Jamie Swanson and Joyce Kropewnicki
Qwest provides opportunities for employees and their families to volunteer in a variety of projects each fall.
My daughter Jamie and I took on the challenge and signed up to cut and sew Christmas Stockings. We worked for a few hours on a warm November Saturday with about 15 other volunteers cutting stocking shapes out of 3 bolts of red and 1 bolt of green felt. Our goal was to finish 250 Christmas Stockings before the morning ended.
Arnettia Butler and friends
Arnettia Butler provided an energetic atmosphere to work in the Qwest Zuni building. She had been volunteering to head up this worthwhile Qwest Pioneer project for seven years. About 400 stockings were promised to the Salvation Army to be given out to needy children in the community Christmas week. Any extras would be given to other groups distributing gifts to needy children.
Jamie settled in with a team that was marking and cutting out the boot shapes from felt that had been rolled out the length of a couple of tables. Other tables were filled with red or green felt as people joined in the fun.
I found a spot and plugged in a long extension cord, then set up my sewing machine in preparation of sewing the stockings. Some of the volunteers had already spent a previous Saturday sewing up about 250 stockings. As I sat down to fill some bobbins with red thread I heard the whirr of the sewing machine beside me. She was already buzzing through a stack of bright red stockings. Two people on my other side set up their machines to face each other so they could have a chat as they worked. I heard the click-click-click of the needle behind me at another table as stacks of cut outs built up into piles of sewn stockings.
Another group of people set up their machines in the room next door. One sewed stockings using an antique portable Singer. By the end of the day the person next to me had sewn over a hundred stockings. Soon all the bolts of felt had been cut into stockings and quickly sewn up.
It was so exciting that I decided to take 12 back to my office to decorate and fill. Arnettia signed us up for the 9 – 14 age group, stating that there was always a need for that age. My co-workers were more than happy to take on the challenge.
We talked about what we would buy and how we would attach soccer, basketball, footballs and games in cellophane packages with books, pens/pencils and young lady personal care kits tucked inside the stocking. There was always room for pair of mittens or gloves, decorative socks and a candy cane or two. It was rewarding to buy gifts or gifts cards for the children and to imagine their joy to know someone cared for them at this time of year.
Angela Norris
Clayton Roberts
Paul Murray
Vickie Gardner
Kris Williamson
Sandi Rounds
Ray Grey – Creativity Unleashed
Carrie Brunsting
Sherri Gambrell
Marilyn Dieckhoff
Laurie Valadez
Charlane Plucheck
Sandy Reavry Collecting Stockings
Linda Terpenning
Helen Fischer
Everyone had a different approach to decorating and all stockings were cheerful and creative. Enthusiasm caught on and 15 people decorated and filled 25 Christmas Stockings for needy children ages 3 to 14. What joy those children will have when they receive these gifts and what joy we received in giving.
Stockings for young children
Stockings for Boys
Stockings for Divas