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The members of Sunshine Ladies met Tuesday, April 2nd, at Joe’s Italian Ristorante in Ponchatoula for their monthly meeting. Included in the meeting’s agenda were plans for our upcoming state convention, plans for delivering our donations of hand-crocheted blankets and wraps to the Mary Bird Perkins cancer center, and selling raffle tickets for our scholarship fund at the Strawberry Festival.
After regular business was taken care of, our guest speaker was Sherry MacNeil from Woman At The Well Ministry. This ministry meets the needs of women in Tangipahoa parish by providing items like shoes, clothing, feminine hygiene, toiletries, Bibles, and even chemo care bags. These items are given free of charge to any lady who has a need.
Ms. MacNeil explained the purpose of her organization and plans for the future. They are hosting a “Ladies Day Out” even on Saturday, May 4, from 11 am til 1 pm at 51438 Averett Rd in Loranger. The event is free to all ladies; call Sherri at 985-474-6792 to let them know you’re coming & reserve your spot. Children are welcome. Lunch will be provided for both the women and the children. It will be a great time of worship & fellowship.
A motion was made and passed to donate $200 to the Woman At The Well Ministry to help in their ministry efforts. We look forward to work with them much more in the future.
(Left to right) Ginny Shartles, Anita Murray, Gail Riché, Joyce Bouliea, President Ann Bouliea, Sandra McConnel, Malinda Sanchez, Guest speaker Sherri MacNeil, Marie Heck, Caroline Krestos, and Kathy Brandon display a few of the hand-crocheted throws they made for the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center patients.
With the nicer temperatures of March, the Sunshine Ladies have been busy with some special community projects. On March 5th, volunteers took numerous articles to the Community Closet at Lallie Kemp Hospital in Independence. The hospital distributes these items as needed to patients. The articles we donated included clothing, including new men's underwear and socks, 4 bags full of gently used clothing, sweatpants and sweatshirts, a dozen pairs of assorted ladies shoes, slippers and flip-flops, feminine hygiene items, various toiletries, medication holders, fanny packs, puzzle books, and even throw blankets.
Later, on March 12th, we donated to Tangi Humane on River Road in Hammond. The shelter is always in need of donations for our furry friends. The items donated included large bags of dry dog food, a 10 pound box of Milk Bone Biscuits, dog toys, grooming supplies, sheets, towels and blankets, feeding bowls, leashes and collars, a large dog bed, and a check to help pay their vet bill. All these items were donated by our members.
Pictured are Freda Arbogast, President Ann Bourliea, and Ginny Shartles, with some of our donations for Tangi Humane.
Friday, November 17 was a busy day for members of the Sunshine Ladies, a branch of Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family and Community. We first held our regular monthly Bingo game at Heritage Nursing Home in Hammond. This is one of our on-going projects that we enjoy doing for our elderly citizens each month, and one that they look forward to.
Then President Ann Bouliea and members Sheila Gagliano and Marie Heck collected all the things our members have donated for Serenity House, the homeless shelter in Ponchatoula. We also purchased items to provide the shelter's residents with a great Thanksgiving dinner, including a large turkey and fixings. The donations were gladly accepted by Mrs. Frances Seymore, the owner and manager of the shelter.
In addition to the foods for Thanksgiving dinner, we also donated other food items, including staples such as coffee, peanut butter & jelly, beans, soups, and candy. Donations also included men's and women's personal hygiene items, like deodorants, toothbrushes and toothpaste, shaving creams and razors. We included first aid items like bandaids and ibuprofen, household items like laundry detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, and garbage bags, as well as 10 bags filled with various men's and women's clothing, which included packages of new socks for both men and women. In all we donated two tables full of food and goods to the shelter.
Pictured are (left to right) Marie Heck, President Ann Bouliea, Mrs. Frances Seymore, and Sheila Gagliano, with the items Sunshine Ladies donated to Serenity House.
