Who gets the pillowcases? Guidelines.

[Sue-Pillowcase lady]

I have been getting requests for pillowcases. With the help of my "board of directors", other Navy moms who have been helping for months and that I have grown close to and trust their judgement, I have written up some basic guidelines on how we decide to mail pillowcases too.

When I started Heads at Ease in Janaury 2009, I was just a Navy mom who wanted to make a few pillowcases. 
At the beginning, it was me, some friends in Tucson and a friend in VA. I never dreamed it would go on so long nor grow so big. And I am blessed to be the "CO" of Heads at Ease.

Also, when I started, the pillowcases were for deployed sailors only. Then I got requests from family and friends for deployed military in other branches of the service or for sailors having a terrible time on their deployment. So I did a few special requests like that.
Then Molly's adopt a sailor started the Special Hugs for injured sailors, so I've done a few of those people and a couple of other special requests.

The USS New York is a major departure from our original/extended plan of deployed and injured military. Dori had a friend on the ship, and she wanted to do something special for him and his cube. Then Lyn, our beautiful embroiderer said she'd make it. And it just took off.
I had decided to "test the waters" with the command to do the ship. And as we worked thru the ideas for it, I tried several times to stop it. BUT the Lord would not let me. He would place that burden on my heart in a renewed way and we would press forward again. The USS New York is a ship that belongs to every American and I am blessed to have such a personal part in it.

Heads at Ease has been done totally on the donations of many people. I didn't have help with the project from any Navy moms until July. So that meant for 3 months, my personal family and friends funded my "pet" project. Then my friend Betsy wrote a letter called "Heads at Ease", which can be forwarded to anyone who is interested. Just give me your email address.
That letter really opened the door to a whole bunch of new people.

In July, my husband and I were interviewed by a local news station which brought us some new people and I had my 1st Navy mom helper-Lyn. Many have since joined us and again, I am so blessed by these moms. They have bought fabric and mailed to sewers. They have bought fabric, sewed and mailed. They have sent money. This is why we have been able to do so many. And with the NY, we will be close to 2000! Oh my, the blessings continue.

So all that said, we come to requests from people to purchase some or to send to non-deployed children. After chatting with my crew, here is what we have decided:

We send pillowcases to deployed/injured military personnel, primarily sailors. We wish we could send to all but it's not possible. We can always use more volunteers!! The pillowcases are a gift of love and not for sale. When we adopt a group we do everything possible to make each unique. Each carries a heart, showing the love that surrounds the recipient while s/he is away from home.

Here is my feeling on that reasoning. While some bases/duty stations have a NEX and decent choices, most do not. I feel that anyone who is stationed in the USA, can get to a big NEX, Walmart or whatever store they want to go, to get what they want.
If you could read some of the thank you notes that we have received, saying they didn't have a pillowcase, were using a t-shirt for one, a jacket for a pillow etc. you would see what we HAE crew members have seen. These are a permanent reminder to our precious deployed military that someone back home "has their back" and that they are prayed for.

I truly hope you will understand this. It's my heart's desire to do everyone, but it takes time and deployed just have to come first. Is your child deployed? If yes, check with us in a couple of weeks as we refine how we will choose the groups to do.

The best thing that I can offer to you, is to ask you to join the HAE group and see that we do. But the bottom line is, we will basically keep to deployed personnel.

Sincerely,
Sue Lamberson
Heads at Ease CO

[Dawn ~]

Maryellen....I would love some material! I have went through all my stash and buying is getting a tad bit expensive! I'm addicted now.....need to sew!!! hehe

[DC - G'mother of My Fav Sailor]

Sue, Given that these are a labor of love, I would like to see priority for deployed loved ones of the HAE group. When we adopt the loved one, we will try to adopt the unit. The reason I say, try is because the size of the unit may prohibit adoption of the whole unit. The second priority I would like for adopt would be loved ones of N4M members.

