Alanna's Orphans and Seniors

PICTURES WORTH 10,000 WORDS

2011-06-02T22:05:00.003+03:00

It seems like forever since I have posted on my bog - but we have had some frustrating times over the past few months. It seems that once Tahseen delivered the supplies, they were put into a warehouse until the seniors were moved into a new building. Well, they were relocated 3 months later but there was no evidence of our donated items being taken there. Tahseen fought many battles trying to accomplish this but had no luck. This is when that "God kissed" phrase comes in.

Out of the blue, I get an email from a Maureen McLuckie from Great Britain. Maureen is the Coordinator-Administrator/volunteer of The Kurdistan Childrens fund ~~ www.ksc-kcf.org ~~. Maureen had seen the quilts on the childrens beds and when she asked where they came from - was told that some lady from American came and brought them. She set upon a Google search with quilts/afghanistan and found my blog and email !! How great is that !! When I received her email, I was out of breath with gratitude and surprise! I knew this marvelous lady was going to be our answer to getting this mission accomplished !

Miss Maureen was determined to help me out once I explained my plight - and as you will witness by our latest pictures, the new pillows, mattresses and seniors aids (walkers) are now at the seniors home and in use! Tahseen asked if they liked their new things and the answer was quick and postive !!

I can't thank Maureen enough for her perserverence in helping me accomplish this mission. She was truly God-sent.

Please enjoy the photos and see the quilts!! mattresses !! pillows !! walker !! all thanks to my many donors who helped my with this ministry !! May God bless you all for your generosity and kindness.

I 'HAD' A DREAM

2010-09-02T00:13:00.002+03:00

As you can see ~~ I said "had". The dream has become a reality! I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart who donated money to help me see these seniors enjoy a newfound comfort in their sleep! And a huge thank you once again to Tahseen (my Kurdish son) who helps make things happen for us! Once I wired the money to Tahseen, he was able to meet with the Directorate and advise them that we had mattresses, pillows and walkers for the seniors. He took the time, with the help of his lovely wife Ashne, to go and purchase the pillows, mattresses and walkers. We had a little extra money left over and so he bought special toilet risers and will buy two adjustable walkers. My dear friend Dolores in Sun City West, Arizona has wheelchairs, walkers and canes just waiting to make their way to Sulymaniyah as well. Once I arrive in Phoenix in two weeks, she and I will be working on a way to get them to Kuwait via an APO - military postal service and then on to Suly ! I have added a slide show of the mattresses and pillows being purchased, accounted for and made ready for delivery!! Thank you, Thank you !

CONTINUING THE WORK

2010-05-21T02:28:00.005+03:00

I continue to attempt the fund-raising in order to have enough money to buy the mattresses for my seniors. Tahseen tells me that it has increased to 45. Some of the seniors suffer from illnesses and have little medicine to give them relief. It is just a sad situation. If you can find it in your heart to help out, please send me an email to joeandalanna@yahoo.com The total is getting close - but not quite there yet!

In the meantime, please have a look at the pictures that Tahseen took and emailed me last week. It will depict the dire conditions that these dear seniors live in. Click on the picture and watch as a slideshow ... each picture has a caption - it tells a story.

2010-05-21T02:28:00.001+03:00

2010-01-14T20:08:00.004+03:00

The ongoing story --- The little 16 year old girl who had bad front teeth (Zhino) has been receiving dental care and will have a new smile by weeks end. We found out that her two front teeth were seriously infected and she needed a dental surgeon to do her repair work. A big thank you to Tahseen who is making all of this happen. He has some friends who are dentists and they are taking care of my Zhino. Joe and I sent her a package of art supplies to encourage her to continue with her sketching. She is such a fabulous artist!

NEWSLETTER FROM MY TRIP TO SULY

2010-01-05T11:03:00.004+03:00

December 28 finally arrived and Joe and I left for Sulymaniyah which is the second largest city in Kurdistan, the northern province of Iraq. We travelled via Amman, Jordan and spent our first night there visiting friends.

December 29 was met with great anticipation. After two years, my dream of wrapping an orphan with a hand-made quilt was finally going to be realized.
Joe and I arrived in Suly on a cold and gloomy rainy day but it did nothing to dampen our spirits. My wonderful new friend Tahseen Taha was there to greet us with his good friend Karzan. What wonderful young men they are!

