Friends of CG Fridays!: Busses and Blood Drives
We have had such a whirlwind week!
And we have A LOT of people to thank for it being a great success. We are so full of gratitude, in fact, that we have decided to institute a NEW TRADITION!
“Friends of CG” Fridays will be blog posts released once a week where we thank groups, companies, teams, and other amazing people who have helped us go above and beyond.
We are starting off strong with THREE BIG THANK YOUS!
Jersey Mike’s at Hunters Woods Plaza: When we reached out to our local Jersey Mike’s Sub shop at Hunters Woods, we were looking for coupons they could give us for the “Thank You Bags” we wanted to give the Blood Donors at St. Anne’s blood drive today. Their response was so warm and giving that we were truly humbled. They gave us three different kinds of coupons, a bunch of menus, and promised to work with us in the future! They are also working with Cornerstones this month to raise money ALL MONTH to help with programs for in-need families of Reston. This giving month culminates in their HUGE event on March 31st, where all the proceeds they earn that day from open to close go to Cornerstones’ programs. We are thanking them not only for what they do for us (and for their delicious subs that make GREAT staff lunches) but what they do for their community. Way to go, you guys, you are super stars!!
Amphora Bakery at Sunset Park Drive: Full disclosure, LJ has been working with Amphora bakery since before she worked at Common Ground. Whenever we have asked for a quality bakery to work with, Amphora always comes up. They are helpful, quick, professional, kind, and DELICIOUS. When we called and asked for help getting cookies for our blood drive this week, they gave us an INCREDIBLE price and DID NOT skimp on that delectable chocolate chip cookie. They were so good we got way more than we needed so we could share with staff, who could not say enough good things about them (and always came back to see if there are more!) Thank you so much, Amphora! Can’t wait to work together again!
Wiygul Automotive in Herndon, VA: We have been a long time customer of the Wiygul Automotive location on Grant Street in Herndon. Because they service our school busses, which carry our most precious cargo, we need to have the utmost faith in their work. Along with being fast and efficient, they always take care of us with absolute professionalism and precision, and never hesitate to make sure we get a good non-profit price. Not only did they service and return BOTH of our busses this week, they also took care of Ms. LJ’s vehicle as fast as possible so that we could continue working without delay! We recommend them to anyone and everyone because we can personally vouch for their dependability over several years of use.
Keep a look out for our Featured Friends on Fridays! If you want to be a featured friend? give us a shout! We would love to work with you.
Love Love Love,
LJ and your CG Family
#GiveFundsGiveTime: GIVING TUESDAY IS HERE
December 1st, 2020 is probably one of the strangest, loveliest, and most necessary Giving Tuesdays since its inception in 2012. The world is wracked by a pandemic. Unemployment has been at an all time high. An unmatched 12 named storms, including a record-tying six hurricanes, have made landfall in the United States this year alone.
We are quarantine-fatigued, decision-fatigued, anxiety-fatigued. Traditions are changed, family visits are reliant on internet connections.
It is in the midst of this unique adversity that we find our most profound strength, our brightest hope, our purest joy.
We have stood together, protecting one another with masks and distance. We have created new traditions out of whole cloth that will withstand the test of time. We have rallied around our small businesses, our schools, our communities to provide whatever support we can, even though it never seems like enough.
THAT is what our Giving Tuesday #GiveFundsGiveTime campaign has been all about.
We raised over $4,000.00 for our programs (and still have $3,000 of matching funds available!) and had such an incredible time doing it. If you are reading this on #GivingTuesday, you can still donate to our cause with double the impact HERE.
We had so much fun during the sleepover. Our kiddos left their best stuffed friends in care of Mr. Josh, Ms. Janette, Ms. Liz, and Ms. LJ, your CIRCLE TIME crew! We spent the evening dancing, singing, doing art, eating popcorn, and sending pictures/videos of the whole thing to the students while they were safe at home! APART DOES NOT MEAN ALONE, Friends and Families!
If you didn’t see the ridiculous good time that was our STUPENDOUS STUFFY SLEEPOVER, you are missing out… BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO MISS OUT NEXT TIME! We will be doing more of these.
You can download a copy of the one-of-a-kind stuffy sleepover coloring book where we featured each of the animals present (along with your circle time friends!)
Check out the fantastical highlights of our Stuffy Sleepover HERE.
