Every March, women in wards and branches worldwide commemorate the anniversary of Relief Society, founded on March 17th, 1842. These celebrations take many different forms, but for the last two years, the Calgary Alberta Fish Creek Stake Relief Society has organized evenings of service to honour the purpose for which Relief Society was first organized – to provide relief.
“The 2016 event was based on the Saviour’s words “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you,” (John 15:11-12), explained Val Schmidt, a counsellor in the Stake Relief Society Presidency, “We loved how this scripture shows the connection between joy and loving (or serving) others. We wanted to show the sisters that connection, and for them to feel joy as they served together.”
Jacqueline Baines was asked to help tie baby quilts at the event. She and a friend had already independently been making baby quilts to donate to charity throughout the previous year but had encountered difficulty finding a charity who would accept them because they were homemade. They decided to look into the group the Relief Society planned to donate through, and stopped by one day to meet them. They were surprised to see Val Schmidt there, prepping the quilts to be tied at the service night, and in need of extra hands. “Val had not asked us to help, and we didn't know she would be there, but I know she appreciated our help and I felt we were led to be there to help her,” Jacqueline said. The visit was fruitful in another way. As soon as Jacqueline met the charity group she knew they were the people to get her quilts into the right hands. Between the quilts, she and her friend had made, and the ones tied at the service night, 52 baby quilts were donated to charity. Jacqueline concluded, “I got a surge of joy when Val sent me photos of the quilts being donated. The Holy Ghost helped me know the right place to donate them. I know there are ‘quilting angels’ that helped this project along.”
The Fish Creek Stake has been a supporter of the Calgary Drop In Centre for over 20 years. One station at the evening of service was making 5,000 sandwiches for the shelter. Debbie Newman, Executive Director of the Calgary Drop In Centre, attended the event, and asked for the opportunity to speak to the women in attendance and personally thank them for their service. The sisters listened attentively and respectfully – but their hands didn’t stop flying as they spread sandwich fillings! Brian Pratt, a Fish Creek Stake High Councillor who helped with the event, accompanied Debbie as she stayed to tour all the service stations. He noted, “She was overwhelmed by the dedication and sacrifice that she witnessed during the evening, and said she was particularly touched by the video shown to all the sisters at the beginning of the evening which featured clips of various acts of service performed by Jesus Christ during his ministry on Earth.”
Non-members and less-active members of the church attended the evening and loved the chance to take part in something meaningful and lasting. Lendy Perez had a friend who expressed a desire for spirituality and opportunities to help others. Lendy invited her to the evening of service and she came, bringing another friend with her. “They had a great time going to different stations and trying out new skills,” Lendy remembered. “They met many sisters and the conversations helped relieve the anxiety my friend felt about being inside a ‘church’. When the night ended they both asked me when the next activity would be and if they could come. What my friend loved the most was seeing the power of women working together to accomplish something good for the community.”
2016 “Love One Another” Evening of Service; what was accomplished:
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Made 5,000 sandwiches for a local homeless shelter
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Sorted over 5,000 pairs of eyeglasses to be shipped overseas
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Wrote over 300 letters of appreciation
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Helped 66 patrons with their Family History
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Tied and donated 52 baby quilts
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30 women had their blood typed, 30 made appointments to donate, 30 registered with a stem cell donation program
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Sewed 300 cloth diapers for still born babies
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Sewed 90 shields and 50 bags as sanitary kits for girls overseas
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Collected over 500 towels: new for the homeless shelter, and used for the SPCA
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Sewed more than 200 winter hats and knit or crocheted scarves for refugees, the homeless, and others in need