and that is coming right around the corner but takes more money to get it up and running and right now I am working on that as well as with Becky to get our FB page, Etsy and Zibbet pages all to look the same.
We are still in need of quilts for 911 dispatchers and I need so many of you to put our button on your blog, to let other quilters know about us, to share with your quilt guilds, friends, bloggers, church members about us.
We need to fill the shelves with quilts and I need to be able to rent a storage facility or build a quilting shop where we can store them, but right now, it seems we are in the midst of a dry spell and while we still have needs, I have had no quilters step up to take them, so I prod along and get them out as quickly as a I can.
I just made a quilt for a family who is trying to finalize their adoption of a little girl in another country that froze adoptions after they started, it is not much but it is here:
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| Adoption Quilt |
I finished the little dress quilt below and have it listed in my Etsy and Zibbet shops and whatever monies I receive from those sales go directly into supporting the ministry of Layers of Hope - Quilting 911.
We are quilters, but unless you have been ill or lost everything you don't know how much a quilt will bless your spirit and make you feel special. I know, because Marilyn Lewis an amazing quilter and supporter of this blog made one for me when I was ill a month or so ago, I feel so humbled and special.
Marilyn runs a Binkie Patrol in Vacaville, CA, makes quilts for them, for us, for children of prisoners, for friends AND she has a full-time job. You can see her stuff and the articles about the Binkie Patrol at North Hills Quilter.
I believe we all do such wonderful work and we all have so much love and make so many quilts, that I want to let you know about one more event that will help others in need, it is the Hands to Help Charity Quilt Challenge which is going to be collecting quilts for three amazing charities (not this one) but three that need just as much help as we do.
Just head over to Sarah's blog at Confessions of a Fabric Addict and read all about the ministries collecting quilts and the fun time we will all have participating in this event.
I have posted the button on the side of this blog because I feel it is extremely important to share with quilters everywhere about those that are reaching out to others.
I believe if we each made 2 quilts a month and sent them to 2 different charities a month, we could bless 24 quilt ministries a year.
Yes, Layers of Hope - Quilting 911 has immediate needs, yes, we could use more quilts, but I know somehow, we will make it!
I was asked by my hubby a few days ago, 'Can you define your organization?' I am sure my facial expressions were, 'huh, what, confusion,' as he restated it this way:
'Are you a foundation, organization, non-profit, sole proprietor, ministry? How do you define what you do?'
First of all, Layers of Hope - Quilting 911 cannot really be defined as a sole proprietorship because I don't own it, it belongs to all quilters who want to reach out an help 911 operators, but on paper it might be considered that, but we don't have employee's, I don't paid or should I say, when money comes in I don't take it as payment but use it to further our purpose.
A Foundation is really just another term for non-profit organization however a foundation usually donates money to help support other organizations or causes such as in our area the Bishop Foundation which provides scholarships for students, provides for school aged children to go to Seattle to see the Nutcracker ballet, has a camp for children, etc. In other words, a foundation takes in money to use for its own purposes and usually is set up by an individual or a family such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. So, no, we are not a foundation!
A non-profit is more like we are with the exception we haven't applied for non-profit status as of this writing, we do not have a board of directors (though I have people who have stepped up and say when the day comes, they would love to be on the first BOD), we do not have employee's, I do not get paid and everyone works on volunteering their time, their materials, their money, etc.
Wikipedia states this about a non-profit: '
Designation as a nonprofit does not mean that the organization does
not intend to make a profit, but rather that the organization has no
owners and that the funds realized in the operation of the organization
will not be used to benefit any owners.'
So maybe, technically, we can be defined as a non-profit since we have no owners and any monies that come in, go right back into more quilts, thread, postage, etc.
I think an organization truly in my opinion can be any group of people that are organized enough to come together for a purpose. There are government organizations, non-profit organizations, for-profit organizations, charitable organizations, etc. So loosely we might be considered an organization but since we are all scattered in the wind across the United States and the world, I will say, no to this.'
Ministry is really an organization who comes together to spread or preach their faith. While I am a believer in Jesus Christ and I believe He has His hand in getting me to do something for others, we are not going to preach or expound our beliefs on others. We can say we are praying, have prayed, hope they are blessed, but I do not allow religious tracts or anything else to be sent to our recipients, so no, we aren't a ministry.
Charity probably comes closest to defining Layers of Hope - Quilting 911 as it is the act of benevolent giving and caring and we give and we care as we reach out to others with our quilts, cards and love. It can also be defined as the unconditional act of love and kindness and what is more unconditional than making a quilt for people who are hurting that you have never met and probably never will meet?
So, if I were to define Layers of Hope - Quilting 911 I would say it is a Non-Profit Charitable Organization in its baby stage, just trying to learn to stand, a bit wobbly, falling down and getting back up and how far we walk depends on me, you, others you let know about us and truly, time.
Time will tell if we will be able to wobble walk or loose the wobblies and run like the wind. I personally am praying that we will be another one of those wonderful quilting charities where the sky is our limit!
Where one day I will look back at where we began and what we have become and say, 'Wow! We did it together! We made it!'
Blessings to all of you!