Let me tell you about Tahseen before continuing with my story. When I was having trouble contacting anyone at the Chamber of commerce in Suly, I decided to try emailing the chancellor at the American University of Iraq whom Joe had met in early 2008. Still, I received no response. I later found out he had relocated to Jeddah. After that, I tried “info” @ American University of Iraq. And finally I received a response – from Tahseen Taha. Ever since then, he has been my lifeline to the orphanages and their directors. As well, he has become a dear friend and refers to me as his Canadian Mom!! Of course, I now call him my Kurdish son! He has a wonderful heart and I was witness to just how wonderful during our time together in Suly.

Tahseen and Karzan drove us to our hotel and we had a short visit to discuss the plans for the next day.

On the morning of December 30, Tahseen arrived with all of the boxes and a wonderful driver. We drove to the first orphanage which was the boys orphanage. On the lower floor were the boys age 5-10 and the upper floor were the boys 11-18. The first things we handed out were teddy bears to the little boys – squishy, huggable teddy bears! You can see by the pictures how the children’s eyes lit up! What a heartwarming scene for us! Following that, they all formed a line and as I pulled a quilt from the box, they threw up their hands if they liked that particular quilt and would like to have it! It was so much fun to wrap that colorful little quilt around a child and embrace him with a big hug. Tahseen explained the red heart that is appliquéd to each and every quilt. It means that the quilt was made with love and is given from one heart to another … that they can wrap their new quilt around themselves and know that they are wrapped in love! I watched the expressions on the children’s faces as he talked about the red heart and it was touching to see how the kids reacted facially. They knew they were receiving something very special – more than cotton and color!

After we gave them their quilts, it was time to give them a zip lock bag full of school supplies. These came from an organization called OIC – Operation Iraqi Children. This is an organization in the United States whose co-founders are the actor Gary Sinise and Laura Hillenbrand. They came to us via the humanitarian team of the U.S. Military. This humanitarian team was my savior because they were instrumental in transporting my 6 large boxes of quilts from Kuwait to Sulymaniyah. It would have cost a fortune to have them accompany us on Royal Jordanian Airlines! I am forever grateful to Ltd. Herrera and Chief Hall for their support and contribution to making this ministry a success!

After visiting with the little boys and looking at their bedrooms, we had a group picture and enjoyed a few final hugs. Then we were on our way upstairs to visit the teen boys. They were all waiting to see us with great anticipation!!

They were overjoyed to be receiving quilts that had themes of cars, basketballs and sports on them! Thank goodness we had lots of them!! Again, they showed their sensitive side (can they even have one after what horror stories they can tell?) when Tahseen told them the significance of the red heart. This truly seemed to mean a lot to these boys. Again, we handed out school supplies and had a fun group picture with lots of smiles and a few hugs (after all, these are teens!). The lady in the photo is a lovely, warm hearted lady who has worked at the orphanage for 30 years! Joe had met her two years ago when he visited the kids. She remembered him also.

We also found several boxes of flip-flops in the boxes of donated goods from the Humanitarian Team. We made sure every boy received a pair and all of the workers in the orphanage. Everyone was very appreciative.

In some of the other boxes from the Humanitarian Team, there were hand-made cotton bags – again full of school supplies. Inside these bags was a picture of a young boy from Tempe, Arizona. He had taken it upon himself to ask for donations of school supplies to send to the children of Iraq. His name is Taylor Lott and he is a member of the Boy Scouts of America. If I can locate him when I am in Arizona in the spring, I will go meet him and show him the pictures of the actual kids his school supplies went to!! Thank you Taylor for your kind and generous heart. You are an example of what small acts of kindness can do and how they can impact the lives of others.