Every year, in addition to all the projects we do in our own parish, the Sunshine Ladies participate in one International project. This year we once again chose Operation Christmas Child. On Tuesday, November 14, Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea and member Sheila Gagliano delivered 72 boxes to the River Road Baptist Church, one of the collection points for Operation Christmas Child. This wonderful project gives Christmas presents to needy children in countries around the world.
Each member of Sunshine Ladies purchases various items all year long to fill these shoeboxes. We include things like toys and stuffed animals, games, small books and coloring books, schools supplies, personal hygiene items, and small clothing items like socks. These are all new items, bought by members specifically for this project.
After collecting all the items, the ladies set aside a day to pack up the boxes. This year, members Sheila Gagliano, Ruth Barclay, Malinda Sanchez, Sandra McConnell and President Ann Bourliea met at Ann's home to sort out all the donations and pack the boxes.
Then Ann and Sheila loaded up all the boxes in her car for delivery.
Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea and Secretary Marie Heck met with advocates Kristi and Meka from SAFE (Southeast Advocates for Family Empowerment)
on Friday, July 28 to donate lots of items to the shelter for use by their residents. For safety and privacy reasons, only first names were used, and the meeting was
held at a different location.
SAFE is a private, non profit organization that assists survivors of domestic and sexual violence. SAFE advocates provide services to help battered and abused individuals,
sexual assault survivors, and their dependent children of all abilities to achieve safe, violence-free lives. The services they provide include a 24 hour crisis line,
emergency shelter and housing, safety planning, individual and group counseling, and help with paperwork and legal referrals.
SAFE also partners with the community by providing information and education geared toward ending domestic and sexual violence,
and establishment of a system to hold perpetrators accountable.
Since its inception over thirty years ago, SAFE has served thousands of survivors of domestic violence and their dependent children.
We are proud to partner with this organization to help women and children in our community. If you are interested in learning more about SAFE and how you can help,
please visit their website at https://www.safelouisiana.org/.
Sunshine Ladies, one of the two clubs in Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community, collected 20 boxes of items for the SAFE household. This included
kitchen items like dishes, pots and pans, silverware sets, cutlery sets, and coffee mugs. Other household items collected included pillows, blankets, and bath towels.
There were also two boxes full of toiletry products, and even fanny packs for the resident's use. These and many other items like feminine hygiene products and household
staples like paper towels, toilet paper, and laundry products are always needed.
On Friday, March 31, Sunshine Ladies made the monthly Bingo game "Egg-stra" special for the residents of Hammond Nursing Home. We brought special Easter treats for the residents to enjoy, and Easter stuffed animals for prizes. Our volunteers put on their rabbit ears, and a "hopping" good time was had by all!
Hosting the monthly Bingo games for the residents is one of our on-going community service projects. In addition to the prizes and snacks provided by our members, we also bring other needed items for the residents, including the beautiful hand-crocheted blankets and throws made by members of Sunshine Ladies. This month, we brought 13 large bags full of packages of adult incontinence briefs, which are always needed.
1. Some of the Easter stuffed animals for Bingo prizes.
2. Some of the bags of disposable incontinence briefs we donated for the residents.
3. Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea, Sheila Gagliano, Anita Murray, Ginny Shartle, and Marie Heck. Not pictured is Gail Riche, who was taking pictures.
Sunshine Ladies visited the Tangi Humane Society on Thursday, February 23, to bring donations our members have been collecting for the shelter. We love our furry friends, and are glad to be able to help by donating items they need. Donations purchased by our members included dog food, dog treats, dog toys, and cat food. We also brought blankets, sheets, and towels, which they always need for bedding, bathing, and general cleaning. In addition to these items, we also made a financial donation specifically to help with the veterinary bills.
Members making the delivery were Ginny Shartle, Gail Riche, and President Ann Bouliea. Also helping was Ann’s granddaughter Blaiklyn. As one of our on-going projects, Sunshine Ladies members collect these items all year long, to deliver them to the shelter twice a year.
