{"id":259,"date":"2010-02-13T07:23:10","date_gmt":"2010-02-13T19:23:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/catchingfireflies.com\/blog\/?p=259"},"modified":"2013-01-08T22:50:59","modified_gmt":"2013-01-09T03:50:59","slug":"oakland-press-feature-272010","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/2010\/02\/oakland-press-feature-272010\/","title":{"rendered":"Oakland Press feature 2.7.2010"},"content":{"rendered":"

Boutique collects valentines for local seniors<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

By SHARON MacDONELL
Special to The Oakland Press<\/p>\n

\"Valentine<\/a> <\/p>\n

You could call it the Michigan Blues. The two cold, gray months following festive December are pretty dreary for most people.<\/p>\n

And
\nfor those who are infirm or lonely, it can be a cheerless time of year.
\nThat\u2019s certainly true for the 90 residents at Sunrise Assisted Living
\nin Rochester.<\/p>\n

\u201cGenerally after the holidays, everyone is on a
\ndowner,\u201d said Cecilia Mrock, activities and volunteer coordinator at
\nSunrise. \u201cMichigan weather doesn\u2019t help, either. Many of the residents
\nchoose not to go out because of the ice and the snow, so we do less
\noutdoor trips this time of year. They are more confined.\u201d<\/p>\n

That
\nwas all the motivation April McCrumb needed. The owner of the fanciful
\nCatching Fireflies gift boutiques in Berkley and Rochester dreamed up a
\nplan to bring needed cheer to local seniors. She\u2019s calling it the
\n\u201cShare Some Love\u201d project.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf people like our store, then they
\ndefinitely have a creative flair, so I thought it would be neat if they
\ncould make handmade valentine\u2019s cards, and we would collect them and in
\nreturn pass them out to some local seniors in assisted living homes,\u201d
\nMcCrumb said.<\/p>\n

When customers bring in three handmade cards to either Catching Fireflies location and make a purchase, they receive a gift.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re
\ngiving them a little photo magnet that reads, \u2018The heart that gives,
\ngathers,\u2019 which sort of affirms what they\u2019re doing and thanks them for
\ntaking the time to help us make a difference,\u201d McCrumb said.<\/p>\n

The
\nBerkley store has already received dozens of handmade Valentine\u2019s Day
\ncards. Some are painstakingly elaborate, with 3-D hearts or photos of
\nthe crafters\u2019 pets. But volunteers don\u2019t have to wield a glue gun to
\nget involved.<\/p>\n

Helen Harding of Berkley opted to download
\nvalentine coloring pages from the Catching Fireflies Web site. Harding
\nand her two children colored three of the posters and returned them to
\nthe store.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom said that it is for elderly people and I thought it would be nice to do it,\u201d said Harding\u2019s 8-year-old daughter, Haley.<\/p>\n

For many who have participated already, it\u2019s about more than getting a prize in return.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did not do it for the gift,\u201d Harding said. \u201cI just wanted my kids to be involved in doing something special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Haley had her heart in the right place.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I gave it to the person at the counter, it made me feel good, giving something that I took my time on,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

McCrumb says this is not the first time her store has brought out the charitable spirit in its customers.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt
\na holiday open house we had last year, if you brought three or more
\ncanned goods, you could pick out any ornament in the store valued at
\n$9.95 or less,\u201d she said. From that event, Catching Fireflies donated
\n400 pounds of food to a local food pantry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all about
\nmaking people\u2019s days brighter and thinking about how we can take that
\nattitude out beyond our doors and make a difference in our community,\u201d
\nMcCrumb said.<\/p>\n

Catching Fireflies is accepting handmade cards at
\nits two locations through Thursday. Mrock is looking forward to
\nreceiving the cards for the seniors at Sunrise the next day.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor
\nour residents, having somebody in the community reach out to them and
\nbrighten up their days with the valentines is really going to be a
\ngreat thing,\u201d she said. \u201cI think they\u2019re really going to enjoy it.\u201d<\/p><\/p>\n