It was time to leave and go meet the girls. They were about a 20 minute drive away. There weren’t as many in-house when we arrived. Several had gone to spend the holidays with extended family members. We did leave quilts and school supplies behind for them. We had a wonderful time with the 8 girls who were present. Four of them we found huddled in a small empty room with the exception of a small bench and a small tv. The caregiver introduced us to them and explained who we were. Eventually, the other girls came out of their rooms and we all gathered in the lobby of their orphanage. They dove into the teddy and doll box and made their selections. The colorful quilts that we had for the girls were so perfect! They were thrilled with their new blankets. Tahseen told them, once again, of the red hearts. And once again, they were touched by the story and significance. After handing them their new school supplies and sandals, we had a fun tour of their bedrooms. There are 3 – 5 beds per bedroom and all were very tidy. They older girls had posters of famous singers on their wall (so that seems to be the same the world over!) and the little girls has some cute pictures as well. Each bedroom was named after a flower and one was butterfly. There were two sisters here and we were told that they had two brothers in the boys orphanage. How I wish I had asked if they go to see their brothers. The oldest girl was an incredible artist. She showed us her sketches and we were so impressed that we will be sending Tahseen some art supplies for her. A talent such as that must be encouraged. As we were saying our goodbyes and preparing to leave, I mentioned this girl to Tahseen. He asked for some time to go see her work. He suggested that perhaps he can work with AUIS (the university) to get her some additional help. He came out with a sad, but true story. Beside her sketches, were several phrases but I couldn’t read them. Tahseen told me that they said how dark her days can be and she misses her mother so much. I wish I had spent more time visiting with her. My heart aches for her. I wonder what her sad story is. Four siblings in orphanages with one horrific story. I wanted to take them all home.

The little girl in pink in the picture above asked me to sit by her on her bed. She took my hand and pointed to the red appliqued heart on her quilt. She indicated to me that she had placed the heart close to where her heart is when she is laying in her bed. That little red heart meant so much to this sweet child. She understood its significance and believed that she was loved! How profound is that !! ??

We found that we had some quilts left after spending time with the children. Tahseen suggested we stop by the seniors home. He hadn’t been there and wanted to go see it. All I can say is how horrific it was. It made the kids orphanages look like the Holiday Inn! We entered and were introduced to the director of the orphanage. He told Tahseen that the building had been donated but not much had been done to it to make it very liveable. The seniors were sitting at a long table (the ladies on one side and the men on the other). They were eating rice and something else unidentifiable. Their hands were so cold as I reached over their shoulders to hold them. One little lady who couldn’t have been more than 70 pounds, was squatting down in front of a small kerosene heater – trying to get warm. As she looked up and saw Tahseen, she thought her son had come to visit her. Tahseen was so touched by this that he quickly squatted down, kissed her hand, touched it to his forehead and leaned forward and gave her a kiss on her forehead saying yes, mamma, your son is here. She wasn’t sound of mind and that scene will forever stay in my mind. It was so touching and gave the little old woman a moment of joy and peace I am sure.

We wandered back into the bedroom area of the ladies. There were many beds in a small room and two of these dear souls had to sleep in the hallway by the bathrooms which smelled terrible. There was absolutely NO dignity in their lives. As Tahseen said – they have been “thrown away” and no one cares about them.

Upon our return home, Joe came up with a wonderful idea to help these dear old people out a little more. He suggested “Seniors Helping Seniors” program. This would mean that seniors in our communities at home could have a fund raiser and we would hope to realize enough funds to buy some decent mattresses with rubberized mattress protectors. As well, some decent pillow and sheets. When we looked at the bed, they looked like they might fall onto the floor if it weren’t for some kind of spring or piece of wood to keep them from doing so. The sheets were almost unidentifiable as sheets.

As you read this letter and can find it in your hearts or seniors community to help out, please send us an email at joeandalanna@yahoo.com and let us know of your plans.

As we drove away from the seniors home, we realized how lucky we were to have been born into a different situation. Tahseen was born and raised in Sulaymaniyah but has travelled and has a good lifestyle. He, Joe and I were very touched by the events of the day. We have all vowed to continue to make a difference in the lives of these children and seniors who have no one to call family.

I will continue to write letters to the children and Tahseen and his wife will read them. We are going to try to raise funds (I am happy to provide anyone a wonderful hand-made quilt to raffle off for fund-raising) so that they can get some English lessons and eventually communicate directly with us by computer. Anyone who has an old laptop that they aren’t using any more, please don’t throw it out, please keep it and we will arrange to have it shipped to Tahseen for the kids. I think it will be a fabulous incentive for them to learn English. Our teen artist has two front teeth that are in very bad shape. We are arranging for her to have them fixed. Even in her environment, we could see she was very self conscious of her teeth.

