NEWS UPDATES

As the date for our Mississippi trip nears we have been increasingly busy with the details of our outdoor classroom project. All of you have received a fund raising brochure and many of you have responded. We are grateful for your support. We still need to raise $3000, to meet our $10,000 goal.

Week ending (07/09/06) was our first of two weekend work parties at Rick and Laurel Tobiason's. We cut, stacked and stained boards. Week ending (07/16/06) we finished cutting and sanding the boards, and prepared them for shipping to Mississippi. The lumber will be trucked to Mississippi the last week of July in time for our arrival on July 28th. The original Ertel design has been completely altered due to change in location at the Gulf View School. Originally the structure was to sit at the edge of what was to become an athletic field, but due to unforseen drainage problems, it is now sited in an inner courtyard of the school. The height of the Ertel design would dwarf the portable classrooms. We are now constructing a post and beam structure that will fit more comfortably in this space. You can follow our progress above at the Katrina Relief Project Page, see the link at the top of this page.

Planning is underway for the August 5th Street Dance. We will be increasing the number of games for children of all ages. The activities will begin at 4pm and food will be available then too! We've rented a dunk tank for entertainment of all. Children's ticket stubs will enter them into a raffle with winners pulled before the Katrina raffle. Music Will begin at 6pm and Automatic Slim will take the stage at 8pm. Street dance T-Shirts will soon be on sale at the BGS. Wear your new T-Shirt to the Street Dance and get a free ice cream cone. We hope all of you will come and join the fun.

VERMONT 211

Helping Hands has sent our organizational information to Vermont 2-1-1, a program run by United Ways of Vermont. Our information will be included in their data base. 2-1-1 is a health and human services information and referral program serving the state of Vermont. It was started in February 2005 with the goal of giving all Vermont residents easy access to community information and resources they need to maintain and improve their health and well being. Vermont 2-1-1 effectively links callers with available community services. To reach them simply dial 211 or check out their services on their web site www.vermont211.org

2006 RUMMAGE SALE

Don't forget our 2nd annual Rummage Sale on September 2nd and 3rd at the Town Hall. We will soon be accepting donations in good condition. Please call Linda or Mary for more information.

WEEKEND MEALS

Our weekend meal program is now in it's sixth month and our volunteers continue to provide rides and do errands for members of our community. More volunteers are needed for planning and cooking meals. Mary Blanton has the master list. Please contact Mary (234-5541) / Email if you can find some time to volunteer for this worth while project! For more information see our weekend cooking schedule by using the link at the top of the page.

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS

Please contact Margot @ 802-234-5320 or email any questions to info@barnardhelpinghands.org and someone from the organization will get back to you. Thank you for stopping by and taking a look. Come back soon!

We are continuing to gather material for our resource list of services that local agencies can provide for our community. One of our volunteers recently gave us a publication called Get In Touch, The Original Upper Valley Community Health Guide. This guide is published by Good Neighbor Health Clinic in White River. It is filled with lots of valuable information. A copy of this guide is in our Helping Hands notebook at the BGS. Please stop in and take a look.

KATRINA RAFFLE

Our Raffle tickets, which are $3 each or two for $5, are on sale NOW at the BGS (Barnard General Store). We have a list of nearly 20 prizes ranging from a cord of wood, an hour long massage, a Sabra Field print, a patchwork pillow to a gallon of maple syrup. We want to thank all the Barnard businesses and artists who contributed items for our raffle. Check out the complete list when you are at the BGS. The winners will be drawn at the Street Dance on August 5th.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Don't hesitate to contact us if you need a Helping Hand. We have people ready and willing to help. So if you wish you could do something that needs to be done, but no longer can, please contact us and use the resources we have available, or contact us to join our group of volunteers.