Giving is better than getting...

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." Winston Churchill

This past Monday a handful of the IA Private Quarters consultants and I had the pleasure of going to our Share the Comfort shelter to open product boxes with their staff and residents. This is my 4th year of participating in Private Quarters - Share the Comfort and each year I am overwhelmed by people's generosity.

Pillows, sheets, robes, and slippers seem like common essentials for most of us but not all women have the pleasure of these everyday essentials or a safe place to rest their head at night. Through the hard work of Private Quarters consultants both locally and nationwide we had the joy of gifting Ruth Harbor with over $8,000 in free product for the residents they care for. Not only will these women have a comfortable bed to sleep in they'll be able to take a "starter kit" of bedding essentials with them when they leave the shelter. Monday night as we opened box after box and stacked pillow after pillow we each become very aware of the reward from hard work.

The hard work was made very real as we put together "bedding bags" and brought them over to the residents at Ruth Harbor. To us as consultants we are used to the daily comfort of Private Quarters bedding but when shared with women who don't have that comfort and we see a pillow, robe or blanket move them to tears we were humbled by how such a simple gift means so much to the residents.

I want to say "outstanding job" to the IA consultants for a job well done - "thank you for generosity and giving hearts, what a joy to work alongside each of you."

Share the Comfort

I always love spring time of year, opening up the house, trees and plants budding, and warmer weather. It just seems like things come back to life after the cold of winter and its simply refreshing. I enjoy spring because I take off my plush sheets that kept me warm during the winter to trade them out for my cooler seacell sheets for spring/summer and in the process of changing out my bedroom for spring, I am reminded of how even in our lives we have seasons of change that can be "cold" seasons or "budding" seasons and how thankful I am that in the good and difficult seasons of my life I still have the love and safety my home provides. I am so grateful! Unfortunately not all women live in the reality of living in a safe place or even having a comfortable bed to sleep in. So during the month of April I am thankful that Private Quarters takes the opportunity to "Share the Comfort" nationwide by providing comfort bedding to local shelters selected by Private Quarters Consultants. It's such a fun and different way to get both Consultants and Personal shoppers involved in giving back.

This year the IA based team that I am part of has the privilege to work with Ruth Harbor an organization located in Des Moines. Ruth Harbor is a home for young women who are faced with an unplanned pregnancy and need a safe place to live for the duration of their pregnancy. During the girls time at Ruth Harbor the girls are taught life skills to prepare them for once they leave the house. The girls also receive counseling and coaching on whether they'll choose to keep their baby or give them up for adoption. My team and I had the opportunity to tour the house and visit with some of the girls currently living there. Ruth Harbor is doing a great job of meeting a huge need in our society and helping turn these girls lives around. My team and I are gearing up for the monthly of April to make sure that Ruth Harbor is supplied with sheets, pillows, robes, slippers and much more to make sure the girls rest comfortably while at Ruth Harbor. We're also hoping to raise enough money to provide a stock of "after care" bags for when the girls leave the home and go out on their own so they have bedding and comfort wear to help them with a successful "fresh" start once they leave Ruth Harbor and begin a new "budding" season of their own lives.

Would you consider having a party or placing an order to help support these women? Be a pillow pal or a blanket buddy during the month of April. If interested contact me at doreenstroud@aol.com