These small acts of love will profoundly impact the lives of these 50 children and the seniors.

I hope and pray that you have enjoyed this newsletter and I pray that you will act on it in some kind way to help us help these dear ones have a better life.

To quote Tahseen from an email to me yesterday - “I found something that gives me spiritual joy”. And friends – if you could have joined us this day – you too would have found a new way to spiritual joy!

Blessings ---- Alanna

For the pictures and updates, please add our blog to your “favorites”.

www.alannaorphans.blogspot.com

SULAYMANIYAH WAS WONDERFUL

2010-01-01T18:25:00.005+03:00

The dream came true this past few days! Joe and I arrived in Sulaymaniyah on the 29th of December. As gloomy as it was, our day started in a bright way when we were met by Tahseen who was our translator, host and new-found friend. His friend Karzan was our driver - another wonderful young man. On the morning of the 30th, Tahseen picked us up and off we went to the first orphanage - upstairs is where the older boys lived (age10-18 years of age), downstairs consisting of little ones, age 5-10. Talk about a heartwrenching time! But, boys will be boys and the excitement was catchy. My heart swelled with joy as I wrapped each little one (and teen) in a brightly colored, hand sewn quilt. Tahseen explained to them what the red heart on each quilt meant and they were very touched. We also presented each of them with a package of school supplies that came from the organization "OIC" - Operation Iraqi Children by Gary Sinese and Laura Hillenbrand (co-founders). These came through the U.S. Military Humanitarian Team (thank you LTC Herrera and Chief Hall). After pictures and hugs, we were off to the girls orphanage. There were only a few girls present when we arrived. It was a holiday time and most of them were at relatives for a few days. Again, we handed out teddy bears, quilts and school supplies. Lots of hugs too!! I will write a detailed newsletter about our two days in Suly and post it in the next day or so. Thank you to all who have helped me with this wonderful ministry. I have posted the pictures in a slideshow ... enjoy!! and let's continue to help these underprivileged kids.

We have a Winner!

2009-12-24T09:58:00.002+03:00

Congratulations to Hayfa Al Mughni who is the lucky winner of the "Frogs On The Moon" raffle quilt. We raised 121 KD (approx 425.00 usd) for the orphans fund. A big thank you to all who purchased a raffle ticket!

ON OUR WAY!!

2009-12-24T09:55:00.001+03:00

Yes we are!! On Monday December 28 Joe and I will fly to Kurdistan and finally get to meet the kids and give them their very own quilt! It has been almost two years - but what a wonderful way to close out 2009! Check in next week for pictures and stories!

CELEBRATION DAY!!

2009-10-26T01:17:00.001+03:00

The quilts along with dozens of other boxes arrived in Sulaymaniya today! Tahseen emailed me to let me know they are in the safe keeping of his family home until Joe and I arrive at the end of November. This is the best news of the month! I am truly excited about getting to the kids now and giving them their new quilts - just in time for winter!!! School supplies and clothes compliments of the Humanitarian Team of the US Military will also be handed out! yahoo !!!!!

The Quilts are making their way north!

2009-10-02T20:58:00.003+03:00

The quilts continue to make their way north thanks to Ltc. Herrera and his Humanitarian Team. Tahseen has found a place to store them until I return from Arizona at which time Joe and I will make our way north to give these kids their quilt ~~ finally !!!! The Humanitarian Team has also donated clothes and school supplies. They tell me it is a 20 foot container!!! I continue to be patient and excited all at the same time!!

