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*2007*
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Mychal’s Message is constantly amazed at what can be accomplished when one person says, “Yes.” Alone or combined with many others, one can make a difference.
It was a cold day in February 2002 when we called the Friars of the Holy Name Province. Shannon had just completed her first project. We had 1,500 pairs of socks and were searching for a way to distribute them to the homeless and poor. Because of the Friars of the Holy Name Province, we were invited to distribute those socks on the Breadline of St. Francis of Assisi Church in New York City and were given the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of our beloved Father Mychal Judge. Because of the Friars of the Holy Name Province, masses have been said, confessions have been heard, men and women have been married, babies have been baptized, last rites have been given, the dead have been buried, the lonely have been befriended, and the homeless have been fed, all in the true spirit of St. Francis himself. In their brown robes and sandals, the Friars of the Holy Name Province have shown us what it means to love and serve others. Through their holy and humble example, they have taught us and inspired us, encouraged and supported us, loved and guided us. During that first distribution of socks in February 2002, a man asked us for underwear. That was the beginning of Blessed Bloomers. Each year since then, on the anniversary of September 11th, your donations have made it possible for Mychal’s Message to distribute over 33,000 new underwear, undershirts and socks to the homeless and poor. Our 2008 Blessed Bloomers project was dedicated to the Friars of the Holy Name Province in thanksgiving for all they have done for us and for all they continue to do for others.
Results: Nearly $12,000 was raised by Mychal’s Message to fund the project, with donations from its supporters as well as from churches from all over the Diocese of Harrisburg and students at Lancaster Catholic High School. Arnold Worldwide Agency, Wayne, Pa donated over $1,000 in prizes that were raffled off to students at Lancaster Catholic High School who helped raise funds for the project. Additional funds raised were used to provide a day for 100 kindergartners from one of Lancaster's poorest city schools to visit the Hands On House, Lancaster, Pa. Those children all received a goody bag filled with Play-Doh, bubbles and a Tootsie Roll Pop. Nearly 400 children benefited from the Yes, Mr. Rogers! project thanks to the generosity of Mychal's Message supporters, parishioners at churches across the Diocese of Harrisburg, and students at Lancaster Catholic High School. Read more and see pictures from the day here.
Results: With the help of students from St. Leo the Great Catholic elementary school, Christopher Lynch raised $600, enough money needed to purchase all 300 lions. The lions were distributed on March 27, 2008 to children who attended the Dutch Apple performance of The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. This was Christopher's first official project with Mychal's Message. He tallied each class' lion purchases, and in the end, it was his 4th grade class that raised the most money! Read more and see pictures from the day here.
Results: Thanks to your generosity, 406 coats, 396 hats, and 411 gloves and 10 scarves were purchased. 335 were given to homeless men and women on the St. Francis of Assisi Breadline, W. 31st Street, New York, NY in December 2007. The remaining 71 coats were given to St. Francis Inn in January 2008 for distribution to the homeless and poor who visit the soup kitchen. Photos from this project and the story of Father Quinn and how he inspired this project are posted here.
Project story: In our first Stocking the Inn project we collected items for St. Francis Inn, an inner-city soup kitchen in Philadelphia that serves 2 meals a day and ministers to more than 300 people daily. Mychal’s Message also regularly sends extra donations to the Inn. One of our founders, Kelly Lynch, has spoken many times about repeating the project, so as a special birthday surprise, her husband Joe coordinated Stocking the Inn II. Invitations to a surprise party in Kelly’s honor also included lists of needed items, asking guests to bring them to the party in lieu of gifts. Results: 6,087 items were delivered to St. Francis Inn, Philadelphia, PA on Thursday, January 10, 2008. It took two full vans to bring all the items donated! Among those items were toiletries, long underwear, blankets, gloves, diapers, cleaners, soap, sugar, socks, underwear, teddy bears, oatmeal, trash bags, and forks and spoons. Thank you to everyone who helped Stock the Inn.
Description: Our Sixth Annual Blessed Bloomers project was dedicated to Reverend Everett Wabst, chaplain to the New York City Fire Department and dear friend of Father Mychal. Results: Thanks to our kind and generous donors, a total of 6,135 items were distributed in our sixth annual underwear collection for the homeless (2,748 underwear, 1,236 T-shirts, and 2,151 pair of socks). Packaged as "Blessed Bloomers," they were distributed to homeless and poor men, women and children at the following locations: St. Francis of Assisi Breadline, New York, NY; CREATE, Harlem, NY; Graymoor Friars, Garrison, NY; St. Francis Inn, Philadelphia, PA; and Lancaster County Council of Churches, Lancaster, PA. One anonymous donor supplied Mychal's Message with $1,000 worth of socks and underwear this year, while donations of money, underwear, T-shirts and socks arrived from donors from all over the United States.
A recent note from Rev. Wabst: "I am greatly humbled by your wonderful tribute to the work I share with so many faithful servants of our Lord Jesus Christ...Thank you for such a personal touch and dedication...May God bless BLESSED BLOOMERS VI...but more importantly may God bless the gatherers of gifts as richly as those who receive those gifts."
Project Description: On Saturday, September 15, 2007, Lancaster area youth were invited to participate in an overnight experience in Mychal’s Village, a small makeshift village built on the back parking lot of St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Lancaster. There, they spent the evening in cardboard boxes to better understand the homeless men and women for whom they are doing this. Results: Sixty-five students participated and raised nearly $5,000 that will benefit the homeless in New York City, Lancaster, Harrisburg and Philadelphia. Read a full story about the event here.
Project Description: In a project unlike any we have done before, Mychal's Message wanted to help make a dream come true for Father Michael Duffy, the staff, volunteers and the homeless and poor who visit St. Francis Inn daily. Donations were collected to help purchase supplies to create an outdoor mural to represent the true Franciscan spirit. The hope is that it will reflect the compassion and love taking place on the other side of the wall and offer a statement of peace for all to see.
*** Results: A check in the amount of $2,500 was presented to Father Michael Duffy of St. Francis Inn to purchase paint, brushes and scaffolding supplies for the mural. Thank you to everyone who helped make this dream a reality for the staff in Philadelphia. Below is a photo of the finished mural.
A Note From Karen, in whose honor this project was named: "Thank you to everyone who made the mural at the St. Francis Inn possible. Thank you for all of your support and prayers. While we are influenced by circumstances, we too can have an influence. Peace in Christ, Karen Pointer"
Results:
Shannon teamed up with Sesame Street Live and the Homeless Student Project
of Lancaster, PA to bring 400 inner-city children to see the live
performance of Sesame Street Live at the Giant Center in Hershey, PA on
Friday, January 5, 2007. Lancaster Catholic High School was
responsible for raising over $2,500 to purchase the tickets for the day's
event. One-hundred of Shannon's high school classmates participated
in the as chaperones for the younger children.
To read more about our special day at Hershey, click
here.
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Home | Projects | About Fr. Mychal | About Mychal's Message | Donate Contact us: info@mychalsmessage.org Mychal's
Message logo and all graphic design graciously donated by
M. Scott Oatman
Graphic Design and Illustration.
Website development and maintenance donated by
UtterClarity. This page was last updated on: May 5, 2008. Mychal's Message, Inc. is registered as a charitable organization with the Department of State's Bureau of Charitable Organizations under the Solicitation of Funds for Charitable Purposes Act, 10 P.S. Section 16.2 et seq., and is authorized to solicit charitable contributions under the conditions and limitations set forth under the Act. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of State, Bureau of Charitable Organizations
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Because
of Mikie