To Africa, with love, from Neighbor to Neighbor

When Sandi Hubert of Concordia learned about the Little Dresses for Africa project from a sewing program on television, she knew it was a perfect fit for the women at the Neighbor to Neighbor center.

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“I thought this was an awesome project for the women learning to sew,” she said. So she talked with Sister Jean Befort, one of three sisters who run Neighbor to Neighbor, about recruiting women there to help.

As it turns out, the project is a perfect fit for other reasons, too.

“This is looking out beyond our own little community,” explained Marla Jorgensen, one of more than a dozen women at Neighbor to Neighbor who have embraced the project.

“And people involved are givers, when before they may have been used to being receivers,” added Jean Wilcox, who regularly volunteers to teach sewing at the center.

Neighbor to Neighbor, which opened two years ago and is operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph, serves the needs of women and women with young children throughout the Concordia area. And while it is designed as a welcoming center for all women, many of the regulars are women without many resources and in need of social services.

So this may be their first opportunity to give back, Wilcox said, and to join others from across the country in a grassroots project with big results.

What began in 2007 as a Michigan woman’s plan to make 1,000 dresses for the little girls she had seen while on a safari vacation in Kenya has grown into a worldwide collaboration of volunteers and donations. The idea is as simple as one neighbor helping another.

Little Dresses for Africa deliver a small dose of hope and love to girls across the poorest regions of Africa (and now, around the world), in the form of simple sheaths sewn by volunteers using mostly donated fabric and notions and then delivered by individual travelers — whether tourists, mission workers and even a National Geographic photographer — to wherever they’re needed.

So far more than 560,000 dresses from all 50 states have been distributed in 31 African countries so far, according to Little Dresses for Africa founder Rachel O’Neill of Brownstown, Mich. The nonprofit Christian organization has also sent dresses to Honduras, Guatemala, The Philippines, Cambodia, Mexico and Haiti, as well as poverty-stricken areas in the United States.

The women at Neighbor to Neighbor have as their goal adding 100 dresses to that number. They are more than half way there.

The “end product” — sometimes called “pillowcase dresses” because the simplest way to make them is from pillowcases — are brightly colored sheaths with ribbon ties at each shoulder.

To create them, the downtown center has become something of a mini-manufacturing line: On a recent afternoon, it includes one woman to cut the fabric, another to sew the seams, another to add binding to the edges and sew on the ties, still another to add the label (“Made with care, especially for you by your friends at Neighbor to Neighbor, Concordia, Kan., USA”) and a final woman to iron and package the dress and its also-handmade matching hair band. (And on this day there are also three little girls on hand to model the finished products.)

The women who have taken part are Jane Christensen, Verna Ferguson-Hamel, Nikki Haist-Richard, Marla Jorgensen, Genny Mihm, Alice Nondorf, Christina Pieri, Lisa Rabago, Cheryl Sulkosky, Ruby Tiller and Jean Wilcox. In addition, Ann Barnett and Lisa Bushett have made matching knit and fabric hair bands and ties to go with every dress.

Virtually all the materials for the dresses have been donated, said Sister Ramona Medina, another of the three sisters who founded Neighbor to Neighbor. “And as word of the work has gotten out, more donations of fabric, thread and binding have come in,” she added.

When the 100 dresses are completed, a woman from Hubert’s church, Concordia Wesleyan, will take as many as she can with her on her mission to the West African nation of Burkina Faso early this summer. Any she can’t take will be sent to the Michigan headquarters for distribution from there.

“One of (Rachel O’Neill’s) sayings is, ‘Joy is a new dress,’” Hubert said. “So this is women in Concordia spreading joy.”

To learn more about Little Dresses for Africa, you can go to the organization’s website: http://www.littledressesforafrica.org/

Santa surprises kids at Neighbor to Neighbor

It was 10 days early and there was nary a flake of snow to be seen, but Santa dropped in anyway, surprising the children gathered this afternoon at Neighbor to Neighbor.

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Clearly, the three Sisters of St. Joseph who operate the women’s center were in on the surprise since they had a gift for Santa to give each child. In fact, the moms and grandmoms and other women who regularly visit the center in downtown Concordia also each received a gift as part of today’s Christmas Party. Volunteers who on other days help out at Neighbor to Neighbor were guests, too. There were about 15 children and 20 or so women taking part.

Sisters Jean Befort, Ramona Medina and Pat McLennon hosted the party, with assistance from full-time volunteer Ali Remick.

