JACOB'S FUND :: Simple gifts stories from Sharon

Prior to Christmas, some of the children chose Reward Bag items to use as gifts for family members—especially caregivers—instead of choosing items for themselves. That touched my heart, so I added items to the bag that would be appropriate for caregivers.

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A girl with borderline intellectual functioning and a history of abuse often has anger meltdowns when things don't go her way. She has difficulty regulating her emotions, and in the past has run away from school or home when emotionally overwhelmed. She has also reacted in risky ways to herself and others. In working with her, we have developed an emotional coping strategy, in which (she) takes a time out when becoming upset, and then use a variety of coping tools to calm down. We have also worked on her understanding that things will not always go her way. The girl has difficulty getting along with her siblings, and her caretakers were worried about her behavior over Christmas break, when all the siblings would be home together for two weeks. The caretaker, girl, and I set behavior goals for the week of Christmas. These goals were aimed at the girl using her emotional coping strategy and making efforts to get along with her siblings. I met with the girl and her caregiver yesterday. (She) was so proud of her Behavior Chart, because she had not had any anger meltdowns and her behavior with her siblings was improved over the past. She was very happy to have earned enough points to both go out to eat and to choose from the Rewards Bag.  

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A boy recently benefited from The Red Threat Promise donation. He has Asperger's Syndrome and has spent a lot of time in mental health institutions due to his behaviors of anger meltdowns, aggression, running away, and threats to harm himself. Over the past few months, (he) has responded very well to a reward system for changing his behaviors. Both his caretaker and his Special Education teacher have reported improved behavior. I had never taken this boy away from school or home in my car, due to his risky, impulsive history. I told him, however, that I believed he had shown behavior change that would warrant a community outing, but he first had to practice good emotional coping skills over the Christmas week break. I recently met with (him) and his caretaker. His caretaker reported that the boy's behavior has been very good. So we had our first outing! He was so thrilled. We went to Sonic Drive-in for his foot long hotdog with chili and to the bowling alley where he beat me! The boy said he just wants to be "like a normal kid my age," and yesterday, I think he felt like one! 

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Some gift cards. Simple gifts. 

Sometimes the simplest things can change a life. 

JACOB'S FUND :: Simple gifts

Every human being wants to be loved. We all desire feeling accepted and valued by our families and those closest to us. 

Now imagine that your behaviors are so off-putting that even those you cherish most find it difficult to show you love. Take it one step further by imaging that you’re a child: your mind and body are still changing and developing; your capacity for understanding your own behaviors and how they affect those around you are limited. 

This is a typical story for one of Sharon’s Kids. Simply stated, their lives are very difficult. Many have been abused. Often they are in danger of harming themselves or others. Other forms of therapy have been unsuccessful. Then they meet Sharon, an intensive treatment behavioral health therapist, and they finally catch a glimpse of hope.

As a Red Thread Promise supporter, you may already know the story of the silken red thread of destiny. It is that invisible thread that connects those who are destined to be part of our lives, a thread that my tangle or stretch but never break. Sharon doesn’t simply hold onto the red thread of destiny; it’s tightly wrapped around her heart. In her work, she doesn’t just show these children that they are worthy of love; she helps them envision and achieve a more successful version of themselves. She brings HOPE, something many of these kids have never seen. 

As 2013 drew to a close, Sharon asked for The Red Thread’s partnership to help these hurting children and we accepted. Therapy for her young patients involves a rewards system—a proven motivator for these kids—that she has been paying for out-of-pocket, including simple rewards like: 

• having a friend over to play
• visits to the local shelter to play with the animals
• trips to parks and public library events
• small toys or stuffed animals
• drinks or meals at McDonald’s or Wendy’s
• trips to a bounce facility to play on blow up slides
• pottery painting
• bowling

Often, these outings provide a place for therapy, as the kids’ homes are often chaotic and crowded or have infestations making therapy in their own environment impossible.

With your help, The Red Thread Promise was able to supply gift cards so that Sharon could continue to reinforce good behaviors for children and teens that desperately need to see positive outcomes for positive behavior. Her young patients began benefitting from those gift cards right away! 

In the following posts, we will share some of Sharon’s stories with you. These are your simple gifts in action. Thank you.

HAITI :: Seeing Stars buys food!

Original Zentangle Inspired Art (ZIA) by Cris

Posting so many thanks today is making Christmas Eve feel more like Thanksgiving. 

In that spirit, thanks to Cris Letourneau for her creative idea to support the food drive! She recently published an e-book and is giving a portion of the sales to TRTP. 

"My goal is to raise $500 and we are almost there! To date, I have $396 to send to the kids. That includes book sales to people in 27 different states, 5 countries, and 3 continents!" ~ Cris

If you are interested in seeing (or ordering!) Cris's book, click here and help feed the kids!

HAITI :: Thank you, 3 Birds Boutique!

Ashley, 3 Birds proprietor, and family

A big thank you to 3 Birds Boutique for their recent donation! The boutique gives a portion of the business proceeds to our medical program in Haiti, bringing care to those who wouldn't otherwise receive it. Proprietor, Ashley, shares her personal story of family medical challenges and why she has chosen to support The Red Thread. 

Thank you, 3 Birds!

HAITI :: Non-traditional gift exchange

The great ideas just keep coming! 

A class of Texas students opted for a non-traditional gift exchange this Christmas. Instead of buying gifts for one another, each was challenged to donate $3 to the St. Vincent's food drive. The kids raised $127 which was matched by the Williamson family. That's 305 meals given by one group of students for another group. 

Bless those young hearts!

HAITI :: 9,063 thank you's!

We are so so thankful to share how wonderful our supporters are. Your generous spirits are glowing as we report that over the course of 8 days, together we have raised $7,552 to buy food for St. Vincent's Center for Handicapped Children in Haiti. 

That, friends, is absolutely amazing.

With these funds we can purchase food for over one month to feed the residential kids and staff at St. Vincent's. Because of your support, we are able to provide THREE meals a day for that time and then some!

Our goal is two full months of food and we are well on our way to achieving that goal. 

We'd like to extend our sincere gratitude to everyone who has participated in the food drive thus far. Donors stretch across the United States to Canada and all the way to the Netherlands. The word is spreading and we thank you for your continued support.

• Tina T.
• Debra P.
• John L.
• Teresa C.
• Robin L.
• Eric M.
• Alison S.
• Stephen F.
• Randa F.
• Marc P.
• Dina P.
• Allyson P.
• Cinda C.
• Sherl O.
• Alicia F.
• Julie M.
• Bruce J.
• Michael S.
• Lenni M.
• Kathy A.
• Patricia M.
• Bradley H.
• Jane M.
• Jennifer T.
• Kelley K.
• Adela H.
• Robert S.
• Richard + Karen Y.
• Morna S.
• Ann R.
• Barb R.
• Robert S.
• Jordan
• Hana Y.
• Doug Y.
• Eric B.
• Greg + Annie K.
• Ellen G.
• Ann B.
• Lauri F.

The Red Thread is so blessed to have people like YOU following our progress on our blog, Facebook, Twitter and giving as you are able. If you'd like to help, please send your tax-deductible donation (memo line: food) via PayPal or check to:

The Red Thread Promise

249 N Belfield Ave

Havertown, PA 19083

Attn: Kathy Korge Albergate

HAITI :: Wonky math

Yes, friends, our 800 number from yesterday was wrong. But wrong in a GOOD way. We've actually sent enough $$$ to date to purchase 2,400 meals for the kids at St. Vincent's! 

Sometimes, it's good to be wrong!