PRESS RELEASE ~ Coffee Morning

2009-07-26T10:54:00.000+03:00

PRESS RELEASE JULY 23, 2009
Sadu House on Gulf Road will be the location of a happy send-off of 90 quilts to orphans in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan. With the help of the Civil Military Operations Center-Kuwait (CMOC Team), the quilts will be delivered to a Civil Affairs Team in Northern Iraq. CMOC Team members will meet in Sulymaniyah where Joe and Alanna Petrusich will claim the quilts and deliver them in person to 90 orphans.
Two years ago, Alanna Petrusich had a vision of providing orphans with something special that they could call their own. Her husband Joe had been to Kurdistan on a business trip and toured the orphanages at that time. Upon his return to Kuwait, Alanna decided to jump into action and begin her challenging task of making and acquiring 90 quilts. With the help of her many friends in the Kuwait Textile Arts Association Quilt Group and several loving quilters worldwide who answered a plea from an internet posting on a quilt site, the goal has been reached.
Once the quilts are delivered by the Civil Military Operations Team, Joe and Alanna will fly to Sulymaniyah and present these orphans with a colorful, handmade quilt that they can all their own!
On July 29, from 10:00 – Noon, Alanna is hosting a coffee morning for the purpose of displaying the many quilts that have been crafted and sewn. She invites everyone to come and see the quilts and meet the Civil Military Operations Team who will assist in this Humanitarian effort. Come help celebrate our achievement!

LOVE CAN BUILD A BRIDGE ~ ONE QUILT AT A TIME!

Sadu House is situated next to the newly constructed library on Gulf Road.

GETTING READY TO ROLL !

2009-07-11T12:38:00.002+03:00

Joe and I had a wonderful meeting with LTC Herrera and CPT Gregory Larson (the Team Logistics Officer) yesterday. Their team will get the quilts and any anything else we have for the orphans all the way to Sulymaniyah. As well, he said that his team will be adding to the bundle with an ample supply of school supplies! How great is that?? We have set a tentative date for my delivery of the quilts to LTC Herrera for the end of July. Our target date for travel to Suly is around September 7th. Joe and I will travel together. I can hardly wait!

God Kissed

2009-07-07T14:52:00.004+03:00

As my dear friend Beverly would have said - this next wonderful bit of news is "God Kissed". My friend Lorraine recently was introduced to a Lt. Colonel Herrera on the base where she works here in Kuwait. After a brief conversation, she learned that he was in charge of "humanitarian issues" for the military. Of course, she told him all about the quilt ministry and my effort of the past two years to get a large number of quilts made as well as the logistics of getting them to Sulaymaniya to the children. Lorraine tells me that his eyes lit up and he said that she should tell her friend to contact him - that he would help me get those quilts to those kids! Today - that prayer was answered. I received an email from LTC. Herrera confirming that his team would get my quilts to Sulaymaniyah at no cost to the quilt ministry. I was so excited - I had to go run on the treadmill for 45 minutes just to wear off the excited energy!! Joe and I will now look at planning our days and flights to go to Suly in early September. I am hoping to meet this wonderful LTC. Herrera in person one day soon! Praise God for him and his team!

Meet Tahseen

2009-07-07T14:43:00.002+03:00

I want to introduce you to a wonderful person who I met by sending an inquiry email to the American University of Iraq in Sulyamaniyah. His name is Tahseen and he has been incredibly helpful in becoming my "communicator" between the orphanages and myself. I am ever so thankful for him and his efforts. He has also informed me that there are two other orphanages that he knows about - one south and one north of Sulyamaniyah. I will receive a total head count of all 4 orphanages and hopefully my 90 quilts will be enough ~~ and plans can be made to head north to Kurdistan and the kids! A big thank you Tahseen!

THE NEWS GETS BETTER AND BETTER

2009-05-03T02:07:00.003+03:00

I am so happy to report that my goal of 90 quilts is about to be realized. And the best news of all is that I have finally received names and phone numbers of the managers of the girls and boys orphanages in Sulay. A wonderful person at the American University of Iraq in Sulaymaniyah has been instrumental in getting me names and phone numbers. Joe and I can now make plans to travel to Kurdistan in September (when the weather is cooler!).

UPDATE --- ALMOST THERE!!!!

2009-03-10T11:20:00.002+03:00

It's getting more exciting as the days roll by. I have done yet another count of the pile of quilts in my guest room. With these and the partially finished ones that several of my friends are working on, I am about 9 quilts shy of my goal of 90 quilts! It has been a long process and patience has been required, but I am now seeing light at the end of the tunnel. My prayer is that I will have 90 quilts and be able to deliver them by summer's end or early fall (which might be a more appropriate time to be gifting quilts to the children!) I can't tell you how excited I am (and challenged by impatience) about getting these quilts to the orphans. I visualize that day all the time and wish that it would come quickly! Communication with the people in Kurdistan who operate the orphange continues to be a challenge but my friend Emad at the Chamber of Commerce in Kuwait has agreed to help me with the communication issues and act as one of my liasons. Please keep checking the blog and pass it along to anyone you know who might like to donate a quilt! This, of course, won't be the only orphange this ministry helps out. Just the first!!! Remember --- LOVE CAN BUILD A BRIDGE - ONE QUILT AT A TIME!!

