Mother’s Day is this Sunday, May 12. This year, instead of flowers that fade over time, send Flowers that Feed hungry families in your community.

With each donation of $25, $50 or $100, you will receive a beautiful gift card designed by local artist Bertica Garcia-Dubus.

Each card is inscribed with the number of meals your donation provides, letting your loved one know the impact of the gift. This year, give the gift of hope!

Click here to give Flowers that Feed. 

This week’s post was written by Ebony Holt, a SVdP volunteer

Well, it’s week 13 and it’s time to cue the music and dust off your cameras because its graduation time! Certificates, smiles, kudos and congratulations; it does not get any better this. They made it! That’s right, the moms of Ganamos have gone the distance. They have learned, created, and learned some more. They have planned and created an online business in 13 weeks. It was a large task indeed but the moms handled it with grace and determination. What a great feeling to accomplish your goals! To the moms I say Congratulations on a job well done and I wish you much success in your business endeavors. The Ganamos project has been deemed a success, but the burning question remains… what did the moms think of the experience?

Q: What did you think of the Ganamos Project? What did you like most and what did you like least?
Xochitl: I like what I have learned and that we prepared a business and are ready to sell.
Socorro: The thing I liked most about Ganamos was how things were explained and how we were taught to make Dream Catchers and necklaces.
Mariza: I liked everything. The entire project was good.
Maria: I liked everything. They had great ideas. I enjoyed everything, especially how to create an ETSY account and all of the ideas to motivate us.

Well, there you have it, straight from the Ganamos moms. The project was a success. Check out the moms on ETSY and check out the St Vincent De Paul website for updates on the Ganamos project.

Mother’s Day is a time to remember all that our moms do for us. It’s a time to remember their amazing dedication, support and strength.

But of course, Mother’s Day is also a time to remember that being a mother can be quite difficult, that there are a lot of hardships involved.

We see this first hand through our Family Assistance Ministries. Through this service, we help struggling single moms make it through the tough times.

Below are two stories from the program.

LaShawna’s story

LaShawna was forced to leave her husband due to the unhealthy nature of their relationship. She was left to raise their three-year-old son on her own.

LaShawna and her son had to stay with friends while she searched for employment since she could not afford to pay for housing.

Seeing her plight, Pilgrims Rest Baptist Church referred LaShawna to Family Assistance Ministries hoping that they could help her get back on her feet and into her own place.

Through Family Assistance Ministries, LaShawna was able to find three jobs and a place to stay with her son.

LaShawna continues to work hard to pay her bills and take care of her son.

Amanda’s story

Amanda was working full time and raising her two kids when her husband abruptly moved out of their home. She was left with the difficult task of raising her children alone.

Matters were made worse as Amanda had to deal with high summer bills, the rising cost of gasoline and an unexpected car repair. With all the misfortune, Amanda was on the brink of defaulting on her mortgage and losing her home.

Although Amanda had found full time employment, she still needed help making payments on her mortgage. Family Assistance Ministries was able to provide the help she needed in order to keep Amanda and her kids in their home and out of a shelter.

Now Amanda is able to be the super mom for her kids again.

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So thank you, moms, both single and not. We love you and all that you do.

If you’d like to help the families who are part of Family Assistance Ministries, you can donate online at www.stvincentdepaul.net or call us at 602.254.3338.

This week’s post is brought to you by Ebony Holt, a SVdP volunteer.

Okay, serious progress has been made and details have become final. All prototypes have been completed and let me just say that the moms of Ganamos are a talented bunch. Questions have been answered, accounts have been established, product descriptions are being written….’Flowers made with love and care” ….How could you say no to that?

Supplies have been purchased and prices have been set. Bios have been written and the stars are aligned…..okay that was a bit much but you get my drift. The moms are ready. They have developed their ideas into reality. No more talking about orders; they will be TAKING orders. Their brilliant ideas will be beautifying homes across the country. How very exciting for the moms and for the recipients of their amazing products.

Be on the lookout for photos of the moms, their products, and their personal biographies and product descriptions.

This weeks post is written by Ebony Holt, a SVdP volunteer.

The moms of Ganamos have been hard at work. They have been creating, learning, and…answering questions. Each week the moms answer a series of questions about life concerns, business pursuits and hopes for the future. Here is a small glimpse at their concerns and viewpoints.

Q: What do you think the biggest obstacle will be when introducing your product to the public?

Mariza: English, being able to translate the vision.

Socorrocito: The largest obstacle will be having money in the bank to buy supplies.

