Service Projects

2007 Service

The Board has approved a new service project for 2007. The project will be painting tote bags for the women at the Genesis shelter and providing some toiletries. A maximum of 100 bags is scheduled for 2 events for the year. As with the memory boxes, we can choose any design we want to paint. Pending is locating a wholesaler and purchasing the tote bags.

Memory boxes will still be available to paint if a member desires to do so.

The first painting day was held at the May meeting. Members attending painted almost 50 bags and were treated to pizza for lunch.

Peggy and Shannon (and hubbys) boxed up approximately 100 remaining memory boxes (18 cartons). Nancy Genetti has offered to deliver them to two chapters in Fort Worth that have volunteered to take them to several hospitals. This will save shipping expenses for our Chapter. Baylor Hospital in Irving, Texas has contacted Peggy and requested memory boxes which will be sent.

2006 Goal is to paint 300 memory Boxes. Co-chairs Shannon Gillespie

and Peggy Frieden have put together a book of patterns you can use for

memory boxes. Check out Memory Box Corner by clicking here.

Some of the 2006 Memory Boxes:

Donna Williams and Pam Proctors received small gifts of appreciation for painting the most memory boxes during 2006. Donna turned in 85 boxes and Pam 105 boxes. Many thanks go to Donna & Pam for their part in helping us reach our goal of 300 boxes this year.

Certificate of Appreciation

Our memory boxes are appreciated very much by the hospitals that we give the boxes to and the parents who receive them. Here is a letter we received:

From: Dalby, Linda

To: pjfrieden@aol.com ; shannon@slg-glg.com

Cc: mgemmil

Sent: Monday, December 04, 2006 10:36 AM

Subject: Memory Boxes

Dear Peggy, Shannon & Members of the Yellow Rose Chapter of the Society of Decorative Painters,

Deborah and I would like to sincerely thank you for the beautiful memory boxes we received today. We are so thrilled to get them as our annual Memorial Service is on Sunday for our families that have lost babies this past year and in previous years. We plan to put your boxes around the tree and think it will be a beautiful display. As always, the boxes are wonderful and we do sincerely thank you on behalf of our hospital and all the families that receive them.

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Linda Dalby and Deborah Ernst, RN

Methodist Dallas Medical Center

In 2005 The Yellow Rose chapter painted more than 250 memory boxes. Congratulations to all the members who painted boxes and helped the chapter surpass it's goal. Rory Morgan painted 44 boxes and received a paint rack as a thank you gift

The Chapter has been participating in the Memory Box Program for several years, donating painted boxes to Baylor Hospitals. The Memory Box Artist Program began in June 1998 to provide boxes to hospitals for the families of infants that pass away in the hospital. To date the program has provided more than 40,000 boxes for infant bereavement programs. For more information on the program click the rose or the link above.

The chapter has been having "Paint-ins" for memory box painting. Many boxes have been completed and sent to hospitals. Here are a few:

Painting Memory Boxes at the May 2005 Meeting:

Kathleen Ruyle taught a class to some of the church members. They painted memory boxes.

Several Memory Boxes used for Samples at the May Meeting

Painting Memory Boxes at the May 2004 Meeting

Here are some samples of boxes that have been painted and donated by Yellow Rose Members:

Journey's Home Hospice in Plano - coordinated by Marge Bode

Marge Bode, Joan Sahl, Betty Roberts and Ann James painted "Mimi's Garden Room".

Hope’s Door By Marge Bode

Hope’s Door, a shelter for battered women and their children, was our Community Service Project completed in March 2003.

The project, a mural in the children’s room and the teen room, required nearly 80 hours of painting. Those that showed up worked very hard. Many thanks to Betty Roberts, Ann James, Judy Fender, Joan Eddy, Joan Sahl, Rory Morgan, Peggy Trenham and new member Fumiko Shovlin. The paint was supplied by Delta. Two rooms were painted and the staff was most appreciative and excited about what we did.

Roller Bags for Children

At the May meeting, Chapter members painted roller bags for children at Hope's Door and Genesis Shelter. Doris Woodruff led the members with her wonderful painting talents and encouraged everyone to do something different. They turned our great. Will have pictures of all the bags turned in at the July Meeting.