ALMOST THERE!

2009-01-16T20:58:00.001+03:00

The total number of quilts is getting closer to the goal! On Sunday I am teaching a 'quilt as you go" class free of charge ... well, not quite free of charge! The charge is that once the ladies have their quilts complete, they will leave them behind to add to the pile for the kids in Sulaymaniyah! Everyone is happy to do this and it will be a wonderful day of quilters fellowship and joyful sewing!

A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS GIFT

2008-12-21T14:32:00.000+03:00

A few days ago I received an email from a lady in Great Britain. She had been googling Kurdish Orphans and my blog popped up. Now then, this is my Christmas gift for this year~ Her husband grew up just 3 hours south of Sulaymaniyah and speaks the dialect of the area. They have offered to help in any way which is so wonderful. One of the greatest challenges in the past several months has been finding a way to communicate with the people who operate the orphanage. I will be able to have that now with this wonderful couple in Britain. Thank you so much for your offer of help! You are going to be the ones who are my greatest liason!! This was definitely a "God thing"!!!

Where Have I Been ??

2008-11-26T14:18:00.001+03:00

Hello to all of you who keep up with this blog. In July I travelled to Houston to be with, and help care for, my best friend who was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. She went to be with God on November 16. I chose to take a sabatical from the quilt ministry during my time in Houston but since returning to Kuwait this week, I am back in the full swing of things. The sewing machine is working overtime. Joe and I are trying to catch up on emails and communication with the orphanage itself. This is the most difficult task but we are doing due diligence with regard to this communication effort. We are still short about 15 quilts and won't make the trip until there are a total of 95. We only need 85 in total but want that extra 10 for matching age appropriate quilts with the kids. Please spread the word around about our quilt ministry and let's make this happen soon!

Some of the girls

2008-06-12T04:20:00.001+03:00

Here are some of the girls who will receive one of your lovely quilts. They are standing with my husband Joe during his visit and tour.

The Younger Children

2008-05-10T17:54:00.001+03:00

Here is a picture of the little darlings who are going to be receiving their very own quilt! And what a treasure it will be.

FROM NORTH CAROLINA

2008-04-17T06:45:00.000+03:00

I am so thrilled to see the quilts arriving in my mail. My quilt group in Kuwait had a goal of 20 quilts and these fabulous ladies started and have committed to finishing a total of 33 quilts! How great is that! I am posting some pictures of the quiltathon they held in March. Thank you to everyone for all these wonderful hours you are spending to make a quilt for one special child in Kurdistan.

The Cottons are Coming!!!

2008-03-01T19:48:00.000+03:00

It is unbelievable! The Kuwait Quilt group has embraced this quilt ministry and have just announced that 210 meters of cotton has been collected from local businesses. They are planning a big 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. quiltathon on March 24 and have a goal of 20 completed quilts by days end! Is that not fantastic!?? Again, from my heart ~~ thank you for your enthusiasm and help. It is going to be a wonderful spring in the quilt production world!! A special thank you to Susanna who forged ahead and was able to acquire so much cotton!

Quilts Coming from Everywhere!

2008-02-24T03:27:00.000+03:00

I have had wonderful response to my request for quilts. The internet is a fabulous way to communicate such needs! Ladies have sent me emails from Ontario, Canada; Phoenix, Arizona; Conroe, Texas; Calgary, Alberta, Canada and British Columbia, Canada. Thank you to all! I continue to be humbled by the offers of quilts and cash to help the kids in the orphanage. July can't come soon enough so that I can make my trip north to meet these children and gift them with a quilt they can call their very own. I met a man on my flight home from Houston who has offered to get some soccer balls for the boys. He was in this area last year and noticed that boys everywhere were playing soccer! Thank you Ken!

