December 6th 10am- Urban Peak donate, need a tree

[Pathrat]

Here I am again, grubbing for limited resources from my fellow wheelers. I know you all are providing for your own families, which does indeed come first. Me too. But that won't stop me from asking for your help. Maybe one of us does have extra and if one doesn't ask, one doesn't get anything in return.

Chris, Barb, Hugh and I are going to the Urban Peak shelter Sunday, December 6th, 10am, to drop off all the coats that were gathered for the residents. 1630 S. Acoma St Denver CO

(http://www.frontrange4x4.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7631)

Can anyone commit to bringing a pre-lit, new or great condition artificial tree? What about ornaments? I will go buy one if I have to, but honestly, I am approaching the end of my donation money budget.

Please let me know by Friday.

Thanks everyone who checked this post.

EDIT: WE HAVE A TREE!!!

[Rob]

I might have a tree to donate, but it's not prelit. Let me check with my wife.

[Pathrat]

I might have a tree to donate, but it's not prelit. Let me check with my wife.

If not, maybe someone could pony up a few boxes of energy-efficient LED lights??? I could do a box.

[Rob]

Oh, I have some lights, too.

[Patrolman]

We may have a tree as well. Will ask the :princess:

[Chris]

I just emailed to check on availability of this: http://denver.craigslist.org/zip/1487500427.html

Nope, I wasn't quick enough.

[Pathrat]

Chris, I did briefly try the craigslist route, but I don't have time to chase down people and see if the tree is good and usable. Thank you for looking there.

[Rob]

I'm pretty sure I can pony up a tree and a couple strings of lights. Might be able to kick in a few ornaments, too.

[Mporter]

post is deleted

[Chris]

I replied 20 minutes after it was posted and was beat by 3 charitable organizations. Gotta be fast with free stuff on CL!

[Pathrat]

I had an ad up on Craigslist, asking for a tree. It was up for maybe half a day before it was flagged and deleted. Some woman wrote me this morning stating that she contacted someone who was giving away a tree and would I like her to pick it up. Yes, I replied. I said I would meet her when she has this tree. If it is a sucky tree, I will take it and re-donate. If it is good, I will post up here immediately that a tree has been secured.
It may sound a bit grinchy to be all picky but Craigslist is full of flakes and crap merchandise, and I won't give a tree to UP kids that looks like it should be melted down into soda bottles.

DRUnit, I will get with you as soon as I can about lights. Some ornaments would be great, if you have them.

How about some new blood with this project? Anyone not already doing something for someone else?

[Pathrat]

Here is the update:

Emily from CL came through! She picked up a tree and delivered it to the Urban Peak shelter! This is someone who doesn't know me or us, but wanted to do something to help. Thanks to her! I believe it is pre-lit, but I am going to double check.

Ornaments, socks, hats and gloves anyone???

[Chris]

Very nice to hear! :woot:

[Patrolman]

Hats off to Emily! What holiday spirit!

FYI for everyone looking to help: Lowes has 25% off ALL their holiday decorations that are on clearance. Many of the Xmas decorations are ALREADY on clearance, plus you get 25% more off! That is hard to beat for this time of year!

[Smash]

That's awesome about the tree!

Thanks for the heads up on the decorations at Lowes.

We will probably be heading to Big Lots and the Dollar Store. :)

[Pathrat]

We are confirmed, lights on the tree. :)

[Patrolman]

Thanks Stephanie! You rock!

Has anyone put out a "Wanted" on CL for decorations? I might try it as people clean out their boxes when they get them out the next week or so.

[Viper]

I'm new to the group. Sounds like you collected some coats. Do you need anymore? or other things? Let me know and we can see what we have.

[Pathrat]

I'm new to the group. Sounds like you collected some coats. Do you need anymore? or other things? Let me know and we can see what we have.

Hey Viper,

click on the link and open the Wish List pdf to see if you can provide anything for these kids.

http://www.urbanpeak.org/donate-inkind.html

Thank you for asking.

[brian pleasant]

it is great to have somone in our group that does charity work, unfortunely i dont have any trees..lights...need to do some shopping, start all over again grrrr

[Pathrat]

it is great to have somone in our group that does charity work, unfortunely i dont have any trees..lights...need to do some shopping, start all over again grrrr

We have a number of people that do charity work. :clap:
That's ok, we have a tree. Hugh and I will be giving away and buying ornaments for their tree. I will continue to hit up people for donations on the Wish List before each trail ride I can go on so everyone who wants to help and can will have an opportunity.
Sorry you have to start over.

[Patrolman]

I think that my :princess: picked up some stuff on sale last weekend. We will try to be there Sunday. Will keep you posted.

[CR]

I was hoping I could make this, but the chances look slim. I would love to help out in the future if anything else is needed. Let me know.:thunb:

[Patrolman]

Are we still on for tomorrow morning? We are going to try to do a little shopping early in the AM. Need to know approx how many kids are at the shelter at a time. 20? 30? 40? 80?

[Pathrat]

Are we still on for tomorrow morning? We are going to try to do a little shopping early in the AM. Need to know approx how many kids are at the shelter at a time. 20? 30? 40? 80?

Hope I am not too late with my reply.

There are 40 kids at the shelter, and I have no idea how many kids are on the street, still homeless, whom the Outreach staff goes to see. They hand out supplies too.

We have ornaments.