Xochitol: Knowing how to manage the website. Finding what area would be best for clients to find, see and like my products.

Maria: The biggest obstacle will be figuring out who will buy my products and who will I market to.

Q: What concerns you the most about where your life is headed?

Maria: What concerns me the most is my financial situation and the present economy and being able to obtain credit and pay bills.

Sorrocito: What concerns me is having a bank account and keeping good credit.

Xochitol: My concerns are about managing money long term and short term. I am concerned about being able to provide everything in life for my children. I would like to have money in hand to take care of them now and money saved for their future.

As I’m sure you’ll attest, these would be concerns for anyone starting a new business. But as the moms will soon discover, finding answers to these concerns will be what drives their success.

By: Gretchen Burnton

Bruce Marion is a local artists who is coming to St. Vincent de Paul on Saturday, April 13th. He’ll be working with a group of kids to develop two abstract paintings. The paintings will be auctioned off at this year’s Golf-Fore-Charity event that is happening on Monday, April 29th.

“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always had a desire to create. I’ve been making art my whole life so I just like bringing and creating new, beautiful things into the world. I get inspiration from all different places,” Bruce said.

Bruce hopes to inspire the kids he’ll be working with during his art workshop. To find out more about Bruce and about what he’ll be doing at St. Vincent de Paul, check out our Q & A with him below:

Can you tell me what you’ll be doing at SVdP on Saturday, April 13^th?

We’ll be working with two groups of kids and their parents. Each group is going to be creating an abstract painting. Each painting is going to be influenced by a piece of music that the group is going to listen to. The music is going to influence the color pallet that we use as well as the shapes that are used in the art piece.

The results we get are really amazing beautiful works of art so we hope the pieces could be used in the auction, [at Golf-Fore-Charity], by the end of the month as part of a fundraiser by St. Vincent de Paul.

How successful has your past work been with children?

I’ve done a number of art residencies at elementary schools. The schools came up with some incredibly gorgeous paintings that are now part of their permanent art collection. These paintings don’t look like children’s art. If you saw them, you would think they could be in any gallery. They’re truly beautiful.

The painting at the Scottsdale Arts Academy turned out so well that the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale used it as the main artwork in their lobby over a four-month period.

Can you tell me about the music you’ve used in the past to inspire these paintings?

We picked songs that contrast. One was a very classical orchestral piece that was very dramatic and dynamic. It was an excerpt of “The Firebird Suite” by Stravinsky. The other song used very melodious voices; it was “Circle Song” by Bobby McFerrin. It was beautiful voices sort of flowing and moving in and out of each other. It had a very meditative sort of quality to it.

We chose pieces that would really engage the kids’ imaginations and create a strong point of view and sense about it. We translated all of that into color and shape.

I’m not sure what pieces we’re going to use at St. Vincent de Paul just yet.

Why is art implementation in a child’s life important?

The kids’ reactions have been super positive. I think in every other subject in school, they’re trying to learn what the right answer is. There’s always a right answer. The beauty of art is that there are a thousand right answers. There are a million right answers. There is no one-way to do it.

I think a very strong component of humanity is our creativity and ability to envision these things and to want to envision these things. We’re a species of inventors and I think letting the kids and families tap into their creativity is very important. It’s not only fun but also it taps into a fundamental part and strength of who we are. Art is about affirming the uniqueness of each of us as an individual.

Art values creative thinking and taking leaps which other subjects like math and memorizing formulas do not do. That’s the type of creativity that was able to create the type of products that Apple computer did or that created the Internet. You know, it’s leaps of imagination and I think art fuels that

Art is very fundamental. It’s imperative to learning and it’s not just art, music feeds that and any other creative endeavors feed that, too.

Check out Bruce on his website at: www.brucemarion.com

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Gretchen Burnton is the community relations intern at St. Vincent de Paul. She is a sophomore at Arizona State University pursuing a concurrent degree in journalism (with a specialization in Public Relations) as well as Film and Media Studies. She is also pursuing a minor in public service and public policy.

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This weeks blog posted by Ebony Holt, a SVdP volunteer

Well, the Moms of Ganamos are well on their way. Esty accounts have been set up, banking business is being taken care of, the Moms have been well schooled about the wonderful world of Pay Pal, and product prototypes will soon be presented. The idea of an online business is quickly becoming a reality. Just over a month from now the businesses will be official. The Moms’ graduated products will be posted and orders will be taken and delivered. The Moms will be busy making their businesses grow.