On Friday, February 17, members of the Sunshine Ladies, a part of Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community, brought the spirit of Mardi Gras to residents at the Hammond Nursing Home. In addition to hosting the monthly Bingo, with our regular prizes, Sunshine Ladies gave out lots of Mardi Gras beads and stuffed animals to the residents there.
No Mardi Gras celebration would be complete without King cake, and this was no exception. We provided delicious King cake and other goodies for these residents to enjoy after bingo. Everyone had a good time, and we are all looking forward to next time!
Pictured below are Ginny Shartle, Anita Murray, Marie Heck, Sheila Gagliano, Gail Riche, and President Ann Bourliea.
December is a busy time of the year for everyone, and especially so for the Sunshine Ladies. On Friday, December 16, Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea, Ginny
Shartle, Sheila Gagliano, Gail Riche, Anita Murray, and TFVC President Marie Heck had our regular monthly Bingo at the Hammond Nursing home, with lots of special
prizes for the residents.
Following the Bingo at the nursing home, we headed to House of Serenity homeless shelter in Ponchatoula to have a Christmas party with the residents there. We provided gifts for the residents, and the owner, Mrs. Frances Seymore.
Members of Sunshine Ladies gathered at Tope La restaurant in Hammond on December 7 for our own Christmas luncheon. The members chip in each month at our
meetings to go towards our Christmas luncheon. It is always a festive event celebrating all the projects we've accomplished in the past year, and discussions of projects
we may consider for the coming year.
Twice a year, the Sunshine Ladies, a branch of Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community, collects items to bring to the House of Serenity homeless shelter in Ponchatoula. This is one of our many ongoing community service projects. Last Friday, December 2, Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea delivered bags full of food, including frozen turkey and ham purchased by the club. She also delivered 10 large bags of clothing, and bags full of household items, such as towels and washcloths, laundry detergent, and other bags filled with toiletries and personal hygiene items, and more. Every seat in her SUV was packed full of items collected by our members.
Many people are not even aware of the shelter, which is owned and operated by Mrs. Frances Seymore. House of Serenity is the only homeless shelter in Ponchatoula, and serves all of Tangipahoa, St. Helena, Livingston and St. Tammany Parishes.
1. Every space in Ann's SUV was packed full with items collected by members for the shelter.
2. Items purchased by the Sunshine Ladies included frozen turkey and ham for the resident's Christmas dinner.
3. Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea and shelter owner, Mrs. Frances Seymore.
On Tues, November 1, members of Sunshine Ladies made our semi-annual delivery of "Raise A Reader" packets and other items to North Oaks Hospital. We delivered 100 packets, which the hospital gives to parents of newborn babies.The packets include things like burp pads and other baby items made by our members. Every packet also contains a brand new story book for parents to read to their baby. In this way we hope to encourage parents to foster a love of reading in their child, which will help them in school and throughout their lifetime.
In addition to the Raise A Reader packets, members also donated items for the children's unit at the hospital. Our members collected over 110 pairs of brightly colored socks for pediatric patients, brighlty colored pillowcases hand made by members, as well as puzzle books, and coloring books and crayons to give to hospitalized children. These items help cheer up children who have to be in the hospital, making it a bit more fun and a little less frightening to them. Accepting the donations for the hospital was Linda Jo Kindcaid.
Pictured are Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea, North Oaks representative Linda Jo Kincaid, Anita Murray, Carolyn Krestos, and TVFC President Marie Heck.
The Sunshine Ladies, a branch of Tangipahoa Volunteers For Family And Community, held their monthly meeting Tuesday, November 1st at Murphy's Restaurant in Hammond.
A dozen ladies discussed current and future community service projects of the club, and enjoyed a delicious meal after the meeting.
One of our November projects is collecting non-perishable items for House of Serenity, a local homeless shelter located in Ponchatoula. The shelter is owned and operated by
Mrs. Frances Symore. Members brought their donations to the meeting, and the items will be delivered to the shelter later this month. In addition to the food items we
collect, we also donate clothing, personal hygiene items, and household necessities, as well as a cash donation to help with expenses of operating the shelter.
