MONKEYMAKING: The Beginning

When did all this MonkeyBusiness begin?  

2009.  I was going through chemo.....watching a lot of videos, and wanting to do something for others with my time.  

I found this video:  "God Will LIft Us Up."  It's about Brittney, a teeneager who makes Sock Monkeys among many other things.

Brittney is dealing with a rare and chronic condition where her intestines are paralyzed.  She cannot eat and must carry around a backpack at all times which carries her special food which goes directly into her systerm to keep her alive.  She spends months in the hospital.  She cannot live as ordinary teenagers do.  But Brittney is a girl of Faith, Hope and Charity.    And rather than wallow in her problems, she made the decision to look outward and use her talents to help others.

She is an artist and has designed coloring books with a message for children who have her disease.

And she makes sock monkeys.  Colorful, wild, crazy sock monkeys.

Here is the link to her video: 

https://www.lds.org/youth/video/lift-us-up?lang=eng

I found myself thinking about Brittney, her Sock Monkeys, and children who are in hospitals.  

The first sock monkeys were created by my grandkids.  They loved making them.  As Bella was stitching, she said, "Every stitch is stitched with love."  How did a seven year old come up with the perfect theme?

SockMonkeys4Kids was born.  

Needed: Stuffed Love

"STUFFED WITH LOVE:  New or gently used stuffed animals are being gathered for abused and neglected children and foster children of Riverside County.  They will be given as gifts of comfort and love to children while in court. "

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There are over 40 kids a week who go through the courts in our county.  That's 160 every month.  8,000 a year.

Did I do the math right????

Wow.  This is really heartbreaking.  

STUFFED WITH LOVE tries to give these kids a bit of comfort while they're going through yet another ordeal in their life:  Court.

The lawyers have noticed that the boys don't really like the stuffed animals.

Sock Monkeys to the rescue.

I'm scrambling to put together a basket of monkeys for this project.  One basket for this week.   It is sobering to think of how many little people need Monkey Love.  And sadly, that's not the only love they need.

It's a very small drop in a very huge bucket.

NONPROFIT GENTLY HUGGED receives the most adorable monkeys EVER!

 MONKEYMAKERS are the best!  Nancy is a friend of a friend who was putting together a Super Saturday Service for the women at church.  They made blankets that day too.  Look at these darling little dudes..... She added hearts and eyebrows!!!  I  seriously want to hug each one.

Here is her follow up note. 

It makes me so incredibly happy to know there is so much MonkeyLovin going around!

Dear Marcia,

We did it!  Monkey making was a wonderful success.   I followed all of your prep instructions and had all of the monkeys machine sewed, eyes-on, ready to go in a ziplock bag.  Additionally, I basted around the mouths, and finished one ear in each bag.

We had Relief Society ladies and lots of young girls working on the monkeys.  Our youngest helper was eight years old.   I was delighted that everyone was so eager to work on this project.  We all crammed around two tables (we should have set up three), and just had a great time, stuffing and sewing.   We worked on 27 monkeys.  Right now, eleven are completely finished.  The rest just need some finishing work done.   A few of the women took theirs home to finish and will return them to me.  As for the rest, some of us ladies are getting together this Thursday,  to finish them off.  

Thank you, thank you so much for holding my hand and guiding me through this super-cool project.   Everyone in my ward was fascinated with the cute monkeys and all wanted to know how to make them.   It also felt really good to make something and to know it would be donated to kids who need their spirits lifted.  And who doesn't feel better with a sock monkey in their hand!

We plan on taking monkeys to Rady's Children's Hospital and also donate some to "Gently Hugged", an organization that provides a bag of essentials to needy mothers of newborns.   The lady from Gently Hugged gave a little presentation at the beginning of our Super Service Saturday, because all of the blankets we made went to them.  Anyway, the lady saw our monkeys and looooooovvvved them, so she wants to include them in/or hanging on the bag.

Love, Nancy

The big wicker basket in bag is full of monkeys too!

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A couple of weeks later I received this follow up.  Check out the link to Gently Hugged.

Marcia,
Look closely at the Gently Hugged bag in the picture included in this article.  I spy a sock monkey!   This is where we donated our monkeys.
Love,
Nancy

Http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/aug/11/gently-hugged-baby-clothes-business-profile/

Former nurses give a year's worth of baby clothing to new parents through nonprofit Gently Hugged