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Chapter and Verse
News from the Christ Child Society May 2009   Volume 1/Issue 2 
The Christ Child Society of Summit is a non-denominational organization which encourages and provides an opportunity for concerned women in our area to become engaged in the giving of their time, talent, and treasure in order to have a positive and immediate impact in the lives of at-risk children in our community.

Our Board

President
Lambi Newsham
 
Vice President
Margaret Whelan
 
Vice President
Gery McKenna
 
Treasurer
Maura Perier
 
Secretary
Ann Marvin
 
Spiritual Director
Sister Guadalupe Nieto, MSBT  

Welcome our newest members!

 
 
Christina Amundsen
 
Michelle Cohen

Millie Cooper

Leslie Drummond
 
Nancy Elia
 
Mary Therese Hankinson

Peggy Kane
 
Allison Lees

Laura Marone

Suzanne McMinn
 
Roberta Sacr

Cathie Westdyk

Cathy White
 

Keep us in the loop!

 
 Help us keep you informed! Please contact Kathryn Colao with your address, telephone or email changes.
 
 

 Spirituality 

 
 We continue to meet on the first Tuesday of each month for morning mass at 8:30 at St. Teresa's.  Please join us.  This is a wonderful way to start each month.
 A Letter from the President
 
Dear Christ Child Society of Summit members and friends, 
  
We have much to report since February. On March 26th our 3rd Annual Baby Shower and Luncheon was held.  Did you know that each year Christ Child Society Chapters across the country hold similar events?  Each chapter chooses a date as close to March 25th as possible.  This is because Mary Virginia Merrick, the founder of the Society, established this date to honor the Annunication of our Lord.  At our event held at St. Teresa's Parish, over 100 members and friends were in attendance; the generosity of those who organized and participated in the Baby Shower is overwhelming!
 
At the luncheon I mentioned that I received a book titled "God is in the Small Stuff".  The book contains a comment on generosity that I think is worth sharing:
 
"The measure of your success is not what is in your wallet but what is in your heart.
When you give a gift, expect nothing in return.
Share your blessings with others.
The generous person always has more than enough."
 
Happy Spring!
Lambi Newsham

 Annual Celebration and Baby Shower 

Our 3rd Annual Baby Shower and Luncheon was held on March 26th at St. Teresa's Memorial Hall.  Spiritual Chair, Lori White, arranged a lovely mass which was celebrated by Msgr. Guenther.  The altar area was adorned with some of the beautiful hand-made items we have received this season.  Memorial Hall was festively decorated by Jen Feltes, and a lovely lunch was prepared by Marilyn Chambeau who was ably assisted in the kitchen by Marianna Hurrell and Cindy Hurley.
 
Following the mass the Chapter honored our membership chair, Kathryn Colao, with the Mary Virgina Merrick award for her tireless work in organizing our membership efforts. Members of the Health Start staff joined us and made us aware of just how meaningful our gifts are to those in need.  
 
Jill Stanley was able to sell out all our cookbooks, and Mary Kull was able to kick off the Memorial Card campaign.  In all it was a very successful event!

The CCSS Board with Monsignor at the Annual Baby Shower

 

 

 
 
K.Colao
Kathryn Colao
2009 Mary Virgina Merrick Award Recipient
 
Kathryn Colao received the 2009 Virginia Merrick Award for her tireless efforts organizing and growing the CCSS membership. Congratulations and thank you to her!
 
The Virginia Merrick Award is given yearly to an individual who efforts have positively impacted the chapter.

 You Make the Difference!

 
As we continue to work on our outreach projects, we strive to engage all of our current members in a meaningful way.  We are currently 50 members strong and each member can make a difference.  We need your unique talents on a project or committee. Please reach out to a Board member or a contact person (below) to find that special match between your skills and CCSS.   
 
Shower Layette DisplayLayette Update
 
Thanks to all members, friends and St. Teresa parishioners the Annual Baby Shower enabled us to complete almost 100 layetters for the Health Start Clinic at Overlook Hospital. Special thanks to Jen Feltes who helped us get some storage space at The Oratory School where our layette items were kept and sorted before delivery to Health Start.  Over 1000 diapers were doanted and have already been delivered to the Clinic.    

School Supply Drive 

 
  Learn to Give...Give to Learn
 
Spring signals the start of our Second Annual School Supply Drive. Last year we were able to collect supplies for 80 elementary school children. We have learned that the need is far greater than we imagined - approximately 500 children in grades 1-12 in the Summit school system are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches.  We plan to work with the school system to provide these students with their basic school supplies - notebooks, binders, pencils, pens, and markers.
 
Gery McKenna is spearheading this effort. She has assembled a strong team but new volunteers are always needed and most welcome.  The drive will run through the month of May.  Further specifics will be sent shortly via email.                          

 Knitting Angels

The Knitting Angels came together this year under the leadership of Angela Schroeder to provide hand-made items for our layette program.  Our plan was to recruit from several sources, and we ended up getting over 150 hand-made items for the layettes from as far away as Bolivia.  We collected over 60 hand-made blankets, 120 hats, and nearly 10 crocheted sweater sets.  Our knitters came from the Oak Knoll School in Summit and the United Methodist Church in Basking Ridge.  We also had students and Girl Scouts lending a hand!  
New Memorial Cards Are Now Available 
 
A great idea for Mother's Day!
 
For $10 you can purchase either a beautiful Honor Card to celebrate a loved one's birthday, anniversary or special occasion; or a memorial card in remembrance of a deceased loved one.  All card donations go towards the purchase of layettes for needy children in the Summit area.
 
For more information about this exciting program, please contact Mary Kull.  
 

                        New Member Welcome Coffee
 
A welcome coffee for new members will be held on May 8th at 9:00 am at the home of Kathryn Colao, 23 Silver Lake Drive, Summit.  Get to know our Board members and find out how you can get involved!  If you have not already received your invitation please contact Kathryn.

CCSS Dates to Remember

May 8     New Member Welcome Coffee
              9 am
              Kathryn Colao's
 
May 12    General Membership Meeting
              1 pm
              Memorial Hall
 
June 4     Spring Social
              7 pm
              Lambi Newsham's
                      
To learn more about our activities and opportunities:
 
Kathryn Colao     Membership           908-598-7202/kathryncolao@gmail.com 
 
Joan Kelly           Layettes              jckelly3619@yahoo.com
 
Mary Kull            Memorial Cards      908-273-0555/marykull@att.net
 
Gery McKenna      School Supplies     Gsmrun86@aol.com
 
Angela Schroeder  Knitting Angels      908-522-1033/schroederkids@comcast.net
 
Lori White            Spirituality            908-27309283/thewhitefamily@yahoo.com