Quilt Group Helps Out

2008-02-13T15:41:00.001+03:00

The quilt group that I belong to in Kuwait have just set a date for a quiltathon. They plan to make 20 quilts for the kids. Isn't that wonderful! I will be back from Houston for the big day and can hardly wait to participate in this wonderful day! I'll post pictures of the excitement! I swear quilters are some of the most kind hearted people on earth!

Quilt Size

2008-02-11T02:36:00.001+03:00

The size of the quilts should be approximately 55 x 75 inches. A little smaller or a little larger is fine. I sure do appreciate your help! I am targeting June 30 to have all quilts in Kuwait ready to deliver to Kurdistan.

THANK YOU!

2008-02-05T09:24:00.000+03:00

Thank you! Thank you!
I continue to be humbled by the generosity of my friends and acquaintenances. The offers of financial assistance and donated quilts is overwhelming and my orphans will soon be wrapped in love by quilts made by loving hands and hearts. Your kind hearts are making a difference in their young lives! It will go far beyond a simple quilt - it will teach them that the world can truly be a loving place.

2008-02-02T08:42:00.000+03:00

2008-02-02T08:41:00.000+03:00

A story from Kurdistan

2008-02-02T08:09:00.001+03:00

February 1, 2008
Joe has just returned from a trip north to Sulaymaniyah~ a city of 1.2 million people in Kurdistan which is the northern most province of Iraq. In my last newsletter, I talked about his trip to Erbil in September 2007 to participate in a business exposition that the Kurdish government was holding. After much organization, he was able to get one of his Burger King units on a truck and positioned in Erbil for the exposition (on the economy rather than on a military base which is where all of his units are normally positioned).
It was a successful 4 days and in keeping with the Burger King charitable philosophy, Joe and the company decided to donate the profits of the four days to a charity. The charity that was chosen is an orphanage in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan.
Skip ahead to late March 26, 2008 and please read on. I want to tell you about his experience on this trip and how I have become involved as a result.
After a night in Amann, Jordan (in order to make connections to Sulaymaniyah, connecting with his district manager in Iraq, Khalid and the Undersecretary of Defense from the Pentagon, Bob Love, the men caught their commercial flight to Iraq. They were greeted by a representation of city dignitaries -the Governors assistant, the President of the Chamber of Commerce and whisked into shiny white Yukon SUV’s and driven with police escort (sirens blaring) to their hotel.
After checking in and a short rest period, Bob, Khalid and Joe were picked up and shown around the city. They were taken to the top of the mountain that overlooks the city. Normally a beautiful vantage point but not on this day! Because it was snowing heavily, and near blizzard conditions, the view was limited and the men were cold!
After the cold trip to the mountain top, they went to a private club and were hosted by the Governor of Kurdistan and the Mayor of Sulaymaniyah for dinner. They were also joined by other city dignitaries and Chamber of Commerce representatives. The interpreter was ever-present and worked in the governor’s office.
After a long day, it was time to retire to the hotel. Joe got a kick out of the shampoo provided by the hotel… Little packets with the product name ands comment that read “Makes your hair black and shiny”. What would us fair haired people do! I might give it a try. Joe said Bob liked it and bought a bottle of it! I asked him if the room was okay – he said it was fine but he would be leaving his shoes on… I think the laundering issue is difficult because of the lack of electricity.
On the second day the police escort picked up the boys and off they went to the Chamber of Commerce building for meetings and a press conference which was to announce the arrival of Mr. Joe from Al Homaizi and Burger King with their charitable donation. Here, all of the representatives talked about the presentation and what it meant to the Kurdish people – more precisely – the orphans.
The Governor talked about Burger King who doesn’t have a presence in the region but care about the Iraq people. He said “ let this be a sign for the local people to do the same for their own” that Canadian Joe Petrusich and Burger King and Al Homaizi (Kuwait) have done for these children.
Joe presented a check to Rayala ~ the charity organization specific for this orphanage. After interviews, they were off to the girl’s orphanage and the boy’s orphanage. When they arrived at the girl’s orphanage, some of the girls were there to greet Joe. Others were away in class at a local school. Classes are in shifts because there isn’t enough school space so the children go in the morning or in the afternoon. They were given a tour of the girls orphanage and then it was over to the boy’s orphanage which was about a 5 minute drive from the girl’s. A half a dozen of the boys greeted Joe, Bob and Khalid and, like the girls, the others were in their school. Joe said it was a heart wrenching occasion and commented “if my wife were here, she would be trying to find a way to take them all home!”.
