Labor Day Donation

I am sorry I have not been able to update my blog since July! My schedule was busy during Vacation Bible School, and then I was gone again. I was back in August for the Altar Servers' Picnic. I had more friends with me at the picnic this year, and some of us made it into the Herald! Basically, my time here in August was spent at the Church or the pool. I was able to get my mother to pick me up early a few weeks ago, because I really wanted to go to the pool before it closed for the summer. Besides going to the pool, I was able to get back into serving the Traditional Latin Mass (well, at least shadow), serving other Masses, and going on a road trip to visit family!

I wanted to wait until the end of the summer before turning in the money (that I raised for Divine Mercy Care), because I was hoping to get more orders. The estimated total was a little over $130 (my mother will help me on a later blog, because the PayPal thing was a little confusing for me), which would have been enough to buy a layette basket for a mother in need.

On Labor Day, Divine Mercy Care had a fundraiser called the Run for the Unborn. I was invited to be at the crafts table, and help other children make duct tape creations. I did not charge a fee, because the other crafts activities did not cost money, so it would not have been fair. I did get permission to set out a container for donations (thanks to my mother for being what she called my "PR rep").

Some of the exciting news from the Run for the Unborn is that I recruited two team members! Caroline and Andrea sat, and talked with me and my mother, and they left their duct tape creations for me to sell. They also want to use their artistic talents to help Divine Mercy Care! Feel free to place orders for them to fill!

At the end of the event, we had $31 in the "donations" bucket, plus the $166 from all the sales from Easter until Labor Day. WOW! I was a little frustrated that my total was then $197 ... just $3 more would make it an even $200, so I put in $2 from my wallet (my mother only had coins, which I did not want to turn in) and Andrea talked her father into donating another $1.

When I turned in the $200 to Ms. Gray of Divine Mercy Care, she said that the $200 would be able to pay for a non-stress test for a mother in need! I do not really know what that means, but I am happy to know how we were able to help. Thank you to everyone who has helped with my modest apostolate!

I just got my tablet yesterday, so I can update more frequently, instead of having to go to the library all the time!

Ad Iesum per Mariam,


GF,
President & Founder

Prayer Request!

 My mother just sent me an e-mail about someone I admire. I first met him at the Cardinal O'Connor Conference this year, and he let me have his staff badge after the Marriage March. Please add your prayers for Mr. Thomas Peters to mine.

 Mr.Peters helped me start my blog; if it wasn't for Mr.Peters I wouldn't be blogging.

Thank you Mr.Peters!

"The entire team here at CatholicVote asks that you to pray for our dear friend, Thomas Peters.

Thomas was involved in an accident yesterday evening and has sustained major injuries. He is awake, responsive, and in stable but critical condition. Family and friends are with him.

Out of respect for Thomas and his family, we will share additional information as is appropriate."

Available Colors and Designs

This is my collection of duct tape ... so far. 

It is past my bedtime now. I am going to bed so I can serve at the early Mass tomorrow before Vacation Bible School!

Step-by-Step Ordering of Custom Billfolds (with Photos)

Just like with the wallets, people have said that photos would help with ordering custom billfolds. The one pictured was ordered after Mr. Vogt was on EWTN Radio!

 1. Choose a base color or design.

 2. Choose a trim color or design (pouch pictured).

 3. Choose a trim color or design (if different from pouch).

 4. Choose a trim color or design (if different from #2 or #3; attachment to flap pictured).

 5. Choose a flap color or design.

6. Choose a buckle color or design.

Step-by-Step Ordering of Custom Wallets (with Photos)

Some people have said that photos would make ordering easier. I am making this particular wallet for Vacation Bible School. We are raising money to help Military Missionaries. (I have deceased relatives who served, and an uncle who is still in the Army. I also have a friend who is a Catholic Priest and Navy Chaplain, and my Pastor is a former Marine.) The people in the Military also need Jesus in the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist. The money we raise will help the Military Archdiocese bring Jesus to the people in the Military. 

 1. Choose a base color or design.

 2. Choose a trim color or design (pouch pictured).

 3. Choose a trim color or design (if different from pouch).

 4. Choose a trim color or design (if different from #2 or #3; sealing flap pictured).

5. Choose a buckle color.

New Products

Hi everyone, I am excited to tell you about my new products! I hope to post photos this week, but in the meantime, here's a list:

- bags
- wallets with photo windows
- planes
- bumper stickers

 O:-)

P. S. If you want custom bumper stickers, and I have to ship them, you have limited colors and designs. There are also size limitations, but I'll have to comment what the measurements are.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while!

I am sorry I haven't posted anything new for a while! As my school year was coming to an end, my mother and I went on trips, and I was busy making wallets before my father picked me up for summer visitation.

