ConKerr Cancer Minnesota

Celebration marked by Service Day - 435 Pillowcases!

2012-02-25T20:04:00.000-08:00

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-daySaints, also known as the Mormons, celebrated their 75^th anniversaryof their church welfare program by doing a day of service. The celebration was worldwide with each areachoosing its own service activity. Inthe Lakeville area they chose to make pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer. Anthea Wilson, from the congregation, came upwith the idea as she had already made and donated a few pillowcases on her own.

First, a youth night of about 40-50 teenagersmade some. Then they had an event theday after Thanksgiving. Around 60-70people participated in the event! Inaddition, people made them on their own throughout the rest of the year andturned them in at the church.

I received an email from one of our drop offsites saying that they didn’t have room for such a big delivery – wow!! The groupwas donating 435 pillowcases! I pickedup the pillowcases from the home of Dan Brogan. Luckily Dan’s children pitched in to help load up my van!!

Many of these pillowcases are going to bringsmiles to kids and families in St. Mary’s Hospital in Duluth. The remaining will be going to Children’sHospital in Minneapolis. What a greateffort by the group!! Thanks to eachand every one of you for each and every pillowcase!!

Children's Hospital of Minneapolis Thanks YOU!

2012-01-23T17:33:00.000-08:00

300 beautiful pillowcases were delivered to Children's Hospital of Minneapolis on January 9th. Whenever I make a delivery I think of all the hearts and hands that helped make the pillowcases. I recently received this Thank you from the Child Life Specialist at the hospital. I want to pass this on to all of the volunteers that make ConKerr Cancer successful. I wish I could thank each of you individually!

~Carolyn

500 Pillowcases to St. Mary's in Duluth

2011-12-26T18:36:00.000-08:00

In February of this year, ConKerr Cancer of MN made our first delivery of pillowcases to St. Mary's Hospital in Duluth. Pam, from Silver Bay, initiated and maintains the relationship with St. Mary's for the organization. I am confident Pam feels as fortunate as I do in representing all of you wonderful volunteers. Thanks to you, 500 pillowcases have been delivered to St. Mary's in 2011! Eric, Pam's husband, also helps transport/deliver pillowcases. Thanks so much to Pam and Eric.

During our Miles of Pillowcase Smiles events in September, Toni, from Ely, organized many sewing parties. This is the second year Toni rolled up her sleeves and took charge up north. With her direction the following groups made 125 pillowcases:

Hearts of the Woods Quilters
Ladies of the Lakes Quilters
Hearts 2 Hands Quilters
Mary's Spinning Wheel Quilt Shop (fabric donations)

Here's a picture of Toni and Pam meeting in Ely to exchange the pillowcases. (Toni left, Pam right)

Pam also organized some parties and here are some pictures of her events.

Sewing at the Hospital

2011-09-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

We had a fantastic day sewing at the hospital! We sewed 17 pillowcases at our event. We were very busy. This year we had quite a few kids who wanted to sew the pillowcases themselves (with a little help). That was very exciting!!! Others chose fabrics for us to sew for them while they waited. We also brought three totes of completed pillowcases. I heard many, "Cuuute", "Ahhhhh", "Look at this one", etc... The pillowcases were flying from the totes...we think patients and families took approximately 70 pillowcases. The parents, families, friends, and patients are very, very appreciative of the efforts of all of you wonderful volunteers.

Julie, her daughter, Emily, and Emily's friend were working as a great team. Emily sewed a Vikings pillowcase for a little Vikings fan. (See picture.) The game was on when we were sewing. We had plenty of Vikings fabric for those fans that may have been in bewilderment today over the game. This little guy (we didn't catch his name) has a pillowcase to match his hat now... Julie helped keep up with the "sew and go" orders we took. ;-) It's great to see another generation of volunteers!

One of Becky's "customers" was Wes. Wes was full of energy and very wiggly. We had some big curls under his hat that seemed to fit his personality perfectly. That was some cool hair. Wes looked like and is a firecracker!! He is growing his hair for "Locks of Love"...how awesome is that. I believe Wes's sibling is in the hospital. (Check out the picture.) I didn't get a picture of a little girl Becky helped, however, she was as cute as can be. She had the prettiest red hair. I'm guessing she was between 8 and 10. She had purple eye shadow...very neatly applied. She made a tie-die pillowcase and was as happy and as proud as can be when she finished.

