Paintings and Poems for the Hospice

   The St. Joseph Vinnies have also been busy this term creating artwork and poems to decorate the Hospice foyer and to bring hope and inspiration not only to the patients but also to their families.

   Here are photos of our 3D artwork that we hope will be uplifting...

   The Vinnies wrote the following poems to go with their artwork...

    Rise, float, drift, glide, fly, soar.

Above the earth; into the sky;

through the breeze; past the stars.

Leave behind worry, fear, trust,

friendship, happiness, thought.

But love, will remain in the heart.

Tegan Fleming

Drifting; gliding upward; above the clouds;

soaring towards the stars; past the moon;

into the Galaxy.

Waving to a rocket ship.

The earth now a small dot.

Leaving behind hardships, worries,

 disappointment, problems.

Feelings of peace, calmness, sadness,

grief, relief, joy.

A change.

Livia Fanselow

Float, soar, fly, travelling up,

Zig-zagging from cloud to cloud.

Above the earth; into the sky;

way up high; above the clouds;

above the stars; past Jupiter;

through flying comets.

Leave behind worries, problems,

challenges, frustrations, friendships,

relations, hard times, mistakes.

Feelings of peace, calmness, sadness,

grief, belief, tiredness.

A fresh start.

Kate Riley

Glide, float, soar, fly, rise, drift.

Above the earth; past the clouds; in the stars;

Floating to a sacred place.

Leave behind worries, problems, challenges,

frustrations, pressure, stress.

Feelings of love, friendship, happiness,

peace, sadness, calmness.

You will always be in your loved ones hearts.

Rachael Wakelin

Gently glide, float, fly, slowly soar.

Above the earth; into the sky; among the clouds;

Above the stars; onto the moon; into space.

Leave behind worries, challenges, trust,

frustration, problems, grief.

Feelings of peace, love, happiness,

calmness, sadness, kindness.

You will always be in your loved ones hearts.

Tallulah Daniels

Fly, float, gently moving, glide away.

In the sky; above the clouds; into space.

Feelings of peace, memories, happiness,

sadness, aloneness.

Leave behind problems, worries, challenges, fear.

Please take care.

Lucy McDonnell

St. Joseph Vinnies assist the Hospice

     This term the St. Joseph Vinnies have been hard at work with a couple of projects that we hope will bless the people of the Hospice. Our first project was painting and decorating wooden hand held hearts for the patients which were kindly supplied to us by the Waimea MenzShed. These hearts are designed so they fit comfortably into the palm of your hand and as a symbol of love are created to bring hope and comfort to people who are terminally ill.

   A number of the Vinnies have had the opportunity to visit the Hospice throughout the term to help out. One of the Vinnies was also part of the music group that went to sing to the Hospice patients a few weeks ago.

   With the Hospice being next door to the school it is close enough for these young people to have the opportunity to outreach to.

Above Rubies Members Receive Cards

   The mothers and children who belong to the Above Rubies livelihood project in the Philippines were given a lovely surprise recently when they received the beautiful cards that the St. Joseph Vinnies made for them at the end of last year. Says Jo Watts, local practice nurse who goes over to work with the women, " The ladies and their children ( or grandchildren) were so blessed with the cards and love from the girls at St Josephs Vinnies". Evidently Jo has taken a video of the women receiving their cards which she hopes to bring along to show us when she returns to New Zealand. In the meantime these photos say it all.

 

Life for the Above Rubies Community

   When Jo Watts came to speak to the St. Joseph Vinnies about her work with the Above Rubies Community over in the Philippines she presented the students with the following photos so that they were able to see what life for the women and children in this community is like. The Vinnies were fascinated to see just how different life is for the people who live over there. It was also exciting to see the process the ladies go through in creating the beautiful jewellery that they make...

St. Joseph Vinnies Purchase Christmas Gifts for Mothers in Need

   After three weeks of making and selling lemonade, the St. Joseph Vinnies had the great pleasure of having Jo Watts come to school on Monday 2 December to talk to them about the work that is done as part of the Above Rubies Livelihood Project over in the Philippines. Above Rubies is a livelihood project assisting single mothers and widows through the paper bead jewellery that these women make and sell. The Vinnies were able to purchase for each of the Loaves and Fishes mothers, a paper bead bracelet made by these Filipino women. Jo kindly presented to the Vinnies photos of the Above Rubies Community that the Vinnies assisted along with a pasabulong each (gift of thanks from the Above Rubies women). These small charms will remind the Vinnies of the work they did in assisting not only mothers in the Nelson Community but also mothers over in the Philippines as well.

   Next week the Vinnies hope to make cards for the children of the women involved in Above Rubies which Jo will be able to take over to the Philippines with her when she visits early next year. 

Vinnies Raise Over $150 through selling lemonade at school

   After three weeks of making and selling good old-fashioned lemonade at school the St. Joseph Vinnies have made over $150 to purchase the Above Rubies paper bead jewelry for the mothers Loaves and Fishes look after as Christmas presents. A huge thank you to all those in the school community who got in and supported our efforts with this project.

   Next week we are going to be having local practice nurse, Jo Watts coming to talk to the Vinnies about the work she does over in the Philippines assisting with the Above Rubies livelihood project for single mothers and widows. We look forward to using the money we have raised to purchase our gifts. 

Lemonade Selling a Success!!!

   There’s an old saying which states, “When life hands you lemons, turn it into lemonade” and that’s exactly what the St. Joseph Vinnies got underway in doing on Monday 11 November to raise funds in order to purchase Christmas presents for the mothers of the families that Loaves and Fishes look after. The gifts the Vinnies have in mind is a piece of Above Rubies jewelry for each of the mothers made by single mothers and widows in the Philippines. The paper bead jewelry provides an income for these Filipino women offering them both hope and dignity.

   The middle school syndicate at St. Joseph’s school have also come to the party and through the disco they will be having will be collecting Christmas presents to be distributed to the children in these struggling families as well.

   The first day selling lemonade was a great success – in fact so successful we ran out of lemonade before reaching the end of the line of those cuing for a refreshing drink. We will be once again selling lemonade again next Monday (18 November) so definitely be in quick!