It's been an exciting few months, thanks to Mr. Brandon Vogt! I first found out about him because my mother follows him on Twitter. A while ago, my Parish bulletin advertised that Mr. Vogt would be speaking in our area, so my mother and I thought we should go. It was really neat to hear him talk because a lot of the things he talked about ... I already do on here! After Mr. Vogt finished with his talk, I asked him for his autograph, then my mother suggested that I tell him why I wanted to come. I told him about my blog, gave him my QR code, and he was so kind to buy a wallet from me! Well, Mr. Vogt interviewed me, and posted it on his blog http://brandonvogt.com/giovanni-interview/

Well! Once Mr. Vogt's blog was posted, I started getting e-mails within hours! I had a lot of wallets to make in just two days. My mother sent me a text a few days after my father picked me up: Mr. Vogt was on EWTN Radio talking about me! My mother was checking e-mails and responding to them for me, so that people wouldn't think they were being ignored. (Thank you, mother!)

Besides just being busy, and not being home, we have been having computer problems at home. I'm trying to save up for a tablet with a camera, so that I can update more regularly.

Thank you again to everyone who has contributed to my apostolate. Divine Mercy Care, and the families they serve, will appreciate all your help!

I will be filling the orders that came in while I was gone, and writing "thank you" cards. After I finish that, I hope to be able to sit down and update my records for you. Please keep me in your prayers this week: I am a Captain for my Vacation Bible School, so please keep everyone involved in VBS in your prayers!

Until next time ... O:-)

Easter Blessings!

Well, it's been a busy Lent, Triduum, and Easter!

A few weeks ago, after Mass, a lady bought the rest of my inventory for $20, and gave me another $10 to replenish my duck tape supply. She also bought some Mary Kay from my mother, then decided to give me the change from her purchase! So, that was $20 for the duck tape bag, and several wallets; and a donation of $15.40 for duck tape. Another lady came up, and gave me a $4 donation for duck tape.

The next day, I sold two duck tape planes for $1.

The Saturday before Palm Sunday, I was helping separate palms for Mass. Afterward, the man in charge of music ministry gave me a $1 donation.

(I'm missing a few sales or donations in my tally, so I'll come back and edit as soon as I figure out what's missing. I wanted to at least give you an update on what my total donations are that I'm submitting tomorrow.)

My total from the 11th of February-Easter is $109.05! To make it even, I'm putting in $1 of my own money. Arlington Missions is getting $55, and Divine Mercy Care is getting $55!!!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to my Lenten almsgiving!!!

On Good Friday, I served at the Franciscan Monastery. I found out that the Church takes up a collection for the Franciscans in the Holy Land. I got permission to leave a batch of wallets in the Monastery Gift Shop, with sales to go toward the care of the Holy Land! I'll let you know when I get a chance to drop them off O:-)

Ordering Custom Billfolds

 *(optional)

Step 1:Choose a base color.

Step 2:Choose a trim color.

Step 3:Choose a flap color.

Step 4:Choose a buckle color. 

*Step 5:Choose what it says.

Ordering Custom Wallets

* (optional)
 
Step 1:Choose a base color.

Step 2:Choose a trim color.

Step 3:Choose a buckle color.

*Step 4:Choose a picture holder color(0.50 extra).

*Step 5:Choose What it says.

Lenten Update

Happy, and Blessed, Lent to all of you!

Sorry I haven't been able to update my blog in a while. On top of school, I've been helping with a parish soup kitchen, serving daily Masses ... well, I won't exhaust you with ALL my activities.

During Lent, I have decided to split the money I raise from my Life Wallets. 50% of the money is still going to Divine Mercy Care (www.divinemercycare.org), the other 50% is going to Arlington Missions (http://arlingtonmissions.org). Thanks to the generosity of two women who donated specifically to replenish my duck tape supply, I have raised $57 so far, and I still have tape to keep working!

My mother is a Mary Kay consultant. Her recruiter, Ms. Cheryl, bought a wallet for $5, and another consultant on Ms. Cheryl's team bought a wallet for $10!

At our first soup kitchen, one of the cantors bought a wallet for $3, a young man bought a wallet for his grandmother for $10, a fellow altar server's mom bought a wallet for $2, and a lady at CVS recognized me from Mass ... and bought a wallet for $1.

At our second soup kitchen, a fellow server bought a wallet for $2.

Last Friday, my mother and I stopped by Ms. Cheryl's, so I could give her a wallet as a gift, and she decided to give a donation of $3 anyway, and another consultant bought another wallet for $5! Then, we went to our First Friday/Saturday Vigil (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alliance-of-the-Two-Hearts-of-Jesus-and-Mary/124343774292939), one lady bought two wallets for a total of $4, another lady bought a wallet for $2, a gentleman bought one for $2 ... wait, I had $50 when I left the Church. I guess someone slipped me a donation (or added a donation to their wallet purchase), and I forgot about it because I'd been up all night? Hmm ... sorry about that.

On Sunday, we went to Missionhurst for the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and the Rosary. Afterward, I told them what I was doing, and one gentleman gave a $5 donation, another gentleman gave a $1 donation, and a lady gave a $1 donation.

$57!!! So far, that's $28.50 for Arlington Missions and $28.50 for Divine Mercy Care! We have a few more weeks in Lent, who wants to help me raise the total donation to each organization? Also, are there any other children who want to be part of my wallet-making team? If so leave a comment or e-mail me at iamGodsHands@gmail.com and we will talk. 0:-)

Wine Cheese and Chocolate!