Terrance, was a fast friend to Bennett. Bennett helped Terrance sew three pillowcases - one Vikings pillowcase for himself, one Vikings pillowcase for Terrance's dad, and one U of M pillowcase to give another patient. Yep, Terrance wanted to donate a pillowcase to another patient. That was so sweet. (The bib Terrance is wearing is his sister's, by the way.) Terrance kept Bennett busy and he was chatty. He told Bennett he wanted to be a running back but will probably be a quarterback because he has a good arm and he is fast. We told Terrance he was our number one pillowcase sewer today and that got a great smile.

Thanks to all of you for your support of ConKerr Cancer. You made a lot of smiles today!!

~Carolyn

Pillowcase-a-thon Success

2011-09-15T16:18:00.000-07:00

The Pillowcase-a-thon at Quilt Yourself on Saturday, 9/10/11, was a HUGE success!  We made 127 pillowcases!

Volunteers were cutting, pinning, ironing, and sewing. Everyone was fantastic and flexible. Not only did the group make 127 pillowcases, volunteers cut all of the fabric that was brought in.   In addition to the 127 made at the event, 73 were brought in completed. That's a total of 200 pillowcases for the day! Thanks to everyone for your FABULOUS work.

I had a lot of fun and hope everyone that helped enjoyed the day too.   A very, very special THANK YOU to Jeannette and Sue, owners of Quilt Yourself, for hosting our event. You are gems for being so generous. The MN chapter of ConKerr Cancer would not be what it is today without you. You are the best.

Start a Family Tradition - Make Pillowcases!

2011-05-25T15:14:00.000-07:00

Would you like to start a new family tradition? Would you like something to do at your family gatherings? How about making pillowcases?

Jenny, of Chanhassen, and 12 of her family members made pillowcases last year during the holidays. The family included Jenny's Grandma(93), her parents, Jenny's sister and her husband, and their boys (ages 9,11, 13, & 15) and last but not least - Jenny and her husband, and their two kids (ages 13 & 16)! They made 26 beautiful pillowcases.

Danny, the youngest, was one of the photographers. He took his job very seriously and enjoyed himself at the same time. They made pillowcases and borders separately. They laid them out on the ping pong table and everyone, from youngest to oldest, had the opportunity to choose a case and border to go together. Many of the pillowcases ended up with names, such as, "Cam-inals" (camo and animals) and "Cotton Candy."

What a fantastic idea, great family project, and wonderful way to celebrate the holidays!

Boy Scout Service

2011-04-16T12:23:00.001-07:00

Andy Montean has been Scouting for 7 years and he's working towards becoming an Eagle Scout. For each rank in Boy Scouts, the boys are required to learn more about Community Service, usually by giving their time and talents. Through their efforts they gain knowledge and understanding of the world around them. Andy decided he wanted to do something for kids so he made some pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer. Until now, all of his service hours have been helping senior citizens with lawn care. Andy's favorite part of Scouting is the camping trips, including camping in the blizzard of 2010. We wish Andy the best on his endeavor to become an Eagle Scout!

University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital

2011-04-01T20:35:00.001-07:00

Thanks to your dedication, we delivered 130 pillowcases to the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital this week!

After the drop off, Bennett, my daughter Chrissy, and I took a tour of the new hospital. The new hospital is beautiful. There will be the same number of beds, 96; however, the rooms are much larger. Here are a few items of interest that stand out in my mind from the tour:

there is a ton of natural light in the hallways and rooms to capture the healing power of the sun

all of the rooms are very large and private

all of the rooms are set up with the same design: medical care on the right, patient in the middle, family on the left

patients will start transitioning to the new hospital at the end of April

the hospital has approximately 700 volunteers in rotation at any one time

each patient will receive a welcome package upon moving to the new hospital. Each welcome package will contain a special ConKerr Cancer pillowcase!!

In February 2009, Caroline Amplatz, J.D. gave a $50 million gift to the University of Minnesota Children's Hospital building project to honor her father, former University of Minnesota professor and medical device pioneer Kurt Amplatz, M.D. To recognize the gift and the person in whose honor it was given, the hospital is now called University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital. Recently Caroline Amplatz donated 11 million for additional updates.

With Love from MN!

2011-03-19T08:46:00.001-07:00

Anikah, a little 2 year old girl from the south metro, is in Texas getting treatment for cancer. At the end of December Anikah wasn't feeling well and her parents took her in for a check up. The Drs discovered Anikah had a tumor on her brain (grade II Ependymoma). The tumor was removed surgically at Children's Hospital in MN but she needed to have a special type of proton treatment. Anikah, her parents, and big brother, Joey, traveled to Texas the end of January to start treatment. It sounds like it has been a long road of tests, surgeries, and medicines. The good news is that Anikah will soon be coming home to MN and she is cancer free! It's a little late, but pillowcases are on their way, to Anikah and big brother Joey, with well wishes and love from MN.

