Hey everyone!
I decided to post one more action post just to wrap up some loose ends and update you guys on how the club has been doing! I’ll try to keep this post on the shorter/concise side 🙂
Fundraiser:
The popcorn/bake sale went great! I ended up specifically asking some members to provide sweet treats to sell, and the response was much more effective as anyone I asked contributed in some way. Additionally, everyone who signed up to look after our table showed up on time each block. This was probably one of the smoothest sales we have ever held as a group. In the end, we ended up fundraising a little under $300 cash. We will be hosting another sale sometime in the new year as well.
Trip Downtown:
On December 1st, we had our first trip to the Downtown Eastside. Honestly, I become a little nervous and frustrated in regard to the number of members attending as many people ended up dropping out very last minute. However, we still had a solid group for the trip. We were downtown for several hours and were able to write about 30 cards. Of course, not all of these families will be located; however many of them were – which I will elaborate on later on in this post.
I asked each member to bring at least one item, whether that be a box of granola bars, sandwiches, or some lightly used clothing items. Everyone participated in this goal and we were able to hand out many items. Also, my mother really wanted to participate as well since she was unable to chaperone this trip, so my family also made almost 100 sandwiches (PB&J and chicken salad). 
Overall, it was super awesome! I’m very proud of each person who attended. They all did a great job.
Trips to the Church:
We also had two trips to the Calvary Baptist Church for the Cold Wet Weather Mat Program. The students who attended put out mats around the church, served food, and handed out clothing items to anyone who showed up to the church. This initiative is truly amazing, so if you’re looking to learn more about it, check out this site: https://wearecachurch.com/cold-wet-weather-mat-program/.
Research Week/The Letters:
Lastly, we have the research week to locate the exact addresses of loved ones. Many of the letters we collect during our trip don’t have an address listed – only a name and a city. Because of this, Project HELLO must host a week-long research session to contact people, either through FaceBook or the phone. I handle most of the calls as many members aren’t comfortable with calling strangers.
We were able to send out fourteen letters which really impressive! Considering that only a couple of letters had complete addresses, I’m very satisfied with the group’s efforts. 
I ended up cancelling this week’s meeting and the club will start back up after winter break. So far, the club has been both busy and successful. I’m very proud of all our efforts!
Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave me any comments or questions below 🙂
