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| Notes from Ryan Varju, Director of Operations & Technology |
Feb./Mar. 2010 |
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| Getting to know fellow volunteers one recipe at a time... |
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| with Volunteer, Ingrid Van Dril |
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| What day of the week do you volunteer and when did you join us for the first time? |
Ingrid: I volunteer as a client aide on Thursdays in the a.m. and began volunteering as a sorter in the warehouse in April 2005. |
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| If you had one word that best describes yourself, what would it be? |
Ingrid: Loyal (Ryan: I'd also add resourceful as even on the slow days she always comes up with something to work on). |
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| What brought you to Sharing Connections as a volunteer? What keeps you returning each week? |
Ingrid: I love the idea of giving the donors overabundance to those who are so appreciative to receive it. After donating one day, I asked how I could become a part of sharing Connections and I was welcomed right away. Plus, the friends I have made are so fun, loving and easy going. We have a special camaraderie. |
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| What is one thing that other volunteers may not know about you? |
Ingrid: I used to run an art camp for neighborhood kids in my backyard over five summers. I love to create and play and discover with the kids. |
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| Can you tell us about a "Sharing Connections" moment you've experienced since you've been here? |
Ingrid: More than once I had been working with a client and could not fulfill their order for a certain item because we simply didn't have it on the shelves. Then the doorbell rings and a donor appears with the very item requested. The item is handed from the donor directly to the client. It is a great feeling for all involved. |
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Recipe to Share... |
Overnight French Toast |
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Mmmm... this sounds good any time of the day. This recipe provided by Ingrid Van Dril.
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You'll need the following ingredients:
- 1 Large loaf of day-old french bread
- 8 Large eggs
- 3 1/2 Cups milk
- 1 Cup sugar, divided use
- 1 Tbs. vanilla extract
- 1 Tbs. cinnamon
- 1 Tbs. nutmeg
- 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored and cut into slices
- 1/2 Cup chopped nuts, optional
Spray 9" x 13" pan with non-stick cooking spray. Slice bread in 1 1/2" slices then arrange in pan tightly together. In a bowl, beat eggs, 1/2 cup of the sugar, milk and vanilla. Pour 1/2 of the mixture onto the bread. Place apples on top of bread to cover. Pour remaining milk/egg mixture on top of apples. Mix remaining 1/2 cup sugar with cinnamon and nutmeg. Sprinkle evenly over apples. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover dish. Sprinkle on chopped nuts, if so desired. Bake for 1 hour. Remove and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Serve with warm syrup and powdered sugar.
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| Sharing the Great Experiences |
What better way to start this e-blast off then to share with you the "Thanks" we've received from clients? We wanted to make sure to include in this edition some of the most recent comments from letters we've received.
- "There are many stories that I can tell, but we had parents that have children sleeping on the floor, without a table to sit at that burst into tears when they went to Sharing Connections Furniture Bank and saw the beds, tables, towels and other items that they could take home." - Joy Aaronson, Lifelink
- “Thank you so much for the people of Sharing Connections in helping our family furnishing our home. We are very thankful; Sharing Connections helped our family a lot.” – Pasillas family
- “Thank you, Sharing Connections, for transforming my house into a home and for making my three kids and me happy by making my home more comfortable and beautiful. May God keep blessing you so you can bless more families like mine.” – Quintanillas
- “To all you great people, I thank you all so much for making this happen. I’m a young man but a hard worker. I try so hard to support for my family. So I am grateful for every little and big thing you’re doing to make my first house a home. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.” – Michael Lovering
- “Hi, I’m Veronica Cisneros. I want to tell you how grateful I am for the help you have provided us. I have no words how to thank you for everything. May God bless you.”
Great Job Everyone!
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| 1st Annual Spring Thank You Lunch |
A huge congratulations goes out to Tuesday volunteers Kristyn Vaneekeren and Kathy Morris on turning an idea into a reality in just two weeks.
On Tuesday, March 9th, their idea of an open house for referring agents became a reality. Working closely with staff member Sandi Hively (and support from staff and volunteers) they took an idea and ran with it - providing a full lunch (main food items provided by Vanee Foods) and tours by board members Dave Cain, Tom Hough, Tom Hushek and Dave Ludwig.
64 agents, new and existing, attended - everyone leaving with a "goodie" bag, the opportunity to provide us feedback on how we can strengthen our relationship, and the opportunity to get to know us better. This huge success for Sharing Connections Furniture Bank would not have happened without the drive, dedication and great ideas from our volunteers. |
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| Shop & Share on April 13th, 2010! |
Shop for the latest fashions at Lord & Taylor and support Sharing Connections Furniture Bank!
Purchase a $5 ticket today by visiting us at our Downers Grove office - or via online and...
- We keep 100% of all ticket sales.
- Each ticket includes a 20% bonus coupon to be used on one special item and a 15% savings pass to be used all day long on regular and sale-priced merchandise store wide including cosmetics and fragrances.
- Current Lord & Taylor cardholders receive an additional 10% on top of all the other great savings.
- Open a new charge and receive an extra 15% off your purchase.
- Drop off your ticket stub(s) at Lord & Taylor on Fundraising Day to automatically enter us for a chance to win the Attendance Sweepstakes.
Sharing Connections Furniture Bank will be eligible to receive a share of ticket sales on the day of the event if we sell at least 50 tickets prior to Fundraising Day! Help us reach our goal! Visit our website for more info or...
CLICK HERE to purchase your tickets online! |
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| It's Time to Celebrate...YOU! |
Mark your calendar for the week of APRIL 26TH, 2010, because we are ready to lift you up and put you on our shoulders (before lunch of course).
We're very excited this year as we'll be adding a brand new plaque to the wall...2,500 hours displaying a single name (is it you?) - plus, two new additions to our 1,500 hour plaque, and a new name added to our 1,000 hour plaque. By the end of the week we will have celebrated over 35 new volunteer achievements that also include the volunteer levels of 750 hours, 300 hours and 100 hours. WOW, what a year!
It doesn't end there - bring your appetite and good conversation because we'll be providing lunch every day - and who knows what other surprises we'll come up with. Karaoke? Wii bowling? You'll have to be there to find out. Watch for RSVP info in April. |
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We would like to acknowledge those new faces who volunteered their time in January & February 2010... |
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Caitlin Arens |
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Kevin Broderick |
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Emily Capone |
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Alex Dollerschell |
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Dawn Dollerschell |
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Joseph Gaglielmi |
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Brittany Hughes |
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Jasmine Jaramillo |
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Betsy Kahlbarugh |
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Patricia Lawrence |
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Emily Mack |
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Colleen Murphy |
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Debbie O'Riley |
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Timothy O'Riley |
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Jessica Polson |
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Danielle Wright |
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*** |
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I want your comments, suggestions and feedback on everything from the warehouse to this e-blast! |
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- Comment Form |
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Are you on Facebook? Become a fan of SCFB today by visiting the link below! |
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- BECOME A FAN |
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Do you belong to a church, org. or group that would enjoy having Sandi Hively or Lori Reiss come out and talk about SCFB? Contact Sandi today below via email or call 630-971-0565 x229! |
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- Contact Sandi |
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| Goodbye Snow...Hello Grill |
Is it just me or is anyone else really itching to fire up the grill? Well, as you surely know me too well by now, my mind is already thinking of things to cook as the warmer weather begins to move in. I've been experimenting with a couple different ideas that I'll be testing on you from May to August. Why so far away? Well, you'll still be full from the volunteer appreciation lunch and it at least lets me space out each day of the week over four months. Who am I kidding, we all know I'll be cooking on the grill before May... ;)
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Until next time... |
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