First Delivery to St. Mary's Duluth

2011-03-02T17:15:00.000-08:00

Great news! Snow will not hold us mighty Minnesotans back....our pillowcases made it to St. Mary's Hospital in Duluth! Whew-hoo!

Pam, from Little Marais, made our first delivery on February 15th. Pam has established a relationship with JoHannah Orman, the Child Life Specialist, at St. Mary's. Pam is on the left and JoHanna is on the right.

Pam is going to be our point person for St. Mary's Duluth. Thanks Pam!!

New ConKerr Cancer MN Affiliate

2010-10-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

I took a road trip on Monday, September 27 to Gibbon, MN to meet the ladies of Generations of Warmth. After an adventurous drive trying to find a bridge not flooded I made it to the group just in time to eat!

While we were eating each of the ladies introduced themselves and told me how many years they have been quilting. I had to laugh at the ladies that said, "only 10 years." Many of the ladies said 40 plus years.

After some fabulous food, I introduced ConKerr Cancer to the group. I can tell this group is anxious to make pillowcases. I was amazed at the many quilts they were working on for charity. This group makes quilts, lap robs, baby quilts, mittens, hats, and it goes on and on. They make items for nursing homes, homeless shelters, the area food shelf, and the county. The group makes between 2.000 and 2,500 items each year. I'm excited to have them on-board to help with ConKerr Cancer!

A special thank you to Sandy. Sandy contacted me in the spring of this year and asked that I visit the group this fall. Sandy does a great job of organizing all of the charitable work this group performs. She keeps the ladies of Generations of Warmth busy - that's for sure!

~ Carolyn

ConKerr Cancer MN Chapters make 1,272 Pillowcases in September

2010-10-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to share with you that the MN Chapters (Metro & South) made/collected a half mile - 1,272 pillowcases - in September! Considering we started our chapters this year, I think it's fantastic! Denise, our fabulous southern coordinator, and I did not share our numbers until a couple days ago. Believe it or not the chapters' totals were within 2 pillowcases of each other.

Hats off to everyone who participated in our Miles of Pillowcase Smiles challenge. If you didn't have the time or resources to help in September - no worries - when the time is right we'll be happy to accept your pillowcases!

A wonderful lady, Toni, in Ely took the bull by the horns this month and rallied the troops to make 100 pillowcases! Another wonderful lady, Desi, brought the pillowcases all the way to the Twin Cities to deliver them to me. Yes - in a weak moment I allowed my picture to be taken. Attached is a picture of Desi and me on delivery day. (If you don't know me you'll have to guess which one is me.) Thank you to Toni, Desi, and the following who helped make the 100 pillowcases:

Heart of the Woods Quilters - Ely Guild
Ladies of the Lakes Quilters - Eagles Nest Wed. group
Hearts 2 Hands Quilters - Ely United Methodist Church group
Mary's Spinning Wheel - Ely Quilt Shop - Served as drop off site and donated fabric

~ Carolyn

Our University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital Visit

2010-09-27T14:32:00.000-07:00

On September 18th, we visited the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital for a little pillowcase event. Along with a tote full of finished pillowcases made by our wonderful volunteers, we also brought along a sewing machine and unfinished cut pillowcase sets that the kids could make themselves.

Several parents stopped by to pick out a pillowcase, for their child who could not leave their room. A couple of parents took a few back to the rooms to let their child choose.

There were a handful of kids who were well enough to visit the room to pick out a pillowcase whether finished or unfinished. One little girl wanted to make her own, but by the time she had chosen the fabric, she was too tired to stay. Two kids (pictured above) had the strength to stay and sew their own, but most opted to let us do the stitching. It was so wonderful to see the smiles.

The door prizes we brought along were an added bonus. I think it made the day for one dad whose child won the Percy Harvin autographed photo.

~Carolyn

The Small and Mighty Evening Crew at Quilt Youself

2010-09-20T09:05:00.000-07:00

The Pillowcase Party at Quilt Yourself in Savage on September 17, 2010 rolled an additional 100 pillowcases of the assembly line!

Pictured above is the line of pinners, pressers, sewers, and sergers on the evening shift. Thank you, Jeannette and Sue, for all you did to make the event a huge success. :)

A very special thank you to Quilt Yourself who not only supplied the space, but they also supplied pizza and candy as well as the fabric!

