Moving Forward

Check out our cabins! It's been an exciting journey, and we're so pleased with our progress.

Let Me Tell You a Story

Once Upon a Time .... there was a piece of dirt.

And all the piece of dirt wanted was to be a place for girls to come and laugh and play and grow.

So along came a group of busy little bees to help the piece of dirt's dreams come true.

And together they began to make the transformation.

New.

New Year. New Blog. New Projects. New Life.

Another year has flown by and it's time to say goodbye to Project 365. But make no mistake, this blog is here to stay. It's a new year and time to make a few a changes, and I'm excited to share with you all the new and exciting things happening at camp.

Last weekend was a breath of fresh air for Yona. Not only was the weather a perfect sunny 65 degrees, but there were busy little bees starting some new projects. Huge bundles of 2x4's, 2x6's, 4x4's, and plywood were delivered on Friday. Just being able to see all the lumber sitting on the property was enough to make me giddy.

Billy Joe Hayes, owner of Hayes Custom Homes, is donating his free time to help get us started. We are so thankful for him. On Saturday we grabbed a few volunteers and with the guidance of Billy Joe began to turn the piles of lumber into walls.

We spent a lot of time cutting the 2x4's down to size and organizing our piles.

We quickly got into a rhythm and had an assembly line going.

Measure, mark, pass along, cut, organize, assemble, repeat.

By Sunday evening the team had framed all the walls for two cabins, framed the walls for the well house, and cut the boards for eight picnic tables!

The next work weekend is scheduled for Feb 25th, 26th, and 27th. Mark your calendars and come be apart of breathing new life into Camp Yona.

Week 28: All I Want for Christmas

Song of the Week: White Christmas by The Drifters

If you're still looking for a few last minute Christmas Presents, here are seven suggestions of gifts that give back.

1. Toms Shoes

With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One.

2. Tshirts

Rosa Loves and The Yellow Bird Project are two organizations offering a good variety of cute and comfy tshirts with a purpose. All the proceeds from the shirts support different causes. You can read all the stories of the tshirts on their websites.

3. Donate to a charity in honor or in memory of someone.

There are tons of charities worthy of your support. If you are donating in honor or memory of a loved one, try looking for charities supporting your loved one's interests.

4. Sponsor an Endangered Animal

Give a gift that helps protect life on Earth. The World Wildlife Fund has hundreds of animals to adopt, as well as other ways to support the charity.

5. Gifts in Actions

Give a gift that lasts well beyond the Christmas Season and helps provide lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice. Organizations like Oxfam American, Heifer International, and Samaritan's Purse give you the opportunity to help children and families around the world receive training and animal gifts that help them become self-reliant.

6. Build a Nest

Nest empowers female artists and artisans around the world, helping them establish small businesses and moving women from poverty to self-sufficiency.

Nest offers a wide variety of beautiful handcrafted items and jewelry from the women in their program, as well as established "artists helping artists".

7. Volunteer

Spend time with your loved ones volunteering. You could ring a bell for the Salvation Army, serve a hot meal to the homeless, or spend time with an elderly person in a nursing home.

Hope you have a wonderful Holiday Season!

Week 27: Fall Favorites

Song of the Week: Harvest Moon by Neil Young

This week I'm highlighting just a few things to love about fall...

FOOTBALL and cheering on your favorite team.

Not only are the colorful leaves something to love about fall, but also being about to play in the piles of fallen leaves.

Fires. In the fireplace or out in the yard, I love cozying up next to a flaming fire.

Pumpkins.

Thanksgiving! Camp Yona has so much to be thankful for this year. We are so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people who love and support us.

Weather. Everyone loves a day in the mid-seventies.

Activities. There are so many fun things to do during fall .... apple picking, fall festivals, carnivals, corn mazes, hay rides.

Week 26: Lately

Song of the Week: I'm in a Hurry by Alabama

We've been busy the past couple of months, and I guess this blog has fallen to the side. I'm back and ready to fill you in on what's been happening lately.....

We added sewing to the list of enrichment activities. I LOVE to sew, and think it will be a great skill to teach our girls.

We spoke to the local Rotary Club and even got our pictures in the paper.

We saw a bear.

We are currently working with a grant writer to file all the necessary paperwork to apply for a long list of grants. Keep your fingers crossed.

We started volunteering with a local charity, Life Source. They salvage food and distribute it to local families in need. We are excited about the relationship we are building with them, and can't wait for our girls to get involved.

We are currently working out the details to have several work weekends throughout the winter. Will let you know when we've set the dates.

We are excited to introduce the newest member of the Camp Yona team, Moe. Moe is the Director of Snuggling. In his spare time he loves to fetch tennis balls, coordinate games of hide-and-seek, eat hotdogs, and play with squeak toys.

Week 24 & 25: Vietnam

Song of the Week: One Day by Matisyahu

Drew and I had the pleasure of spending the past two weeks in Vietnam with a ROW team of six; where we met inspiring people, dodged chaotic traffic, dined on delicious dishes, listened to heartbreaking stories, celebrated successes, absorbed the breathtaking countryside, and sang and danced with beautiful children.

The team was able to spend several days with the staff of Children of Vietnam, who have recently started a Empowering Foundations for Women and Their Children Program. The program gives single mothers, particularly with daughters, the opportunity to move their family out of poverty. By providing safe housing, bicycles for the children to get to school, school costs, and micro-loans for businesses; the program allows women to build a better future for their children. We were able to visit several of the families participating in the program, and it was powerful to hear firsthand the impact the program has on each family. The photo above shows one of the women we met. With a micro-loan furnished by COV this mother was able to open a fruit stand in the market, and can now afford to send her children to school.