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Dear Christ Child Members,
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 As we get ready for the holidays, I can't help but think how thankful I am to be involved with so many wonderful people in our chapter! Thank you for your willingness to give over and over again. You have found time to "give back" by being involved in our chapter in many ways. The reason our chapter runs so smoothly (most of the time) is because so many of you take on that extra responsibility. A perfect example is our rummage sale where so many of you worked more than one shift; many of you signed up for more than one visit for Central High School; and you still have time for family and friends. As we head into these busy holidays, don't forget to sit back, take a breath and take it all in. Don't forget to support the National Christ Child Society's Annual Giving Campaign. Your support to the campaign will help offset our chapter support to National. To make it easy for you, here's the link for more information, and to donate. Click here for link to the National CCS website Wishing you and your families a very blessed holiday season. Lambi Newsham President |
| Our Board |
President Lambi Newsham
Vice Presidents Margaret Whelan
Kathryn Colao
Treasurer Maura Perier
Secretary Lori White
Spiritual Advisors Fr. Brian Plate
Msgr. Geunther
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Coming Up...
Dec 5 & 12, 2011
Advent Giving Tree Volunteering 9-10:30 am
Dec 6, 2011
In Home Mass 8:30 am
29 Greenbriar Rd.
Dec 14, 2011
CHS Volunteer Visit
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
January 17, 2012
Evening "Bring a Friend" Meeting 7 pm, 33 Colt Rd.
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| A Message from Fr. Brian |
On radios and in shopping malls people are beginning to hear the words, "You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I'm telling you why..." but as Catholics we know Advent is not the coming of Santa, but rather the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ, it is the time of fullness.
Despite all our possessions, odds are many can identify with the experience of an inner emptiness.
This turns out to be good news, because it helps us to be vigilant for the One who offers the only true fulfillment, the Christ Child.
Wishing you an abundance of blessings during this Holiday Season!
With prayers,
Fr. Brian Plate
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Advent Giving Tree Volunteer Opportunity
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Lend a hand...
The Christ Child Society is helping with St. Teresa's Advent
Giving Tree on two Mondays: December 5th and December 12th from 9:00-10:30 am in the Sacristy. Come sort, pack and wrap Christmas gifts for needy families with your fellow members. Any time you can give to this worthy cause will be appreciated. Questions? Contact Theresa Sweeney at sweeneyct@comcast.net.
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| News from the Spirituality Committee |
Join us for our first In Home Mass - December 6th
We are continuing to come together as members on the first Tuesday of the month at 8:30 mass at St. Teresa's. We are very excited about our December mass, which will be at the home of Lisa O'Hearn on Tuesday, December 6th. Fr. Brian will be our celebrant. We will follow the same format as daily mass at St. Teresa's. We do hope you can join us for this special opportunity as we all begin Advent and the Christmas season. Coffee will be served following mass. Lisa's address is: 29 Greenbriar Road, Summit.
Mark your calendars with the upcoming mass dates: January 3rd, February 7th, March 6th, April 3rd, May 1st, June 5th.
Prayer Requests:
Please let us know if you have a special loved one you would like us to keep in our prayers. Please forward their name to tstabler55@verizon.net and we will add their name to our prayer list. We will bring our prayer list to our monthly mass gatherings and include their name in our monthly e-news. Prayer requests can be made at any time.
Please pray for:
Joan Ehinger
Michael Hoffman
Hope to see you on December 6th,
Tracy Stabler
Spirituality Chair
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2011 Rummage Sale Wrap up
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| The crew takes a break! See our website homepage for more photos. |
Thank you to all our members and supporters for making our 3rd Annual Rummage Sale - Collectables and Delectables - a success! The many items donated proved that the charitable spirit is alive and well in Summit, and there are a few more clean attics and basements as well! Our members' willingness to volunteer for multiple shifts was truly wonderful. We had a lot of fun sorting through the "stuff" and shopping for ourselves, and working together with other members. We had many shoppers taking advantage of the "treasures" that were for sale on October 15th, including over 70 people who were lined up outside Memorial Hall at 8:00 am. It's a win, win, win: donors recycle their "stuff", the local community benefits from the opportunity to purchase affordable necessities, and we raise money for Christ Child programs that benefit children. We couldn't do it without your support! |
| School Supplies Drive: "Learn to Give ...Give to Learn!" |
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| Lois Bhatt from Bridges, Mary Kull, Lambi Newsham, and Jane Murphy |
This year, our 4th annual School Supplies Drive successfully increased the amount of children that received free school supplies by over 50. A little over 350 children came through the drive with their parents, and all the families were extremely appreciative. There were 498 children that qualified to receive supplies in the City of Summit, so we were close to reaching two thirds of that group. The kids really had fun "shopping" for their supplies. They started in line by receiving a brand new backpack, thanks to the efforts of Bridges, and then we provided them with their school supply lists to refer to for each grade, and the shopping began!
