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Homemakers Touching Hearts with Toys
By
Carol
Spence
 LEXINGTON, Ky., (Feb. 7, 2007) – In the dark of a war-torn
night, a wee child half a world away clutches a soft,
animal-shaped bundle. The homemaker who sent the stuffed toy via
the pocket of a U.S. service person somehow senses the comfort
that small token has brought to the child and hopes her message
gets through.
“It’s some way that we could touch their lives and say ‘Hey,
we’re thinking about you and we want to send a little love in
this little animal,’” said Marlene McComas, international
chairperson for the Kentucky Extension Homemakers Association.
“Every year we try to come up with a very good, viable community
service project, an international project,” she said. “And this
year we decided we would like to work with the children of Iraq
who are the victims of the war. And explain to them in the best
way that we could that we are not bad people, that we’re very
concerned about children and their families and helping them
have as a good a life as possible.”
This year’s international project, Beanie Babies for Iraq, got
its impetus from Beanies for Baghdad, a national program that
sends the pocket-sized toys to troops in Iraq to distribute to
children they encounter. The Homemakers’ project is called
Beanie Babies for Iraq because they are delivered all over Iraq
with the help of troops in the Kentucky National Guard. McComas
worked with the Guard for more than a year and a half to set up
the project.
The first contributions of toys arrived during the fall
Homemakers’ board meeting in November, with more collections
planned for the spring board meeting in March and the annual
state meeting at the end of April.
“The first people who gave me Beanie Babies were from Todd
County,” said McComas, remembering the many bags and boxes that
held those initial 400 toys.
Other area presidents helped to stuff her van with their clubs’
contributions, too. McComas laughs when she remembers that drive
home.
“I came home with just barely enough room to see out the mirrors
and drive. My van was so full,” she said.
To date, McComas estimates that the organization has sent more
than 5,000 of the stuffed toys to Iraq. And that may be just a
drop in the bucket because clubs in all 120 counties are still
collecting from their members, other community groups and local
businesses. In Letcher County, Vernell Mullins has involved her
church to help collect the toys. And Dawahares contributed to
Clark County’s drive. The retail clothing chain donated 400 of
the 590 toys that the clubs in Clark County recently sent to
McComas.
Expanding on the idea, Jennifer Howard, University of Kentucky
Cooperative Extension family and consumer sciences agent in
Clark County, said they held onto some of the Beanies they’d
collected. They will be included in personal care packages that
their Homemakers clubs and 4-H Tween club are assembling for the
approximately 40 Clark County residents currently serving in
Iraq. There will be a little something for the troops – home
baked cookies and Ale-8-One – and a little something for an
Iraqi child.
“They’re small enough to put into their pocket,” said Howard.
“As they’re out on patrol and see children, instead of giving
them candy, which is traditional, they will give them a Beanie
Baby, which is something that the children can comfort.”
McComas said that Homemakers around the state have been
enthusiastic about the project and have welcomed the opportunity
to contribute something to those who are suffering in Iraq.
“Everybody wants to do something to help, but they don’t know
what to do,” she said. “Most of us (in Homemakers) have been
4-H’ers somewhere along the line. In 4-H we talk about ‘warm
fuzzies,’ that little special feeling that you get when you have
pride in what you do…. Sending Beanie Babies over to the
children of Iraq is a little warm fuzzy.”
Dianne Higgins from Todd County and Homemaker chairperson for
marketing and merchandising at the state level said, “It was
just one of those things that was close to your heart. We felt
like we could – oh, how do I put this – you couldn’t see it, but
you could feel it. Even though we didn’t see them give them the
toys, we all have children and love children and know that a
small toy brings a light to their eyes. And it brings trust to
them.”
Contact your local Extension office or any Extension Homemaker
to find out how you can contribute to this project. Small,
pocket-sized stuffed animals will be accepted. McComas said they
will also be happy to accept monetary donations to cover the
cost of shipping the toys to Iraq. It costs approximately $70 to
ship a 60- to 70-pound box of toys and McComas has been covering
most of that expense herself. Donations to KEHA are
tax-deductible. Checks should be made out to Kentucky Extension
Homemakers Association. Indicate on the check that it is for the
Beanie Babies for Iraq project. Checks should be mailed to
Burnell Caswell, 780 Clintonville Road, Paris, Ky., 40361. |
Contact: Marlene McComas, 859-824-5891
Jennifer
Howard, 859-744-4682
Dianne
Higgins, 270-265-5239 |
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