That special day: Residents help each other through troubled times

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That special day: Residents help each other through troubled times

Around Osceola

Wednesday, 19 May 2010 00:00

An act of compassion for grieving parents
When Bob and Maria’s baby arrived early and didn’t survive delivery, it nearly crushed them.
But one bright spot in those dark days was the beautiful hand-sewn outfit their little premature son was wearing when the hospital invited the parents to spend some quiet time with him. The perfectly sized gown and the “memory packet” for saving a lock of his hair and other reminders of their child made a heartbreaking situation just a little easier to bear.
Recently, a group of nearly 200 volunteers held a Day of Service at Osceola Heritage Park to design, sew and donate bereavement gowns and memory packets for babies who are stillborn or miscarried at Osceola Regional Medical Center, Winnie Palmer Hospital and Florida Hospital.
Lorna DeLoach, Day of Service co-chairperson, Beverly Brown, president of the Relief Society, a woman’s service organization in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Hunters Creek Stake, and Patsy Danley, director of public affairs for the church in Osceola County, organized the event.
“We understand the heartache these parents feel and we were looking for some small way to ease their grief,” said DeLoach, a St. Cloud mother of four and grandmother of four. “These bereavement gowns are a tangible way for us to share our love and concern for these little ones and their families. We can’t take away their pain, but we can let them hold their little one in a beautiful little outfit created with all the care and tenderness we can muster. ”
Marianne Matthews, nurse manager at the Osceola Regional Medical Center’s Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit, expressed appreciation to all the volunteers and for their many hours of service.
“These bereavement gowns provide great comfort to parents in a time of trial and heartbreak,” she said.
A Brush with Kindness
for homeowners
Although they don’t know each other, Celeste, Essie Mae and Willie have several things in common. They are all widows, they live on a fixed income and they struggle physically and financially to take care of their modest homes. They’re all from Osceola County: Celeste lives in the Buenaventura Lakes area, Essie May resides in Kissimmee and Willie is from St. Cloud.
Now, thanks to Habitat for Humanity and a local group’s Day of Service, all three have beautiful, freshly painted homes and manicured yards.
“Habitat doesn’t just build houses — we also help to build communities,” said Pat Filippone, executive director of the Osceola Chapter of Habitat for Humanity. “That means we help hard-pressed homeowners care for their properties. We call that side of our mission “A Brush with Kindness.”
“We have a paint manufacturer who donates paint for our projects. But we’re completely dependent on volunteers to get the work done. That’s why this Day of Service, orchestrated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Hunters Creek Stake, was such a godsend. In just one day, they painted six homes, a church and a day care center. That’s a new record for Osceola County.”
Scott Farnsworth, a financial advisor from Harmony, and Chris Dowdy, a contractor from Orlando, who coordinated the project with Habitat and the various volunteer groups, said the Habitat was a perfect fit for the Day of Service.
“In these difficult economic times, people are struggling to hold onto their homes. We believe the home is the center of our faith and the wellspring of what makes this country great. So when we saw an opportunity to help needy local families care for their homes, we jumped at the chance.”
Habitat for Humanity screens homes and homeowners, supplies the paint, and then coordinates with volunteer organizations. Those groups provide the workers and the rest of the materials.
“It’s a wonderful partnership that makes a huge difference for everyone,” said Filippone. “It is amazing what we can do together for the betterment of the community."
The three Osceola County widows couldn’t agree more. Willie loved the new colors and the repairs volunteers made to some rotten woodwork.
“Just look at the fresh paint,” said Celeste, who is disabled from rheumatoid arthritis and injuries from an auto accident. “Plus, they trimmed back the bushes all around the house and put in a brand-new flower bed. I could never have done that myself.”
Essie Mae struggled to put her feelings into words:
“Words just can’t express
... How can we not help but be happy? All I can say is thank you.”
Habitat for
Humanity
gets a makeover
More than 300 local volunteers swarmed the Osceola County Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore facility in Kissimmee and gave it a major makeover, thanks to a recent Day of Service spearheaded by several local church congregations.
The Habitat’s ReStore location is an old lumberyard at 2340 N. Orange Blossom Trail in Kissimmee. Habitat receives, recycles and sells reusable building materials to raise money for its operating budget.
The small staff had been overwhelmed by all the materials donated by generous members of the community. They didn’t have time to sort them and organize them, much less paint and beautify the property.
Filippone knew she needed help.
“We had our hands full building houses, running the store and raising money. We were literally tripping over all the donated materials — which we dearly love to receive — but we couldn’t get them organized like we wanted.”
Mike Lowe, an Orlando attorney, and Dowdy, co-chairmen of the Day of Service committee, learned about Habitat’s situation and relayed this information to church leaders, who agreed it was time to come to Habitat’s aid.
Dr. Allan Pratt, a local physician and president over eight congregations in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Hunters Creek Stake, said, “Habitat for Humanity does so many good things for so many people in our community and around the world. When we learned they needed help to clean and organize their headquarters, we invited our members and their friends to put on their gloves and lend a helping hand. They went to work and the results were incredible.”
Filippone gratefully described the results:
“These people are angels. They swept through here like a swarm of bees — sorting, stacking, organizing, pruning, raking, painting the shed and storefront and loading dumpsters with debris. We hardly recognized the place when they were finished.
“We’re usually the ones giving service and we know how wonderful that is. But this time we learned that it can be just as sweet to be on the receiving end. This was a great day for Habitat for Humanity of Osceola County.”
Donations of reusable building materials are welcome at Habitat’s ReStore facility at 2340 N. Orange Blossom Trail in Kissimmee from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.