SedonaKind - Happy First Anniversary
Jawn McKinley
As of November, SedonaKind is one year old! As our wonderful web mistress/genius Gail developed and expanded our site, you’ve been able to read monthly “essays” by different members. I’ve had the privilege of writing an introduction to each one, and they all filled my heart and made me smile. Now it’s my turn to write one, and my topic came as easily as deciding to eat dark chocolate once a day.
Kindness. Little did all of us know how huge that word, kindness, would come to mean as we gathered a year ago at the Sedona Library. Who could’ve imagined the breadth and scope of all we’ve done together in such a short time, how our message has resonated with our community, and how much it’s come to mean to each of us individually. Kindness. We all thought we knew what it meant, and that we already were practicing it regularly. But the energy and ideas and passions and joy that exploded in that first meeting made it a whole new ball game.
Everyone in that room contributed to making this first year extraordinary. As we found ways to honor our mission statement, our members-YOU-delighted and amazed with every act of kindness of your own, and your ideas of how to get our message out. At the end of that first meeting, one member asked if any of us could contribute a few things to help out a sister in need. That’s all it took. At least 20-30 women showed up with arms and hearts full, and had a giving and gratitude party that rocked!!! We kept making and spreading our charms, (4000 to date!), with a member keeping us supplied with gorgeous glass hearts, so many who collected jewelry donations, another who organized all our supplies, another who welcomes us to her home to craft them, and when we outgrew that, another who invited us all to her fabulous B&B, where with homemade goodies, and the sun streaming in, the charming continues.
Someone recognized the need for warm hats for the kids in the Backpack Program, and magically gorgeous yarn donations from individuals and a business flew onto the knitting needles of so many members. Many hadn’t even knitted before, but as of now, we’ve made 340 fabulous, warm and cozy hats! One member thought about Mother’s Day, and on her own crafted beautiful cards for everyone in the Meals on Wheels Program. Others created a variety of kindness cards to help fund our projects. Operation Special Delivery was a huge success, with 250 cards, many with pottery hearts , hand delivered, each member who “played postman” putting their own special stamp of love on those missives.
Then came the Welcome Home Vietnam Veteran’s Day celebration at Posse Grounds. It was an incredible event, and SedonaKind was honored and privileged to offer our help. Along with our “sisters in kindness” from The Sedona Women, we manned computers, brought lunches, brunches and treats for all the Vets and volunteers, rounded up massage therapists to donate their time to put love from their hands into the sore and injured muscles of our Veterans. There is no thanks great enough that we could offer these men and women Veterans and their families, but we were so moved to be able to be part of that very special day.
When plans began for our Kindness Day Proclamation and the events to follow for this November, hands flew up to give ideas, to pitch in, and to be team leaders for the various projects. We’ll be making a huge difference in West Sedona School this year, as the KIS committee roars into action. They self-financed a “kindness library”, and one member made a magnificent donation so we could bring a national presenter to the school with a very special program for parents, teachers and students. Two members (and a helpful hubby) even made a portable puppet theater to take into the classrooms.
These are only a few of the small and large acts of kindness that went on this past year, and that helped make SedonaKind exceed all our hopes and visions. As you all worked together on various projects, met at meetings to share ideas, and connected thru our website, these acts wove themselves into a beautiful tapestry of kindness. So Happy Anniversary, SedonaKind, to everyone who’s come on this wild and wonderful ride. Thank you for sharing your talents, your energy, your ideas, your passions, and your hearts. And this final quote says it better than I ever could.
“All of you reading these words have loved someone, have done someone a kindness, have healed a wound, have taken on a challenge, and have created something beautiful. Every moment you make a difference.”
Kindness. Little did all of us know how huge that word, kindness, would come to mean as we gathered a year ago at the Sedona Library. Who could’ve imagined the breadth and scope of all we’ve done together in such a short time, how our message has resonated with our community, and how much it’s come to mean to each of us individually. Kindness. We all thought we knew what it meant, and that we already were practicing it regularly. But the energy and ideas and passions and joy that exploded in that first meeting made it a whole new ball game.
Everyone in that room contributed to making this first year extraordinary. As we found ways to honor our mission statement, our members-YOU-delighted and amazed with every act of kindness of your own, and your ideas of how to get our message out. At the end of that first meeting, one member asked if any of us could contribute a few things to help out a sister in need. That’s all it took. At least 20-30 women showed up with arms and hearts full, and had a giving and gratitude party that rocked!!! We kept making and spreading our charms, (4000 to date!), with a member keeping us supplied with gorgeous glass hearts, so many who collected jewelry donations, another who organized all our supplies, another who welcomes us to her home to craft them, and when we outgrew that, another who invited us all to her fabulous B&B, where with homemade goodies, and the sun streaming in, the charming continues.
Someone recognized the need for warm hats for the kids in the Backpack Program, and magically gorgeous yarn donations from individuals and a business flew onto the knitting needles of so many members. Many hadn’t even knitted before, but as of now, we’ve made 340 fabulous, warm and cozy hats! One member thought about Mother’s Day, and on her own crafted beautiful cards for everyone in the Meals on Wheels Program. Others created a variety of kindness cards to help fund our projects. Operation Special Delivery was a huge success, with 250 cards, many with pottery hearts , hand delivered, each member who “played postman” putting their own special stamp of love on those missives.
Then came the Welcome Home Vietnam Veteran’s Day celebration at Posse Grounds. It was an incredible event, and SedonaKind was honored and privileged to offer our help. Along with our “sisters in kindness” from The Sedona Women, we manned computers, brought lunches, brunches and treats for all the Vets and volunteers, rounded up massage therapists to donate their time to put love from their hands into the sore and injured muscles of our Veterans. There is no thanks great enough that we could offer these men and women Veterans and their families, but we were so moved to be able to be part of that very special day.
When plans began for our Kindness Day Proclamation and the events to follow for this November, hands flew up to give ideas, to pitch in, and to be team leaders for the various projects. We’ll be making a huge difference in West Sedona School this year, as the KIS committee roars into action. They self-financed a “kindness library”, and one member made a magnificent donation so we could bring a national presenter to the school with a very special program for parents, teachers and students. Two members (and a helpful hubby) even made a portable puppet theater to take into the classrooms.
These are only a few of the small and large acts of kindness that went on this past year, and that helped make SedonaKind exceed all our hopes and visions. As you all worked together on various projects, met at meetings to share ideas, and connected thru our website, these acts wove themselves into a beautiful tapestry of kindness. So Happy Anniversary, SedonaKind, to everyone who’s come on this wild and wonderful ride. Thank you for sharing your talents, your energy, your ideas, your passions, and your hearts. And this final quote says it better than I ever could.
“All of you reading these words have loved someone, have done someone a kindness, have healed a wound, have taken on a challenge, and have created something beautiful. Every moment you make a difference.”