Neighbor to Neighbor receives $4,000 from QuiltFest

Volunteers and committee members were on hand Tuesday evening (Nov. 15) as the KS 150 QuiltFest Committee gave Neighbor to Neighbor $4,000 that was raised during the first-ever event in October.

Gerry Pounds of Glasco, who came up with the idea of a quilt show to benefit the women’s center in downtown Concordia, presented an oversized check to Sisters Jean Befort, Pat McLennon and Ramona Medina during a simple reception at Neighbor to Neighbor.

The center opened in May 2010 at 103 E. Sixth St. and is operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia for women and women with young children. In addition to the three sisters, its staff includes a growing cadre of volunteers.

There is never any cost to the women taking part; all the programs are offered free, with funding coming from a handful of grants and individual donations. The QuiltFest marked the first time proceeds from an event directly benefited the center.

Pounds, who is an avid and experienced quilter, wanted to do something to help the center and more than a year ago began recruiting volunteers to put together an event. That group — which ultimately included Susie Haver and Tammy Britt of the Cloud County Convention and Tourism office, Sister Betty Suther of Manna House of Prayer, Linda Houser of Jade Travel, Marsha Doyenne of Fabric Essentials and quilter Bonnie Strait of Jamestown — developed the idea of the two-day QuiltFest held Oct. 7 and 8.

A total of 216 quilted items, including about 180 full-size quilts, were exhibited at the Nazareth Motherhouse and at Living Hope Foursquare Church in Concordia. There were also quilting demonstrations, a vendors’ hall, an evening social and a “quilters’ thrift shop” as part of the event.

The QuiltFest’s featured event was the dinner and quilt auction Saturday evening, where 20 pieces had been donated for sale. Those donating quilts were asked to give at least a portion of the proceeds to Neighbor to Neighbor.

Bidders ultimately anted up more than $6,000 for the items, and took home pieces ranging from a Northcott Flower of the Month tabletopper and a Baby Cat child’s quilt to king-size and antique quilts in an array of designs and colors. The featured item of the evening was a Harley-Davidson quilt made and donated by Sister Betty Suther.

On Tuesday evening, Gerry Pounds said the QuiltFest Committee plans another event in two years, but no date or details have been set.

Sponsors of this year’s event included the Knot-Tea Ladies Quilt Guild of Glasco, Cloud County Convention and Tourism, Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, Stained Glass Stitchers of Concordia, Concordia Lutheran Church and Living Hope Foursquare Church.

Charity auction puts finishing touch on QuiltFest

Bidders anted up more than $6,400 to take home 20 quilted pieces and support the Neighbor to Neighbor center as the KS 150 QuiltFest ended Saturday evening.

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The evening at the Parish Hall of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church began with a dinner for about 70 people, followed by an auction of pieces that ranged from a Northcott Flower of the Month tabletopper and a Baby Cat child’s quilt to king-size and antique quilts in an array of designs and colors. The featured item of the evening was a Harley-Davidson quilt made and donated by Sister Betty Suther.

The highest price of the evening was $825 for a queen-sized quilt named “Oopsie Daisy,” which was made and donated by Beverly Olson and quilted by Ann Houtchen. The first item auctioned garnered the second highest price — $700 for a queen-size quilt named “The Lady DeWinter,” which was made and donated Gerry Pounds of Glasco, who had come up with the idea for the entire two-day QuiltFest.

Pounds wanted to do something to benefit the Neighbor to Neighbor center, a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph that opened in downtown Concordia in May 2010.  More than a year ago, she began bringing together people who would eventually become a planning committee for the two-day exhibit of more than 210 quilts, plus a Friday evening social for quilters and the Saturday dinner and auction.

Quilters who donated a piece to the auction were asked to give at least a portion of the proceeds to Neighbor to Neighbor, and proceeds from all the other events will also go to the women’s center in downtown Concordia.

Tammy Britt of the Cloud County Tourism and Convention office, who was part of the organizing committee, said that an estimate of the amount to be donated to Neighbor to Neighbor should be available by Monday.

For earlier reports that include slideshows of other QuiltFest events, click on the links below:

Setting up the exhibits

Friday’s evening “quilters’ social”

Exhibits all day Saturday

For a special slideshow featuring samples from the exhibits, CLICK HERE.

Quilters spend Saturday energizing for auction

For photos and more information on KS 150 QuiltFest, CLICK HERE.

 For a special slideshow featuring samples from the exhibits, CLICK HERE.

