Checkbook Covers for Charity

Tomorrow is the next Gogo Grandmother’s craft night. What is a Gogo Grandmother you ask? It’s not what you think. LOL! “Gogo” means grandmother/grandfather in Chichewa, the national language of Malawi. Some wonderful women at my church started a chapter of Gogo Grandmothers last year. The purpose of Gogo Grandmothers groups are to share Christ’s love and compassion with the grandmothers and grandfathers who are caring for the grandchildren of Africa orphaned by AIDS. (There are over 15 million orphans in Africa due to the AIDS pandemic.)

“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for the orphans and widows in their distress . . .” ~ James 1:27 (NLT)

GOGO is a grandparent-to-grandparent project of SAFE (Sub-Saharan Africa Family Enrichment) in Malawi, Africa. It links grandparents from developed countries with grandmothers and grandfathers caring for orphans in developing countries, thereby addressing an outcome of the HIV/AIDS pandemic within a faith-based context. I had the privilege of meeting Leslie Lewis, the U.S. Coordinator, this morning at church. She is such a sweet lady and shared some amazing stories about the organization and the people involved. If you would like to get more information on what you can do to help, click here. There are opportunities to sponsor a Village Gogo, start a chartered group in your area, participate as an individual, couple, or company, or even just make a one-time donation.

What does this have to do with papercrafting, you may wonder? The Gogo Grandmas at our church are holding a boutique fundraiser in February to raise money to send to the Gogos (grandparents) in Africa. Once a month, they have been holding craft workshops where women in the community come and make fun projects that they will sell at the boutique in February. There are ladies teaching everything from knitting, crocheting and potting plants to making gift bags and cards. That’s where I come in. My love for papercrafting is known around our church and I am honored that they have asked me to help by guiding some of the ladies though some simple papercrafting projects. We had a great time making boxed note cards in November. You can see them here. This month we will be making checkbook covers using some of CTMH’s new papers. I chose my favorite two CTMH paper packs to use for this project.

This cover uses the Veranda paper packet. I printed a bible verse that we will attach that says Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” How perfect is that verse for a checkbook cover? I know I will think twice about how I am spending my money the next time I write a check! The flowers are some old Primas I had in my stash. I added a little Pewter Brad inside each one. The bird is from the stamp set in the Veranda Workshop on the go Kit. The covers came from Clearbags.com and can be ordered here.
This cover uses the new Topstitch paper packet. Oh my, how I love this paper! It is so sweet! I have a couple more fun things to show you with this paper, but you will have to wait until tomorrow. (I will be showcasing them for the New Product Blog Hop starting Monday, 1/11/10 at 6pm Pacific Time. Be sure to check back then.) This one also uses some Primas from my stash with some Pewter Brads.
If you happen to be in the area and would like to join us for a fun evening of fellowship, crafting, coffee, and dessert, please come to Rancho Baptist Church on Monday, January 11th at 6:30 pm. You will be able to learn a new craft and utilize your God given talents to make some fun projects for a worthwhile cause. Contact me for more information.