Another busy week! My mother and I went on a mini-pilgrimage last weekend, and our bus back got cancelled because of the snow storm, so we got back Sunday evening. After we got home, my mother and I talked to my grandparents about our trip, so we slept in a little bit on Monday. After school, I made five more wallets for the Divine Mercy Care fundraiser I told you about.

The tape has hearts on it because Divine Mercy Care's motto is "Transforming hearts through health care", and also because St. Valentine's Day is coming up.

When we got to the fundraiser, I gave them the $36 you all helped me to donate! I put cards from standtrue.com inside the wallets (thanks to my mother for being on facebook and twitter). We decided to include the wallets in the raffle, and I hope the winners prayed about where to put the cards and the people who find them.

A lady from Church donated $20 so I can buy more tape. God is so good! My mother says that God does big things with the little things we give and do, like when Jesus multiplied the loaves and the fish.

Speaking of multiplying fish, Happy Ash Wednesday, everyone! We are giving up the internet (but I will blog if anything interesting happens), sweets, television, and movies (except religious movies). What are you giving up?

Thank you again for all your help with raising $36 for Divine Mercy Care!

Busy Week!

Sorry I haven't been able to write in a while! I don't make wallets, and play online all day, you know? My mother and I make daily Mass a priority, and we have school and chores to do, too. Because I've been so busy, I haven't been able to bring in all your donations to Divine Mercy Care. I think it will be easier if I present the money to them at their Top of the Town fundraiser on the 11th (they should have information on their website www.divinemercycare.org if you want to join us). I'll make sure to let you know what the final donation amount is!

I got an order last week for 10 wallets, which I was able to fill and mail by Friday (thank you, again +Ad Iesum per Mariam). My "customer" said she would mail me a check for $25 ($9 for 9 wallets, $2 for one gold wallet, $3.09 for shipping, and the rest to buy more tape).

I made three extra wallets, and brought them with me to the First Friday Vigil. All of them were gone before we finished our snack early Saturday morning! My total from the Vigil was $7 even though I only brought three wallets.

After getting some rest, we went to celebrate McDonald's "grand re-opening" near our Parish Church. It was fun getting to meet Ronald McDonald. He played some games with us and did some illusions. I even got to help him pick up bean bags he dropped when he was juggling.

After the fun and games at McDonald's, I served Mass. My mother had a work meeting after Mass, so we picked up my materials for making wallets so I wouldn't be bored. I was interested in the conversation, though, so I only made one wallet. The lady liked the wallet, so she and her husband bought it for $1 and added a $1 donation for more tape.

Thank you everyone for being so generous helping me help Divine Mercy Care help mothers CHOOSE LIFE!

Photos

This is what my latest batch Life Wallets look like (but the wallets can be in different colors, sizes, and can say different things). I didn't take pictures of the red ones I made for the March For Life. Please let me know if you have a color or design that you would like for your wallets. Wallets start at $1, but some may cost more because the rolls are shorter than others. So far, I have been giving 100% of the sales to Divine Mercy Care (I don't subtract the cost of the tape from the sales before giving the money to Divine Mercy Care). I hope to be able to continue to do it this way (maybe someone wants to donate gift cards to art supply stores like A.C. Moore or Michael's to Divine Mercy Care?). I'll be sure to give you an update if this has to change.

P.S. Thank you, to my mother +Ad Iesum per Mariam, for taking a picture for me, so I can show my readers what I'm making O:-)

About Me

Hi, I'm G! I'm a nine-year-old fifth-grader. I made duck tape wallets, and brought them on the March for Life in Washington, D.C.; I sold eight wallets ($1 each) and got a $1 donation from a gentleman on the metro ride to the March. The $9 that I raised is going to Divine Mercy Care this week. Thank you to everyone who contributed!

I recently received my first order! I am working on their four wallets right now, with the money also to go to Divine Mercy Care.

If you would like to find out more information about Divine Mercy Care, contribute to them directly, or to find out other ways to help their pro-life ministry, their website is www.divinemercycare.org.

Stay tuned to my blog for updates! Thank you again, and God bless you! :D

P.S. Thank you, to my mother, for her help with editing.

Mission Statement

"Then I, the King, shall say to those at my right, 'Come, blessed of my Father, into the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world. For I was hungry and you fed me; I was thirsty and you gave me water; I was a stranger and you invited me into your homes; naked and you clothed me; sick and in prison, and you visited me.'

"Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Sir, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or naked, and clothe you? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?'

"And I, the King, will tell then, 'When you did it to these my brothers you were doing it to me!' Then I will turn to those on my left and say, 'Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry and you wouldn't feed me; thirsty, and you wouldn't give me anything to drink; a stranger, and you refused me hospitality; naked, and you wouldn't clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn't visit me.'

"Then they will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?'

"And I will answer, "When you refused to help the least of these my brothers, you were refusing to help me.'

"And they shall go away into eternal punishment; but the righteous into everlasting life."

- Matthew 25:34-46 -