My logic of having these two groups as priority is that sending pillowcases becomes an expensive project. Not only do we have the cost of material, we have the cost of mailing. In addition, there is a cost of labor. Now don't tell me it is free because as an economist, I will assure you it is NOT free. Our time is valuable whether we are being paid for it or not. Two granddaughters, and perhaps five, will not get their stockings this year because I chose to do pillowcases and I loved it! In addition, when you are sewing a lot, sewing machines will need maintenance. And oh yes, there is the cost of utilities. These are miniscule BUT they add up.

Second point of logic is that we want to continue to have support of sewers and contributors of fabric and money. Everyone whose loved one benefited from our project will be inclined to want to help on a continuing basis. That may sound mercenary but I view it as being pragmatic.

I agree with your philosophy of "all or none." In other words, if we cannot handle a whole unit, then we will not adopt the unit at all.

This brings me to another point. We have adopted three ships and they are stressful because of the numbers. I think, in general, we should not adopt a ship. That does not mean that we will not adopt units on a ship. Those are manageable. As I have told you, I suspect if we adopt one unit, we will probably get requests for more. That is great and unit by unit we may cover a ship.

Most of all, I believe we need to keep this project an enjoyable one. There are several things that will help do this. One is to keep the groups a manageable size. I would prefer to do many smaller units, i.e., 50 or less, than one huge unit. It is easier to coordinate this. Second, I think all of the sewers should start working on a "stash." I don't have one but I am going to make it a goal to set aside a few each month to build up a stash. Hopefully, I will get to the point that I am only shipping out of the stash. This will allow all of us to know for sure how many we can provide because we already have them. I have always committed to fewer than I think I will actually do. It is much easier to go up than to let you down. Third, we need to come up with ways to reduce the workload on you. You have done a fantastic job but there has to be ways we can help.

[Dawn ~]

Sue, Can you please forward the letter to me please!!
Thank you!

[Sue-Pillowcase lady]

Maryellen, if you could send Dawn some fabric, that would be great. Dawn, please email me your address and I will mail you some fabric also. I will pass your address on to Maryellen.

[LLovesmysailor]

This should bring the discussion back up to the top for those who need it.

[DC - G'mother of My Fav Sailor]

We are receiving requests from HAE moms and N4M moms to adopt their sailors' units. Although these pillowcases are a gift of love and we do not sell them, it seems only fair that it is not unreasonable to have a "pay it forward" expectation. There are several ways to pay it forward.

Be a sewer for HAE.
Donate handmade pillowcases to HAE, e.g., pillowcases made by a local school group or church group.
Donate fabric to the cause.
Donate money for mailing and purchase of fabric.

As a sewer, I know that I have really appreciated the donations of fabric that some of the HAE members have made. It has really made a difference in what I can do.

[Sue-Pillowcase lady]

It sure does! this whole project has been funded by donations. And I would add one more thing to the "pay it forward".
I would like you to send out the HAE letter that was written by a friend of mine back in March. In it she asks for a $1.00 donation. That doesn't sound like much, but just think if 500 people did that?

Dori, you stated this very well! Thank you.

[carolyn s]

I've tried printing off the letter but it cuts it off! I only get part of the words and maybe halfway thru the letter before it stops. It's like it will only print what fits on an 8x10 piece of paper. :( I'm also pretty technologically inept so maybe there's something I should be doing differently.

Is anyone else having these issues?

[DC - G'mother of My Fav Sailor]

Carolyn, I've not tried printing it. I will convert it for printing to something with less spacing and no color background (uses lots of ink). I will post a PDF file here.

[DC - G'mother of My Fav Sailor]

Carolyn, I have converted the e-mail to one-page appeal in PDF format that can be snail mailed or handed out. It doesn't have the color background which will save on ink and it is in black and white.

[Sue-Pillowcase lady]

Dori, could you make a whole new thread for the appeal letter instead of just a link?

[Sue-Pillowcase lady]

to the top and I'll have to read and perhaps edit it.  I did alittle, but need to get to kinderland now.