How will the Moms stay focused with a new adventure in their lives? Vision. The Moms created vision boards. A visual reminder of what they will achieve. The Moms know that faith and hard work is the recipe for a successful future. Being able to see where they will land will be an awesome motivator.

This post was written by Ebony Holt, a SVdP volunteer

This week the classes of Ganamos included English, business, and crafts. They put their English skills to work. They learned about checks and balances and they got down to the nitty gritty learning to chart expenditures. They figured the cost of supplies down to the last penny to determine how much they will charge for their beautiful works of art. And beautiful works of art they are.

This week the Moms made designer scarves. Some were fluttery and some were trendy and they were all gorgeous. An embelishment here and a bobble there and we are talking high end. I had the pleasure of joining them just to see how much fun and how rewarding it is to create a sellable product. The Moms got to work and so did I and the scarves quickly came to life. Blue, green red, and white…all stunning. Lightweight for spring with colors that will carry over into fall, and you’ll never guess what they are made from….I’m not going to tell you. I’ll let you be pleasently surprised should you decide to try one on for size. I can tell you that creating a craft with your own two hands, knowing that it will make someone happy and help provide for your family is an awesome thing…but I’m sure the Moms of Ganamos knew that from the start.

This post was written by Ebony Holt, a volunteer with SVdP

So we’ve all had those moments in our lives when we space out completely and live out our wildest dreams. You know the ones where you’re a racecar driver or a unicorn tamer? We all have them, even the Moms of Ganamos. So what would the Moms do if the sky were the limit? Well, I’ll tell you.

Sorrocito would learn how to knit. She would create beautiful quality items that she loves and that everyone else would love. Maybe someday she’ll have a TV show called Knitting with Sorrocito.

Xochitol would work with an unlimited supply of materials and business contacts. She would sell her products to the public and reach the highest sales possible. Can you say Fortune 500?

Mariza would see to her health, and with mental clarity, she would embark on a journey to learn new things… very Zen.

Maria would become a preschool teacher or maybe have her own day care. What a caring and patient heart.

We all have dreams and hopes and it is awesome when they come to fruition. The Moms continue to work tirelessly toward their goal of establishing and growing a business.

No doubt the completion of the class and the beginning of their new endeavors will be the catapult that launches them into their wildest dreams.

By: Gretchen Burnton

Helen Rinne, a registered nurse, helps restore hope for patients who enter St. Vincent de Paul’s Virginia G. Piper Medical and Dental Clinic.

“The patients that we see, often times, don’t have any other options. These people are feeling really hopeless about their situations. They think, ‘This is never going to heal, I’m not going to get better,’” said Helen.

Helen volunteers two to three days of the week at SVdP . While she helps with all aspects of the clinic, she focuses most of her time in the wound care program, caring for uninsured patients who are discharged from the hospital with large open wounds.

“You’re afraid when you’re sick even when things are going well in your life. It’s a scary thing to be in the hospital, then add to that a situation where there’s no insurance and there are no alternatives. The patients are at the end of their rope and they’re afraid,” Helen said.

Untreated open wounds can cause infections and other serious medical conditions. On top of being in pain, many patients are unable to work or even lose their jobs. These patients come to SVdP, where they receive various treatments that they would not be able to manage at home. One of those treatments include use of a wound VAC (vacuum assisted closure), a mechanical device that helps heal wounds. Patients are overcome with relief after seeing what Helen and the clinic can do for them.

Helen says that she owes much of her success at SVdP to her coworkers. There’s a very good sense of teamwork established within the clinic.

“Everyone works to do what’s best for the patient as a team. The level of commitment that the volunteer physicians have here is amazing,” said Helen.

Helen came to SVdP a year ago after retiring. She strongly urges others to volunteer their time.

Part of the reason people don’t volunteer is because they fear they have nothing to contribute, Helen said.

“They’re not sure where to get started. And I didn’t know either. But the first day I was here, I sought out opportunities where I knew there was a need.”

Helen initially started by organizing the clinic’s supply room. She made shelves and bins that the Mayo Clinic donated since she was staff nurse there for a number of years. Her role has expanded greatly since then.

“You just feel like you make a difference and you can see it everyday. Patients here are so grateful for the care that they get,” said Helen. “They begin to feel better and they’re so appreciative. Hearing that feedback, that you’re make a difference, is really rewarding.”

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Gretchen Burnton is the community relations intern at St. Vincent de Paul. She is a sophomore at Arizona State University pursuing a concurrent degree in journalism (with a specialization in Public Relations) as well as Film and Media Studies. She is also pursuing a minor in public service and public policy.

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