FOR  IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cindy Williams
Teaching Hands   
208-343-4725
3storyteller@gmail.com
http://teaching-hands.blogspot.com/


WE KNEW IN 2008, THAT THOUSANDS OF BOISE'S HOMELESS AND NEEDY WERE FREEZING DURING THE COLDER TEMPERATURES IN IDAHO'S CAPITOL CITY. 

Boise, ID -  November 12, 2009 - Teaching Hands is a unique nonprofit that is developing a community through the arts. September of 2008, our volunteers handcrafted items for the needy and terminally ill to keep them warm. In return they acquired new skills. While meeting at the Library! @ Hillcrest we helped: Boise Rescue Mission, Inter Faith Sanctuary, Saint Luke's Foundation and Women and Children's Alliance. Today this doesn't exist. Because, we do not have the start-up funds (23 million),  to continue with.

Toward the end of August in 2008, Williams held an awareness event at the Library! @ Hillcrest. This was to let the public know we were headed toward major difficulties for the needy. The conference table was full of hats and scarves, Williams handcrafted herself.  Two children came into the room. They were taken in by all the colors and different designs. The boy asked how much. I stated, "They are free." Out they went . Several minutes later grandpa and everyone picked what they needed, "God Bless You." grandpa whispered.

Tim Woodward of the Idaho Statesman did an article about Teaching Hands, March 2009. We grew from approximately 18-23 participants to 35-40. We had an inter-generational group ranging in ages from 8-88 years of age. The Library! @ Hillcrest was filled to the brim. During our stay the volunteers managed to fill numerous bags with handcrafted items for the community. And helped others to learn new skills free of charge.

In February of 2009, Williams called the Boise Rescue Mission to see if they needed three lawn and leaf bags full of handcrafted items. Yes, they did. The men were so cold they didn't care about wearing the ladies hats. Williams was told that 2008 was the "easy year" from what was yet to come in the years that ahead. There was no "easy" aspect for Teaching Hands as they unable to keep up. The last sentence of that phone conversation still rings in Williams ears, "They are freezing out there."

Teaching Hands is a free service to help the community develop skills through the arts. The volunteers are ready to get back to work and make these necessary handcrafted items for the community. They are more than happy to share their skills and help anyone else to learn.

For more information: http://teaching-hands.blogspot.com or
Contact: 3storyteller@gmail.com
Phone: 208-343-4725

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Building World-Wide Communities -- Together!
http://teaching-hands.blogspot.com/

Remembering 9/11

Fort Hall service commemorates those lost in attacks

BY JOHN O’CONNELL
joconnell@journalnet.co

 BILL SCHAEFER/IDAHO STATE JOURNAL

FORT HALL — A faded and tattered American flag was lowered and removed. It was replaced by a new flag that the honor guard hoisted to half-staff Friday morning. Following a ceremony and a speech about the attacks of September 11, 2001, Tyson Shay performed a mournful, traditional Shoshone honoring song.

 “It kind of conveys the feeling we had at that moment when everything was going on,” Shay said after singing a solemn melody that had no dictionary meaning in any language but left a strong visceral impression with the crowd.

Throughout the country, ceremonies were hosted in observance of September 11, a date that President Barack Obama has proclaimed to be a national day of service and remembrance. The local September 11, observance, hosted at Veteran’s Park on U.S. Highway 91, offered a unique perspective of local Native Americans, many of whom have served their country. 
 It was organized by the Fort Hall Veterans Organization, the Fort Hall Fire Department and the Fort Hall Police Department, in conjunction with the Governor’s Commission on Service and Volunteerism.

The flag-raising took place by the memorial commemorating Shoshone-Bannock tribal members who served in World War I and World War II. Stars marked the names of those who were killed while serving.

Speaker Tinker Perkins, vice chairman of the Fort Hall Veterans Organization, cited statistics of the lives lost on September 11. He said 2,993 people were killed and 4,815 were missing when the Twin Towers came down. Also, 343 firemen and 23 policemen were killed. He said another 184 were killed when a plane struck the Pentagon.  “This is the first time the anniversary of the terrorist attacks will be recognized as a national day of service and remembrance,” Perkins said. “It will honor the heroes of that dark day, and it will also honor the brave men and women who continue to protect our country, home and abroad.”  Perkins noted that more than 24,000 Native Americans are now serving on active duty.

Sgt. Aric Armell, who attended the service, is among the ranks of the nation’s Native Americans in the military. On the day of the September 11 attacks, he was on duty at Fort Knox, Ky. He’s since served a tour in Afghanistan and two back-to-back tours in Iraq.  “What this does is take the eyes off the current economy and gives something more to think about,” Armell said of the local ceremony, which organizers hope to make an annual tradition.

Becky Martin, a Shoshone-Bannock tribal member and a commissioner with the Governor’s Commission on Service and Volunteerism, said the intent of the event is also to rekindle the feelings of unity and patriotism September 11 inspired.  “It’s not just a day of remembering the lives that were lost. It’s a day of remembering how the country came together that day,” Martin said.
IIn observance of the event, also called Patriot Day, the public was asked to fly flags at half-staff. Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter signed a proclamation Friday morning asking people to serve others.  “One of the best measures of our character as a community, and our civic virtue as individuals, is the degree to which we are willing to reach out to our neighbors in time of need,” Otter said in a prepared statement. “Idaho is richly endowed with citizens who put their good will into action through volunteerism and service. This is a day to recognize them and that ability in all of us.”

5/12/2009

First Lady Thanks Corporation for National and Community Service Employees

AmeriCorps Week Observed from Coast to Coast

Annual Event Comes as AmeriCorps Expands and Applications Skyrocket by 230%

Washington DC -- From protecting rivers in Minnesota and greening New York City parks to building wheelchair ramps in Florida and restoring Alaska forest trails, the third annual AmeriCorps Week will spotlight how AmeriCorps members are tackling tough national problems through intensive national service.

The coast-to-coast recognition of AmeriCorps Week, May 9-16, includes more than 350 service projects and recruitment events, the announcement of AmeriCorps Recovery Act grants, Facebook and Twitter outreach, video and photo contest, appreciation events by Governors and major league baseball teams, alumni gatherings, presentations to schools and community groups, and more.For more information click here.

Act Launches New Era of Service at Time of Great Need; National Service CEO Named