Princess Pillowcase Project Founder Awarded "Citizen of the Year Honoree"

There is some GREAT NEWS for the Project. Perhaps some of you who are local to my area might have read in The Northern News that I am being recognized with a Hoby Wolf Award as a “Citizen of the Year Honoree” for the community and charity work I do through the Princess Pillowcase Project. The awards banquet is this coming Thursday, March 22nd at the Manchester Volunteer Fire Department’s Activities building located on York Street in Manchester. It is open to the public. Tickets are $30.00 per person and tomorrow is the deadline to purchase tickets. If you have any interest I will be happy to get tickets for you. The social hour is from 6-7, dinner, which will be catered by Greenmount Station 7-8, and awards program at 8. I feel very fortunate that one of our missionaries will be able to join us. I certainly do not consider this a personal reward, but rather share it with the many, many people who have made this Project the success that it is. First and foremost thanks to the person I have come to rely on most, Kathy Diehl. Kathy has been with the project nearly from the start and has helped with every aspect. Thanks to all the leaders of various church groups, senior centers and home groups who have contributed much to our success. I hate to start naming names because there are just too many to remember all without going over 7 ½ years of notes and updates. However, I would like to thank again Karen Larrimore for her current leadership at South Carroll Senior Center and Patty Mattoon of “Let’s Dress the Girls” for her group’s participation in our project. Best wishes and good luck to our latest “offsprings”“Sew to Sow “and Karen Adkin’s group in Littlestown. Thanks to all our missionaries and medical teams who so excitingly and personally deliver our clothing. Just a few who have done, or continue to do, regular trips are Steve Hull, Robin Nicolson, Gwen Weilder, Vicki Blackson, Chris McWilliams and Jim Lanning. Thanks to those who have helped us make new connections with missionaries and their team members, Casina and Maretta, being among the latest.

Thanks to our many individual sewers who sew at home, either from their own supplies or from prepared kits.

We hold in heart and prayer those who served with us but are now with the Lord, Mary Wantz of Taneytown, Belle Stickles from Naomi Circle in Finksburg and Betty from Patty’s group, each of whom made over a thousand dresses and/or shorts. We were blessed to have these ladies serve with us. Thanks to local churches, especially Immanuel Lutheran Church in Manchester, who has supported us in many ways and the North and South Carroll Senior Centers who have given us space for our workshop days and to the ladies who have hosted sewing days in their homes. Thanks to Mike and Christa Crone of Manchester who have donated over 350 pair of new, professionally made shorts, to Donna and Denise who are our primary sewers of shorts, and to Sherry Crowl who has become our primary “panty” lady. Thanks to Bob who takes kits to our Hanover sewers and returns with finished dresses. Thanks to everyone who has donated supplies of any kind, especially Marilyn in Hagerstown. for her generous donations of ribbons and trims. Thanks to Lorrie Hopper, who takes all our scraps to Susan, who uses them to make pet beds for an animal rescue center, Susan wrote recently, “Hi Lorri! Once again your timing is wonderful! I just finished loading the completed beds and quilts from your last batch in the car yesterday. I was going to take them up today …… There was still some room in the back seat so I can make some more from this batch and go up with a full load later this week! Thanks again for all your generosity. They are always so grateful up at the animal shelter. God bless you for your kindness to these His creatures.” I will send a statistic report soon, but feel confident we have sent a thousand dresses to various places already this year.