Exhibits in two locations of more than 210 quilts, vendors selling quilted items and quilting supplies, a donation-only “quilters’ thrift shop” and experts demonstrating intricate quilting techniques… You’d think it would be a quilt overload. But people browsing through the exhibits at the Nazareth Motherhouse and the Living Hope Foursquare Church all day Saturday could talk about nothing else — and many were looking forward to the quilt auction this evening at the Catholic Church Parish Hall.

The church is at 307 E. Fifth St. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., with the auction scheduled to begin about 7:45. There is no admission charge to take part in the auction.

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There will be 20 pieces in the auction, including a Harley-Davidson quilt featuring logos of the motorcycle company in the trademark black, brown and orange colors. Donors were asked to give at least a portion of the proceeds to Neighbor to Neighbor.

Sponsors of the KS 150 QuiltFest include the Knot-Tea Ladies Quilt Guild of Glasco, Kan., Cloud County Convention and Tourism, Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, Stained Glass Stitchers of Concordia, Concordia Lutheran Church  and Living Hope Foursquare Church.

Quilts, quilts, quilts and more quilts

For details on exhibit hours for Saturday, Oct. 8, and information on the quilt auction Saturday evening, CLICK HERE.

For a special slideshow featuring samples from the exhibits, CLICK HERE.

A woman born in Hope, Kan., in 1886 tool center stage at the Lutheran Church’s Fellowship Hall Friday evening to wrap up the first day of Concordia’s KS150 QuiltFest.

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Renowned quilter Rose Kretsinger — portrayed in period dress and mannerisms by Debbie Devine of Salina — who was at the heart of what has been called “the Emporia, Kansas phenomenon,” a small group of women who produced some of the 20th century’s finest quilts. Kretsinger studied design at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, graduating in 1908. She studied in Europe for a year, then returned to Chicago and designed jewelry. After marrying, she moved to Emporia with her husband. In 1926, she made her first quilt, initially finding the handwork a consoling form of therapy after her mother’s death.

In Devine’s presentation, she told the life story of the late Kretsinger, who died in 1963, and talked about her philosophy of quilting.

After her presentation, the audience of about 40 — mostly quilters themselves — had a chance to chat over cookies, punch and cookie and talk with Devine about Kretsinger and her work.

The QuiltFest continues all day Saturday, with exhibits at the Nazareth Motherhouse and Living Hope Foursquare Church. The first-ever event concludes Saturday evening with an auction of 20 quilts and quilted pieces at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, 307 E. Fifth St. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., with the auction scheduled to begin about 7:45. There is no admission charge to take part in the auction.

QuiltFest was organized and sponsored by a variety of local organizations and groups, and proceeds will go to Neighbor to Neighbor, a center for women in downtown Concordia operated by the SIsters of St. Joseph of Concordia.

For details on exhibit hours for Saturday, Oct. 8, and information on the quilt auction Saturday evening, CLICK HERE.

UPDATE: CASA claims chili bragging rights

The winner of Thursday evening’s Chili for Charity is CASA (or Court Appointed Special Advocates), for chili made and served by Brown Business Services.

CASA was among 11 local organizations took to the streets… er, fire hall for chili bragging rights and the chance at a little cash. And Concordians turned out in force despite the last-minute decision to move the annual Chili for Charity event from the streets and sidewalks at Sixth and Washington to the Concordia Fire Department.

As the fundraiser began at 5 p.m., winds in downtown Concordia were gusting to about 45 mph, according to AccuWeather.

A total of $675 was raised, according to Sister Jean Befort of Neighbor to Neighbor, one of the co-sponsors of the event, and every organization taking part received a portion of the proceeds, based on how many “votes” each received. CASA was the top votegetter, with Neighbor to Neighbor coming in second and Big Brothers Big Sisters capturing third.

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Each contestant  offered a sample of homemade chili — some with fixin’s and others unadorned. A few even sweetened things up with after-chili treats of mints, brownies and sugar-coated doughnut holes. Also representing the Sisters of St. Joseph was Helping Hands, the food pantry at Manna House of Prayer. Many of the organizations had individuals or other supporters doing the cooking and serving for them. The other organizations taking part, with the “preparers” in parentheses, were:

• National Orphan Train Complex (Roberta Lowery)
• Big Brothers Big Sisters (Concordia Fire Department)
• Cloud County Food Bank (Cloud County Community College)
• Club 81 (Resident Assistants)
• NCK Honor Flight (Bev Mortimer and USD 333)
• Fellowship of Christian Athletes (Scott Coppoc)
• Bentley’s Buddies (Jared and Dawn Thoman)
• Bentley’s Badges (with two entries, by Doug and Holly Thoman and Justin and Mandy Davis)

Those buying tickets to sample the chilis received three votes to award to their favorite chili, or their favorite charity. The proceeds from the evening were divided based on the number of votes each organization received.