Pictured below, clockwise from front center: Kathy Brandon, Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea , Jackie Cagyle, Anita Murray, Gail Riche, Joyce Bourliea, Emma McDaniel, Ginny Shartle,
Sheila Gagliano, Caroline Krestos, Ruth Barclay, and TVFC President Marie Heck.
Also, Emma Mc Daniel, Ginny Shartle, TVFC President Marie Heck, and Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea display two of the crocheted blankets Ginny made to donate to our local nursing home.
Sunshine Ladies had a spook-tacular Halloween Bingo at the Hammond Nursing Home on Friday, October 21.
Each resident received a goodie bag, snacks and various bingo prizes. Anita Murray, Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea, Ginny Shartle, and Gayle Riche
dressed up and all the residents enjoyed the event!
Members present at our September meeting had such a fun time at International Fun Day that they carried the theme over to our meeting with fake mustachios! Looking forward to next year's event!
 
December 8th was our regular monthly meeting, combined with Sunshine Ladies annual Christmas party. It was held this year at Tope La Restaurant in
Hammond. Our members contribute a small love offering at every meeting throughout the year to fund our Christmas party. Members exchange cards and small gifts, and review our projects
of the past year.We are so pleased we were able to support so many of our pet projects despite the Covid restrictions during the early months of the year and Hurricane Ida in August.
Serving others in our community is both our purpose and our pleasure!
Shown below are Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea, Gail Riche, Kathy Brandon, Sheila Gagliano, TVFC President Marie Heck, and Anita Murray.
On November 18th, Sunshine Ladies made our annual Thanksgiving trek to House of Serenity homeless shelter in Ponchatoula, with two vehicles loaded with non-perishable groceries,
mens and womens clothing, hygiene items and sundry other things. In keeping with the Thanksgiving tradition, we also added a 24 pound turkey to add to the feast! Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea and Sheila
Gagliano delivered the goodies to Mrs. Frances Seymore of House of Serenity.
At out October meeting, Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea, asked if anyone would volunteer to make some
necessary alterations to the quilted covers used on the isolette incubators in the NICU at North Oaks to provide a better fitting, thus allowing easier
accessibility for the nurses and doctors caring for these precious babies. Anita Murray, Malinda Sanchez, and Ann Bourliea
jumped right in to get the job done. They altered a total of twenty six quilted covers, which are pictured below.
The ladies had previously worked on these same covers when requested to add button holes to the tops to firmly anchor the covers to the isolettes.
Sunshine Ladies members Anita Murray and Sharron Cleland (seated) delivered beautiful brightly colored homemade pillowcases for the Pediatric Unit at North
Oaks Hospital. In addition they also donated hand crocheted hats for the newborn babies. Linda Jo Kincaid, Children's Clinical Manager for the hospital,
was happy to accept these items.
On July 27, Sunshine Ladies made an unscheduled visit to the House of Serenity,
a homeless shelter located in Ponchatoula. Members collect items all year long for use by the home's residents and normally deliver them
twice yearly. Due to the rise in COVID numbers and the uncertainty of possible shutdowns being imposed again in the future, we decided to make an
early delivery.
This delivery consisted of 17 bags of gently used clothing for both men and women, a large bag of toiletry items, a large box of food, and puzzle books
for entertainment. We hope to still be able to make another delivery in November. If anyone wishes to provide help to the shelter, they are always in need
of food, clothing, cleaning supplies, hygiene products, towels, bedding items, toys, and money.
Pictured below are Sheila Gagliano, Vice President, and Ann Bourliea, President of Sunshine Ladies.