This event was a perfect representation of the #GiveTime part of our campaign, what we consider to be the KEY and MOST VITAL part. We wanted to give our kids something to look forward to in uncertain times, to give them a new tradition that they can share with their friends no matter what is going on in the world outside. Each of us gave a little bit. Scrawl Books gave us ideas and goodies for our bags. Pal Dentistry gave us toothbrushes for our stuffys and instructions on how to keep our teeth healthy! We would also love to thank our local author Wayne Truax and family members Mary and Richard Badley for the wonderful addition of Mouse, The Man, and the MGB to our evening (and our goodiebags!)
Last, but not least, Our wonderful families gave us faith, time, money, and their happiness made our giving feel like receiving something warm and full of love.
We have written a lot in the last few weeks on how to Give Time to the people around you that matter, and we will continue to do so. This was just the jump start to our Giving Muscle Fitness Program! We want you to keep at it. Keep giving those five minutes a day. Give yourself five minutes because you are worth it. Give attention to your family for five minutes because you’ll suddenly find that it’s your favorite part of the day. Keep giving it until suddenly it’s seven minutes. Then ten. You will inspire others to do the same, and your reach will expand far beyond your wildest dreams.
We have dug deep into our hearts and not been found wanting. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for making #GivingTuesday2020 so incredible.
Love and Regards,
Ms. LJ
#GiveTime: Five Minutes to Yourself
HEY YOU. YES YOU. I AM ABSOLUTELY TALKING TO YOU.
To the parent who has to work from home with their kiddos. The parent who has to work from home but send their kids to school. The parent who gave up their job to stay home with their young kids. The parent who is essential and is trying to serve their community AND protect their family.
To the parent who is still trying to make life fun and creative and messy with the addition of mask etiquette and a sudden dearth of safe activity.
To the teacher or family member or neighbor or ETC who feels like there is no good answer to an overwhelming number of questions, no good solution to a sea of problems.
YOU CANNOT GIVE TO OTHERS IF YOU HAVE NOTHING FOR YOURSELF.
Say it with me, and say it loud for your friend who thinks it doesn’t apply to them either.
You cannot give to others if you have nothing for yourself.
When everyone is so exhausted, it is hard not to teeter on the edge of burnout, especially when there is real danger and strife. It may feel like you CANNOT save any energy and time for yourself.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. EVERYTHING CAN WAIT FIVE MINUTES.
Read five minutes of a book you’ve wanted to read
Catch up on news (please avoid “doom scrolling” on your five minutes, though…)
Teach yourself something (if you study something for five minutes every day, that time adds up quickly)
There are a TON of five minute fitness videos. Create a 30-day challenge for yourself where each exercise takes 3-5 minutes a day at most. The results are SHOCKING.
Take a walk around the block
Meditate or do a Deep Breathing Exercise
Practice your instrument of choice (have it set up in a corner of your house so you don’t have to pull it out)
Write in your journal
Pull some weeds in your garden
Play with your dog/cat/gerbil/snake
Color in a coloring book
It’s hard not to picture the “destination” of things that are important to you. Education, fitness, hobbies, peace of mind, it all seems so daunting when you see how far away you seem from your goal and just how many people that need pieces of you.
Every marathon starts with a step. Every book starts with a word. You deserve time to go on your personal journey and to ENJOY your destination.
And when you are feeling driven and fulfilled, more at peace? You have so much more to give to those loved ones that need you. The time you give them will be full of quality and joy because you will be too.
You deserve to have your bucket filled too.
Love and Regards,
Ms. LJ
#GiveTime: Community and Causes
Hi there! LJ Donnell here with some incredible (and quick!) ideas to #GiveTime to your community! This is a part of our #GiveFundsGiveTime Campaign for #GivingTuesday, so if you need more ideas, visit THIS PAGE. We also ask that if you have any excellent ideas of your own that aren’t listed here, PLEASE share them in the comments!! A community is always better when we work together.
So far, our suggestions are:
5 minutes a night knitting/crocheting/making blankets for Project Linus
Do click throughs on charity sites
Sign petitions
Call your local representative and talk to the about an issue
Draw inspirational chalk messages around your neighborhood
Draw loving chalk messages and pictures on the sidewalk of your local hospital so patience can see them out the window
Write post cards to senior citizens and other high-risk populations who are stuck in quarantine and away from their families. Example Here
Share/Amplify social media messages for local businesses, charities, and local activist groups. — I know this doesn’t sound like much… but it really means the world to people trying to get their messages out there. It takes you very little time, and you could make a big difference to their business or cause. Even something as small as sharing a “Missing Pet” post from your local neighborhood’s facebook could make a world of difference for a family.
