With every ribbon we give out,
It helps to clarify what this is all about.

We watched in horror and disbelief
Everyone united in unimaginable grief.
Planes dropping from the sky,
Buildings crumbling, everyone asking Why?
So many innocent people died
Strangers embraced and cried.
Heroes fell doing "what we do"...
Their wings were earned long before their lives were through.

For this there is no reason or rhyme...
Healing and rebuilding will take unmeasurable time.

So when you wear your ribbon each day,
Please know YOU helped in some small way.
Know with every dollar you give,
It will go to those that live...
With unbearable pain. loss and sorrow
That will last through every tomorrow.

In that way...
We stand united today!

*Kire*

******************************
 

I stood glued to the television that whole day thinking there's no way this could be happening and soooo wanting to believe it really wasn't. Shock and fear consumed me and I will admit - still does. Then the reality set in - all those families torn apart that day, shattered and forever changed. Of course my thoughts were of family in the USA - real and 'acquired family' that I have made here on this computer - I prayed none of my chatting pals were directly and personally affected. I still hope this to be true and to those I havent spoke to in a while (((((()))))) my thoughts and prayers are with you.

I could have sat in front of the television for weeks falling only feeling for every victim and family spoken of - but I wanted to do more - I just couldn't imagine how some families would be able to go on. My first thought was the children who had lost a mother or father or God forbid both that day.I also thought of those brave firefighters and policemen that entered into those buildings to save people and were taken well before there time. Being both a daughter and a sister of a firefighter my heart ached for their families. I know my Dad would have done the same and entered those buildings to help people without thinking of his own well being. I thought if only we all could help in some small way, show our American brothers and sisters that we care and will do what we can. I thought of the ribbons signifying so many other things and thought of the red, white and blue. So that Thursday, September 14th, two of my friends and I took on a task that has taken off tremendously! We started putting together red white and blue ribbons together with a Canadian Flag pin - to signify unity. We started with a hundred - cutting gluing and pinning each one. We have now made over 1200 ribbons - each one attached to a small copy of the poem above and our first goal of $100 and our second goal of $500 has been surpassed way beyond what we could have dreamed of - and the orders still come in daily. We are quite a small little city here in Canada but the response has been overwhelming. People have picked up one for themselves then come back to get ones for visitors coming from the USA, one lady personally called to say she was going to get more to put at every place setting with her family this Thanksgiving.  A local trophy store has donated each and every one of the Canadian flag pins and a local craft shop has donated 100s of metres of ribbon.  All the proceeds are channelled through the Canadian Red Cross for the USA Appeal Relief Fund.

I will post final numbers here after November 11th - 2 months to the day and Remembrance Day.



***Okay! I have finally updated! We did stop making the ribbons November 11th, however the requests for them did not stop!Throughout the remainder of November and December we continued to deliver ribbons that we had and continued to collect donations. In the beginning of January we had all the money collected. We then counted it all (LOTS of rolling coins lol) and on January 9th we were able to take the cheque into the Red Cross Society!



Please click here for the update!
 
 

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