Red Scarf Project 2007

Button Bugaboos

I'm harried.  And hurried.  And too snowed under.  So the buttons for the Red Scarf Blog are being royal pains in my ass.  They start out fine, but then they melt off the page.  And I've tried to fix it many times and submitted a help ticket.  I'm sure I'll get it resolved in due time, but in the meantime, please go to this entry to get your buttons, because I can't spend the time it takes to get it fixed right now. 

And now I'll be taking a blog time out.  I'll be back soon.

FAQ

PLEASE READ THIS THOROUGHLY TO BE SURE YOU STILL HAVE A QUESTION BEFORE EMAILING FOR ANSWERS. 

Background Info on the Red Scarf Project

Quoting in part from the Orphan Foundation of America, sponsor of this program:

OFA's Care Package Program focuses attention on the plight of unadopted foster youth, and their need for post-secondary educational and career opportunities. 

Care packages from home are a practical and emotional lifeline for most college students. But thousands of former foster youth can only look on as their roommates and friends open boxes from home filled with love and support.

OFA has been sending care packages to students since 1993. The packages typically include snacks, dorm accessories, school supplies and toiletries donated by national companies and organizations.

Studies show less than 50% of foster youth graduate from high school, and less than 10% go on to post-secondary education or vocational training. The Orphan Foundation of America advocates for older foster youth who were never adopted and provides a comprehensive scholarship program. OFA administers over $11.5 million in scholarship and state voucher money to students in all 50 states.

"Receiving a Care Package is more than just getting stuff, it's evidence that someone cares," said OFA Executive Director Eileen McCaffrey. "In this rich country we can afford to reach out to every young person who has no family and invest in their dreams. A Care Package shows them they are valued and an important part of the community."

"Jesse," an OFA scholarship recipient at the University of Michigan, wrote last year, "I was very excited to receive this package ... since I don't get mail from anyone. I feel lonely from time to time. So when I receive a package, I realize I'm really not alone."

The Care Package Program is part of OFA's mission to offer these youngsters help, guidance and encouragement as they endeavor to become productive adults, employees and citizens.

The red scarves that knitters and crocheters make for this project will be put in Valentine's Day 2007 care packages for these very brave young people who, despite many hardships, are attending college.  Getting these packages will let them know they are cared for and hopefully give them encouragement to stay the course.  Think of the scarf you make as a hug for someone who, despite all odds, is working hard to get an education and trying to make his or her life, and therefore the life of our extended community, better. 

I know how much college kids love to receive care packages.  All humility aside, I think I am a champion care package sender to my daughter and her friends. My daughter has been living away from home for the school year now for going on eight years.  She is comparatively privileged.  We are not wealthy.  We have made many sacrifices in order to be able to send her to the schools she has wanted to attend, and continue to work hard to pay the tuition and the bills.  But we are an extremely close threesome (she is our only child) and she has as much support and love as anyone I can probably think of.  She is independent and self-assured, but boy, does she love those packages and mail from home. 

I don't spend a lot of money for the things inside of my care packages -- many of them are handmade things such as the t-shirt tops I've been writing about in my blog recently.  She and her friends just love getting something - anything - in the mail.  Funny notes, newspaper clippings, whatever.  Some parents don't seem to keep up with the packages as much as I do, but some people don't even have any caring people in their lives to send them anything.  That's what this program is about -- sending care packages to those perhaps most in need of some encouragement.

What many people don't realize is that many of these young people don't even have a place to go on school breaks.  This phenomenon was highlighted to me when Abigail was in boarding school, when it suddenly hit me that the dorms are closed down and people are told they must vacate by 4 p.m. on a certain date.  The school would make arrangements with local families, for a fee, to foster-house some of the international students who could not afford to go home.  It's the same scenario at college.  Where do these people who have aged out of foster care go?  It tugs at my heart.  Some of them may still have relationships with their old foster families, but I am quite sure that is a very tiny percentage.

Want some eye candy?  Last year Gale went down to the packing party for the Red Scarf care packages. Go see here.
 

Welcome and Thanks for your Patience

(UPDATE AT END)

Come on in, everybody.  The party's still open.  Think of it as an open house -- it'll be open right up until mailing time next January.  Have some hors d'oeuvres and punch.   

I'm still working on moving mountains of work (it's all good), and as soon as I can see my way clear, I will send out invitations to those who have said they want to participate, so you will be able to post here about your scarves.  You don't need to have a blog to participate, and you won't need to do anything special except accept the invitation. 

Meanwhile, put this blog on your Bloglines or other feedreader, or bookmark it in some other way....or just keep checking in regularly for updates.

Have a look at the great care labels Mel has made.  (see the link she placed in the comments)  She also made a button.

UPDATE:  My original intent was to enable people to post as guest authors, but it has become more complicated than I'd like.  I've decided to keep it simple, so instead, please post links to your finished projects in the comments anywhere here in the blog, or send me your links and photos in emails to norma[dot]knits[at]gmail[dot]com and I will post them here.  Thank you all for your help and your ongoing interest in the project.  Bravo to those who have already completed scarves!

Buttons

Here are some button teasers for ya. 

Thank you to my Vermont neighbor Dusa for this one:

And my old pal Kim for this:

(great minds think alike!)