Volunteer as your Cal de sac’s glass recycling person — okay, this one may be a 15/20 minute task once a week. Have your neighbors put their used glass products in bags and place them on their doorsteps, then you take them to the nearest glass recycling bins. You could also set up a round-robin sort of thing, and it’s as easy as making a post on your neighborhood’s facebook or NextDoor page.
Pick up trash on your walk — You may be getting fresh air. You may be on a little run! You may be taking your kids out of the house to get rid of some of their energy. Either way, just have gloves in your pockets and a grocery bag so you can pick up trash you see on the walk. You’d be surprised how little effort it takes, and what a big difference it makes. Wildlife in the area is getting snared in disposable masks on the ground. It’s pretty awful. Every little bit you do, even if it’s just five minutes while you’re already walking outside, could save a precious life.
#GiveFundsGiveTime is all about giving what you can when you can, and not overtaxing. All good deeds make waves, no matter how small. Let’s make this holiday season as full of hope, magic, and love as we possibly can.
See you out there!
Ms. LJ
#GiveFundsGiveTime Campaign Begins!
Let’s face it folks…
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IS EXHAUSTING.
Having time, energy, and money could sometimes be hard at the end of a normal work/school week.
We are running a marathon of enduring loss and fear. Our reserves are stretched, our patience thin. We can sometimes feel paralyzed by indecision and terrible fatigue, unsure of how to maintain JOY in our own households when the world looks so different.
Giving Tuesday is on Tuesday, December 1st this year, and if you’re like us, you feel tapped out.
Our children cannot see their friends, we cannot see our family, a lot of us have had our salaries cut or jobs furloughed. What can one person give when so many buckets are empty?
“GIVING” is a muscle too. It can be overworked and injured. We can see all of the NEED in the world, all the work that needs to be done, and the distance between here and there can seem daunting.
You don’t start working a muscle by running a marathon or lifting 500 lbs. You start by walking a mile. And then another. You lift that 5lb weight until you can lift 10lbs, 15lbs, and so forth.
And so, my friends, I come to my point.
This year, for Giving Tuesday, Common Ground Childcare is running our #GiveTimeGiveFunds campaign.
We are asking for a pledge time OR funds OR both, and we are asking you to give slowly, with care, and with self-forgiveness if it feels too small. No act of kindness is too small.
GIVE FUNDS
This one is easy - we will have plenty of opportunities for you to give money to Common Ground!
Our MAJOR EVENT of the #GiveFundsGiveTime campaign is THE STUFFY SLEEPOVER!! It is a fundraiser we set up to give back to the community, especially those kiddos who are missing their friends and holiday fun.
GIVE TIME
Our most precious commodity, the one we are most adamant to protect, and the one we are often the least efficient with.
NO JUDGEMENTS HERE! During the COVID-19 pandemic I have personally felt like there is endless need, and I still end up doom scrolling on my phone for an unacceptable amount of time each day.
Even in normal circumstances is exceptionally hard to manage something as subjective and intangible as Time, especially when so many important things (and people) seem to have pressing need
Common Ground’s BIG ASK this run-up to Giving Tuesday? Build up those Giving-Time muscles.
We want you to pledge what you think you can do each day for just two weeks!
We are pledging 5 minutes a day until December 1st, and we are only asking for you to do the same.
Do you think you can do more than that? GREAT! Pledge it! We want to see what our community is capable of, because we know it is incredible!
What can you do in five minutes? CHECK OUT OUR FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM for ideas every single day!
You would be amazed at what you could do in five minutes for:
Children
Family
Neighborhood
Environment
Coworkers
Community
Yourself
Causes
We will be talking about one of these each day until December 1st! Please share your ideas, your struggles, your triumphs! In this time of social distancing, seeing your pictures and stories makes us all feel united.
Use our #GiveFundsGiveTime hashtag so we can see the impact of everyone doing “just” five minutes a day.
On December 1st we will look back and see what incredible things we can do in two weeks. Just like you, I know it will be humbling, wholesome, significant.
Get out there and #GIVE!
— Ms. LJ
In the Community: Thanksgiving Box Drive
No one should go hungry on Thanksgiving
Time and time again I am impressed by the loving charity of our community.