The TVFC Sunshine Ladies, the all volunteer army of the LSU Extension Service, made a long overdue delivery to the Hammond Nursing Home. Our members, their families, and friends have been collecting small toiletry articles acquired during their travels from hotels where they have stayed. These included shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, mouthwash, toothpaste, toothbrushes, powder, emery boards, shower caps, etc. In addition, there were toiletry gifts packs and larger bottles of hair products, body lotions, and fingernail polish. All of these articles can always be used by the residents.
We had also learned how much the residents loved the Word Search books so we included 35 books purchased by our members. For anyone in the community interested in purchasing and donating some of these books to the nursing home residents, they are available at all of our local dollar stores and always welcomed treat by the residents.
We have been and are still anxiously awaiting the day when we can return to calling our monthly bingo which we have been doing on the third Friday of each month for many years. We miss seeing and enjoying visiting with all of the lovely residents. It is amazing how much we learn from some of our conversations with them. We continue to touch base with home director, Mr. Marcus Naquin, to see when this will be possible, and it cannot be soon enough for us. The COVID pandemic continues to affect all of us and we pray that normalcy will eventually return.
Pictured from left to right are: Alyson Gagliano, (granddaughter of Sheila), Sheila Gagliano, Vice President & Family Life Chair, and Kimberly LeBourgeois, Activity Director Hammond Nursing Home
Members of Sunshine Ladies visited Tangi Humane Society last week with pet food and supplies we have been collecting for our furry friends. Tangi Humane Society's primary focus is
rescuing animals that are victims of cruelty, abuse, and neglect. They shelter, heal, and re-home as many of these animals as they can, working closely with law enforcement to rescue endangered animals. THS is an all-volunteer, 501(c)3 organization funded solely by donations from the community.
Our members collected dog food and treats, as well as food dishes. In addition to pet food, other much-needed items donated included an animal crate, puppy pads, heartworm medicine,
a cat litter container, a sling bed, 3 soft beds, bags of towels and throws, and disinfectant. We also donated money directly to the vet bill, a constant expense necessary to get
the animals sheltered there healthy and ready for adoption.
Members of Sunshine Ladies enjoy our annual Volunteer Appreciation Banquet, held this year at Joe's Italian Restaurant in Hammond. Pictured are: Emma McDaniel, Anita Murray, Heart Of LVFC Award winner Sheila Gagliano, Sunshine Ladies
President Ann Bourliea, TVFC President Marie Heck, and Kathy Brandon.
Members of Sunshine Ladies met on April 6 at Topela Restaurant for our monthly meeting. It's so great to be able to meet in person again after a year of covid-19 restrictions! We want to welcome to our new member Donna Burge and our guest Vicki Raduenz! Pictured are Gail Riche,
Sharron McClellan, Anita Murray, Marie Heck, Vicki Raduenz, Kathy Brandon, President Ann Bourlieau, Donna Burge, and Emma McDaniel.
On March 5, members of the Sunshine Ladies delivered 100 Raise-A-Reader packets to North Oaks Medical Center's maternity ward. These packets contain both baby items and a new book for parents to read to their baby. The packets are then given by the hospital to new parents to help their child develop a love of reading at a young age. Ms. Linda Jo Kincaid accepted the donations on behalf of the hospital.
We also donated items for the children's unit. These included 154 pairs of new socks for the patients, in the bright colors and patterns children love. We call these "crazy socks", and collect them all year long to donate to the hospital. Members also sew and donate brightly-colored pillowcases for the children's unit. Other donations included teddy bears, and coloring books and crayons.
In addition, a new item was made and donated by one member. Mrs. Anita Murray sewed 8 special pillowcases for the hospital's new Flexmort Cuddle Cot. This cot allows parents who have lost a baby to spend time with their child that they otherwise would not have, and helps them with the grieving process.
Pictured below are: (left to right) Sunshine Ladies Anita Murray and Rosanna Moliniario, President Ann Bourliea, and Ms. Linda Jo Kincaid from North Oaks Health Systems.