After touring the orphanages, the group went for lunch to another “club”. After lunch, it was siesta time. In the early evening the driver escorted the group for a tour of the city which included a stop at a museum and the market. Because it was so cold, the market was closed and the vendors were trying to stay warm somewhere. We have to remember that a city of this size still only operates on about 20% electricity. Joe says there is the constant hum of generators.
An interesting story ~~ one of the attendees at the Chamber of Commerce was the Chancellor and President of The American University of Iraq. Can you imagine!! This is something we don’t hear about in the press in North America! An American University up and operating in the Kurdish region (they stress the region and not “Iraq”). He said that he and his wife go jogging every night and live a “normal” life within this city. They are from the Seattle area. Have a look at the web site – or google University of Sulamiya, Iraq. Site ~ http://www.auis.org/newsflash.php
After telling you about this adventure/business trip/opportunity of Joe’s, please let me tell you how I have become involved.
For some time now, I have been “searching” for “my calling”. I knew once I got my first phone call from Joe while he was away on this trip that I had my answer. I now have “50 kids”. The young boys and girls of this orphanage in Kurdistan have become my passion and I have formed a quilt ministry. I love quilting, I have many friends who love quilting, and I have 50 kids who need warm bedding on their small cot-like single beds. Something to call there own! I have hardly slept since Joe arrived back home because my mind is busy planning how of this is going to come to fruition.
However, once I have 50 quilts, I will be hand delivering them to the orphanage and meeting the children. They are boys and girls age 5-15. Some of the stories of how they “arrived” at the orphanage are hard to bear but let me share just a few. ~~~ It isn’t uncommon for a mother to abandon her children when she remarries because her new husband does not want the “extra baggage” of her children. Sadly, on many occasions, the mother does keep the children and bring them into her new marriage, just to be physically abused by their stepfather.
For example, one little girl is slightly handicapped mentally because she was thrown down the stairs by her stepfather and became brain injured from the fall. The girls in the orphanage are very loving and protective of her. Another child showed Joe one of her arms that was scarred terribly from being purposely burned. She has little feeling in this arm and was asking Bob and Joe how she could get some help. Yet another young teen who matches the beauty of the Afghani woman featured on the cover of National Geographic many years ago, was like a magnet to the “westerners” trying to find out how she could get to university when she was older. Unfathomable dreams from these young children but like all of us – and despite their horrific stories – they still have dreams.
Many of the children are, of course, from the days of Saddam Hussein and the genocide which killed up to 150,000 Kurdish people. Many of these children were left without parents as a result. Some of them lost both parents in the other more dangerous cities (Baghdad, Kurkuk, Tikrit, etc.) and have been relocated to a safer, quiet Sulaymaniyah.
They have loving caregivers which is a blessing. Joe said when the ladies (caregivers) come in, all the children come running to them with hugs. They are like surrogate mothers – mothers they have long lost and possibly chosen to forget. Lovely women who love these children like there own but need more help.
So here is my request:
If you are a quilter, have a long arm machine and are willing to doing some quilting, like to piece and want to contribute a pieced quilt – please contact me at nowandthenworks@hotmail.com. I am going to get a blog started with some pictures of Joe’s recent trip to the orphanage. Pictures of some of my orphans/kids! Once I get some finished quilts and when I travel north to take “my kids” their very own quilt I will update the blog. Each quilt will have a red heart appliquéd on it to signify that it was made and contributed with a heart full of love.
If you are a business person and would like to contribute, there are many ways to help my kids. Donating some money to purchase the cottons and batting required for constructing the quilts, sending twin size sheets to an address provided by contacting the above email address, and finally, passing this email/newsletter on to those in your address book who might be willing to help in some small way. As things progress, I am anticipating asking for some clothes for the kids. You can well imagine how difficult it is to clothe 50 boys and girls! So save the clothes that your kids have grown out of and I will eventually ask you to send them on.Thank you for your ear! I wish you blessings and happy times