This year we partnered once again with Bridges and Westy Self Storage. Both organizations were extremely generous with their time and solicited many donations in the month of August. We noted that both our CCS drive in April and the August drive held by Bridges and Westy's yielded less supplies than the previous year. We have committed to ramp up our corporate solicitations and our advertising to increase the number of supplies donated next year. Our goal next year is to increase the number of eligible children participating to 100 percent.
We thank Mary Kull and Beth Tully for their enthusiastic commitment to this outreach for the past two years, and we thank Lisa O'Hearn and Jane Murphy for their help co-chairing this year. We are pleased to announce that Jane will be joined by Sally Golding in chairing our 5th annual drive in 2012. We are still in need of an additional co-chair. If you would like to get involved, please contact Jane at
jhmspm@aol.com.
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| The Infant and Toddler Learning Center at Central High School |
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| Eileen Rath during our November visit |
We have made great strides in building a relationship with Central High School in Newark. Since spring, the Center proudly saw about 13 of its teen parents graduate. A few of these went on to college, and one joined the armed forces. This school year, we provided school supplies for the teen parents and various essentials for their babies. We also provided items for the teens and their babies to have a "Fall Festival" on Halloween. Just before Thanksgiving, we provided coats for all the teen parents through the generosity of Summit Ski and Sport, supplemented with CCS funds. This was a need identified by the director, as many teens walk to school and do not have coats. This holiday season, we will give the babies gifts from the St. Teresa's Advent Giving Tree, and will also give the teens a small gift, to help make their holiday special.
We have submitted paperwork to get additional CCS volunteers "cleared" to work at the center, and have made two volunteer visits thus far. Our volunteers mostly lend a hand in the infant room, where many hands are needed! See the CCS calendar on the website for visits scheduled for the rest of the year.
Our mission, "Challenging Poverty: One Child at a Time", challenges us to volunteer on a personal level with children. Mary Virginia Merrick, the founder of CCS is quoted: "....personal contact with the needy for the love of Christ develops true charity and gives it vital force." It is in this spirit that we ask you all to consider making some time in your life for the children in need at The Infant and Toddler Early Learning Center At Central High School. Our goal is to continue having dedicated volunteers visit the center regularly, meeting needs as they arise in child care assistance, reception duties and eventually, mentoring teens. Volunteer hours are flexible and during the school day, making this service opportunity suitable for people with children of their own. Please contact Kathryn Colao at kathryncolao@gmail.com if you are interested in visiting and volunteering at Central High School.
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Membership News |
The Christ Child Society of Summit is now 74 members strong. We would like to welcome the following members who have joined since last spring:
Jean Fiory
Betty Ann Lecky
Christine Murray
Please welcome them when you see them around town,
or at our next CCS function!
Betty Ann Lecky has graciously volunteered to handle Membership for our chapter. You will hear from her in January when we begin our annual membership drive.
Don't forget to keep membership informed of any changes in your email address, mailing address, or phone number. Contact Betty Ann at balecky@gmail.com with any changes.
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| Layette Update |
Thanks to many of you, our layette program has delivered 124 layettes this year and we are not finished! We have an inventory ready for Overlook and we are assembling more on November 29th. Included in these layettes will be lovely things we received from the Verona Women's Club. A special thanks to Sally Golding and Regina Feeney for their many hours of help! Our layette program continues to make a difference. If you are interested in helping, please contact Janet Keller at jgk302@aol.com or Theresa Sweeney
at
sweeneyct@comcast.net
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| Knitting Angels Update |
 The Knitting Angels have been hard at work! So far this year we have received 13 blankets (some fleece, some handknit), 42 knit hats, 14 knit sweaters, and 21 pairs of knit mittens. Of these, the Prayer Shawl Ministry has made 32 hats and 5 baby blankets. Two Girl Scout groups are making fleece blankets for us, and Oak Knoll students continue to make fleece blankets as classroom service projects. Much of the legwork (or needlework) behind these blankets is done by one of our favorite "angels" - Walt Bischoff. With his help, Oak Knoll students are making about 100 more blankets during their Christmas service projects. Due to this generosity of time and spirit, we have been able to include either a handmade blanket or hat and a beautiful, warm fleece blanket in each layette. We are currently looking for groups or individuals to make blankets for the layettes to be distributed in the new year. If you know of a group that would like to do this easy, fun project please let Janet Keller know. She can provide the instructions (with pictures!) and walk you through this very easy process. Individual donations are great, too! If you or a friend would like to make a blanket or two, contact Janet at jgk302@aol.com. |
| Special Mention |
A special thank you to a knitting angel whose generous spirit has touched the Christ Child Society. Marion Talian is the great aunt of an Oak Knoll student who has made numerous hand-knit baby sweaters, hats and mitten sets for our layettes. According to Lucy Remus (Oak Knoll teacher, CCS member, and knitting angel extraordinaire), a student, Rebecca Presti, asked her great aunt to knit for "the babies".