This year’s event was sponsored by the Neighbor to Neighbor center in downtown Concordia and Cloud County Community College.

 

Volunteers, staff turn Motherhouse into quilt exhibit hall

For a special slideshow featuring samples from the exhibits, CLICK HERE.

Volunteers from quilt guilds throughout north central Kansas, along with sisters and staff members, pitched in Wednesday to turn the Nazareth Motherhouse into the main exhibit hall for this weekend’s KS 150 QuiltFest.

Nearly 220 quilts from across Kansas and across time will be on display Friday and Saturday (Oct. 7 and 8). And 16 of those quilts — including a Harley-Davidson quilt made by Sister Betty Suther — will be sold at an auction Saturday evening, with all bidders invited to attend.

The first-ever event includes quilt displays, quilting demonstrations, a vendors’ hall and a “quilters’ thrift shop,” all to benefit Neighbor to Neighbor, the women’s center in downtown Concordia.

The two main exhibit sites will be:

• Nazareth Motherhouse at 13^th and Washington streets. Displays there will be open from 1 to 5 p.m. Friday and from 9 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday. Tours of the landmark 1902 building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will also be available during those times.

• Living Hope Foursquare Church, 129 W. Sixth St. Displays there will be open from 1 to 5 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

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The Cloud County Museum, 634 Broadway, will also have its collection of vintage quilts on display.

Throughout the two-day event, there will also be quilting demonstrations, vendors and the thrift shop — featuring quilting fabric, notions, patterns and books — at Living Hope Foursquare Church.

On Friday evening beginning at 7 there’s a special free “quilters’ social” at the Concordia Lutheran Church, 325 E. Eighth St.  The evening includes a presentation by Debbie Devine of Salina, who performs as Rose Kretsinger, who was at the heart of what has been called “the Emporia, Kansas phenomenon,” a small group of women who produced some of the 20th century’s finest quilts.

Kretsinger was born in Hope, Kan., and studied design at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, graduating in 1908. She studied in Europe for a year, then returned to Chicago and designed jewelry. After marrying, she moved to Emporia with her husband. In 1926, she made her first quilt, initially finding the handwork a consoling form of therapy after her mother’s death.

In Devine’s presentation, she tells the life story of the late Kretsinger and talks about her philosophy of quilting.

Admission for all the displays and other daytime events both Friday and Saturday is $5, with children younger than 12 admitted free with an adult. Each admission includes one ticket to the Saturday evening drawing for one of two quilts. Additional tickets for the quilt drawings will also be for sale, for $2 each or five for $5. Admission and drawing tickets will be available at both the Motherhouse and Living Hope Church.

The QuiltFest’s featured event will be the quilt auction Saturday evening at the parish hall of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., with the auction scheduled to begin about 7:45. There is no admission charge to take part in the auction.

There will be 16 quilts for the auction, including the Harley-Davidson quilt featuring logos of the motorcycle company in the trademark black, brown and orange colors. Donors were asked to give at least a portion of the proceeds to Neighbor to Neighbor.

The center opened in May 2010 at 103 E. Sixth St. and is operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia for women and women with young children. Its staff is made up of Sisters Pat McLennon, Jean Befort and Ramona Medina, along with a growing cadre of volunteers.

From Monday through Friday, the sisters and volunteers offer classes and services that range from one-on-one tutoring for GED exams and book studies to providing a place to do laundry or take showers and classes in sewing, baking, lacemaking and household budgeting. Individual counseling services are also available as needed, as is help in navigating the social services maze. And, for some moms, the center has become a place to go with their young children, to give the kids a chance to play and the women a chance to befriend other moms.

There is never any cost to the women taking part; all the programs are offered free, with funding coming from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, a handful of grants and individual donations. The QuiltFest marks the first time proceeds from an event will benefit the center.

Sponsors of the KS 150 QuiltFest include the Knot-Tea Ladies Quilt Guild of Glasco, Kan., Cloud County Convention and Tourism, Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, Stained Glass Stitchers of Concordia, Concordia Lutheran Church  and Living Hope Foursquare Church.

Employees, job-seekers get a chance to be the B.E.S.T.

The first batch of Concordia’s B.E.S.T. employees will complete their two-day training program Friday.

