The Caring Hearts Card Drive

It's time again for the 6th Annual Caring Hearts Card Drive!  This wonderful event came to Australia for the first time last year, and we're at it again in 2015!  The CHCD is the brainchild of Vera Yates (Ling) which she started in 2010, in honour of her mum.  Here's a bit more information directly from Vera's blog post:

"We are back for the 6th year for our annual Caring Hearts Card Drive. The purpose of our card drive is to collect holiday cards for the elderly that lives in nursing homes. I started this card drive 6 years ago, in 2010 in honor of my mom. That first year, we collected 750 cards.
And each year it continue to grow bigger.
Last year we received over 17,000 cards and branched out to Australia!!
It was such an amazing year.

Jennifer McGuire and I are excited to continue this journey and we really hoping that we can bring holiday cheers to many, many more nursing homes. 

We have a few ladies helping us in collecting the cards. Tina Schrof is working with Jennifer in collecting the cards. Since international shipping is expensive, those of you in Canada can mail your cards to Anita or Caroline and they'll distribute the cards. 
And, for those of you in Australia, you can send to Linda. :)

The holidays are about family, kindness, and joy. During this time many of the elderly who lives in nursing homes would really feel the loneliness or missing their family. Wouldn't it be so awesome if we can bring a smile to their face & brighten their holiday season simply by sharing our love of card making? A simple gesture to let them know that they are not forgotten.
That someone still thinking of them.

We all love making cards and what’s better than knowing our creations can bring a smile to others, right? Some helpful people already agree to help us deliver the cards to selected nursing homes. 

A few important details:

• This card drive will be going on from October 3 to November 27, 2015. We need to receive your card by November 27, 2015.
• Please make the cards for Christmas or Holiday Wishes. Anyone can send a card, your children, church group, scout troops, etc.
• All cards need to have a message in it (it can be stamped or hand written).  
• Please sign your name and where you are from. 
• Please include an envelope for each card and please don't seal the envelope.
• Please stick to just cards (standard size A2 or 4-1/4" x 5-1/2")
• And please don't use any pins (safety reason).
• This is totally optional. But, if you'd like to include $1 or $2 to help with shipping, it'll be much appreciated. We cover the shipping cost ourselves, with no sponsor, so any donation toward shipping would help tremendously.

You can mail the cards to:

• Vera Yates, 1314 Roy St., Houston, TX 77007
• Tina Schrof , 185 W. Pugh Drive, Springboro, OH 45066
• Linda Langes, c/o Gilston State School, 588 Worongary Road, GILSTON QLD 4211, Australia
• Piney-fine, Attn: Anita, P.O. Box 30, Piney, MBR0A 1 K0, Canada
• Caroline Bredeson, 7 Brown Street, Ottawa, ON K1S 1L9, Canada

In each package, PLEASE include THIS SUBMISSION FORM.  This helps us in keeping track for prizes! For each card you send, you will get a chance.  So the more cards you send, the better your chances. 
To thank you for your generosity in supporting this drive, we have several PRIZES ready for several winners. There will be many winners and remember… the more cards you send the better your chances. :)

Also, if you 'd like to help us promote the card drive, whenever you're sharing your projects for Caring Hearts on social media, please use the hashtag #caringheartscarddrive . Hey, wouldn't it be so cool if we can make kindness trending?

I'll update the prize list as more prizes coming in. And huge thank you to all the fabulous, generous companies who support this card drive by donating awesome prizes. "

Head to Vera's Blog to check out the AMAZING list of prizes. - See more at: http://ahappyscramper.typepad.com/a_happy_scramperscrapbook/2015/10/the-caring-hearts-card-drive-for-2015.html#sthash.BzuRFIVH.dpuf

Head to Vera's Blog to check out the AMAZING list of prizes.

So, it's time for cardmakers to come together to create their gorgeous Christmas/Holiday cards, to be received by residents in Aged Care Facilities to brighten up their holiday season.  

I had a great time organising a mini-fundraiser for my kids' school to be involved in this initiative last year, and we sent off over 100 cards!  I made the cards (with the help of some willing accomplices) and donated them to my kids' school.  The school then sold them at $2.00 per card to our students.  Of the $2.00, $0.70 was donated to cover postage costs, and then the school made a profit of $1.30 per card after that. 

This year, I have agreed to help the totally gorgeous Linda Langes with facilitating the Victorian end of this fantastic initiative!  I will be contacting Aged Care Facilities across Victoria to see if they would like our cards sent to their residents.  I will also be collecting any Victorian cards that crafty people send through to me for distribution, at the following address:

Details removed...

Please share details of The Caring Hearts Card Drive on your own blog and through other social media channels to help us make 2015 a bigger and even better year for this drive, and more importantly, to bring some holiday joy into aged care facilities across this great land (and around the world)!

Deb.xx

Also Aussie cardmakers it would be awesome if you could  Download these CHCD Labels and stick one on the inside of your handmade cards. I feel that helps the recipients understand a little better why they are receiving the card. - See more at: http://ahappyscramper.typepad.com/a_happy_scramperscrapbook/2015/10/the-caring-hearts-card-drive-for-2015.html#sthash.BzuRFIVH.dpuf

Also Aussie cardmakers it would be awesome if you could  Download these CHCD Labels and stick one on the inside of your handmade cards. I feel that helps the recipients understand a little better why they are receiving the card. - See more at: http://ahappyscramper.typepad.com/a_happy_scramperscrapbook/2015/10/the-caring-hearts-card-drive-for-2015.html#sthash.BzuRFIVH.dpuf