The Babies are Coming!

There are so many uncertainties in life, and things happen in their own time. One thing that you can pretty much count on though, is that nine months after troops return from deployment, a lot of tiny Marines will start to report for duty.

In the coming months and throughout the year, many babies will be born to our military families. While each birth is a wonderful blessing, it is sad that many of these babies will have to wait to meet their daddies who are away on deployment. That's why its so important that our Marine Corps Kids gifts don't stop after the holidays. We want to be able to send care packages to as many babies and military moms as we can.

Just today I made contact with two new volunteers on Marine bases. In 2009 Marine Corps Kids will continue to expand and our efforts will reach even more families.

Please continue to be as generous as you can.

A thank you note from Base

I received a beautiful Christmas card in the mail yesterday addressed to Marine Corps Kids. It is from Rachel, a Family Readiness Officer at Twentynine Palms, CA.

Rachel wrote:

Thank you for your thoughtful giving to the the US Marine Corps... My unit, VMU-1, was returning from deployment in Iraq... the temperature dropped & we got several inches of snow here in the dessert!! ... The hats were a surprise and welcomed gift as the families tried to stay warm while waiting for their Marines.

We are so grateful for the unique way in which you show your support to our Marines. Truly, the work of your hands has warmed the hearts of many.

To all of our charitable crafters who send gifts throughout the year, your hand-work is received, used, and very much appreciated. I hope it puts a smile on your face to know that your donations have reached so many families!

In the new year, Marine Corps Kids will continue sending gifts for the newborn babies and the children of our deployed troops. Your gift, no matter how big or small, goes a long way. I hope you will all continue to support our military families in whatever way you can.

I wish each and every one of you a very happy new year!

Thank you all for your continued support!

Delia

Buddy, can you spare a dime?

It's never easy to ask for money, but when it's for a great cause, it's worth the asking.

Thanks to the generosity of our charitable crafters and the support of Marine Corps Family Foundation, we've been able to send gifts to hundreds of babies born to our deployed Marines and Soldiers. The needs are ongoing, and I'm delighted that more and more people are hearing about our cause and sending gifts for the kids!

Distributing these gifts to our military families costs money. We are working with volunteers on bases to help us distribute the gifts, and this keeps our operating costs at a minimum. Still, there is an ongoing need for funds to cover postage costs.

Marine Corps Kids has no overhead costs. 100% of donated funds are used to cover our postage charges. Your tax deductible donations can be made with PayPal on-line through the Marine Corps Family Foundation site , or you can send a check to:

Marine Corps Family Foundation
4000 Lancaster Drive- Suite 57
Salem, OR 97309

Just mark your on-line donation or check "Marine Corps Kids" and it will be earmarked for our postage costs.

Every dollar helps. Thank you for your generosity!!

Delia

More Hats from Lynn!!!

I received another box today from Lynn in AZ. The hats in this photo are less than half of what she sent.

Thank you, Lynn!!! As always, the hats are beautiful and are going to make the holidays really warm for a lot of families!!!

Positively Speachless!!!

I'm not actually speechless (those who know me know that I can talk and talk and talk), but I really don't have the words to express what I am feeling right now.

When I arrived home from work today, there was a rather large box for Marine Corps Kids. I can only imagine how much the new moms enjoy receiving new gifts, but I'm always delighted to receive packages for Marine Corps Kids and see all the wonderful gifts inside!

When I opened the box that arrived today, I was speechless! It was amazing how much love was squeezed into the box!!!! Here's what it looked like!



The box was so beautifully packed. You could see the love that went into each piece and the care that went into packing them for the kids! I unpacked 32 pairs of beautiful booties and 4 adorable hats! This photo shows only a some of them!!



But there was so much more. There was a second layer of beautiful handmade items!



That layer included 50 hats and 35 more pairs of Booties! These are just a few of them!





And beneath that, believe it or not, was a third layer of 79 hats!!!



Everything is so beautiful! It really takes my breath away!

There are hats and booties for newborns, for toddlers and for tiny preemies. They are all beautifully knit and crocheted in an amazing assortment of soft and wonderful yarns!

There was no note included in the box. It came from Kathryn in Corsicana, Tx. Kathryn, I don't know if you made all these wonderful pieces, or if you are part of a group of charitable crafters, but you are amazing. This package will ship to the babies on time for the holidays, and the mom's will feel so much love when they see all the beautiful gifts that have been sent.

I hope everyone who made these items will see this post and know just how much their donations are appreciated!!

More gifts from Kansas!

Our crafters from Kansas sent another package of wonderful gifts!!!

Judy knitted the adorable red, white and blue Christmas Stockings! They are really adorable, and will be perfect for goodies this Christmas!!

The beautiful purple blanket was made by Patsy. Glee sent the little baby booties.

All of these gifts are fantastic! They're already boxed up and ready to go to the post office tomorrow. Our military families will have them before Christmas.

Thank you again for your continued support and all your beautiful work!!

Thank you, Rosie!!!

I received a box in the mail today from Rosie in Huntsville, AL. Rosie is a new donor who read about Operation Marine Corps Kids online. She sent a box filled with the most delightful sweaters, hats, and booties! The snapshots that I took do no justice to these adorable gifts!!! The photos also don't show all of items that Rosie sent, but you can see them in our photo album (link to the right on our main page)

Rosie, Thank you so much! Our military moms are going to be delighted to receive your gifts and to see their precious newborns clothed in such beautiful outfits!

Thanks also to your husband for his 22 years of service to our country, and to your entire family!!