The past few days have been such difficult ones for me, as I have watched the events of our young children and families in New Port Connecticut change forever by one senseless, and horrific act. When I heard the victims were young children, I knelt on my knees and prayed, through sobs, for hours! The tragic loss of our own precious son has given me an empathy and understanding beyond what words can convey. Although I know there is nothing that can relieve their pain and sorrow during this early time of grieving, I do know, from personal experience, that the gifts of love and compassion sent by others are appreciated, welcome, and often the source of great healing in the days and months to come.
For this reason, "Brycen's Blankets" will be donating fleece blankets to not only the families of those precious angels who have returned home along side of their valiant and noble teachers, but the entire school of Sandy Hook Elementary. Each and every child experienced something on December 14th, 2012 that will be forever in their memories and will require the help of many professionals, church and community leaders for years to come, in order to provide the healing and recovery necessary. There are 600 students at Sandy Hook, so this will be a great endeavor; one that I can absolutely guarantee will yield beautiful and wonderful blessings for all those who participate!! From now until December 31st, you can drop off any fleece blanket donations to my home at 4100 East Meadow Lark Way, San Tan Valley, AZ. 85140. Any pictures or cards from your families would also be VERY welcome!! At this sacred holiday, let us remember that Christ is the real reason for Christmas--to honor Him, let us be like Him; His greatest love is for His precious small children. They are hurting and grieving now--let us help them heal and give a gift of love and comfort! Thank you, thank you! Blessings await you! Have a Sacred and Holy Christmas! From the Burrell Family to yours!
There will be a box in front of our home, beginning on Tuesday, December 17th, where blankets and cards may be placed at any time. Feel free to call, text, or e-mail any questions you might have! The blankets should be sizes for children ranging in ages from 5 to 12 years, with prints that coordinate for male or female. They can be Christmas, or regular prints.
Contact Information:
Alicia A. Burrell
4100 East Meadow Lark Way, San Tan Valley, AZ. 85140
Home Phone: (480) 882-3990
Text: (480) 772-7790
My family and I want to help! We are stationed in Germany and fear you won't get ours in time, do you have any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteHi Windy, what a blessing you are!! How sweet of you to help, even though your family has many concerns of your own right now~~bless you military wives and mothers!! You are so dear to my heart! My father served in Desert Storm, only for 6 months, but the hardest 6 months of my teenage life! He changed during that time; he came back looking much older and sadder. He is so much better now that years have passed~my prayers are always with you, and please thank your husband for his valiant service! Our family honors and prays for your family! As for Brycen's Blankets, we are up to around 100 blankets, so we need plenty more! I will begin shipping them on December 31st. I'm supposing it will take a few days for me to put things together, so if you send them, I will make sure they get there! :) Thank you again, and please let me know if you need any more help!!
DeleteThanks for doing this. I am in Flagstaff and have offered to be a collection place for ladies in our community who would like to participate. I do not know how many blankets will be donated, but I believe there are people who would do a monetary donation. Would you prefer blankets over monetary donations or does it matter? My daughter will be here from Pecan Creek area on the 27th and she has agreed to drop off our donations to your home on the 29th or 30th. I would be interested in knowing how this is going. Will you post here or would you email me at rhopkins523@yahoo.com? Thanks for doing this. I think it is super. Rosemary Hopkins
ReplyDeleteHello Rosemary! As of today, I believe I have around 100 + blankets. WOOHOO!! We still need 500 more, so we have plenty of work to do, but we are on our way! What a blessing to have you pitch in! It is SO heartwarming to see the response from all over the state--there is love and generosity still present in this world, among all that is difficult and heartbreaking! As for monetary donations, they would be welcome as well, since we will be taking on the full cost of shipping. We will get the blankets there regardless, so I just want people to feel like they can contribute in any way they can! PLEASE extend my heart-felt thank you to everyone who is helping, not only by these means, but by the prayers and thoughts of concern! I know from personal experience, that prayers bring unsurpassed peace and comfort!! Please let me know if you need anything else!! Thanks again!
DeleteThe last few days I have thought about you and Joy a lot. I'm sure you have PTSD and anything like this conjures up terrible memories. I know it has for me. I have just been so sad for the families. Today is the first day I haven't cried about it, or at least I haven't cried as much today. Thank you for doing this. I know it is therapeutic for you, and it is for others as well. Love you, you Sweet Angel Mama. You're in our prayers.
ReplyDeleteThank you SO much for this sweet message! Yes, I cried then and cry now for all those suffering families! When I hurt, I reach out, so doing this project for them has really helped me! You and your family are a wonderful support, and I SO appreciate you! Love you too!
DeleteI hope you will post how many blankets you sent to Sandy Hook Elementary students. I have folks ask me if I know. Hope you have a wonderful new year. Rosemary
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