WHAT’ S NEWS IN HAMPTON
HOWARD HANNA HAMPTON CHILDREN’ S CARE NETWORK FUNDRAISER
Recently, Howard Hanna Hampton held its annual Children’ s Care Network Fundraiser at Narcissi Winery. The event was a tremendous success, thanks to the food prepared by Narcissi Winery, the music from Tina Daniels and Company, and delectable desserts from Gigi’ s Cupcakes. The silent auction drew a crowd with fun and unique items. Howard Hanna extends a special thank-you to the sponsors and greatly appreciates all the guests who attended and made the event so successful. The staff is already looking forward to next year’ s event!
GREYBROOKE GARDEN CLUB
The Greybrooke Garden Club will meet on Jan. 10 at 9:30 a. m. in the Fellowship Hall of Parkwood United Presbyterian Church. Refreshments will follow the business meeting and precede an informal craft project of making Valentines for patients of a local personal care residence( materials provided).“ Valentines for Patients” provides opportunity for all present to enjoy an hour of fellowship.
A“ Visions of Spring” workshop is scheduled for the Feb. 14 meeting of the club. The program will be presented by members Master Gardener Karen Lampman and Second Vice President and Program Chair Bonnie MacDonald. For planning purposes for this program, guests are requested to RSVP to Barbro Kelley at 412.296.0538 by Feb. 9. Refreshments will be served following the business meeting and preceding the program.
Regular meetings of the Greybrooke Garden Club are held on the second Wednesday of the month at 9:30 a. m. at the church, located at 4289 Mt. Royal Boulevard in Hampton Township. Guests are welcome at all meetings.
For more information about the Greybrooke Garden Club, contact Barbro Kelley.
GOT SHOES? MEMORIAL PARK CHRISTIAN PRESCHOOL COLLECTS SOLES FOR JESUS
For some, fall means pumpkins and harvest festivals, but at Memorial Park Christian Preschool it means shoes. Each year, preschool and Memorial Park Church host a shoe drive benefiting Soles for Jesus, an overseas relief group that uses new and gently used shoes to make a life-changing difference in the lives of children and adults in 30 African countries.
Memorial Park Church serves as the main Pennsylvania collection site for the nonprofit organization, and each year members and MPCP families gather together to donate, sort, and package shoes before shipping them to the Soles for Jesus headquarters in Milwaukee, WI. Each pair of donated shoes then makes its way to selected countries in Africa to be distributed to children and adults in need. This small act of kindness enables children to attend school, adults to travel to work, and ultimately break the cycle of poverty in many African countries.
Former MPCP parents Don and Michelle Simon volunteer throughout the year to sort through the donations and band them together for shipment. They have been involved in the shoe drive for several years:“ We feel very blessed that God has put this mission of shoes on our hearts. We have been a part of helping thousands to have their physical needs met and bringing them closer to Jesus. The work we do
on a weekly basis, collecting and sorting shoes, brings us tremendous joy!”
Jan Moreth, Director of MPCP, also notes the opportunities the shoe drive provides, not only for the recipients of shoes, but for her students:“ The heightened awareness and collection of shoes for Soles for Jesus is one of several initiatives that we embrace as a preschool. Everyone wears shoes! So, a family with preschoolers simply needs to open up closet doors to see what isn’ t being worn before bringing them in. Most of us have many daily choices of shoes, so on one hand, students learn to share out of abundance. Some families actually go to buy shoes— giving that may‘ pinch’ a bit. Both acts of giving are valuable for children to be exposed to early on.”
The 2016 drive brought in over 10,000 pairs of shoes. With the success of the drive, boxes remained for donation throughout the remainder of the year, with a subsequent shipment of 5,000 pairs of shoes shipped out earlier this year. Sorting for the next shipment is still ongoing, but hopes are high for even bigger numbers than last year.
For more information on the Soles for Jesus collections— and other outreach initiatives at MPCP and Memorial Park Church— visit MemorialParkChurch. org. Shoe donations can be dropped off any time throughout the year in the boxes at the main church building by the preschool wing.
CELEBRATE THE SEASON WITH RING PITTSBURGH
Ring Pittsburgh handbell choir invites all to the group’ s holiday performances. Let them entertain you with a mix of seasonal favorites as they“ ring” in the joy of Christmas. For more information, visit facebook. com / RingPittsburgh and ringpittsburgh. org. ■
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