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Members of the TVFC Sunshine Ladies are cautiously starting to resume some limited community activities. In March, before the shutdowns resulting from Covid 19 virsus, we had a baby shower at our monthly meeting to benefit
Restoration House. Each member brought in baby items ranging from diapers, baby wipes, lotions, shampoo, baby wash, ointment, bed sheets, receiving blankets, beautiful homemade crocheted blankets, throws, onesies for both boys and girls, hats, socks, booties, bibs, burp
pads, hooded bath towels, and even some baby formula. They also bought and donated a Graco Pack 'n Play portable play yard.
A Restoration House representative was scheduled to speak at our April meeting to accept all the donated items. Unfortunately, that meeting and subsequent meetings in May, June, and July were cancelled due to the stay at home order. We hope to meet again in August but that
remains to be seen.
However, there was still all of these wonderful collected donations to be delivered. We contacted Restoration House and received approval to make a delivery. The staff was very excited and appreciative to receive the items.
Restoration House offers life-affirming services to women facing an unplanned pregnancy. They receive approximately 80% of their support from the community.
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Delivering the donated baby items are Sheila Gagliano, Anita Murray, and President
Ann Bourliea. Receiving the donations are Restoration House Director April Bell, and Angel Magee. |
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The Sunshine Ladies held their February meeting at the Twisted Tomato Pizzeria in Hammond. We were pleased to have two new prospective members, Kathy Riche and
Sharron Clelland, join us for the meeting and stick around afterwards for a great pizza!
Pictured here (left to right) are Marie Heck, Sheila Gagliano, Joyce Bourliea, Emma McDaniel, Kathy Brandon,
Marg Daly, Ann Bourliea, Sharron Clelland, Kathy Riche, Anita Murray, Gayle Riche, and Roseanna Monilario.
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The TVFC Sunshine Ladies met one February morning at the Tangi Humane Society at 46219 River Road in Hammond to deliver items they collected to be used in caring for the animals being sheltered there. In addition to the cases of canned dog food, bagged dog and cat food, blankets, towels, rugs, toys, treats, beds, and cleaning supplies, they presented the organization with three checks toward the balance on their continuing climbing vet bill.
The Tangi Humane Society is a 501(c)(3)non-profit, all-volunteer humane society that plays an active role in investigating cruelty cases throughout Tangipahoa parish. Their priority is to rescue animals that are victims of cruelty, neglect and abuse and to ultimately find these animals loving fur-ever homes. They are completely funded by private donations. For more information on Tangi Humane you can visit on Facebook where you will find photos of the animals available for adoption and information on upcoming events, or you can visit their website at www.tangihumanesociety.org.
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In January, the TVFC Sunshine Ladies were proud to be able to take hand-made
blankets, lap blankets, and throws to the residents of Heritage Manor Nursing
Home. We took a total of 91 blankets, so that every resident would have one of
their own. That's a lot of hours of work, and a lot of love for our elderly friends!
Pictured are Sheila Gagliano, Ann Bourliea, and Emma Mc Daniel.
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(left) Helping abused women and their children is Shyneisia Collins, with Southeast Advocates for Family Empowerment, or SAFE, a non-profit organization that assists survivors of domestic violence.
Pictured here are Gayle Riche, Ms. Collins,
Sunshine Ladies President Ann Bourliea, Sheila Gagliano, and Malinda Sanchez.
(right) Sheila Gagliano shows some of the snacks and prizes for our monthly
bingo at Hammond Nursing Home. |
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| Literacy Chairman Sheila Gagliano distributing
dictionaries to 3rd graders at Tickfaw Elementary School. |
Get Involved
You Can Make a Difference!
Your support is vital to our work at TVFC. There are so many ways you can
contribute to our on-going projects, and every little bit that you commit goes
a long way in helping us to help others. Contact us to learn more about how
you can get involved, and have fun with us as we help the people of our parish!.
We are a 501(c3) organization, so your
financial donations are tax deductible!
Whether you help through your donations, volunteering your time,
or spreading our mission through word-of-mouth, thank you so much!
We couldn't accomplish our goals without the help of supporters like you.
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