Due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19, there are so many families in our community who would be going without a Thanksgiving Dinner on our table if Cornerstones did not run their annual drive.
Our support of Cornerstones’ annual Thanksgiving Food Drive will help make a fulfilling holiday possible for nearly 1,000 families this holiday season.
FOR THE FRIENDS OF COMMON GROUND AND OUR FAR AWAY FAMILIES:
The North Virginia community can support the drive by purchasing a $50 Thanksgiving Food Box at the North Point Village Center Giant Food location in Reston, now through November 14.
FOR OUR ACTIVE FAMILIES:
THIS YEAR we have promised one box for each class, so we will work with your teachers on building a sign up so that each family can bring a part of their classroom’s box.
The kiddos will make art and letters to place in there along with the food so that we can give the family receiving the box a heartfelt hello on the holiday of gratitude.
This sounds complicated with our social distancing policy, but I promise you we will make this as easy as possible! Here is the link to the SIGNUP. You can click on as many or few as you like, including the BONUS box at the end.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN FILLING YOUR OWN BOX — Let LJ Donnell know and she will give you your own box to fill with a list of what needs to go inside available. They can always use more boxes.
We will begin to collect items in the classrooms starting on Thursday. Please bring your items for the boxes either at pick up or drop off (place it into your child’s backpack.)
Because we have to limit our exposure with the drop off, we will only be doing one! Please have all of your ingredients and or boxes back by MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16TH COB.
In the community: Peanuts for a Peanut Butter Company
On Monday, October `19th, I went with local business owner, Radhika Murari, in the Common Ground bus up to Maryland China Co. on an unusual mission!
Radhika is the owner of OmMade, an artisanal peanut butter company that is based here in Reston, VA and has gotten quite a lot of press recently for being awarded a grant to invest in peanut farming in Virginia, but she was in desperate need of another type of peanuts - environmentally safe, compostable packing peanuts.
don’t worry, our masks were just off for a quick picture!
She found a vendor up in Maryland about an hour and a half away, Maryland China Co, who sells them in bulk, but Radhika needed more than her small car could hold after making two trips in the last two weeks and going through them quickly!
So Common Ground came to the rescue! We were able to pack 16 bags onto the bus and help our community in a very cool way! In fact, as a thank you, Radhika offered to run a fundraiser for our center! She will be donating 20% of all sales through this link: http://www.ommadepb.com?aff=4 to our center!
The story of her peanut butter is a really cool one!
She was looking for a health peanut butter to feed her son. When she couldn’t find what she was looking for, she started making it. But once she started, it led her to experiment with different flavors!
This peanut butter isn’t just for kids. The chocolate and coconut are my favorites so far, but my friend is obsessed with the chai nirvana!
Radhika is incredibly humble about her business, saying that it belongs to the community and giving the credit to her success freely to the people who support her. However, anyone who has met her knows it’s her passion and work ethic, coupled with the best peanut butter in existence that deserves all the credit!
Please shop here: http://www.ommadepb.com?aff=4 to support both OmMadePB and Common Ground!
If you’re attending the center, choose local pick up and you can pick it up from the Center!
-Miss Liz
Winter Coat Closet 2020
It is only the beginning of November and already, all of us here at Common Ground are huddled in our warm winter coats. The kids look like happy, puffy little marshmallows in the Autumn chill while the teachers are laughing about matching their scarves and gloves with their masks.
Not everyone gets to enjoy the change of the season from a safe, comfortable position. Parents and children alike are facing a long, cold winter (and cold/flu season!) without proper attire.
PLEASE NOTE! If you or anyone you know needs help this winter, note the winter clothing distribution times. There is no shame in needing help. Click Here for all the programs available through Cornerstones.
Cornerstones, in partnership with the Hunter Mill District Supervisor’s Office, is once again operating the Hunter Mill District Winter Coat Closet for 2020 – 2021 in order to provide free winter coats, hats, gloves, mittens and scarves to all who need them.
We at Common Ground are encouraging our families, friends, teachers, neighbors, and readers to contribute new or gently used winter attire to their cause!
Donations can be dropped off at:
The Reston National Golf Course (until November 6th)
The Cornerstones Main Office (Oct. 15th-Jan. 4th)
These three days in the North County Government Building (Nov. 14th, December 12th, and January 9th).
Would you like to donate, but do not have the time to get over to the drop off station? Do you have any other questions or need clarification?
Contact LJ Donnell and she would be happy to help in any way.