Scout made this one.  She's also custom-dyeing some of her hand painted yarn for the project. There'll be a giveaway, but you'll have to promise to use it for the project.  Fair enough?  I think so.  Thanks, Scout!

Go ahead, take one.  You know you wanna.  Remember the button etiquette as above, right?  And when I finally get the Red Scarf blog up, if you'd link your buttons to it, it'd be appreciated.

Red Scarf Project 2007!

RED SCARF PROJECT 2007!

The Orphan Foundation of America is gearing up for Red Scarf Project 2007. This gives us a lot of lead time to make something before January. Please consider knitting or crocheting a scarf or two for this very worthy cause. The OFA will be launching the initiative at the NYC Knit Out on Sept. 17. OFA will receive the scarf contest donations, and students will model the winners in 8 categories.

Please read the guidelines carefully.  Some of the more important elements that jump out at me are:

UNISEX COLLEGIATE-appropriate styles are requested, approximately 60" long by 5 to 8 inches wide

DO NOT MAIL BEFORE JANUARY, due to space constraints

ANY SHADE OF RED, and red combined with other unisex colors

They are LOOKING FOR A NATIONAL DROP-OFF SPONSOR -- Einstein’s  is not able to assist this year and Barnes and Noble has declined. If you have any ideas or contacts, please let Annalisa Assaadi know. Her phone number is (571) 203 0270.  I'm thinking there has to be a college-age-oriented sponsor out there -- a music chain, a clothing chain....Target...something.  I'm disappointed in Barnes & Noble. They run the college bookstores at Colgate University, Hamilton College, and probably any number of others.  But I also can understand what it's like to be a person, or a business, that is constantly being asked to volunteer resources.  It does get to be burdensome, and the line has to be drawn somewhere.  So hopefully some business will see the opportunity to bring in traffic during that very slow after-holiday month of January and step up to the plate on this one. 

Here (assuming this works -- I've been having a plethora of formatting problems with this entry for some reason) you can download a Word document with the full info and guidelines about the project.  There is even a free Lily Chin faux cable reversible scarf pattern at the end. 

Feel free to print it out.  Please pass the word around! 

Here are the yarns I have reserved so far for this project.  I've been saving them since the project ended last year.

Irish Donegal Tweed

GGH Via Mala, 100% merino.  It was originally dijon mustard gold color, but I dyed it red last year.

I will donate and host a blogspace for people to showcase their red scarves for the project. Let me know if you're interested.  Also, if you would like to knit a red scarf for the project but cannot afford the yarn, let me know in the comments or in an email and I will enter your name in a drawing for free red yarn from my stash to knit a scarf for the project.  If you have yarn to give to somebody for this purpose, please let me know. We can try to match people with yarn as much as possible. Last year a few people knitted beautiful scarves with yarn I sent them, and it felt good for all of us.  I'd like to continue the tradition. 

AND I'd like a button.  Anyone?

This is a project that touches my heart in a very big way. 

The Orphan Foundation of America is gearing up for Red Scarf Project 2007. This gives us a lot of lead time to make something before January. Please consider knitting or crocheting a scarf or two for this very worthy cause. The OFA will be launching the initiative at the NYC Knit Out on Sept. 17. OFA will receive the scarf contest donations, and students will model the winners in 8 categories.

Please read the guidelines carefully.  Some of the more important elements that jump out at me are:

UNISEX COLLEGIATE-appropriate styles are requested, approximately 60" long by 5 to 8 inches wide

DO NOT MAIL BEFORE JANUARY, due to space constraints

ANY SHADE OF RED, and red combined with other unisex colors

They are LOOKING FOR A NATIONAL DROP-OFF SPONSOR -- Einstein’s  is not able to assist this year and Barnes and Noble has declined. If you have any ideas or contacts, please let Annalisa Assaadi know. Her phone number is (571) 203 0270.  I'm thinking there has to be a college-age-oriented sponsor out there -- a music chain, a clothing chain....Target...something.  I'm disappointed in Barnes & Noble. They run the college bookstores at Colgate University, Hamilton College, and probably any number of others.  But I also can understand what it's like to be a person, or a business, that is constantly being asked to volunteer resources.  It does get to be burdensome, and the line has to be drawn somewhere.  So hopefully some business will see the opportunity to bring in traffic during that very slow after-holiday month of January and step up to the plate on this one. 

Here (assuming this works -- I've been having a plethora of formatting problems with this entry for some reason) you can download a Word document with the full info and guidelines about the project.  There is even a free Lily Chin faux cable reversible scarf pattern at the end. 

Feel free to print it out.  Please pass the word around! 

Here are the yarns I have reserved so far for this project.  I've been saving them since the project ended last year.

Irish Donegal Tweed

GGH Via Mala, 100% merino.  It was originally dijon mustard gold color, but I dyed it red last year.

I will donate and host a blogspace for people to showcase their red scarves for the project. Let me know if you're interested.  Also, if you would like to knit a red scarf for the project but cannot afford the yarn, let me know in the comments or in an email and I will enter your name in a drawing for free red yarn from my stash to knit a scarf for the project.  If you have yarn to give to somebody for this purpose, please let me know. We can try to match people with yarn as much as possible. Last year a few people knitted beautiful scarves with yarn I sent them, and it felt good for all of us.  I'd like to continue the tradition. 

AND I'd like a button.  Anyone?

This is a project that touches my heart in a very big way.