The “Basic Employability Skills Training” — or B.E.S.T. — program was offered free of charge at Neighbor to Neighbor, and sponsored by Neighborhood Initiatives Inc., a new office of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia. Eight women and one man enrolled in the series of eight classes that cover everything from punctuality and dependability to customer service and workplace ethics. Participants receive a certificate of completion for each class.

The sisters who staff Neighbor to Neighbor provided child care and lunch — both at no charge — to the B.E.S.T. participants.

“This is about allowing your employees to get better, and about finding people who have the basic skills you need,” said Cheryl Lyn Higgins, coordinator for Neighborhood Initiatives. Higgins was instrumental in creating B.E.S.T. when she was president and CEO of the Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce.

The program is now offered statewide by the Kansas Department of Commerce through Kansas Works, but Higgins was able to arrange to offer it free in Concordia because one of the Sisters of St. Joseph was trained to teach it when she worked for the Commerce Department. Sister Jan McCormick of Chapman, Kan., is leading the sessions at Neighbor to Neighbor today and Friday.

Higgins hosted a lunch for employers in May to tell them about the B.E.S.T. program and gauge local interest. Several employers at that lunch said that the completion certificates could be a valuable tool in screening potential workers, while employees and job-seekers alike could benefit from the basic skills offered.

Higgins and McCormick hope to schedule another B.E.S.T. session in the near future. Interested employers or job-seekers can contact Higgins for information at 243-2113, ext. 1215, or at clhiggins@csjkansas.org.

Downtown center welcomes donors, ‘neighbors’

Memories and amazement were both in steady supply as Neighbor to Neighbor hosted two open houses this week to show off its newly expanded space.

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Longtime Concordians remembered earlier uses for the 1888 two-story building at 103 E. Sixth St.: An appliance and TV store, a Sears catalog center, a bar, an upstairs roller-skating rink in the years around World War II and an auto dealership sometime before that.

Amazement came from the way in which the Sisters of St. Joseph have brought the 123-year-old building back to life as a vibrant center for women in downtown Concordia.

The three women who operate the center — Sisters Pat McLennon, Jean Befort and Ramona Medina — invited donors to a special reception Wednesday evening, and then opened the doors Thursday evening for the entire community. With assistance from other sisters who live in Concordia, they gave tours and provided information about Neighbor to Neighbor and the programs offered there.

On Wednesday evening, Father Barry Brinkman of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church gave a blessing in each of the special rooms on the second floor.

The Sisters of St. Joseph purchased the two-story brick building in April 2009, and facilities manager Greg Gallagher knew that the project would require extensive renovation — particularly on the second floor, which had not been used for anything other than storage for decades.

Through the spring and summer of 2009, the entire building was cleaned out and the lath and plaster removed from the walls. The only other work upstairs was to remove the boards that had filled the three large windows facing Sixth Street and replace them with new vinyl windows.

Then the work upstairs stopped.

Downstairs, on the main floor, Nazareth Motherhouse employees completely refinished the space, adding new plumbing, lighting, a heating and cooling system, interior walls, a complete kitchen, bathroom facilities, a laundry room, flooring and all the finishings.

When Neighbor to Neighbor opened in May 2010, its 2,000 square feet seemed to offer ample space for the women and their young children who would be welcomed there by the three sisters and a growing cadre of volunteers.

There is never any cost to the women taking part; all the programs are offered free, with funding coming from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, a handful of grants and individual donations.

“This is about one neighbor helping another,” as Sister Ramona explains it.

And the neighbors throughout Cloud County and beyond have responded — the center is often packed throughout the day.

So Gallagher and the sisters last fall began working on a plan to bring the 2,057 square feet of space upstairs back to life. Work began in December 2010, with Motherhouse employees again doing the bulk of the work. Employees working on the project include Gene Gangstrom, Curtis Mansfield, Jim Helton, T.J. Hayne, Brad Snyder, Bob Kearn and Renn Allsman.

At the same time, the workers created a “half story,” converting some of the space allowed by the original 20-foot ceilings into a large walk-in storage space between the two floors. This has given the center room to store arts and craft supplies and other donations.

The open and airy second floor now includes an art room, a private counseling or small meeting room, two more bathrooms and a kitchenette that looks out over a large and well-stocked play area for children.

A special fund-raising drive to pay for the second-floor expansion began at the same time as the renovation work. Donors could support the project with a gift of $24.33 per foot — for however many feet they wanted — to help cover the project’s costs. So far, donations have covered about 1,750 square feet, with about 300 left to go.

If you’d like to make a donation to help with the renovation cost or to support Neighbor to Neighbor, you may give a gift through a secure server using Pay Pal. Just click the DONATE button below.

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