[Patrolman]

No problem. I sort of had the feeling there was 20. We will be going to try to buy some ornaments and decorations at Lowes in the AM. Do you have enough ornaments? Anything else needed? Stockings? Tinsel? Any other thoughts? We are going to hit the clearance shelves. :)

[Pathrat]

No problem. I sort of had the feeling there was 20. We will be going to try to buy some ornaments and decorations at Lowes in the AM. Do you have enough ornaments? Anything else needed? Stockings? Tinsel? Any other thoughts? We are going to hit the clearance shelves. :)

I have ornaments, but that is about it. Anything you can share :thunb:

[Patrolman]

Sounds good. Hope to have plenty of goodies. See you in the morning!

[Patrolman]

I stand corrected on the Lowes prices. The 25% off is the clearance price already. The sign on the door was mis-leading, but the advertisement in the store clarifies it.

We got a tree topper, some ornaments, tinsel, hooks for ornaments, etc. :)

[Pathrat]

I stand corrected on the Lowes prices. The 25% off is the clearance price already. The sign on the door was mis-leading, but the advertisement in the store clarifies it.

We got a tree topper, some ornaments, tinsel, hooks for ornaments, etc. :)

I should have checked the thread this morning...we turned around and brought them the ornament hooks that were in my coat pocket.

Thanks Jeff and Barbie for all you did. Thank you Chris and Barb for making the coats a reality for all forty residents!

:clap::clap::clap:

[Patrolman]

Thank you to you Stephanie for really putting this together!

We got a tree topper, 2 packs of hooks, about 20-30 ornaments, tinsel, etc. Also donated walkmans, batteries, basketball, clothes irons, and candy.

Happy Holidays to them and I hope to make this a more frequent event!

[Chris]

Forty homeless teens will be a bit warmer, your timing couldn't have been better Stephanie. Thanks for putting this together and stretching the cash to help 40 kids.

:cheers:

[Pathrat]

Thanks Chris and Barb for the chunk of change that allowed the purchase of enough coats. Hugh and I could not have done that ourselves.

Jeff and Barbie- you saw the 'decor' there. There will be something bright in their front room now.



Same time next year.

[Chris]

We'll be there. :thunb:

[Patrolman]

I was wondering if we can do something else in the Summer season. Maybe we can talk to Urban Peak to see what else we can offer. Even simple stuff. Bring the rigs over and let them look them over? I bet most of them have never been in a 4x4! Also maybe a BBQ? Anything like that can be free/cheap and really make their week!

[Chris]

That's a good idea Jeff, let's plan on something when it's warmer. :thunb:

[Patrolman]

Sounds like a deal. I will try to reach out to them after the holidays are over and see how we may be able to help in Spring/Summer.

[Pathrat]

Yes, this is a good idea, but it is an event more suited for a Resident Treament Center than a shelter such as this one. Planning and timing of such an event could be problematic for both the facility and us. The population is transient, kids come and go. Typically in this kind of setting, resident behavior is governed by rules the resident chooses to abide by, with specific consequences for both compliance and defiance. I would not want to see an event planned that all kids could not participate in due to circumstances like they are leaving, they have to be elsewhere, they are not allowed due to behavior or anything else that would not include everyone, whomever the 'everyone' is that day. This last part is just my opinion.
I might be called a *****, and reminded that this is a wheeling forum, not a charity or do-gooder society, but given that three people out of everyone here put up the goods, I don't think we could get enough people to pull off such an event.
I plan to speak to the staff at Urban Peak. I made one call to the Volunteer Coordinator and I felt like she couldn't wait to get me off the phone. I have another contact I plan to try. My suggestion is to look at the Wish List, ask for what is needed the most. At my next staff meeting, I am hitting up my peers for donations of items on the list.
I would not discourage anyone from reaching out to any group. I just hesitate endorsing this idea for a number of reasons, and I would want to have some kind of real conversation with someone over there before putting more into the plan.

[Patrolman]

I was just tossing out an idea. Basically pointing out that there are times outside of the holidays where there are needs. I completely agree that a real conversation with a director there would have to occur before anything else was planned. Thanks for pointing all that out Stephanie. Certainly helpful info.

[Pathrat]

I was just tossing out an idea. Basically pointing out that there are times outside of the holidays where there are needs. I completely agree that a real conversation with a director there would have to occur before anything else was planned. Thanks for pointing all that out Stephanie. Certainly helpful info.

And I hope you know I do appreciate your idea. Things like that prompt talk and plans and realities, whether or not the idea stays the same :)

[Patrolman]

Appreciate it. If anyone else has any ideas, either for Urban Peak, or for a different organization, we would love to hear them! Always good to know how we can help!

[Pathrat]

Patrolman:
when I can, I will speak to the right person, as mentioned in my PM. I agree with your ideas here.

Another idea to critique is a backpack drive in the late summer. When I did my first donation drop-off, I had my red emergency gear backpack in the rear of the FJC and this kid was all excited because he thought there were some backpacks for them. Some of these kids don't have their own bags for personal belongings and some of their gear is just inadequate. According to the stats, there are a number of homeless kids that attend school and I know the kids at UP are strongly encouraged to get their GED. There was a sign up in their back room stating, "$50 to get your GED".

I think it would be cool to caravan up at a predetermined time, with the rigs lined up, and hand out the backpacks, kind of like what we do for the Turkey Run. We would have to clear this, of course, as there are rules as to being off property. Apparently permission is needed to leave the parking lot.

Thoughts? Additions for now, until I speak to someone?

[Patrolman]

Pathrat...

Do we have to contact Urban Peak in advance before dropping stuff off? We forgot a HUGE bag of stuff that we had for them. We had already packed the entire vehicle full of stuff, so maybe missing this big bag wasn't too bad that day. We live nearby, so we can easily still drop it off. Thanks!

[Pathrat]

I have moved our discussion:

http://www.frontrange4x4.com/forums/showthread.php?p=77047#post77047