Marion started knitting as a teenager when
her aunt showed her how to make argyle socks! She has never stopped knitting. It takes her about a week to complete a hat, sweater, and mittens - a bit more if she includes a blanket. Marion loves to help others and wants to help the babies as much as she can. She even buys diapers and clothes for the layettes.
We thank this angel who has "appeared" to knit for our layettes, and are grateful for her generous gift of time and talent.
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| Tribute Cards |
 What do you give to that person in your life that has everything? How about a donation to CCS with a tribute card! A tribute card is a wonderful way to remember family and friends...or honor a birthday, anniversary or special occasion. All donations will provide layette items for needy children in the Summit area. Please contact Theresa Sweeney at sweeneyct@comcast.net or 908-522-1997 to order cards. 2011 Donations
In Honor of Mary Laughinghouse and Joan Sweeney
The Sweeney Family
In Honor of Blanche Candela
The Candela Family
In Honor of Suzanne Fahy and Irene Houck
The Byers Family
In Honor of Fran Banks, Grier Hynes, Suzanne Vinnes and Marie Wagner
Jane Wagner
In Honor of Dolores Asthalter
Lucy Savellano Remus In Memory of Tom Cavuto The Colao Family In Memory of Tom Cavuto The Christ Child Society of Summit
In Memory of Michael Hoffman
The Schroeder Family Donations The Amundson Family
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| Save the Dates.... |
December 5 - Advent Giving Tree Volunteering in Sacristy 9:00 - 10:30 am
December 6 - In Home first Tuesday mass at Lisa O'Hearn's, 29 Greenbriar Rd, Summit, at 8:30 am, coffee to follow.
December 12 - Advent Giving Tree Volunteering in Sacristy 9:00 - 10:30 am
December 14 - Central High School Volunteer visit 9:00 - 12:00
Looking Ahead to 2012
January 17 - Evening "Bring a Friend" meeting 7 pm at Lori White's, 33 Colt Road, Summit
March 30 - Annual Baby Shower and Mass at Memorial Hall 11:30 am
April 24 - General Meeting at Memorial Hall 9:00 am
May 11 - Cocktails with the Christ Child Society/New Member Welcome 7 pm
See our website calendar for additional dates - first Tuesday masses, Central High volunteer dates, etc.
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| Looking for a Few Good Women... |
The Christ Child Society of Summit wants YOU!
We are looking to fill the following positions :
Baby Shower Co-Chairs to shadow this year and take over the next.
School Supplies Co-Chair
There are also opportunities available to help with our newsletter and website. Please consider donating a bit more of your time and talents to the Christ Child Society to help us succeed in our mission to make a difference in the lives of children in need. Contact Lambi at lambinewsham@msn.com if you are interested.
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| Christ Child Society Contact List |
To learn more about our activities and opportunities visit our website or contact the following:
Central High School Infant and Toddler Learning Center -
Kathryn Colao at kathryncolao@gmail.com
Layettes Theresa Sweeney at sweeneyct@comcast.net
Joan Kelly at jckelly3619@yahoo.com
Margaret Strong at whelanmarg@aol.com
Janet Keller at jgk302@aol.com
Knitting Angels Janet Keller at jgk302@aol.com
School Supplies Drive Jane Murphy at jhmspm@aol.com
Sally Golding at sally@goldinghq.com
Rummage Sale Marilyn Chambeau at b.chambeau@comcast.net Lisa McDonald at lisabrett@mac.com
Tribute/Memorial Cards Theresa Sweeney at sweeneyct@comcast.net
Prayer Intentions/Mass Tracy Stabler at stabler55@comcast.net
Newsletter/email Blasts Kathryn Colao at kathryncolao@gmail.com
Website Marybeth Robb at marybethrobb@gmail.com
Kathryn Colao at kathryncolao@gmail.com
Membership Betty Ann Lecky at balecky@gmail.com
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"Let not a day pass without having learned something, without having overcome yourself in something, without having performed a kind act, without having accomplished something."
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Mary Virginia Merrick
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