Free Pillowcase Patterns for Quilters

2010-09-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

Here is another great link for great pillowcase patterns!

http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/millionpillowcases/freepatterns/

It is from all people quilt, and the patterns can be downloaded free.

Prescott High School Sends Pillowcase Smiles!

2010-09-13T09:36:00.000-07:00

Approximately 20 students and staff from Prescott High School Volunteer Group were busy over the summer sewing pillowcases!

Mari Lucus, the high school physical education teacher, and avid quilter, spearheaded the effort. The group made around 50 pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer. As you can see from the pictures, they look like they know what they are doing!

Prescott is approximately 25 minutes from the Twin Cities. The group has also volunteered at Gillette's Children's Hospital, Feed My Starving Children, Salvation Army Toy Shop and Sharing & Caring Hands, as well as, spring clean-up at Kinnickinnic State Park, raking yards for senior citizens, watering flowers at the cemetery, and assisting at many school district events. WOW - What a fantastic group!

Another Pillowcase Tutorial

2010-09-06T18:53:00.000-07:00

This is a link to another tutorial on how to sew pillowcases. This one uses the yardage requirements listed on the ConKerr Cancer website.

Click here to see all of the directions. (Dana shows step-by-step pictures, which are very helpful.)

Throw A Pillowcase Party!

2010-09-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

The countdown is on! Help us meet our September goal of a mile of pillowcases, which will be donated to local Minnesota hospitals for kids battling life changing illnesses.

It is a big undertaking, but you can help by
throwing your own pillowcase sewing party! :)

Browse around our new blog then email Carolyn at aCaseForSmile@aol.com for more information.

Pictured are few of the finished pillowcases made by Minnesota volunteers getting ready for the line-up.

A Pillowcase Party!

2010-09-03T21:32:00.000-07:00

Where: Quilt Yourself - Savage, MN

When: Friday, September 17, 2010 from 10:00 am - 9:00 pm

The event is "open house" style.

Bring your sewing machine, sewing kit, fabric, munchies, etc..

Help us meet our goal of a Mile of MN Pillowcase Smiles!

Any questions - please email Carolyn at aCaseForSmiles@aol.com.

See you there!

~ Carolyn

Click here for map and directions.

The photo above is from the 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge.

It is a great site if you would like a little inspiration. =)

Sewing Instructions

2010-09-03T19:56:00.000-07:00

ConKerr Cancer has a page on their blog with pillowcase specifications.
Please read the directions on this link before you begin.
Click http://www.conkerrcancer.org/pillowdirections.html

Another option is to make all your raw edges fully encased. I found this neat video on YouTube that gives great instructions how to do it. Please note that the fabric yardage is different than what is listed on the ConKerr Cancer website instructions. However, any standard size pillowcase pattern can be used. Click here to see Robin's written instructions.

The Miles of Pillowcase Smiles Challenge

2010-09-03T18:16:00.000-07:00

September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, and ConKerr Cancer is rising to the challenge to make as many miles of pillowcases in September as they can.

Minnesota has set a goal of one mile of pillowcases. That is 2,112 pillowcases! We know people that are sewing all across MN--from Ely to Jackson. But we need your help!

If you or your organization is interested in adding your cases to the line, please email Carolyn at:
aCaseForSmiles@aol.com

Whether you make one or many, you are contributing to something bigger than a number. You are brightening a sick, and possibly frightened, child's life. Each day and night kids are snuggling up to something you made with love and care. Regardless of the numbers, that is what's important.

Special Delivery!

2010-09-03T17:30:00.000-07:00

Introducing Sarah

Sarah, our U of M Hospital rep, is holding a ConKerr Cancer t-shirt we gave her. I thought it fitting we give the shirt in a baggie like the pillowcases. ;-) Our deliveries are very fast. We chat for maybe five minutes since I'm usually getting Sarah out of a meeting or clinic.

I am happy to tell you that Sarah said the pillowcases are "wildly popular" and ALL of the pillowcases are wonderful and find a home.

The kids in the picture are my son, Bennett, and his friend, Carlson.

~ Carolyn, Minneapolis Coordinator

The Beginnings of the ConKerr Cancer Minnesota

2010-09-03T16:25:00.000-07:00

Click here to see an article from the Shakopee Valley News.

The pillowcase drive mentioned in the news article was the springboard for ConKerr Cancer Minnesota. This initiative not only resulted in enough pillowcases for our first delivery to the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital, but also identified a coordinator for a relationship with St. Mary’s in Rochester.